Rockford, IL

 

 

-Population ~150,000

-Metro ~350,000

-Fifth largest city in the country that only uses the letter o for all the vowels in the name

-Rock River goes through the center

-Located in far northern Illinois, about halfway between Des Moines IA and Flint MI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winnebago County Courthouse (?!):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks.

 

I like Rockford--the city has some great buildings--but the main part of downtown (west of Rock River) seems pretty broken-up.

There are some fantastic older buildings there but it seems a little...sparse.

It definitively appears though that the city is on the upswing. Lots of renovations according to the photos.

^Illinois has a state historic preservation tax credit that can only be used in five designated cities (Aurora, Elgin, Rockford,

East St. Louis, Peoria), but Rockford has by far been the biggest user.

"Fifth largest city in the country that only uses the letter o for all the vowels in the name"

 

For anyone wondering: Boston, MA; Fort Worth, TX; Stockton, CA; and Norfolk, VA.

 

Nice photos!

It definitively appears though that the city is on the upswing. Lots of renovations according to the photos.

 

^Illinois has a state historic preservation tax credit that can only be used in five designated cities (Aurora, Elgin, Rockford,

East St. Louis, Peoria), but Rockford has by far been the biggest user.

 

 

 

Lots of great things happening in central Rockford....but still a long way to go. Unfortunately Rockford usually has a negative reputation throughout the state of Illinois, and it is definitely an underrated city.  There are plenty of issues....high unemployment, crime, etc.....but the cultural amenities, public parks/gardens, and aerospace/hightech businesses are just some of the bright spots that far outweigh the negative.

 

 

This former hardware store on the main drag---State Street---is currently under renovation and is expected to house residents and ground floor retail by next Summer....with the demand for downtown living strongly rising. Check out the renovator's profile: http://urbanep.com/developments/

 

Other exciting downtown projects:

 

Downtown/Riverfront indoor sports complex (re-use of abandoned industrial buildings)

http://downtownsportscomplex.org/

 

South Main corridor redevelopment (and return of Amtrak service to Chicago & Iowa)

http://www.rockfordil.gov/community-economic-development/long-range-planning/corridor-plans/south-main-revitalization-strategy.aspx

 

Downtown/River Casino (still in preliminary stages)

http://www.rockfordcasinocoalition.com/

 

And of course our successful and nationally recognized late Spring / Summer / early Fall 'City Market'

http://www.rockfordcitymarket.com/

 

 

Thanks for posting these photos, Summit!  Hopefully I can find the time to get some photos of some of our great neighborhoods on here.

Good bones, but looks like the economy is bad there.