jqpublic - Socioeconomics and crime are directly linked in a community. The "kind" of people who actually live or lived in Janesville were largely made up of people who worked for GM for many years! These are not low income, underprivileged, criminals out burglerizing homes and raping people. It's as if you are implying that a "hard working, blue collar city" is equivalent to unsavory "kinds" of people (i.e. burglars and rapists). I know alot of people both old and young, (generations of families) who have lived in Janesville all thier lives and they would probably describe you as someone who doesn't really know Janesville all that well.

I have contributed to Janesville for many years. Salvation Army and Echo. Oldtimer, I guess I just don't like it here anymore. Since I was a kid on the southside of Janesburg, I have seen this town unravel in so many ways. The fourth ward used to be nice to live in, my parents lived in it (before I was born) when they got married. Now, I would not even walk down Racine Street. And yes, I think we have attracted alot of "snobs". Just read some of the post from the past on here and see how many people put poor people down. That is not right. I probably will live here the rest of my life, but I wish some things would change, thats all.

jwim - well said!

I for one have chosen Janesville as a great community to live and raise my family. There is plenty to do, great recreational opportunities, nice people, and good schools- you need to seek them out and not wait for them to find you.
Unfortunately every community has their share of curmudgeons that are entertained by incessant complaining. I think if these folks spent as much time and effort comtributing to positive initiatives in the community, Janesville would be so much better for everyone!

krsmith01: You have just proved my point about Janesville. If you don't like it then get out attitude in your post is exactly why I will be looking elsewhere to live. And if you actually read my 1st post I stated that when I moved here 10 years ago Janesville was not that welcoming for any newcomer. I also find it funny that a community with higher than national average statistics in Rapes and Burglaries seem to think it is just because of the size of the town. Have you ever thought it could be who actually lives in the town? Open your eyes Janesville.

justme46, Iam sorry your parents are gone, and Iam sorry you find so many negative things about Janesville, Can you give me some ideas what you think is wrong with janesville? there are a lot of great people here that will help, you apparently still young, 46?

Enjoyed your blog Steve. I guess some people just don't get it!!

jville123 - You could not have said it any better! You can be an outsider ANYWHERE if you allow yourself to be one, no matter what size city or town you live in. And if you still feel like an outsider after 10 years . . .there's just something wrong there. Either your not trying or your just too damn hard to please in general, in which case you wouldn't be happy anywhere. And jqpublic, why did you move to a CITY? When you say "crime in Janesville is not that small" did you ever stop to think that maybe it's because JANESVILLE is not that small? 60,000 people is just NOT. . . small. The probability of drugs and crime are always going to be higher based on (if for nothing else) the sheer VOLUME of people. You can't expect Janesville to be like Mayberry! It's not logical. Why didn't you just move to the "town" of Milton? If you are not proud of the City you live in then quit bitching. Either suck it up, or have the "stones" to pack up, and make a better life for yourself someplace else!!! It's too easy to sit around and whine about your community when your not "engaged" or involved in it, which is why I can't agree with your assessment of Janesville.

I moved to Janesville 5 years ago, grew up in a town of 3600 people. I have never felt like an outsider here. I have a child in elementary and two in middle school and I think the schools are great. I have never had problem with crime, although I realize it exists. But, I can also say that with 80 or so kids in my graduating class at least half of them had done drugs. So it is everywhere. I like that Janesville still feels kind of small town, but I don't walk down the street and have everybody in my business.

I have lived in Janesville all my life, I went all the way through school w/Steve. I love Janesville or I wouldn't be here. Just wanted to say congrats to Steve! I look forward to reading your blogs!!

I was born in Janesville 45 years ago, and have lived here my whole life. My dad did 30+ at the Plant, and mom taught here. I'm proud of it. It is not perfect. It is All-American, it is middle class, and it doesn't like people who are too proud.
I believe the perceptions of a place are based on the soul responding to them. Janesville is unique experience to all of its 60,000 residents. I am surprised that if it so bad, why stay? You can visit.
Make Janesville your own. Your Janesville is based on your choices and personal beliefs, not the place.

oh and not everyone in Janesville are snobs I know lots of people who are nice and helpful. You can find snobs in any city or town.

