Compare it! Rockford is not as bad as you think

ROCKFORD - Earlier this year Rockford was ranked by Forbes Magazine as the "10th Most Dangerous City" in the country, but compare the Forest City to others across the nation with a similar population and it's not as bad as you think.

It was another slap in the face when Forbes Magazine again ranked Rockford one of the most dangerous cities in the country.

But that ranking associated Rockford with some of the biggest cities in the nation, and largely focused on violent crime and housing numbers.

"The truth is every city has challenges, every city has assists," said Rockford mayor Larry Morrissey.

If you log onto CLRsearch.com, a real estate resource for people looking to move, and start comparing Rockford with other cities that have a similar population size, the differences aren't as big as you might think.

"We're not happy with some of the statistics like crime statistics, our unemployment rates a little high," said Steve Bois, CEO of the Rockford Area Realtors.  "But when you compare ourselves to others, we're similar."

On average people in Rockford make close to what people in Salem Oregon, as well as people in Pomona California make.  But one thing that caught Forbes' eye was the amount of violent crime in Rockford.

But again, compared to cities of similar size, their problems aren't that different from Rockford's.

"For those who have never seen any other city, don't have a lot to compare ourselves with," said Morrissey.

But the Forest City is taking action against thieves as well as violent people.

"We know who those individuals are, especially if they've been arrested in the past," said Morrissey.  "We really want to start intervening not just with those gang members, but their children, to make sure we can break a cycle."

A cycle that might have many people only focusing on the negatives, but for Bois, sharing the cities positives is what he uses to sell the Rockford to people from around the country.

"A lot of people come here for opportunity,: said Bois.  "And these people understand statistics, but they want to see the whole picture."

"If we're willing to believe in ourselves, take stock in what we have instead of worrying about what we don't have, build off our strengths, then I think anything is possible," said Morrissey.