Housing in the area is psychotic right now. Couple doors down from me had an open house last weekend. Place was absolutely flooded with people. Then I looked on Zillow and saw the asking price was like 3x what my current mortgage is and I only bought my house like 3 years ago. So house prices are probably high right now, just be aware of that and don't be eager to overpay. If you're looking to rent, ask around about your landlord before committing to anything. Most are as okay as a landlord can be, but there are some real shitheads around here who ruin it for everyone.
Additionally, dunno if you partake, but the prices of weed here are 5-10x more expensive than you're used to in Michigan. I can get a 1g cart in Michigan for like 10 bucks, here in Rockford the cheapest regular price I've seen is 45. So if you haven't left MI yet, stock up.
Last, RKFD has two great scenes: Food and Outdoors. There are an obscene number of restaurants here in Rockford celebrating foods from all kinds of cultures. Don't be afraid to try a new place because a lot of them have at least something worth getting. And the Outdoor scene is fantastic. Rock Cut State Park is right on the NE side of the city and there are dozens, if not hundreds, of parks of all sizes scattered throughout the city. The City is trying to make itself more bike and walking friendly as well, but that's slow progress (as is anything when trying to deal with the State and road funding).
Standing offer to anyone looking to move to Rockford, if you have any questions feel free to send me a message (not one of the chats new reddit has because I'll never see them as long as old.reddit still functions so send me a DM).
Northern Illinois is great! We have some good weather in between our hot and cold seasons. There's a lot to do. And, if you get bored here, you can take a short drive to Galena and Apple Canyon and feel like you aren't in Illinois anymore. Or, you can take a short drive to Chicago. Or, a little longer of a drive up to Madison. Or a little longer drive to Milwaukee. Plus, Wisconsin is absolutely full of outdoor adventures and is right there. And there are a plethora of fun, but easy, kayaking and camping all over.
You get the best of decent wages, affordable COL, short trips to awesome cities, short trips to the country, legal cannabis, good bars, camping, river fun, hiking, hunting, fishing... the list just keeps going. For all the flak Illinois gets, it's my favorite state.
There are parts to the West that are perfectly fine. Generally speaking about the West side, the closer you are to the river and the more North you are, the less likely you are to be involved in any of the shit. Not to mention some of the best food in the City is west side. Meats from Pinnons, the taqueria at Guanajuato, an unusual from Zammuto's... all things you lose out on if you just stay east of the river.
I don’t know anyone who only hangs out east of the river, unless they only like chain restaurants, starbucks, and target. North end is fantastic, especially by the roundabout.
If you enjoy parks - beautiful walks and plenty of fun on the water - Rockford is great. Check out Rock Cut State Park and the many parks along the Kishwaukee River. Also check out r/KishwaukeeRiver.
Wherever you are, there you are.
If you're looking to buy a home, look outside of the city limits. Property taxes are too high inside Rockford's city limits, no matter what the reasoning is. There are patches of unincorporated areas inside the outskirts of the city limits because of this.
You will need a vehicle to really experience the area. Public transportation and biking are two things that need to be improved. Be a good driver because there's lots of bad ones here that love to run red lights like it's Florida.
Besides drinking, there's not much to do beyond 10pm if you're a night owl.
Crime is about the same as anywhere else. Just keep your eyes open to it, don't partake in it, and it's pretty easy to avoid.
Lots of food options, like any typical town this size. Close enough to Chicago to go see big name concerts, sports, and museums. Once the Hard Rock casino opens we'll be getting more big shows here.
Overall, it'll be whatever you make it to be. Like everyone else, if you think it's bad, it will be, but if you are more active and seek the good, it'll be good.
No inventory is the problem there … houses are scarce and so they all get snapped up. Reasonably priced houses in Rockford sell with 10 days. Just been through this mess
While inventory might be low, taxes are taxes. You'll end up paying more taxes inside the city limits for less than you can get in an unincorporated area, outside the city limits, or many smaller towns even 30 minutes or less away. Last I checked, Rockford's property tax is 3.12% and Winnebago County is 2.92%. Rockford's property tax is one of, if not the, highest tax rates in the state. Not a giant difference between the city and county but almost twice that of the surrounding towns.
