Rockford, Illinois
Population: 150,115
Located in Winnebago County
The dynamic city of Rockford is the economic focal point among several communities flourishing on the gently rolling land that flanks the Rock River in north central Illinois. With a population of more than 143,000, Rockford is the area's industrial center, its cultural heart, its commercial hub, and its major educational resource center. The city is 90 miles from Chicago, 90 miles from Milwaukee, and 66 miles from Madison, Wisconsin's capital city. Since Rockford's earliest years, State Street has been the city's primary commercial artery. Before the commercial and residential growth that began in the 1950's, downtown State Street and the streets around it constituted the retail center of the community. It was a gathering place where friends met friends and local news was exchanged and discussed. Today, the character of downtown Rockford has shifted. Numerous professional offices line streets, as do business services. Restaurants still proliferate; downtown has no fewer than 33 great places for business lunches and dinners. Today, commerce on State Street stretches eastward for several miles, encompassing numerous shopping plazas and free-standing stores with acres of off-street parking. There are auto dealers, restaurants of every description, bank branches, and a seemingly endless variety of retail outlets lining both sides of the street. East State Street also attracts antique buffs to two separate antique malls with more than 60,000 square feet of space and over 420 dealers. But commerce in Rockford does not stop there. A number of busy malls attract area shoppers. CherryVale Mall has more than 115 stores on two levels, including three major anchoring department stores, a multi-screen cinema, and nearly a dozen places to eat. Machesney Park Mall offers more than 80 stores, including two anchor stores, several places to eat and a multi-screen theatre. Colonial Village has 32 stores, including two anchoring department stores, and five outbuildings containing restaurants, a bank, and a video rental outlet. Edgebrook Mall has 35 specialty stores that appeal to the sophisticated shopper. Near Cherryvale Mall stands Crafter's Mall, the area's largest permanent crafter's showcase. Rockford's Victorian Village is enchanting. Twenty-one splendid Victorian homes have become quaint shops, boutiques, tea rooms, and a bed-and-breakfast. Shoppers looking for the distinctive head for Victorian Village. The homes of Rockford and those of the entire region are reflections of the people who make the city and the area their home. There are elegantly maintained mansions dating to the mid-1800s. There are exquisite executive-style homes lining golf course fairways, the banks of the Rock River, and amid the solitude of heavily wooded areas. There are mid-sized homes, small homes, elaborate apartment, condominium, and townhome complexes - in short a quality home to match every budget. Close to downtown are found luxurious riverfront homes as well as many turn-of-the-century mansions. Interspersed with the latter are cozy bungalows, Tudor styles, Cape Cods, and two-family American Foursquares of more recent vintage. At the fringes of the community are vast subdivisions of elegant mid-size and executive-style homes where yards and gardens are meticulously landscaped. This pattern continues into the countryside beyond the city's boundaries. In several areas of the city, complexes of modern condominiums and luxury townhouses are clustered amid lush landscaping. Apartment complexes, too, dominate in sections of the city. Many of these offer recreational amenities along with spacious and comfortable rental apartments. As the hilly character of the land continues beyond Rockford, it provides many picturesque settings for beautiful homes in a wide range of styles, sizes, and prices. In these areas, curving streets that follow the lines of hills are the norm. Many streets end in cul-de-sacs, restricting traffic and providing safe havens for children at play. The award winning schools of Rockford demand exceptionally high standards and provide them in staff, educators, buildings, and equipment. Higher education is as near as the city's four college campuses. The city's 185 neighborhood parks cover more than 4,000 acres and assure many opportunities for family fun and recreation. Residents also enjoy concerts by the Rockford Symphony Orchestra; performances of the New American Theater, Rockford's professional theater company; performances by the Rockford Dance Company; and the musicals staged at Rock Valley College's Starlight Theatre. Discovery Center is located in Riverfront Museum Park and provides hands-on experiences for children and the entire family. It boasts the nation's first outdoor science museum and features exhibits about sound, weather, water, cave exploration, and more. Rockford Art Museum, also in Riverfront Museum Park, features the work of regionally and nationally famous artists. Thousands of art lovers come to Rockford for the annual Greenwich Village Art Fair held in September on the riverfront. With all this and so much more, Rockford has rightly earned a national reputation as the place to relocate. If Illinois is in your future, make sure Rockford is the place you choose to live and love.
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