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-Employment opportunities
-Brighter future
-Cost of living
-walkability
-Neighborhoods
-central business district
-weather
-crime
-recreational opportunities
-street activity
-
Employment opportunities: Neither
Brighter future: Rockford
Cost of living: Montgomery
Walkability: Rockford
Neighborhoods: Rockford
Central business district: Rockford
Weather: Montgomery
Crime: Definitely NOT Rockford
Recreational opportunities: Tie
Street activity: Umm tie
Closer than I expected but I will go with Rockford!
A lot of people get down on Rockford, but it actually has a pretty neat downtown and park system, as well as leafy neighborhoods with interesting architecture. The biggest problem is that crime is terrible in parts of the city.
I've never been to Montgomery so I can't really compare, but I would imagine the opportunities for white collar workers are better in Montgomery due to it being the state capital. Blue collar workers are probably better off in Rockford due to the all of the manufacturing jobs and higher wages relative to the South.
The main thing Rockford has going for it is that it sits at the intersection of two major interstates, I-39 and I-90, so I can see the logistics sector really take off; Amazon recently built a hub at the Rockford airport. It is also a destination for people from Chicago looking for cheap homes and rent, which may help the downtown revitalize further. The downside is that it is in Illinois.
Will be interested to hear about that state of the economy in Montgomery.
Never been to Rockford but Montgomery is super underwhelming compared to other Alabama cities like Birmingham, Huntsville, and Mobile. Its Downtown is small with nice museums but its historic neighborhoods are neglected and its university campus isn't very inviting with old crumbling dorm buildings and ugly parking lots scattered throughout. Montgomery is in a great location with Atlanta, Columbus/Auburn, and Birmingham nearby but doesn't stand out much as a strong city on its own.
I'm much more familiar with Montgomery than I am with Rockford - with that said...
-Employment opportunities - Montgomery, being the state capital gives its economy more stability, it's not as dependent on the ebbs and flows. There is also a lot of manufacturing (particularly automotive) in the Montgomery area and along the I-85 corridor going into Georgia. Auburn/Opelika is also within commuting distance.
-Brighter future - Montgomery for the same reason
-Cost of living - Montgomery easily
-walkability - I'm guessing it's a draw here
-Neighborhoods - Montgomery has great neighborhoods - Cloverdale/Idlewild, Old Cloverdale, McGehee/Allendale, even Dalraida is nice
-central business district - I don't know anything about Rockford's downtown, but Montgomery's is almost completely based around state government - it very much shuts down at 5pm
-weather - Montgomery easily as I can't stand cold weather
-crime - Neither city is great in this regard, but Montgomery is not particularly bad compared to other Southern cities of its size
-recreational opportunities - Montgomery has easy access to many state parks, lakes, and rivers.
-street activity - I think both cities are too small to have real "street activity" like what you'd see in major cities
Rockford is better because there is a lot of new things opening up in Rockford.
Montgomery has better weather.
Rockford is closer to major cities like Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, Davenport.
In both cities there are malls, museums and an airport.
Well, Rockford does have the Phantom Regiment, so that's a big thumb-up for me. I'd just hang out and watch them practice every weekend. But for everything else, Montgomery gets the nod.
Employment opportunities: None
-Brighter future: Rockford based on proximity to Chicago
-Cost of living: Montgomery
-walkability: Rockford
-Neighborhoods: Rockford
-central business district: Rockford feels bigger while Montgomery feels much smaller than expected.
-weather: Montgomery
-crime: Rockford
-recreational opportunities: Montgomery is close to rolling hills and lakes.
-street activity: Rockford
I would choose Rockford.
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