Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Closed Thread Start New Thread
 
Old 05-19-2009, 10:42 AM
 
77,715 posts, read 59,844,990 times
Reputation: 49102

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by decidingwheretolive View Post
What are you looking for? We have a home for sale north of Science Ridge. 4 BR, 3 Bath, what price range and size of home are you looking at? We may consider renting since we have been unable to sell.
That is a REALLY nice area. You are probably one of my sisters neighbors lol.
They have 3 daughters and thier last name starts with a Z.

 
Old 05-20-2009, 11:58 PM
 
15 posts, read 47,068 times
Reputation: 21
Default Dixon, here we come.

Well,

It looks like despite my wish and effort, we are ending up in Dixon and will suffer the commute to Sterling for a year.

 
Old 05-25-2009, 09:18 PM
 
265 posts, read 870,635 times
Reputation: 225
I'm sure you understand that there is a divided four lane highway connecting Dixon to Sterling. Traffic is very light. This is hardly what I would call much of a commute. Unless of course you are not commuting from near the centers of the two towns. Just my observation since I have driven this road and its a snap.
 
Old 05-27-2009, 01:06 PM
 
15 posts, read 47,068 times
Reputation: 21
Quote:
Originally Posted by james57 View Post
I'm sure you understand that there is a divided four lane highway connecting Dixon to Sterling. Traffic is very light. This is hardly what I would call much of a commute. Unless of course you are not commuting from near the centers of the two towns. Just my observation since I have driven this road and its a snap.
Thanks James for re-assuring words.

Yes, I drove on the road the last time we were down there and in deed, the drive was not that bad. Taking young kids on any road on daily basis is another issue and I try to avoid at all cost. We are exploring into having the kids not going to STerling with us and stay with child care in Dixon.
 
Old 05-31-2009, 11:04 AM
 
Location: San Diego CA
1 posts, read 4,610 times
Reputation: 11
Yes it is a good stretch of road. Its really not a commute unless its snowing and drifting! I have commuted to work in Norfolk Va(2hrs), from Pleasant Prarie WI to Great Lakes IL(1hr), From Jacksonville FL to Mayport naval station(normally 8min but with traffic 2hrs), From Bremerton WA to Pueget Sound naval ship yard(normally 10min but with traffic 1hr+), and I now commute from El Cajon CA to San Diego Naval Station(1hr by car 15min by motorcycle). I would trade any of those commutes for that short trip from Dixon to Sterling even with the worst traffic. I grew up in Rock falls and Sterling joined the Navy and as you can see moved all over the country. What I miss most about the area is the people. If you look there are some very special people all over than area. Let me tell you about the food! I miss Pernas Pizzaria(the Italian hamburgers) in Rock Falls, Aurthers Garden Deli and that "work of art sandwich"(You gotta try it) last I knew a location in Sterling/Rock Falls/Dixon and expanding into the quad cities. The Candle light inn used to have some great fried chicken in rock falls(nice family resaurant). There is no Sonic or Waffle house but the mom and pop joints make up for that. For family fun it still sounds like the mall in Sterling is in the dumps. It was when I grew up there from 85-92. My family and I always went to the quad cities to shop. It not a bad drive and there is alot to do there.

Also Chicago is only a three hour drive. I took my wife home to sterling one year for two weeks while we were stationed in Florida I had grama/my mom in sterling for a baby sitter but you can find a sitter for the weekend easy. There are alot of very responsible high school girls in the area. Got tickets for Saturday night to the opera and a hotel in Chicago. Left Sterling Saturday morning got there around noon saw the city during the day Saturday and took her to the opera that night had a nice night in the hotel and drove home Sunday the whole weekend only ran a couple hundered but it is something she still talks about. Chicago has alot of culture and its only a hop skip and a jump away. If you are a camper lake ladonna campground just outside of Dixon is still a real treat I hear. [url=http://www.lakeladonna.com/]Welcome to Lake LaDonna[/url]

James is right, the west side of either town from grizwold all the way up and down have always been bad areas to live in. There is also some nice homes near where my parents moved to when I was a senior in high school. If you look at that map he sent you the link to, find 6th ave in north sterling and follow it north just past E Lynn blvd on the left there are some nice homes there also. The gang problems Sterling/Rock Falls says they have arent anything compaired to the big city. They are just bored kids that the cummunity has abbandoned. I spent many a sleepless night in north chicago for about two months at that point i couldnt take it anymore and moved north to pleasant prarie WI and dealt with the commute. So I know real gang problems! you enjoy Dixon but dont close your eyes on the sorrounding areas. There are some very nice communities in Rock Falls/Sterling and Dixon.

Last edited by Warrior07; 05-31-2009 at 11:34 AM..
 