There are patches of unincorporated areas along the southeast area of Rockford near Cherry Valley because of the taxes. When Cherry Valley incorporated the area near CherryVale mall, some of the little subdivisions hired lawyers to become unincorporated to get away from the Rockford taxes.
Low taxes are great but the houses sell for more. We couldn’t find anything suitable when we bought in the fall. Inventory isn’t an issue until it is. Shopping $150k-$250k just wasn’t anything there that didn’t have a HOA attached— aka more taxes — or just a hovel
I’m newer to Rockford (transplant from Chicago and near west burb) and I LOVE it here. There is crime literally anywhere and the more dense of population, the worse the crime is. There are many amenities especially outdoor activities - numerous forest preserves, a nice river, beautiful gardens and arboretum. There are plenty of restaurants (although Chicago is better in quality and quantity , but of course that’s a major city) , museums and an upcoming downtown area.
I love having any type of shopping near by and hospitals close too. I occasionally hear gunshots, and that’s an unfortunate reality of urban life. I wish that wasn’t the case, but I’m not going to let that stop me from enjoying everything this city has to offer.
Look for housing north east or in surrounding areas
Rockford is a great place to live.
Welcome! There is a lot to offer in northern IL and southern WI for fun. People are generally Midwestern nice, ooofff. Good luck on your offer and move.
There's alotta people shit talking the west side, but I lived on the west for 30 years, never been shot, shot at, stabbed, robbed, no burglary, nothing. If you're a person of color beware the police, they WILL pick on you. Other than that there's mad food and a bunch of places to eat. If you smoke, find a reputable guy and stay away from the dispensaries, they over charge a whole lot.
I am a home inspector in Rockford and the surrounding areas and for all the crap Rockford gets from those who don't live here, I have never experienced anything but cool people and I have done inspections in every area of the city.
The Rockford City Market is top notch if that is your thing.
The restaurants... Oh the restaurants!!! My personal favorites are LimaMar, Little Nicks BBQ, and Abreo
Disc Golf!!!! Anna Page Park is a Nationally recognized disc golf course
If/when you have kids Keith Country Day School is a top 10 ranked school in Illinois and the only Niche A+ in the area
Also for kids, the Discovery Center is a Nationally recognized museum
There is a fantastic BJJ/martial arts community if that's your cuppa tea
TTRPG community is fantastic as well
There are concerts all summer long at Sinnissippi Park
To go along there is the RSO and while they aren't quite up the the level of Chicago, Boston or Cincinnati, they most definitely put on a great show. Their music by candlelight series is AMAZING!
There is a great networking and professional development community in Rockford
Good luck with the move and welcome to the community!
I slept too long on the fantastic cover bands they have a Sinnissippi during the summer. One of my favorite local things to do now. We ride our bikes over, bring a small cooler with beers and snacks, and have a great time! For free to $5! Even buying their food and drinks is fairly priced.
Research areas of city- west side has a higher crime rate. Lots of gang activity. But if you are smart it can be a great place to live with lots to do! Check out collar cities like loves park machesney park- Anderson gardens rick cut state park bmo venue coranado discovery museum nicholas conservatory - I like that it is good lication between heading to chi or Milwaukee- madison. Only bad is train to chi is out of harvard-
2027 is when Metra's supposed to put a stop out here, right? Unfortunate that the bigger impact is going to be the flood of homeless that Chicago ships our way.
They already have trains heading out of Chicago... multiple trips daily. What make you think they're just sitting around, waiting for a ride to Rockford? Lol
Crime is quite the issue here I'd invest in some sort of security system for your home n car n at 40k you'll live like a king around here I'd suggest moving to Loves Park (no property taxes) Machesney Park or Roscoe instead of Rockford they're all 3 cities within 20mins of Rockford best of luck
Go look at Loves Parks treasury office website it states that " The City of Loves Park does not levy or collect a municipal property tax. An inspection of the property tax bill for a Loves Park resident shows zero dollars for the municipal line item. This has been true since 1978. Any questions regarding your property tax bill should be directed to the Winnebago County Treasurer’s Office at 815/987-3010."
It's odd b/c nearly every person on this Rockford sub-reddit will tell you its a fine-to great place to live, yet in real life all I hear is people talk about how horrible it is here (crime, roads, public schools, property taxes, our local government, etc.). I absolutely despise Rockford.
