Rockford is a mid sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in the far north of Illinois, and is often referred to as "The Forest City". Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA; the city has 150,115 residents, while the metro area has 320,204 residents (2000 Census) and is the third largest city in Illinois. The current mayor is Lawrence J. Morrissey, an independent elected to a four year term in April 2005. Rockford is located at 42°16′11″N, 89°4′11″W (42.269770, -89.069754)GR1. Neighboring communities that border Rockford, and are considered an integral part of the Rockford metro area, are Loves Park, Machesney Park and the village of Cherry Valley. The Rock River is the traditional center of the Rockford area and is its most recognizable natural feature.
There are 59,158 households of which 31.5% include children under the age of 18, 43.8% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.09.