Rockford Illinois Real Estate

Rockford Illinois Web Site

Rockford, Illinois
By Julie Farby

Located a few miles from the Illinois-Wisconsin border, about midway between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River, Rockford is the third largest city in the state and the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City," Rockford has 150,115 residents, while the metro area has 320,204 residents, according to 2000 US census estimates. According to VillageProfile.com, 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 an ever-growing population, Rockford is also the “area's industrial center, its cultural heart, its commercial hub, and its major educational resource center.”

According to Wikipedia.org, Rockford origins can be traced back to 1834 when Germanicus Kent, Thatcher Blake, and Lewis Lemon, ventured from Galena and established themselves on the west bank of Rock River. They were soon joined by Daniel Shaw Haight, who decided to create a town on the east side of the Rock. Positioned halfway between Chicago and Galena, the community was briefly known as Midway, but the name was quickly changed to Rockford, because of the “excellent ford across Rock River.” A post office was established in 1837. Soon thereafter, in 1839, the settlement was incorporated as a village, and in 1852, was officially chartered as a city.

With the arrival of the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad in 1852, the city of Rockford was in ripe position for vigorous economic growth. To make industrialization possible, a Water Power District was established and a huge dam was built across the river. And by 1860, Rockford had become a significant, growing industrial center, “noted for production of the John H. Manny reaper and other agricultural machinery.” During the 1880s, a furniture industry began developing, using the talents of Swedish craftsmen and capitalists, and in the first half of the 20th century Rockford was the second largest furniture-manufacturing center in the United States. The city's industrial background has produced many important and interesting inventions, among them the “Nelson knitting machine, airbrush, electric brake, electric garage door opener, dollar bill changer, and electronic dartboard.”

Between 1900 and 1920, Rockford's population leapt from 31,000 to more than 65,000. And throughout the decade of the 1920's, the population increased by some 2,000 people per year. Today, after surviving the Great Depression and the impact of World War II, Rockford remains a strong and vibrant community with more than 150,000 citizens, and the promise of more high-technology businesses and the increasing westward growth of Chicago.

Since Rockford's earliest years, State Street has been the city's primary commercial hub. Numerous professional offices and business services line streets; and the downtown area 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.”

Besides the numerous shopping and retail opportunities, “the rich mixture of housing types and styles available in the Rockford area provide plenty of appealing choices for residents.” Luxurious riverfront homes and many turn-of-the-century mansions dot the downtown neighborhood. Interspersed with the latter are “cozy bungalows, Tudor styles, Cape Cods, and two-family American Foursquare of more recent vintage.” At the fringes of the community are vast subdivisions of elegant mid-size and executive-style homes with meticulously landscaped yards and gardens. This pattern continues into the countryside beyond the city's boundaries. Modern condominium and apartment complexes and luxury townhouses can be found clustered amid lush landscaping, providing many “picturesque settings for beautiful homes in a wide range of styles, sizes, and prices.”

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