Oldtimer it is nice to see you are still here! My parents were born in 1926 and were raised also right here in Janesville. My dad died in 2004 and my mom in 2005. If they were to see Janesburg now, they would rollover in their graves!!!! Not trying to be morbid, but it is true!

I have lived in Janesville all my life raising my family here. Have a son that goes to Parker and have friends who have kids that go to Craig,it doesn't matter which high school you go to you are going to have problems in that school. It's not just Parker. For the size of Janesville the crime rate is not to the extreme yes we do have our fair share of crimes but what city the size of Janesville doesn't. Jqpublic and prevention if you don't like Janesville please by all means leave no one is holding you hostage to stay here. Sorry that you feel that way about Janesville I am kind of fond of Janesville myself.

There is only two posters showing any kind of negativity, until now. I am 46 and grew up and lived in Janesburg all my life. Our city is getting worse daily!!! Read the Gagette, if you are blogging on it, you probably read it, I'd hope. If my grandkids weren't here, I would move away, probably up north. And yes, people are friendlier in smaller cities or towns. Janesburg has nothing for my family but a great big bunch of snobs!

Bigmike - exactly. It seems like whenever there's a feel good story or someone writing about the upside of Janesville, people come in droves to disagree or shoot it down with negativity. If Janesville is so crime-ridden and awful, then leave. And if you're still here because you can't afford to leave or you have unbreakable ties, well then, I guess you're just going to have to learn to love it like I did. It's either that or be angry and resentful the rest of your life, and that's no way to live.

I never said Janesville was a small town. Janesville is great and if you don't like it here then move. That's all I am saying.
As a community, we need people that want to make this place better and not tear it down with negativity.

I never said there was no crime. I'm saying comparatively, it's minimal and manageable. I myself have been a victim of crime right here in Rock County. But I've met a lot of people around here that have literally never been outside over the county line, and the majority of people who complain about crime and how bad it life is in the area are those very people.
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No high horse here. All I'm sayin' is that I think more people should appreciate how nice it is in this area compared to other parts of the country or world. I sure appreciated Wisconsin a lot more after I experienced life elsewhere.

Wow, elementalvirago. Please enlighten us with crime stories of the big city. New York City has over 8 million citizens. How can you make comparisons with a city that is about 130 times larger than Janesville and over 200 times larger than Beloit? Oh, and you shouldn't leave your purse unattended anywhere, it's bound to get lifted. I've seen it happen, numerous times at bars in Janesville. Just because it's not the big city doesn't mean there's no crime. Get off your high horse.

I know it's hard to move to Janesville and feel a part of it without joining in with both feet. And be careful what you say about your neighbor --we're probably related!!

People, people. What crime? Speaking as someone who's lived in a real big city (New York City), you have no idea what crime is. Even though crime there itself is much better since the Guiliani era, riding the subway, I had to literally white-knuckle clutch my purse, arm threaded through the strap the whole way, keeping my eyes and ears open for myriad opportunists. You don't walk some of the mean streets of Brooklyn with an iPod in or you're an immediate target. Leave bags in a car, locked or not, and they probably won't be there when you return. The apartment doors all automatically lock upon closing, with good reason. People get murdered/raped on the streets and trains, tens of people can witness it but no one speaks. Have the wrong color skin in Bensonhurst and risk paying the price. You think Beloit is the 'hood, rife with gangs? Let me take you down the streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant, and I'll make you a deal, we'll even go there in the daytime. Just be sure to duck and cover when a car is driving toward us a little too slowly, as we're either about to get mugged or shot. Beloit is a fun-filled kiddie park with carnival rides compared to Bed-Sty or even the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
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In Janesville, I can go to a bar and not only can I take my eyes off my purse while I talk to someone for extended period of time, I can actually leave it on the bar unattended while I go to the restroom. I can block my front door open while I carry in groceries without fear of someone coming in uninvited and burglarizing me/raping me. I can walk to my car at night without an ounce of fear. I can go for a late night run through the park and know for a fact that I will return home safely. And when I ask someone for help in Janesville, they will put their own lives at risk to help a complete stranger.

I always question when those new to a community say that they feel like an outsider (for 10 years?)... hmmmm... I've been new to many communities and it's easy to feel like an outsider UNTIL you get involved in local events/activities - try joining a club, a church, visiting the library, becoming an ACTIVE volunteer (Echo, United Way to name two great organizations). Of course, Janesville has problems - show me a like-size city that doesn't. And if you watch the news - crime happens EVERYWHERE - out in the WOODS and in small communities too (do you watch the news?).
Steve, I look forward to reading about our community on your blog -- good luck & happy blogging!

