Beloit. What is bad about Beloit? (Portage, York: rent, credit, home)

[reefrunner9]

I agree, hot bread, oil and basil.....need I say more....................................

[VUTSU]

I was raised in Beloit and now live in Beverly Hills, California. I will always have warm memories of Beloit and I do visit my family there at least twice a year. It has changed, as all places do, but it still has the same look and feel as if time were standing still. There are tons of new developments and housing, but the older neighborhoods in certain central parts of the city are run down. Still, there are beautiful old neighborhoods with huge older houses that have withstood the erosion pretty well. Out in Sherman Woods, Turtle Ridge and out by the Gun Club, there are some gorgeous properties. I think the new bridge out in the township has ruined some of the country ambiance due to the fact that they turned Briar Lane and Elmwood Drive into basically off and on ramps for that new bridge. The city planners really skrewed up on that one. I feel bad for those folks living on those streets. It was a quaint and quiet country setting and now it is a dangerous and noisy area with tons of traffic.

[OldOnliner]

Originally Posted by VUTSU

... they turned Briar Lane and Elmwood Drive into basically off and on ramps for that new bridge. The city planners really skrewed up on that one. I feel bad for those folks living on those streets. It was a quaint and quiet country setting and now it is a dangerous and noisy area with tons of traffic.

I'm sorry, you can't blame that fiasco on the City of Beloit. No, that lack of imagination and planning was/is the responsibility of the perennially inept, shortsighted, stagnant politics and management entity TOWN of Beloit (AKA Beloit Township).

Like many people, you're confused. The City of Beloit is over a mile SOUTH of that bridge. (The CITY of Beloit ends at Henry Avenue on the east side of the river and well-south of Newark Road on the west.)

So, please, don't blame that boondoggle on the city.

[Milwaukee City]

The worst thing about Btown is truthfully...it's reputation. While crime is higher in Btown than other cities it's size you can feel completely safe. A lot of the crime between criminals and there is not a lot of innocent vic's in Beloit.

[VUTSU]

"that lack of imagination and planning was/is the responsibility of the perennially inept, shortsighted, stagnant politics and management entity TOWN of Beloit (AKA Beloit Township).

Like many people, you're confused. The City of Beloit is over a mile SOUTH of that bridge. (The CITY of Beloit ends at Henry Avenue on the east side of the river and well-south of Newark Road on the west.)

So, please, don't blame that boondoggle on the city. [/quote]

I do apologize for any misguided blame, and thanks for explaining to me the beloit boundaries. When I did inquire about the situation, I was told that the original plan was for the new bridge to run along the Beloit Country Club's northern boundary and that the plan was scrapped because of pressure from the wealthy members of the Club and special interest groups connected to these wealthy members on the Beloit City Council to find another route. If the Beloit Township is to blame, then at least we can agree on some points....that it is a boondoggle that lacks imagination and planning and that it is a shame that the neighborhood of Elmwood and Briar Lane was ruined because of this poor plan.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by OldOnliner

... They say pictures are worth a thousand words...

Going up the hill to Beloit College last week:


New Ace Hardware store entrance at corner of Broad and Pleasant in downtown Beloit (with Blackhawk Bank and Regal-Beloit HQ's in background):


Riding the trolley across town during Beloit's annual Artwalk:


Trolley ride viewed from the other side (different year):


Heritage View Condo development in downtown Beloit:


Rock River from Newark Bridge, looking north towards Big Hill Park. (During a summer when boating was more popular; the floods of 2008 pretty much ruined the boating season.):


Fairbanks Flats redevelopment. Two years to go...
FROM this:

TO this:


Beloit Memorial High School (along the banks of the Rock River):


New bike/pedestrian path along Shore Drive, on west side of Beloit. This part of the path starts at Maple Avenue, and goes all the way to Krueger Park - Golf Course and Pool - on Beloit West side - about 1.5 miles.


A walk in the woods at Beloit's Big Hill Park:


Along the river, behind Heritage View, in the late fall, looking north:


Beloit College students jogging along old railroad bridge, behind Beloit Post Office. (This is literally one block north of Illinois.):


Fishing below the dam in Beloit, next to the Brown Swiss Building and power plant, along Hwy 51:


Saturday morning in downtown Beloit (in front of Bagels and More and Bushel and Pecks):


Entrance to Riverside Park off Hwy51:


Beckman Mill, 140 year-old restored grist mill, west of Beloit off Hwy 81:


Downtown Beloit Farmer's Market - Saturday mornings May through October - East Grand Avenue, looking east:


Just outside Beloit, between Beloit Memorial Hospital and I-90:


Rooftop view, looking towards the dam and old Beloit Iron Works properties, ABC Supply Co. HQ in background:


Riverside Park lagoon rental paddleboats get wet in the fountains:


Heritage View Murals seen just before the flood peaked in June 2008:


And, finally, a Beloit tradition, sledding at Hospital Hill:

(And there hasn't been a hospital near this hill since 1972.)

Hope you enjoyed the tour...

For more information and photos from Beloit, see the links at:

http://stateline.net/ - Yahoo City of Beloit Club Search Page

or http://flickr.com/oldonliner - OldOnliner's Flickr Photostream

or Flickr: OldOnliner - OldOnliner's Flickr Profile.

The 9th picture is picturesque.

[VUTSU]

Originally Posted by OldOnliner

I'm sorry, you can't blame that fiasco on the City of Beloit. No, that lack of imagination and planning was/is the responsibility of the perennially inept, shortsighted, stagnant politics and management entity TOWN of Beloit (AKA Beloit Township).

Like many people, you're confused. The City of Beloit is over a mile SOUTH of that bridge. (The CITY of Beloit ends at Henry Avenue on the east side of the river and well-south of Newark Road on the west.)

So, please, don't blame that boondoggle on the city.

Hey OldOnliner

just looked at your pics of Beloit on Flickr and they are awesome!!! I'm so glad to see someone who actually gets Beloit and all it has to offer!

THANKS!!!

[gussie]

Kenosha is still a nice city... Nice lakefront and things to do.. Good restarants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!And nice homes..

[zackatack00]

From the sounds of it this is all Beloit propaganda, including those pictures. Most of them are of the downtown area, which is such a small part of the city. With the passing of Hendricks and Kerry moving their 3 locations out of downtown towards the "I-90 corridor" as it is apparently called, I see the downtown struggling in years to come.

[LML]

Ken Hendricks death was a tragedy and he will be sorely missed. HOWEVER, his wife Diane was always an equal partner with him in the business AND with the charity work they did. This includes the wonderful things they have done for Beloit which she plans to continue. So much good is happening in Beloit but people just do not want to recognize it because they enjoy thinking that a city as diverse as Beloit can not possibly be a good place to live. They are wrong.