Old 05-31-2009, 11:23 AM
 
15 posts, read 47,068 times
Reputation: 21
Quote:
Originally Posted by Warrior07 View Post
Yes it is a good stretch of road. Its really not a commute unless its snowing and drifting! I have commuted to work in Norfolk Va, from Pleasant Prarie WI to Great Lakes IL, From Jacksonville FL to Mayport naval station, From Bremerton WA to Pueget Sound naval ship yard, and I now commute from El Cajon CA to San Diego Naval Station. I would trade any of those commutes for that short trip from Dixon to Sterling I grew up in Rock falls and Sterling joined the Navy and as you can see moved all over the country. What I miss most about the area is the people. I miss Pernas Pizzaria(the Italian hamburgers) in Rock Falls. I miss Aurthers Garden Deli and that work of art sandwich(You gotta try it) last i knew a location in Sterling/Rock Falls and Dixon. The Candle light inn used to have some great chicken in rock falls. For family fun it still sounds like the mall in sterling is in the dumps it was when I grew up there from 85-92. My family and I always went to the quad cities to ship about once a month. If you are a camper lake ladonna campground just outside of Dixon is still a real treat I hear. Welcome to Lake LaDonna another area to look at is the Tampico area. It is wat more country and rural(with alot of Omish) If you are far enough your kids can go to school in Tampico not Rock falls. There are alot of farmers kids there. I lived near Thome Elementary school on Ave C in Rock Falls and there is a nice baseball park there and the neighborhood is still very nice. If later on when the kids start growing up you dont want to send them to public school send them to Neuman it still seems to be the better choise in the area. There are also some very nice areas east of rock falls just outside of town. and west of rock falls out site of town. There are some very excellent teachers in rock falls that are still teaching from when I went to school there. I can attribute many of my values I still hold today to many of those teachers. Rock Falls, Sterling, Dixon are all great areas but james is right the west side of either town from grizwold all the way up have always been bad areas to live in. There is also some nice homes near where my parents moved to when I was a senior in high school graduated in '90 and they lived there for until about 94 or 95 when they divorced. if you look at that map he sent you the link to find 6th ave in sterling and follow it north just past e lynn blvd on the left there are some nice homes there also. The gang problems arent anything compaired to the big city. I spent many a sleepless night in north chicago for about two months at that piont i couldnt take it anymore and moved north to pleasant prarie WI and dealt with the commute.
Hi Warrior,

Wow, that is some good info right there. I have tried the chicken george at Candlelight inn twice in the three times I was there. Good stuff. My son loved it too. Our moving date is two weeks or less and we feel more comfortable with the move. The encouraging words from this board is a big part of it. I will continue to up date as time goes on so whoever in my shoe can have better understanding of the town.
 
Old 11-10-2009, 05:28 PM
 
1 posts, read 4,302 times
Reputation: 11
Default Sterling/Rock Falls is a Awesome...