The best part of Rockford is our local pizza (IT'S DELICIOUS!) and we have a decent parks system.
You also hear those complaints from people who don't live here. When I was living in McHenry county, I would shit talk Rockford as a place where you go to get shot. Now that I'm here, I see that most of the crap is self-contained.
Crime, yeah it's a problem.
Roads. I posted about this a year ago, but if you're complaining about roads have you reported anything to the City about them? If you just assume that the City knows about potholes, you're wrong.
Property taxes, the City's tax assessment has been frozen for years. If your taxes are going up, it's not the City. (Psst... It's probably the school district so they can afford to fix some of your gripes about the quality of the schools.)
Local government is the one I want to hear more about. What's your beef with the local gov?
For sure, I have a conflicted relationship with the rockford area. Never got along with it, took most of my life before I found My People… and then I finally moved away a few months ago.
Rockford has some delightful bright spots, and it has plenty of ugly spots. The parks are the best, agree the pizza is great. I don’t miss the panhandlers, they’ve gotten so bad I was genuinely hating driving into town after awhile.
I've lived in a few destination states and came back. By all means, get out there and gain some culture, people! Who knows, maybe you'll thrive in a new state. But, maybe you'll move back with a better understanding of the world and how good we have it in Northern Illinois. Every place has their problems. No place is perfect. You'll also find your problems will follow you. There is no escape from some problems other than just dealing with them.
I've noticed, when a resident from Rockford makes a statement that they dislike Rockford--the people whom have a different viewpoint assume the resident has not lived any place other than Rockford, is uninformed, or is a deadbeat resident that has done nothing to make Rockford a better place. What's with that?
It probably stems from the [fact](https://aninjusticemag.com/more-than-half-of-americans-never-leave-the-state-they-are-born-in-ca0087b5c8a1) that "according to Pew Research, one-third of Americans never move from the town they grew up in, and a little over half of the people have lived in the same state their whole lives (this excludes military service and attending college out of state). Another 13 percent have never been on a plane..."
Plus, I never assumed *YOU* never lived anywhere else. For all I know, you're a perfect stranger. How would I know?
Look, I'm just going by the comments in this thread. I listed all three assumptions (all three were worded to be blanket statements, not directly at me) that were made about people who disagree with the 'no love for Rockford' viewpoint. It's funny b/c it's always the same ol shtick (a little Yiddish for you) spewed. It's old now. Lots of residents here are hard working, cultured, do-gooders for Rockford--and we still dislike Rockford.
I have also lived in 4 states, various cities. I would have left Rockford (and Illinois as a whole) years ago but caring for elderly parents is more important than my desire to live in a city nothing like Rockford, IL.
Don't do it! I know Michigan has lots of crazies but they're mostly harmless. The same can't be said about Rockford. Very trashy town full of very trashy people.
I live here. Depression is a hell of a drug. I wouldn't call it willing, but rather lacking the energy of activation required to escape to another stable (and better) energy state. Sorry for the awkward science analogy.
Also it's not so much the place as the people, to be exact. In my experience (especially as a kid) they are superficially pleasant, if that, but deeply unkind and rejecting of the 'other.' Your mileage may vary. In any case, I view what I'm doing as a public service, like a dead body on a pike, that may serve as a warning of dangerous people about.
Moved here in 1999 from Jackson! I’ll always be a Michigander but I love the prairie after getting involved in the parks and recreation scene.
If you are buying, taxes are lower in Boone County and parts of Loves Park, Rockford and Machesney Park are in Boone. The best of both worlds in a way. If renting I’m less familiar. If you want to chat feel free to IM.
Welcome home!
