Thinking of moving from Pittsburgh to Winnebago Cnty, IL

[1234567890]

I grew up in Rockford in the 70s and 80s and currently have family living there. After living in many cities around this great nation, I can tell you with absolute certainty that I will never return to Rockford and I would never advise anyone to relocate to Rockford. Here's a short list of reasons why. I speak these truths with no bias against any racial groups or economic classes, but with a strict focus on the facts as they stand in Rockford today:

Segregation - Like many Midwest cities, Rockford is a city divided by race. East of the Rock River you will find mostly middle class white neighborhoods and new growth towards Belvidere. In many of these new neighborhoods you will find mostly white commuters looking for large mcmansions they cannot afford in closer suburbs. West of the Rock River you will find a few nice areas, but also large swaths of the city that were formerly Swedish and Itallian but are now poor black and recently poor Hispanic. When they shut down the huge Chicago housing project of Cabrini Green, guess where many of the residents moved to? Areas that used to be black are now turning Hispanic, and a few of the blacks are relocating to areas like Belvidere and other areas of the city. Whites, blacks and Hispanics in Rockford are largely divided by race and economic status, and in most social and professional cases do not interact.

School District - Absolutely one of the worst districts I have ever seen in my life full of problems related to race, bussing and white flight. Huge demographic changes have impacted the district including the influx of thousands upon thousands of poor Hispanic students with limited English abilities. White parents forced to bus their kids 2 hours a day due to a disasterous desegregation lawsuit send their kids to private schools. The focus is on making the numbers look even for all groups, not on taking your child to the next level. To this end, they got rid of gifted classes/honors classes that were predominantly white in order to 'even out' the difference between white and black GPAs. Thousands of residents have moved to neighboring cities to flee the schools.

Crime - Rockford's crime rate in the same as Compton, CA and nearly as bad as Detroit. Compare Rockford crime to a similar sized city like Ft. Collins, CO and you will be stunned - Rockford's crime rate is 5 times as bad. 3 murders vs. 19 in Rockford etc. I went to Cherry Valle Mall over Christmas on a weekend and quickly left with my wife out of fear for our safety. Hundreds upon hundreds of gang bangers roamed the mall in small groups. The Disciples, Vice Lords, Latin Kings and more have huge groups in Rockford. They are pervasive in the schools that are now over 50%+ minority, mostly poor and from the areas where these gangs recruit. If you want specific examples, here's a few. Again, I do not have a racist bone in my body and am just telling it like it is in Rockford:

-Middle class white girls (friends of mine) go out on a Friday night are followed while driving home towards Belvidere. Car with 3-4 black gang bangers pulls up close and tries to get them to stop. They flee, call police, and are told the following by the police, "We have seen this a few times lately...a black gang here is using the rape of a white girl as initiation..."

-I'm 16 and standing in line at Taco Bell on the good side of Rockford. Black guy walks up out of the blue and threatens to beat me up for no reason.

-A friend of mine is at a middle school dance. A group of 6 Hispanic gang bangers corner here in a bathroom. She is saved by a male friend who happens to walk by.

Diversity is great, but not if you fear for your life to experience it. There are very safe suburbs of Atlanta that are mostly black and areas of Southern California and the west where you can live amongst recent Mexican immigrants in absolute safety.

Taxes - Extremely high property taxes to pay for the screwed up school system and the lawsuit. You will pay a higher rate in Rockford than you will in the richest neighborhood in the country, Rancho Santa Fe, in San Diego.

Employment - The economy in Rockford is growing fast, unemployment is very low, but the jobs are mainly in distribution, low wage manufacturing (less these days), and low paying retail jobs. There are a few good engineering jobs, but compared to similar cities Rockford lacks cutting edge jobs and companies. Boise, ID has EDS, Micron and more. Oceanside, CA has many new biotech and technology companies. Rockford has a new Target distribution center. Rockford also lacks a good, large university like many cities it's size - Rockford College is a small liberal arts college. People with money in Rockford tend to have old family owned businesses like Rockford Blacktop or are doctors or lawyers.

Weather - Sucks at least 6 months of the year.

Recreation - Sucks in almost all areas. Rockford residents tend to go out to eat rather than go out to spend the day hiking. No mountains, bike lanes suck, no beaches, few running trails compared to similar sized cities. Positives: Indoor ice rink, indoor waterpark, outdoor waterpark, river path, new gym being built on east side. Overall, if you look at a city like Boise or Ft. Collins, you will find a healthy, outdoors way of life that does not exist in Rockford. Obesity levels are very high etc.