Jay,
Don't let what these people have to say about Sterling/Rock Falls bring you down. I lived in Sterling from the time that I was 4 until I graduated in 1989. There are several things to do in Sterling that do not involve drugs or any other illegal activity.
During the summer months there is a pool at Lawrence Park that from my memories was always packed. The park is located on a small Island on the Rock River between Sterling and Rock Falls. You can also fish the river all around that park, and at the very Northern tip of the island you have a great view of the dam.
I'm not sure who you would contact, but you can also go canoeing and tubing down the river, and there are also several small streams around the Rock River to do the same.
If you do like to fish, the Rock River is a great place to start, but you can also go to Morrison, Illinois to Rockwood State Park. They have a great lake with lots of fish, and right outside Rock Falls there is a huge pond that used to provide great fishing as it was emptied into by the river and another creek. Aside from those great fishing locations, there is also the Marina out by Sinnissippi park that has a boat launch onto the river. The fishing in that area is great. They even have an area where you can go paddle boating.
Sinnissippi Park is another great place to hang out for a teen. If you like disc golf, Sterling has one of the best courses in the US. I've been to several and it is still one of my top 5 courses. The back 9 is the best. You go up and down hills, through trees, over creeks, and around large bends to make shots. It is a very challenging course. The front 9 isn't as exciting, but it still has a lot of challenges. You can buy discs online or go to "Play it Again Sports" for new and used discs. During the winter months Sinnissippi also has the best sledding and tabboganing slopes you can find. We used to ski cross country around the park. Sometimes they even serve hot cocoa.
Also on the Sterling side is the Rec Center. They have an indoor pool, basketball courts, racquetball courts, weight rooms, and even billiards. They also have an indoor ice rink and a sauna. During the winter months and on rainy days, the Rec Center is the place to be. The only bad thing about the ice rink is that it needs to be a certain temperature outside for so many days for the ice to freeze.
Biking around Sterling and Rock Falls is also a great thing. The area doesn't have huge hills or anything. For the most part the entire area is pretty flat. From what I remember the harder place to bike uphill was the Southside bridge headed to the Rock Falls side, but it's Awesome going back down. Just be careful! It is a traffic bridge.
The downtown, and I don't care what age you are is a great place to explore as well. Keep in mind that I can't be certain as to whether any of these places still exist or not, but when I was a kid we used to go to the library a lot. It was an older 3 story library with a basement, and the walk ways were made of glass. You could literally see down to the next level. Every once in awhile the library would just set books out in the alley, and we would grab anything that looked interesting. Another great place was Emil's toy store. They had tons of toys, but they also had model cars and planes, different gadgets for hobbyists, books, magazines, and a lot more. It was always a fun place to explore even when I got older. Slightly down the same street was an electronics store full of stereo equipment. They also had one of the first "used" CD shops in town. It was great to be able to buy second hand at half the price. Sure, the streets and buildings are old, but that's what give's the place it's character. It has alley ways and a theater, there are unique restaurant's, and it's close to the river and the bridges. You can walk across the Northern bridge on beautiful evenings and check out the dam.
Aside from outdoor activities, you always have the mall. It may not be much, but it used to be a great place for a teen to hang out. You also have a movie theater in Sterling, and just a short distance down the road is Dixon. They have a theater. Also in Dixon is a great comic shop downtown.
As far as restaurant's go, the first place you need to go is Kelly's. When I was growing up, the Kelly and the MacDonald families were great people. Great Irish Catholic families that were always welcoming. They own a superb Restaurant/Pub downtown. Very family orientated with a great menu. They are always busy. Another great place is Angelo's. They have great pizza and spaghetti, and "The Bread"!!!! Can't say enough about the bread. It used to be that you could take any pot out of your kitchen, take it through the drive-thru and they would load you down with spaghetti, meatballs, and bread. All for under 20 bucks. Candlelight Inn is another great restaurant. They used to have the best onion rings, and "Chicken George" which is just a chicken strip dinner with fries, a roll, and a dinner salad. Great stuff. If you like deli food check out Arthur's Garden Deli. They used to be famous for deli sandwiches, and I can't imagine they've changed much. Very nice California style deli. If you like Mexican food, Sterling has some of the best. Because of the steel mill, back in the day, Mexican's migrated to Sterling for work, and the mill hired them as cheap labor. They brought a lot of culture to Sterling, including the food. You might also check out Brandywine Inn. It's a beautiful old lodge between Sterling and Dixon. As far as I know it's still there, and they have a great Sunday Brunch. We used to go there once a month after church. Check out the college while you're out there. I could go on and on, but I'm sure you will find more on your own.
In my opinion Jay, you are not moving to a bad place. It will be new and different, but stay positive and make the best of it. You will meet a lot of new and unique people. It's pretty much Irish Catholic and Mexican-American. Every place has a bad element, but if you are a good kid anyway, you won't fall in with that crowd. At your age, the bad element is probably less than 10%. Speaking from experience, Sterling High School has a lot of extracurricular activities that will keep you busy, help you meet the people you are looking for, and start your future in the right direction.
Don't read into the bad things that others are saying about Sterling/Rock Falls. They've either not been there, been there a few times, not been there long enough, or are just relatively boring people with non-existant lives.

Hang in there, man!
 
Old 05-28-2010, 04:36 PM
 
2 posts, read 7,885 times
Reputation: 10
i lived in sterling many years now for some reason i've moved to az. wich sucks too hot,too raicist,too expensive,well i dont realy liked it here hope some day i can go back to sterling where people its so friendlynot too expensive and the better you can see the 4 seasons you will like it there
 
Old 05-28-2010, 04:49 PM
 
2 posts, read 7,885 times
Reputation: 10
also dont forget to go to white pines to hikking or just to hung up you wont regret to move to that area chicago its only 2 hrs away you can go to the lake,the zoo,alcapones grave,china town,theres tons of things to do there dont bealive all bad things theyre saying bout sterling-r.f. you have to experince it to say if you like it or not,the crimes not bad you barely can hear bad things there check it out bro.
 
Old 05-29-2010, 09:41 AM
 
15 posts, read 47,068 times
Reputation: 21
Default Almost a year after...

The old thread resurrected!

Almost a year after living in Dixon, I decided that the small town environment here will suit us well. We are, however, buying a place in Sterling, IL and likely to move there very soon. The decision to Sterling, again, is my job there.

Something I learn regarding housing issue for some one moving from a bigger place to this area of Il: the availability of the real estate market. If you are looking for a house to buy and only find 1 or 2, chances are that when you sell it, there won't be many people looking to buy it, so spend accordingly. My job is unique in these towns. If the boss, although I am not quite sure who that really is for me, gives me the boot, I cannot work anywhere else in the 50 miles radius, which means packing it up and jamming in the van. If your job is similarly unique, same thing may apply to you.

Side track question: what is a good nature/ kid friendly bicycle path in Dixon?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Closed Thread


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top