Thinking of moving from Pittsburgh to Winnebago Cnty, IL (Chicago: for sale, real estate)

[maxine07]

My husband was just offered a job in Winnebago County, IL starting at $85,000 a year. Could we live comfortably in a nice community near the Rockford area? We are both from Pittsburgh, PA and we have traveled all over the world, but I am afraid IL just won't compare to Pittsburgh. We love the people, scenery and the mom and pop feel of the communities around Pittsburgh. Is Winnebago County anything like this? I lived in Minneapolis, MN for a while and I thought it was just okay. Are the taxes high? We just built a new house in Pittsburgh 9 months ago and I'm just not sure its worth the move. Does this area in IL have some really nice areas that would make me want to sell my new home and move again? I would appreciate any information.

[Drover]

You could live quite comfortably on $85K/yr in the Rockford area. The question is, would you want to?

I lived in Pittsburgh for two years. The ex and I tried to stay there, for all the reasons you list for being reluctant to leave it. We just couldn't find jobs with decent enough pay to make it worth our while. If we had been able to make even 2/3rds of what we ended up making in Chicago, we'd have stayed in Pittsburgh. I'm here to tell you, there is virtually nothing to compare to it in the Midwest.

I don't want to raise anyone's hackles, and no doubt you'll hear from Rockford-area residents who will try to bring a sense of balance to the discussion and chastize me for talking down their community, but I'm going to share my candid, personal opinion based on the time I've spent in both Pittsburgh and Rockford...

IMO there are not many redeeming qualities about the Rockford area. Rockford has many of Pittsburgh's problems (urban decay, population loss, loss of industrial-era jobs, unknown sense of purpose and unsure about its future) with few of Pittsburgh's benefits (world-class performing arts/cultural institutions, neighborhoods dripping with old-school charm and character, fantastically tight-knit communities [yes every city including Rockford has them to some degree, but I've never seen it anywhere else like it is in Pittsburgh], beautiful hills and bluffs within the city, all of the outdoor recreational opportunities associated with being in the Appalachian foothills).

Any more, the primary draw of Rockford is that real estate and overall cost of living is dirt-cheap compared to the nearby Chicago area. The Rockford area is starting to see a minor influx of people fleeing the Chicago 'burbs trying to escape the rat race. That influx has yet to grow to such a swell that there is anything constituting an urban revival of Rockford. Maybe it will happen some day, but it's not exactly imminent. Minneapolis is a glittering metropolis by any standard, certainly one of the nicest -- if not the nicest -- in all the midwest. If you weren't impressed with the Twin Cities, I doubt Rockford is going to do much for you at all.

One thing I can tell you is that the property taxes are bound to be cheaper than wherever you are right now, especially if you're in Allegheny County. I absolutely could not believe the property taxes when I was house shopping in Pittsburgh. No wonder people are fleeing for the collar counties. (Explain to me again why I would want to pay nearly $4,000 in property taxes on a $97,000 house? With the crappy schools, decaying infrastructure and lousy city services I saw all around me, all I could do was wonder where the hell all that money goes.)

If I were in your shoes though, it would take a lot more than lower property taxes to lure me from Pittsburgh to Rockford. If I got identical job offers right now in Rockford and Pittsburgh, the only thing that would give me pause is that both my family and my wife's family are all situated in Illinois. Otherwise, if our families were scattered across the country and there was nothing anchoring us to this area, I'd take the job in Pittsburgh without a moment's pause. Even with family ties all right here, I'd still lean toward taking the Pittsburgh job.

For what it's worth, that's my .02

[cavewoman]

If you are working for the County...Good Luck.
If it is just in the County, there are many lovely places to live dirt cheap.
Note your priorities, whats in it for you...negotiate a sweet deal, or better yet, see if you can keep the home where you are and rent dirt cheap, till you decide if you want to stay. where is your family? Any children?
What do you want to compare the area too and what are you looking for? Without knowing all this, it is hard to help you.

I was asked to come to this area over 8 years ago.... and it just about destroyed my life. However I do have a lovely home with over an acre of land I could never replace anywhere.

[Katiana]

I am not as much of a city person as Drover, so I could probably handle Rockford/Winnebago Co and I grew up in the Pittsburgh area. Actually, I grew up in Beaver Co., not unlike Winnebago Co. I got married and moved from Beaver Co to Champaign, IL; talk about culture shock! Actually, it was more of geography shock, flat as a pancake. Plus, it was the U of Ill and farm country. And Champaign is far removed from "the big city", so as to render it nearly impossible to take advantage of its cultural offerings. Rockford is not so topographically challenged, and somewhat close to Chcago, FWIW.
I offer this as an "it could be worse" scenario. Weigh all your options.