If you must move to the area, there is alot of growth to the east and north of Rockford. Look to Belvidere and look too Rockton and Roscoe for new communities, new strip malls, and your typical suburban growth. Go to the website 'city data' and look up Rockford to see the crime stats. Watch the news in Rockford one night and that is all you will need to make your decision. To save some money, you could also look on the NE side of Rockford. It is still Rockford, but there are some very nice neighborhoods, golf courses and new commercial developments. Homes there are also much less than Belvidere - simply because it is Rockford. The future of that region lies with higher income, professional class commuters who will buy homes in the Rockford/Belvidere/Rockton/Roscoe area and drive to other cities for work. There is a train in the works as well for commuters to Chicago. 15 years ago, Belvidere was a farm town. Today, entire neighborhoods get up at 5 am to commute to Chicago. Eventually this could lead to these folks starting their own businesses in the area etc.

[Steve-o]

A short 1 hour drive west from Rockford and youll be in JoDaviess County, which is very scenic IMO and full of great little towns (the main being Galena, IL). Rockford's topography is pretty much flat and boring, but there are lots of new developments going in. Dowtown Rockford is rather boring, but there is still things to do. The Blackhawks have moved their affiliate (Norfolk Admirals) to Rockford adn theyll be the Rockford IceHogs, so if youre into hockey this a definite plus. But like I said, a short drive to Galena will net you TONS of bed and breakfasts, decent restaurants, a nice arts/antique scene, nice hills, ski resorts, etc.

[Katarina Witt]

The hills in Illinois simply do not compare to the hills of Pittsburgh. I lived in Champaign for 7 yrs; many people said to visit NW Illinois for hills. I have to say: not the same at all. Sometimes I wondered where the hill was! That said, Rockford is a little hillier than Champaign. DrMyEye is right about having to learn to drive on hills after living in Ill, too.

[artemis]

As a former resident of Freeport, my journeys took me to Galena and SW Wisconsin. That corner of the state is referred to as "Little Switzerland", and with good reason. Its a beautiful area.

[Sideblinded]

An unbiased opinion: Just moved from that area, (Not from it) and just moved to Pitt, and had never stepped foot in the city until the day I moved. I like it in Pittsburgh so far. I am in Regent Square.

I moved from south of Rockford (Oregon, IL) to Pittsburgh this year. Pittsburgh has a lot more to offer in terms of life, culture & entertainment. Rockford is trying, and if you don't have kids you may find the fun, but you would have to be proactive.
My gut guess:
Rockford would be dissapointing to you if you like Minneapolis & Pittsburgh.

[Paul & Babe]

Lived in Rockford for 33yrs. Loved it!!!! But the fishing wan't there so on to Northern Minnesota for me!

[mchesler]

It so beautiful in Roscoe and the people are so friendly that I invested in townhomes with a pool and clubhouse. The area has everything you could ask for. Good schools and major cities nearby without the congestion.
This is a wonderful place to live and an easy commute as it has great highway access to I-90 and there isn't a lot of traffic anyway.
Rockford has a wonderful cultural base, sports teams, shopping and more.

[Havasu]

Here is my take. You say you will make good money and to me that means that the State of Illinios will take (Tax) most if not all of it in some way of Taxes. Read all the threads about how high the Taxes are.They will Tax you in every way they can. Find the thread that reads Rockford is Horrible. I moved away and i also made good money but saw only about 50% of it. Property taxes are the worst in the nation in Illinios. I would stay put where you are or go to Wisconsin and commute to your job. Beloit Wis. is better then anwhere in Northern Illinios.

[mchesler]

Property values are higher and more stable in Illinois than Wisconsin unless you travel another 1 1/4 hour north to Madison.
Cost of living in Winnebago County is lower than Madison County. Other areas of Wisconsin are depressed as in Milwaukee. Another consideration might be Janesville but they are losing a major amount of their job base, while Chrysler in Belville built a new plant not too long ago and in Roscoe/Rockton they just opened a new Super Wal Mart.

Each area has it's benefits and virtues. I personally prefer a larger population, stronger cultural base and an easy access airport as in Rockford or nearby to Ohare, Madison or Milwaukee all about 1 hour away. This is centrally located.