10 Things You Should Never Say Or Do In Rockford, Illinois

Stereotypes can get annoying sometimes.  If you live in Illinois, you know all too well that out-of-towners will always have the dying urge to ask, "Do you live in Chicago?"

I can't even imagine moving out of the state because I've been here all 25 years of my life.  I've gotten asked some repetitive questions when I used to work at a local t-shirt shop in Rockford.  As much as it might be annoying to most, it was always refreshing to see people are curious about the Prairie State!

After sitting here and just thinking of all the questions I've ever been asked that were also a slight misconception about Illinois, and my hometown, I asked a bunch of friends what grinds their gears, too.

Do us a huge favor if you're from out of town and just don't say or do any of these things when a Rockfordian is around.  I'm saving you from the eye rolls, you're welcome!

10 Things You Should Never Say Or Do In Rockford, Illinois

#1: Do you live in Chicago?

If you want an easy answer, yes.  I will tell people I'm from Chicago just so it saves me the time from explaining I live like 2 hours from the city.  It takes so much effort to say no and it's EXHAUSTING.

#2: Rockford seems like a great place to live!

Sure, we live here.  That doesn't mean we don't want to eventually move away.  Don't get me wrong, there are so many amazing things happening in Rockford.  If you only ever hear about the high crime, you'll want to get away.

#3: Don't use your blinker when you're switching lanes.

I'm kidding, but according to most of Rockford it seems to be a foreign thing to do.

#4: "Downtown is sooooo scary"

I'm not really sure where people are pinpointing when they talk about downtown Rockford, but I live down here and it's not that bad.  There are so many local shops to visit, pop-up markets, and it's really fun to bar hop, too.

#5: "Portillo's is better than Uncle Nick's"

Oh yeah, those are fighting words.  If you have never tried Uncle Nick's at 2am after you've left The Rue downtown, you have NO ROOM TO TALK.  I said what I said.

#6: "Did you know Cheap Trick is from Rockford?"

Yes.  We know.  There's also a super cool Cheap Trick Fan Trail you can visit!

#7: Don't you dare pronounce Illinois with an "S" at the end.

This is probably one of my biggest pet peeves about pronunciation.  Sure, there's an "S" at the end of Illinois, doesn't mean you need to say it!

#8: Don't say there's nothing to do in Rockford

If you just get online and see all the events happening around the Stateline, you'll totally see Rockford is pretty poppin' - especially on the weekends.  Check out GoRockford's calendar of events because they always know what's going on!

#9: Is deep dish really the best?

This is a huge misconception.  I just tried deep dish for the first time ever and it was alright.  A lot of sauce.  Too much for my liking.  Just because a bunch of Chicagoans like deep dish, doesn't mean we all do!

#10: Don't forget to listen to your favorite radio stations!

Okay, I had to plug my favorite stations.  I'm biased, clearly.  If you don't download my favorite radio station App, don't blame me when your headphones stop working...

So, next time someone is visiting from out of town, show them this list.  Maybe it'll save you a lot of explaining and a whole lotta sighs.  Hope this helps!