It is funny how some people will be miserable no matter where they live. Janesville is what you make of it, it won't make you. If you just sit back and pick it apart, it will be what you want it to be. I have seen this city double since I have been here, and that doesn't happen without effort and something to offer. Some of you mention Beloit which is kind of funny. In the early 70's, Beloit was bigger and more successful than Janesville. You can't say that today. What happened?

Oldtimer is right, I was born in Mercy Hospital here in Janesville in 1926 yes 1926, grew up in Milton Junction, enlisted in the navy in 1943, after WW II came to Janesville and have lived here ever since. I have seen many many changes in my life time, My children all graduated from Janesville Schools, I got them through the hippie era during the vietnam war and that wasnt easy, but I am very active, ride bike 15 miles on our beautiful bike trails, member of the Ymca, love to bow hunt, amateur radio operator, and have volunteered many hours to the community, Polls, Rotary Gardens, Hospice, etc etc, love Janesville.

And, Mr. Knox, since we are sort of in the same era (I graduated high school in '94), I look forward to learning about your experiences during that time in a "big" city.

BigMike: a city is not small if they have TWO HIGH SCHOOLS. The population in one of Jville's high schools is approximately more than what remains the ENTIRE population of my school district I graduated from.... and that was large for our division in athletics, if that can provide you any sort of statistics.

jqpublic: I too grew up in rural America. I grew up in a town of 500 PEOPLE southwest of Cleveland, OH. We moved up to the Stateline area, near Walworth, WI/Harvard, IL, which was barely any larger of an area.

I never had the desire to move to the "city," but I went to UW-Whitewater, moved to southwestern Georgia (town of about 12,000), then back up to Beloit. Now, I'm in Jville.

Like you, we didn't have all this that is part of the Jville ambiance. The quicker I can get out of town, the better.

I enjoyed Beloit because it is smaller. The people seem more willing to work together and support each other. BUT, there are all those things that you listed as Jville having.

It's sad we can't the best of both worlds... the community of our youth with the opportunities that towns, yes towns, like Jville have to offer.

Bigmike: Crime in Janesville in not that small! Take a look at some of the statistics. And this is from 2006, it does not include the Lentz Family and others violent crimes.

http://janesville.areaconnect.com/crime1...

Also I do live in the sames Janesville you do. We are just viewing it with two different perspectives. You grew up here of course you will defend it. And as for Parker High School, Why don't you ask your sons about some of the situations that happen at Parker. I am sure they could enlighten you.

Grew up here. Graduated from Parker in 86. One son graduated in 2008, another will graduate this year. Johnqpublic obvioulsy does not live in the same Janesville I do. I will not deny that Janesville is not Mayberry. But most people here are decent hard working people who would give you the shirt off their backs. Mr. Knox is one of them. Crime in Janesville is very small. Drugs are everywhere. It's a fact of life. It's not hard to avoid them or keep yourself in situations that have positive outcomes.
People who live in small towns and villages, and then move to a city of 50,000 people should expect some differences once they open their eyes.

My wife and I moved to Janesville in the year 2000. It was a difficult adjustment because if you were not from Janesville you were looked at as an outsider. I was 24 year old young professional in a blue collar GM town. Most of the nightlife in Janesville 10 years ago consisted of a night at Taasbags with a variety of colorful "Townies". I grew up in Southwestern Wisconsin. I remember how I wanted to get out of Grant County as fast as I could to move to a city that I could start a family. Now that I have a family, I am trying to figure out how to get out of this community to raise my family in a town that is less judgmental, less negative and less violent. Growing up I did not have to worry about certain things that you have to in Janesville. You could leave your windows open at night without worrying about someone trying to get in. You could accidentally leave your key in your car and not have to worry about it being taken from your driveway. I also don’t recall a single murder, I don’t remember the countless drug bust, or the numerous robberies of convenient stores. I have lived in Janesville for almost 10 years and I know that I will not live here for another 10. Mr. Knox I know you love this town, however the next time you leave it ask someone what they think of Janesville, WI and you might be surprised about what you may hear.