Saturday, June 4, 2005

Fate Mocks Me

Well I just put myself in a total funk. On a whim we decided to look up house prices in the Bartlett area (in hopes of possibly upgrading our current living situation), and after discovering that unless we are willing to drop down nearly 300 grand (at least) we'd better forget about it, I decided just to see what the homes were selling for in Rockford.

BIG MISTAKE.

Basically I could have my absolute dream house for around forty thousand dollars less than what we could feasibly sell our townhouse for. THAT'S FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS CHEAPER. And did I mention the words dream house??? I'm talking a huge two-story home in a neighborhood I love with three to four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a finished basement, beautiful hardwood floors, a deck AND a swimming pool. But.....it's in Rockford. No Doubleclick offices in Rockford.

CURSES!

9 comments:

  1. You would also live in Rockford.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good call, Billy, from one who still lives in Rockford... although I can definitely love the cheap housing prices. This work-from-home tech writer and her student husband wouldn't be able to afford a house anywhere else while we have to live here for a while. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yeah but Bartlett is just sooooooo much cooler, right? A real cultural hot spot!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Its got not being Rockford going for it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You're at least closer to Chicago... although we have Madison, which is cool in its own way. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Tracey, I have been reading your blog for a short time and enjoy your entries and links (the build your own South Park character link was amusing as well as an entertaining way to kill my insomnia one evening) I haven’t felt compelled to comment until now. It may be driven by my embarrassment of living in Rockford or the need to justify living here.
    Despite Rockford having a few bad qualities there are still many reasons Rockford can be a good place to live.
    1.The Rockford Park District - It is the second largest municipal park system in Illinois (Chicago is the largest). They received the 2004 Dorothy G. Mullen Arts & Humanities Award, which honored the Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition. This award recognizes excellence in arts programming, and is presented by the National Recreation and Parks Association. They also recently received notification from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) that the Open Space Land And Development (OSLAD) grant application requesting matching funds for purchasing the Roy Gayle Baseball Complex was approved and funded in the 2005 budget. The pony league baseball programs serve approximately 1,200 boys and girls every summer for the past 40 years and the complex was almost lost this year due to funding issues. Rockford Park District was one of 77 park districts and county forest preserve districts vying for $25.3 million in grants for obtaining new land for parks, funding for new projects in existing parks, and protection of natural areas. This grant saved Roy Gayle. Plus, there’s the Trailside Center, programs for children and seniors, GeesePeace (a geese friendly approach to reducing the geese population that has increased over the years, Magic Waters, The Rock River Ice Rink etc. Many activities for families with children! ...some of that I stole right from their website but I needed facts to support my reasons for living here.
    2.Two really fun Museums - The Discovery Center, http://www.discoverycentermuseum.org/, was ranked the #4 Children’s Museum in the nation by Children’s Magazine; and the Burpee Museum, http://www.burpee.org/, has received additional funding and increased it’s visual displays since my grade school trip there and there's the discovery of Jane.
    3.Close Proximity to Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago - Rockford may lack some of the theatrical performances and concerts that the bigger cities offer, but the distance to travel is really not too bad and we can afford to attend more performances because of our lower cost of living (i.e. Lollapalooza tickets are $115 each but we’re going – who’d miss the Pixies again? ...plus Dinosaur Jr. is back...over 60 bands OMG!)
    4.The newly elected Mayor – Larry Morrisey is a young, independent politician who swept the recent election. He is committed to improving the Downtown and River District areas and well as curb some of that urban sprawl on State St. ..yippee!
    5.Downtown Businesses – The Irish Rose, Bacchus, Mary’s Place, CJ’s, Kryptonite, 5 Spa, Paragon on State and the Coronado Theater.
    6.Beef-a-Roo – Cheddar Fries, no need to say more.
    7.The Local Bands – Cheap Trick, The Snaggs, The Blind Robins, The Beat Merchants (when they were performing) and Salva Me
    8.Anderson Gardens – Rockford’s very beautiful Japanese gardens.
    9.Just a short drive from Rockford (okay I’m starting to grasp for reasons) – The Pumpkin Patch and Edwards Apple Orchard, they may not be in Rockford but they are very traditional, seasonal Rockford things to do. ...mmm apple cider donuts.
    10.Affordability – yes, it’s already been said that Rockford is affordable but I needed 10 reasons to make me feel better about living here.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jennifer- You actually just listed most of my very favorite things about Rockford! Mmmmmmm... Beef-a-Roo, Paragon, Discovery Center, Edward's Orchard. Also Storefront Cinema and Cafe Patou. Wouldn't you know I make it a point to get cheddar fries at the 'Roo every time I'm in town!
    I'm a little too tough on the ol' hometown sometimes. I know a lot of people who like to beat up on Rockford too so I tend to join in when it starts. I know there are quite a few good things about Rockford but I think the whole idea of wanting to get out of the town you grew up in comes into play a lot when I talk about it with people. (I know, I know, I got what- a whole 40 miles away? And to a suburb?) Some good friends of ours live in Rockford and are always trying to convince us to move into their neighborhood. (Don't you know I would totally love to? They live by the streets London, Paris and Rome. LOVE those houses.) Anyway, all of this probably doesn't matter since Jason can't leave his job in Chicago.
    Thank you so much for posting! I like nice people.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I haven't had Beef-A-Roo cheddar fries in eight years =(

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mark! That's so sad! I had Beef-a-Roo cheddar fries today, actually. Mmmmmmm.

    ReplyDelete