Tell me more about Freeport, IL (Chicago, Rockford: for sale, houses, neighborhood)

[BaptistFundie]

Originally Posted by jasperhobbs

Doesn't matter where you live. If someone started bashing your state, would you be hospitable?

I live in Illinois. And I'm saying it's a state going downhill fast. I'm leaving asap. Sorry if that bothers you.

[BaptistFundie]

Originally Posted by Curly Q. Bobalink

OP, Good Luck in future endeavors, let us know if the grass is truly greener on the other side once you land and get settled in. My guess is you'll find pluses and minuses almost anywhere you end up, I've found that little in life does not involve compromise of one sort or another.

I'm not the OP, but I resurrected the thread to ask questions.

I'm from another state that is much more conservative than Illinois. Lower taxes, more freedom on many issues. Better economy. I currently live in downstate Illinois, which also tends to be pretty conservative. But my main reason for wanting to leave is to go back to a state with lower taxes and better economy.

[jasperhobbs]

Originally Posted by BaptistFundie

I'm not the OP, but I resurrected the thread to ask questions.

I'm from another state that is much more conservative than Illinois. Lower taxes, more freedom on many issues. Better economy. I currently live in downstate Illinois, which also tends to be pretty conservative. But my main reason for wanting to leave is to go back to a state with lower taxes and better economy.

And where is this so we can all move there. Sounds like paradise.

[jasperhobbs]

Originally Posted by Curly Q. Bobalink

If their reasoning was valid, I would be sympathetic, and tell them they'll be missed, which they will be. Illinois is going to be very sorry people are leaving at the current rate, expect to lose two congressional seats in the 2020 census. If Gov. Pritzker cannot resolve many of the reasons people are leaving, it's only going to get worse. Obviously, he can't do anything about the weather, but he can make one heck of a dent in crime, economic disparity, the highly regressive tax system that places WAY too much reliance on property taxes (which hurts real estate values), and government inefficiencies (7000 taxing districts with overlap and redundancies).

I personally don't know if raising the minimum wage to $15 will help or hurt the state in the long run, but it's worth trying, I guess - border cities like Freeport may lose jobs, I just don't know. IMHO, the Dem's need to back off more restrictive gun control for non-criminals and instead punish those that use guns to commit crimes. Rauner was no prize, but he was vilified beyond what he deserved, a lot of his ideas were rejected for political reasons and will have to be adopted if the state sinks much deeper. FWIW, the income tax needs to be made progressive and in order to dig our way out of this, needs to be expanded to include retirement income beyond some reasonable exemption (Kentucky and Georgia exclude the first 40 or 50 thousand, I believe). The income tax structure needs to start at about four percent at the bottom and go to ten percent at the top, whatever allows for a deep cut in residential property taxes, I'd cap property taxes at 1% of actual value with very few other exemptions, and put the tax appeal attorneys (Madigan, Burke, etc.) out of business. His first run at the budget is about three or four billion short of being balanced, I hope he does not sign his first budget with such a gross deficit.

OP, Good Luck in future endeavors, let us know if the grass is truly greener on the other side once you land and get settled in. My guess is you'll find pluses and minuses almost anywhere you end up, I've found that little in life does not involve compromise of one sort or another.

Excellent and informative post.

[damba]

Originally Posted by jasperhobbs

And where is this so we can all move there. Sounds like paradise.

I don’t fault him for wanting those things. It sounds smart to me if you can make it work.

[jasperhobbs]

Originally Posted by BaptistFundie

I live in Illinois. And I'm saying it's a state going downhill fast. I'm leaving asap. Sorry if that bothers you.

LOL doesn't bother me at all.

[BaptistFundie]

Originally Posted by jasperhobbs

And where is this so we can all move there. Sounds like paradise.

Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, South Dakota. Just to name a few.

[damba]

Originally Posted by BaptistFundie

Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, South Dakota. Just to name a few.

Those are definitely conservative states, but not what I would call economic engines.

If you are focused on lower COL only, perhaps.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by BaptistFundie

Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, South Dakota. Just to name a few.

Kansas and Nebraska are higher tax states that have lower cost of living. Both Kansas and Missouri are often quite dysfunctional at the state government level. South Dakota is growing far faster than the other three, Sioux Falls has Sunbelt like population growth numbers and is in a state with no income tax.

[Creo]

Just in case anyone finds this thread in a search for info on Freeport, here's my abridged impression from my first-ever visit in late December:

It was better than expected. You can go to Mrs. Mike's to get a giant bag of chips for free (it's a local thing). Freeport hosted a Lincoln-Douglas debate, and there is a square there with plenty of info. The library is next door, and it seems quite nice (has a history room open at times if you are into that). The small Wrigley Field is interesting to view, and it seems that in better weather there are real games and a visitor's center for it. Krape Park is as about nice as any Chicagoland park I think I'd ever been to. Even in December, its beauty and cleanliness was impressive. I had a great visit at the Stephenson County Museum. This is It was the top-rated restaurant when I did some research and asked around. It's in an old building with a great view of the old post office, and the beef comes from the owner himself. The downtown has a nice collection of old buildings with architecture that you won't find in even many of Chicago's nicer suburbs. There are BIG, BIG houses that I found interesting in a few different neighborhoods. The people were friendly, much friendlier than just about any place I've been in IL. The art museum wasn't a high point, but I had a reciprocal membership to get in for free.

If you don't know Freeport, I think it's worth a day trip. If you want to work or live there, I can't speak to city politics, crime, schools, etc., but there are things to do, some gorgeous homes, some stunning parks that seem to be well-maintained, and access to a decent number of things to do in Rockford. I was impressed by the trip out.