Rockford Independent Living

Rockford’s reputation as an arts community is growing as fast as its many public and private gardens. The Forest City is also ideally located—90 minutes from downtown Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison, Wisconsin. And you’ll find an affordable Rockford assisted living facility (ALF) because the low cost of living.

Rockford’s overall cost of living is 13% lower than the U.S. average. According to a Genworth Financial survey, a one-bedroom in a Rockford assisted living facility averages $3,420 a month. A private room in a nursing home averages $207 a day, while a semi-private averages $186 a day. The daily services of a home health aide average $45,760 a year based on a 44-hour workweek.

The Rock River flows through the heart of this city of 150,000. And it’s the epicenter of many attractions and events such as the Illinois Snow Sculpture Competition, Fourth of July Festival, Greenwich Village Art Fair, On the Waterfront music festival, Rockford Art Museum and Riverfront Museum Park.

Also known as the “City of Gardens”, Rockford’s many impressive public and private gardens recently won the America in Bloom contest for cities its size. The Anderson Japanese Gardens is one of the “top two Japanese gardens in the Western World.” Other can’t-miss horticultural attractions are the Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens and Klehm Arboretum and Botanic Garden.

The city won the Presidents’ Arts Friend Community Award because of how the Rockford’s leaders work with artists and arts organizations to improve the quality of life for its citizens. The Rockford Art Museum is the state’s second largest after the Chicago Art Institute.

Don’t miss the Burpee Museum of Natural History named after the researchers who found a T. Rex skeleton in the Montana badlands. Inside you’ll find life-sized T. Rex and Woolly Mammoth skeletal casts; a Windows to Wilderness exhibit showing the Rock River Valley; and a rooftop garden.

For help in selecting a Rockford assisted living facility, read, “How to Select a Facility.”