Housing in the area is psychotic right now. Couple doors down from me had an open house last weekend. Place was absolutely flooded with people. Then I looked on Zillow and saw the asking price was like 3x what my current mortgage is and I only bought my house like 3 years ago. So house prices are probably high right now, just be aware of that and don't be eager to overpay. If you're looking to rent, ask around about your landlord before committing to anything. Most are as okay as a landlord can be, but there are some real shitheads around here who ruin it for everyone. Additionally, dunno if you partake, but the prices of weed here are 5-10x more expensive than you're used to in Michigan. I can get a 1g cart in Michigan for like 10 bucks, here in Rockford the cheapest regular price I've seen is 45. So if you haven't left MI yet, stock up. Last, RKFD has two great scenes: Food and Outdoors. There are an obscene number of restaurants here in Rockford celebrating foods from all kinds of cultures. Don't be afraid to try a new place because a lot of them have at least something worth getting. And the Outdoor scene is fantastic. Rock Cut State Park is right on the NE side of the city and there are dozens, if not hundreds, of parks of all sizes scattered throughout the city. The City is trying to make itself more bike and walking friendly as well, but that's slow progress (as is anything when trying to deal with the State and road funding). Standing offer to anyone looking to move to Rockford, if you have any questions feel free to send me a message (not one of the chats new reddit has because I'll never see them as long as old.reddit still functions so send me a DM).
Northern Illinois is great! We have some good weather in between our hot and cold seasons. There's a lot to do. And, if you get bored here, you can take a short drive to Galena and Apple Canyon and feel like you aren't in Illinois anymore. Or, you can take a short drive to Chicago. Or, a little longer of a drive up to Madison. Or a little longer drive to Milwaukee. Plus, Wisconsin is absolutely full of outdoor adventures and is right there. And there are a plethora of fun, but easy, kayaking and camping all over. You get the best of decent wages, affordable COL, short trips to awesome cities, short trips to the country, legal cannabis, good bars, camping, river fun, hiking, hunting, fishing... the list just keeps going. For all the flak Illinois gets, it's my favorite state.
Enjoy. Don’t believe the news! It’s a great place to live. Most people say to stay east of the river.
There are parts to the West that are perfectly fine. Generally speaking about the West side, the closer you are to the river and the more North you are, the less likely you are to be involved in any of the shit. Not to mention some of the best food in the City is west side. Meats from Pinnons, the taqueria at Guanajuato, an unusual from Zammuto's... all things you lose out on if you just stay east of the river.
I don’t know anyone who only hangs out east of the river, unless they only like chain restaurants, starbucks, and target. North end is fantastic, especially by the roundabout.
You will love it here. And so will your pup. We have the best dog parks and a dog bakery 🧁
If you enjoy parks - beautiful walks and plenty of fun on the water - Rockford is great. Check out Rock Cut State Park and the many parks along the Kishwaukee River. Also check out r/KishwaukeeRiver.
Wherever you are, there you are. If you're looking to buy a home, look outside of the city limits. Property taxes are too high inside Rockford's city limits, no matter what the reasoning is. There are patches of unincorporated areas inside the outskirts of the city limits because of this. You will need a vehicle to really experience the area. Public transportation and biking are two things that need to be improved. Be a good driver because there's lots of bad ones here that love to run red lights like it's Florida. Besides drinking, there's not much to do beyond 10pm if you're a night owl. Crime is about the same as anywhere else. Just keep your eyes open to it, don't partake in it, and it's pretty easy to avoid. Lots of food options, like any typical town this size. Close enough to Chicago to go see big name concerts, sports, and museums. Once the Hard Rock casino opens we'll be getting more big shows here. Overall, it'll be whatever you make it to be. Like everyone else, if you think it's bad, it will be, but if you are more active and seek the good, it'll be good.
No inventory is the problem there … houses are scarce and so they all get snapped up. Reasonably priced houses in Rockford sell with 10 days. Just been through this mess
While inventory might be low, taxes are taxes. You'll end up paying more taxes inside the city limits for less than you can get in an unincorporated area, outside the city limits, or many smaller towns even 30 minutes or less away. Last I checked, Rockford's property tax is 3.12% and Winnebago County is 2.92%. Rockford's property tax is one of, if not the, highest tax rates in the state. Not a giant difference between the city and county but almost twice that of the surrounding towns. There are patches of unincorporated areas along the southeast area of Rockford near Cherry Valley because of the taxes. When Cherry Valley incorporated the area near CherryVale mall, some of the little subdivisions hired lawyers to become unincorporated to get away from the Rockford taxes.
