Being the third largest city in the state of Illinois, it's not hard to believe that there are many housing and neighborhood options for those wishing to live in the Rockford area. Along with nearly 160,000 residents already there, you will be choosing to live in a beautiful landscape known as the Forest City, where there are great examples of suburb real estate on Rockford's edges to new city properties in the downtown core. Whether you're coming from Chicago or cozy Georgetown Ontario real estate, Rockford has a property that's ideal for you.

One of the best things that the community of Rockford has going for it is its reasonable average real estate price. When looking at listings right now you will see them sitting at around $133,000. When it comes to the sale of the home, most are paying closer to the median sale price of $93,500. Even if you're coming from as far away as a house for sale in Arlington it's unlikely you saw much better prices than that on your way to Rockford.

The higher-end real estate for the city, which is still listed just above $200,000, is in the northwest side of the metropolitan area. Homes in the downtown area are actually some of the cheapest in the city. There are homes in this area being listed for as low as $65,000. But, this might not be the case for long. While prices will not soon reach those with North Toronto real estate, they may be moving up. Since 2006, the city has been implementing several plans to improve downtown's real estate. There are plans for new commercial and residential properties; a convention center, a casino and a river walk along the water.

If you're thinking that life along the Rock River would be perfect for you and you want to be a little more away from it all, there are several suburbs that run along the river's banks, similar to Pleasant Valley NY homes in Northern New York. Rockton and Roscoe are two of these communities and have their own populations of about 6,000 residents. If you want that perfect combo between a country home near city amenities, this is the perfect place to get it.

There are nine suburbs of Rockford in all and they range in size from 600 residents up to more than 20,000. Like with Scarborough Ontario real estate outside of Toronto, you are able to live in a smaller community under the blanket of a bigger city center. Each of these communities has their own history and personality but it's easy to travel into Rockford for work or play.

Rockford has great examples of Victorian style homes from the city's earlier years to modern two-storey planned community type real estate that you see in many cities in America. Whether you're in the mood for something unique or just a safe place to raise your family, Rockford has you covered.