These Two Illinois Cities Have Been Pigeonholed For Their ‘Bad Reputations’

Who knew that these two Illinois cities had such a crappy reputation! There are some others that I would put before these two, but it's not up to me. TRAVEL

All cities of "size" will have problems, duh. The more people, the more businesses, the more ways to get in trouble...more problems. These problems can lead to a broad paint brush stroke of "this is simply a bad place." While that may not totally be true, that does give a location that "bad reputation."

Take these factors into consideration when thinking about a cities bad rep:

• Crime
• Drugs
• Unemployment 
• Education

Where does all this info come from you might ask?

Stats for this listicle come from the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Census, and FBI statistics, unless otherwise stated. - Travel 

These are for sure hot buttons for conversations about how/why a place isn't living up to "good" reputation.

So what are these cities in Illinois that have a "bad reputation," you ask?

• Chicago

and

• Rockford

Say what? Rockford? Pick on someone your own size, peeps! Here is a brief breakdown of the reasoning for Chicago and Rockford having such "bad reputations." Crazy right? Chicago I see for sure, but c'mon...

Rockford has had a struggling economy for years now, which has led to a weak job market.

There is so much to love about the Windy City, but its epidemic of violence is hard to ignore. It's sad when violence becomes an everyday part of life in a city like this. - Travel