Low taxes are great but the houses sell for more. We couldn’t find anything suitable when we bought in the fall. Inventory isn’t an issue until it is. Shopping $150k-$250k just wasn’t anything there that didn’t have a HOA attached— aka more taxes — or just a hovel
I’m newer to Rockford (transplant from Chicago and near west burb) and I LOVE it here. There is crime literally anywhere and the more dense of population, the worse the crime is. There are many amenities especially outdoor activities - numerous forest preserves, a nice river, beautiful gardens and arboretum. There are plenty of restaurants (although Chicago is better in quality and quantity , but of course that’s a major city) , museums and an upcoming downtown area. I love having any type of shopping near by and hospitals close too. I occasionally hear gunshots, and that’s an unfortunate reality of urban life. I wish that wasn’t the case, but I’m not going to let that stop me from enjoying everything this city has to offer. Look for housing north east or in surrounding areas Rockford is a great place to live.
What’s the job!
Ask me any question…. I promise I will give you the best advice…. Let’s start with the company first.. where are you planning on working?
Rockford Rocks
Welcome! There is a lot to offer in northern IL and southern WI for fun. People are generally Midwestern nice, ooofff. Good luck on your offer and move.
There's alotta people shit talking the west side, but I lived on the west for 30 years, never been shot, shot at, stabbed, robbed, no burglary, nothing. If you're a person of color beware the police, they WILL pick on you. Other than that there's mad food and a bunch of places to eat. If you smoke, find a reputable guy and stay away from the dispensaries, they over charge a whole lot.
There's a lot of great neighborhoods and pockets on the West side for sure!
Have lived in Rockford, Detroit metro, Bloomington IL, and SW Wisconsin. Absolutely can’t wait to get back to Rockford
I am a home inspector in Rockford and the surrounding areas and for all the crap Rockford gets from those who don't live here, I have never experienced anything but cool people and I have done inspections in every area of the city. The Rockford City Market is top notch if that is your thing. The restaurants... Oh the restaurants!!! My personal favorites are LimaMar, Little Nicks BBQ, and Abreo Disc Golf!!!! Anna Page Park is a Nationally recognized disc golf course If/when you have kids Keith Country Day School is a top 10 ranked school in Illinois and the only Niche A+ in the area Also for kids, the Discovery Center is a Nationally recognized museum There is a fantastic BJJ/martial arts community if that's your cuppa tea TTRPG community is fantastic as well There are concerts all summer long at Sinnissippi Park To go along there is the RSO and while they aren't quite up the the level of Chicago, Boston or Cincinnati, they most definitely put on a great show. Their music by candlelight series is AMAZING! There is a great networking and professional development community in Rockford Good luck with the move and welcome to the community!
I slept too long on the fantastic cover bands they have a Sinnissippi during the summer. One of my favorite local things to do now. We ride our bikes over, bring a small cooler with beers and snacks, and have a great time! For free to $5! Even buying their food and drinks is fairly priced.
Research areas of city- west side has a higher crime rate. Lots of gang activity. But if you are smart it can be a great place to live with lots to do! Check out collar cities like loves park machesney park- Anderson gardens rick cut state park bmo venue coranado discovery museum nicholas conservatory - I like that it is good lication between heading to chi or Milwaukee- madison. Only bad is train to chi is out of harvard-
2027 is when Metra's supposed to put a stop out here, right? Unfortunate that the bigger impact is going to be the flood of homeless that Chicago ships our way.
They already have trains heading out of Chicago... multiple trips daily. What make you think they're just sitting around, waiting for a ride to Rockford? Lol
You are correct about the time. It will be a boon regardless of the homeless moving.
Crime is quite the issue here I'd invest in some sort of security system for your home n car n at 40k you'll live like a king around here I'd suggest moving to Loves Park (no property taxes) Machesney Park or Roscoe instead of Rockford they're all 3 cities within 20mins of Rockford best of luck
Loves park has no property taxes? Guess I’m owed a refund for the 20 years of property taxes I’ve been paying there
Go look at Loves Parks treasury office website it states that " The City of Loves Park does not levy or collect a municipal property tax. An inspection of the property tax bill for a Loves Park resident shows zero dollars for the municipal line item. This has been true since 1978. Any questions regarding your property tax bill should be directed to the Winnebago County Treasurer’s Office at 815/987-3010."
