The city was first settled in 1834 and got its name from the low water crossing located there. This ford allows for easy crossing of the Rock River. The cities nickname “The Forest City”, came from the abundance of Elm trees once located there. There are still large areas of trees and forestry located in this city. The weather in Rockford, IL is not always the most desirable however. Summers in Rockford, Ill are quite nice with the average high temperature, during the hottest month, July, reaching 83 degrees. The winter months however can be a bit rough. The city averages about 36 inches of snow a year, in the winter. During the coldest month, January average high temperatures are around 27 degrees. This area is also known for snowstorms and blizzards in the winter and heavy rains in the spring months.


Rockford, Ill is also known for many well-known inventions. In Rockford, IL, the Nelson knitting machine as well as airbrush, electric brakes, the electric garage door opener, dollar bill changers, and the electric dartboard were invented. The Rockford Peaches, of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, where also located in Rockford, IL. You may remember the Rockford Peaches from the movie, A League of Their Own. Although the characters portrayed in the movie were fictional the team itself was real.


There are also numerous tourist attractions located in Rockford, IL. One of the grandest historic sites in this city is the Cornado Theatre. This theatre originally opened in 1927. This theatre is located right on North Main Street of Rockford, Ill. It has now been completely restored and updated with modern audio and visual technology. It is known as the “Rockford Wonder Theatre”. The theatre gets its name because of it’s ornate and elaborately designed interior. Among one of its finer esthetic qualities is it’s ceiling, which appears as a dark blue night sky with stars twinkling above.

One other historical point of interest is the Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum. The cottage was built in 1865. This beautiful building has the exterior of a Swiss Chalet combined with some elements of Victorian style architecture. At one time this land had a swinging footbridge that ran from the cottage across the Kent Creek Bluffs. Tours are available to view this lovely historic 19th century building and its lands.


If you are a lover of nature there are at least two places you will want to visit in Rockford, IL. One of those two places is the Anderson Japanese Gardens. The Anderson Japanese Garden is known as the number one Japanese garden in North America. Klehn Arboretum and Botanical Garden is another site you may wish to see. This botanical garden and arboretum covers 150 acres and is filled with rare types of trees and shrubbery. However, there are many forest preserves located in Rockford, IL.


Like any city that maintains its history, you will be able to find numerous museums and There are also over 35 antique stores and flea markets available in Rockford. The city is quite well know for their antiques and if you are in the market to purchase antique furniture this is definitely the place to look. Of course, for those men that would prefer to leave the shopping scene to their spouses, there is one golf course in Rockford. It is the Aldeen Golf Course and a good place for any golfer to spend the day.