Rockford is a city and county seat of Winnebago County in
northern Illinois, United States. In 2000, Rockford had a
population of 150,115, a number that dropped to 147,651 by 2016.
The US The Census Bureau recorded a population of 148,655 as of
the 2020 census.
Rockford, which is the heart of the
Rockford metropolitan area, is Illinois' third-largest city
after Chicago and Aurora.
Rockford is home to the
historic Herrick Cobblestone home on Broadway, listed by the
National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The city is
the seat of the Diocese of Rockford.
Rockford sits on both sides of the Rock River. The city extends over
145.15 km², which is spread over 143.36 km² of land and 1.79 km² of
water.
Interstate 39 runs north-south along the western edge of
Rockford, connecting with the U.S. Highway 51 is congruent. On the
southeastern outskirts of the city, this highway meets Interstate 90
coming from the southeast. Highway 20 runs west-east through the city.
Illinois State Routes 2, 70 and 251 meet in the center of town.
Rockford is also the hub of several railway lines from different
operating companies.
Chicago Rockford International Airport is
located about nine kilometers south of the city.
The nearest
major cities are Chicago (141 km southeast), Milwaukee in neighboring
Wisconsin (151 km northeast), Wisconsin's capital Madison (119 km
north), Dubuque at the intersection of the three states of Illinois,
Wisconsin and Iowa (149 km west), the Quad Cities at the mouth of the
Rock River and Mississippi River (182 km southwest) and Peoria (214 km
south).
In the official census in 2000, a population of 150,115 was
determined. These were spread across 59,158 households in 37,328
families. The population density was 1077.1 inhabitants per square
kilometer. There were 63,607 residential buildings, which corresponded
to a building density of 443.7 buildings per square kilometer.
The population in 2000 was 72.8 percent White, 17.4 percent African
American, 0.3 percent Native American, 2.2 percent Asian and 4.8 percent
other. 2.5 percent stated that they descended from at least two of these
groups. 10.2 percent of the population consisted of Hispanics belonging
to various of the groups mentioned.
26.7 percent were under 18,
9.2 percent from 18 to 24, 29.7 percent from 25 to 44, 20.4 percent from
45 to 64 and 14.1 percent 65 and older. The median age was 34 years.
Statistically, there were 93.1 men for every 100 women and 88.9 for
those over 18 years of age.
The median income per household was
US$55,667, and the median family income was US$65,465. The median income
for men was $37,098 and for women $25,421. Per capita income was
$19,781. Around 10.5 percent of families and 14 percent of the total
population had an income below the poverty line.
sons and daughters of the town
Charles Henry Gilbert (1859–1928),
ichthyologist
James H. Breasted (1865–1935), Egyptologist and
historian
Swan Hennessy (1866–1929), composer
Otto Herman Swezey
(1869–1959), entomologist
Walter Louis Dorn (1894–1961), military
officer, historian and university lecturer
George J. Dufek
(1903–1977), rear admiral and polar explorer
Alston Scott Householder
(1904–1993), mathematician
John W. Burton (1906–1978), film producer
and cinematographer
Frank Kurtz (1911–1996), US Air Force diver and
pilot
John B. Anderson (1922–2017), legal scholar and politician
Gordon Tullock (1922–2014), one of the fathers of Public Choice Theory
Ben Abruzzo (1930–1985), balloonist
Andra Martin (1935–2022), actress
Thomas George Doran (1936–2016), Bishop of Rockford
Denny
Christianson (1942–2021), jazz trumpeter and composer
James E.
Cartwright (born 1949), General of the US Marine Corps and the eighth
vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
John Ortberg (born 1957),
evangelical theologian, psychologist, pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian
Church
Jodi Benson (born 1961), actress, voice actress and soprano
Ginger Lynn (born 1962), porn actress and actress
Joe Mantello (born
1962), actor and theater director
Dennis Vaske (born 1967), ice
hockey player
Heather Nauert (born 1970), journalist
Weasel Walter
(born 1972), fusion and jazz musician
Meredith Miller (born 1973),
cyclist
Steven Cherundolo (born 1979), soccer player
Virgil Abloh
(1980–2021), fashion and furniture designer
Michelle Williams (born
1980), R&B and gospel singer
Jinelle Zaugg-Siergiej (born 1986), ice
hockey player and coach
Eric Palm (born 1987), basketball player
Piper Gilles (born 1992), ice dancer
Fred VanVleet (born 1994),
basketball player
James Robinson (born 1998), American football
player
Emily Bear (born 2001), pianist and composer
More
personalities
John Early (1828–1877), politician and member of the
Illinois Senate