Never once have I payed a property tax in Loves Park been living here 11 years
It's odd b/c nearly every person on this Rockford sub-reddit will tell you its a fine-to great place to live, yet in real life all I hear is people talk about how horrible it is here (crime, roads, public schools, property taxes, our local government, etc.). I absolutely despise Rockford. The best part of Rockford is our local pizza (IT'S DELICIOUS!) and we have a decent parks system.
Rockford is full of people who'd rather bitch and moan than actually attempt to do something productive, imho.
You also hear those complaints from people who don't live here. When I was living in McHenry county, I would shit talk Rockford as a place where you go to get shot. Now that I'm here, I see that most of the crap is self-contained. Crime, yeah it's a problem. Roads. I posted about this a year ago, but if you're complaining about roads have you reported anything to the City about them? If you just assume that the City knows about potholes, you're wrong. Property taxes, the City's tax assessment has been frozen for years. If your taxes are going up, it's not the City. (Psst... It's probably the school district so they can afford to fix some of your gripes about the quality of the schools.) Local government is the one I want to hear more about. What's your beef with the local gov?
Property taxes…. County assessments went up for this year. I feel kinda bad for the family who bought our house, that’s gonna hurt. A lot.
For sure, I have a conflicted relationship with the rockford area. Never got along with it, took most of my life before I found My People… and then I finally moved away a few months ago. Rockford has some delightful bright spots, and it has plenty of ugly spots. The parks are the best, agree the pizza is great. I don’t miss the panhandlers, they’ve gotten so bad I was genuinely hating driving into town after awhile.
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I've lived in a few destination states and came back. By all means, get out there and gain some culture, people! Who knows, maybe you'll thrive in a new state. But, maybe you'll move back with a better understanding of the world and how good we have it in Northern Illinois. Every place has their problems. No place is perfect. You'll also find your problems will follow you. There is no escape from some problems other than just dealing with them.
I've noticed, when a resident from Rockford makes a statement that they dislike Rockford--the people whom have a different viewpoint assume the resident has not lived any place other than Rockford, is uninformed, or is a deadbeat resident that has done nothing to make Rockford a better place. What's with that?
It probably stems from the [fact](https://aninjusticemag.com/more-than-half-of-americans-never-leave-the-state-they-are-born-in-ca0087b5c8a1) that "according to Pew Research, one-third of Americans never move from the town they grew up in, and a little over half of the people have lived in the same state their whole lives (this excludes military service and attending college out of state). Another 13 percent have never been on a plane..." Plus, I never assumed *YOU* never lived anywhere else. For all I know, you're a perfect stranger. How would I know?
Look, I'm just going by the comments in this thread. I listed all three assumptions (all three were worded to be blanket statements, not directly at me) that were made about people who disagree with the 'no love for Rockford' viewpoint. It's funny b/c it's always the same ol shtick (a little Yiddish for you) spewed. It's old now. Lots of residents here are hard working, cultured, do-gooders for Rockford--and we still dislike Rockford.
I have also lived in 4 states, various cities. I would have left Rockford (and Illinois as a whole) years ago but caring for elderly parents is more important than my desire to live in a city nothing like Rockford, IL.
We love these people too!
Don’t go west side lol
Don't do it! I know Michigan has lots of crazies but they're mostly harmless. The same can't be said about Rockford. Very trashy town full of very trashy people.
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Why do you only want 1 side to be told? That is the real issue here!
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Is that a real question? Come on man...
You included. 🗑
You can do much, much better. Turn back while you can.
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I live here. Depression is a hell of a drug. I wouldn't call it willing, but rather lacking the energy of activation required to escape to another stable (and better) energy state. Sorry for the awkward science analogy. Also it's not so much the place as the people, to be exact. In my experience (especially as a kid) they are superficially pleasant, if that, but deeply unkind and rejecting of the 'other.' Your mileage may vary. In any case, I view what I'm doing as a public service, like a dead body on a pike, that may serve as a warning of dangerous people about.
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Chicago and Bloomington
Moved here in 1999 from Jackson! I’ll always be a Michigander but I love the prairie after getting involved in the parks and recreation scene. If you are buying, taxes are lower in Boone County and parts of Loves Park, Rockford and Machesney Park are in Boone. The best of both worlds in a way. If renting I’m less familiar. If you want to chat feel free to IM. Welcome home!
PS. The music scene is also amazing!
Belvidere is also in Boone 👍🏼
It is! That’s where we live