[fulflej]

I grew up in Rockford and live in Chicago now (as pretty much any person from Rockford with a brain would do) and I think you should really consider turning that offer down. Rockford has some perks, mainly the EXTREMELY cheap housing and the plethora of parks, but the reality of the situation is that it is extremely depressed economically and the taxes are VERY high, I believe they are the highest in the property tax in the state if not the region because of a lawsuit against the school district (which greatly affected my education). $85k/yr is REALLY good pay for the area, you could afford to like in just about any part of town you would want to. If you like old, historic homes with character look on the northwest side along the river (I think it is called RiverWater or EdgeWater or something, I use to just call it Harlem Ave.) or on the edge of downtown, I know they are trying to restore those areas. If you like new construction then the far east side is probably your cup of tea, very suburban feeling but you're close to all the shopping. You're going to be let down coming from Pitt, there is only one good theater company and the food is... lacking? (non-existent) I know a good asian place opened up downtown recently and there is a vibrant mexican/italian community on the south side of down but other than that the food is standard american crap.

The museums are okay, the Burpee is pretty interesting albeit small, the art museum is pretty bad. Nothing like the Warhol museum or the Frick Mansion or anything I loved about Pitt. The parks are pretty astounding, lots of forests and gardens and green space all around - it is really the only thing I miss about Rockford. Crime is not that bad, it was isolated to gang areas and the worst "ghettos" when I lived there and my parents said it has gotten a little bit better.

I think the biggest draw for you would be proximity to Chicago and Madison. Chicago is amazing, you still (for the most part) get nice, mid-western people, great museums, theater, and FOOD. Madison is pretty much the perfect small community IMHO, an interesting piece of land, schools, landmarks, lots of co-ops and hippie-types.

Location is a big deal for me, if I stayed in the US I could really only live in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Madison, and New York... most of the other cities lack something. I wish you the best of luck with your decision, feel free to ask any questions about Rockford or the "Stateline area" that you have.

[rgb123]

I dont think the outlying areas of rockford are bad at all....in fact nicer than most chicago suburbs if you ask me (as far as scenery goes..dont know much about services). the fact is, your SO CLOSE to the chicago suburbs there. you dont have to live IN rockford. Its commutable from a lot of places like....marengo, EVEN crystal lake or some far west chicago suburb if your husband is willing to drive (probably not bad traffic going that way at all).

anyway...rockford is also close to galena which is very nice...and hilly...very hilly!!! you could also move in that direction....some very nice and cute little towns out on Route 20 toward galena.

rockford itself has issues....but it can only get better if people try and good people move in. its not the worst, and if I had a good offer there (say, even 60k) I would probably take it. I would commute from a far western suburb of chicago or maybe woodstock or something like that, as that is where I am comfortable.

Try not to limit yourself to the city of rockford, you have other choices if your willing to commute...I guess that is my bottom line. if anything, you are close to a lot of stuff for weekend trips. I think you could live very comfortably in the rockford area.

[hrfd725]

Hello,
Lived in Rockford area for 29 years and would say its not a bad place. Just like every place you have your good and bad. Just need to focus on what you want. I would recommend living outside the rockford city limits. Machesney Park, Roscoe, Rockton, or Loves Park. Moderator cut: soliciting
You already have a job offer that pays well so your ahead in the job market.

[DrMyEye]

I grew up in West Mifflin, went to Pitt and moved to Chicago for grad school. After 15 years in Chicago with 7 million of my "closest friends" (ha ha) I moved to Belvidere Illinois, just east of Rockford. I now work as an optometrist in Rockford, and I get to meet a lot of really fine people every day here. The amount of golfing available, both public and private, is exceptional for a city this size. The home prices are very low, but the taxes are high. Pittsburgh and Rockford share a history of having to pay for court-ordered integration of the public schools after years of segregation.
It took 20 years for Pittsburgh to get over the expenses of court-ordered busing, and Rockford has just been dealing with that recently. Overall, you would probably get over everything but one thing.....
NO MOUNTAINS! None. Zip. Flatlanders here, millions of them. When you go "home" to Pittsburgh, you have to learn how to drive all over again without drifting backwards at red lights. Sigh.

[fanaraj]

I live in Rockford, Illinois & have grown up here. I can tell you that the cost of living here is quite inexpensive. There are homes on every street for sale & you can get a great house for $150,000 or less. THe Rockford Schools have had their share of problems, however, I am a counselor with the district & I feel it is a great place for kids. I can say that the tax base is low compared to other areas. The closer you get the Chicago the more expensive everything gets. We are just 90 miles west of the big city. Good Luck!

Originally Posted by maxine07

My husband was just offered a job in Winnebago County, IL starting at $85,000 a year. Could we live comfortably in a nice community near the Rockford area? We are both from Pittsburgh, PA and we have traveled all over the world, but I am afraid IL just won't compare to Pittsburgh. We love the people, scenery and the mom and pop feel of the communities around Pittsburgh. Is Winnebago County anything like this? I lived in Minneapolis, MN for a while and I thought it was just okay. Are the taxes high? We just built a new house in Pittsburgh 9 months ago and I'm just not sure its worth the move. Does this area in IL have some really nice areas that would make me want to sell my new home and move again? I would appreciate any information.

[artemis]

You could work in Rockford, and live West of there in Freeport, German Valley, Winnebago. That part of the state is hilly, and close to Madison, Wisconsin which is a favorite city of mine.