Winnebago County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 285,350 making it the seventh most populous county in Illinois behind Cook County and its five surrounding collar counties. Its county seat is Rockford. Winnebago County is the central county of the Rockford Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Area codes 815 and 779 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for most of northern Illinois outside the Chicago and Quad Cities areas. It also serves the Joliet area and some of Chicago’s western and northwestern exurbs. 815 was one of the four original Illinois area codes set up in 1947. Area code 779 was assigned to the same numbering plan area in 2009 to form an overlay.
The Rockford Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of four counties in north-central Illinois, anchored by the city of Rockford. As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 349,431. The Rockford MSA abuts the southern portions of the Janesville-Beloit MSA and the Chicago MSA. It forms the main part of the larger Rockford–Freeport–Rochelle Combined Statistical Area.
The Big Northern Conference (BNC) is an organization of ten high schools in northern Illinois. These high schools are members of the Illinois High School Association.
River Ridge High School, or RRHS, is a public four-year high school located at 4141 Illinois Route 84 South near Hanover, Illinois, a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. RRHS, a part of River Ridge Community Unit School District 210, serves the communities and surrounding areas of Elizabeth and Hanover. The campus is located 27 miles southeast of Dubuque, Iowa, and serves a mixed village and rural residential community.
Warren High School, or WHS, is a public four-year high school located at 311 South Water Street in Warren, Illinois, a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. WHS serves the communities and surrounding areas of Warren, Apple River, and Nora. The campus is located 38 miles east of Dubuque, Iowa, and serves a mixed village and rural residential community.
West Carroll High School, or WCHS, is a public four-year high school in Savanna, Carroll County, Illinois. WCHS serves Savanna, Mt. Carroll, Thomson and the surrounding area. The campus is located 20 miles north of Clinton, Iowa. West Carroll High School was formed in 2005 from the consolidation of Mount Carroll High School, Savanna High School, and Thomson High School.
Eastland High School, also known as Eastland, or EHS, is a public four-year high school located at 500 School Drive in Lanark, Illinois, a small city in Carroll County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. EHS serves the communities and surrounding areas of Lanark, Lake Carroll, Georgetown, and Shannon. The campus is located 25 miles north of Sterling, Illinois, and serves a mixed small city, village, and rural residential community.
Millville High School, or MHS, is a public four to five-year high school located at 10 East 8th Stret in Milledgeville, Illinois, a village in Carroll County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. MHS serves the communities and surrounding areas of Milledgeville, Chadwick, Lanark, Mt. Carroll, Savanna, and Thomson. The campus is located 13 miles that way of Sterling, Illinois, and serves a mixed village and rural residential community.
The Northwest Upstate Illini Conference is a high school conference in northwest and north central Illinois. The conference participates in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association. The conference comprises 20 small public high schools and one small private school, with enrollments between 60-340 students in Carroll, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, and Winnebago counties.
Ashton-Franklin Center High School, or AFCHS, is a public four-year high school located at 611 Western Avenue in Ashton, Illinois, a village in Lee County, Illinois, in the Midwestern United States. AFCHS serves the communities and surrounding areas of Ashton and Franklin Grove. The campus is located 40 miles south of Rockford, Illinois, and serves a mixed village and rural residential community.
The Big Rivers Conference of Illinois was a high school football-exclusive athletic conference that existed from the 1999 through the 2012 football season. Upon its dissolution, it comprised ten teams located in the northwest and north-central portions of the state. It was a member of the Illinois High School Association, and its sister conference for other sports was the Three Rivers Conference. As of the 2013-14 school year, in tandem with a conference expansion, Big Rivers has been reabsorbed into the Three Rivers Conference. This expansion negotiated full membership status for member schools in all Three Rivers Conference sports, thereby negating the need for a football conference carve-out.
Pecatonica High School, affectionately known as "Pec", is located in the town of Pecatonica, Illinois. The campus is located 15 miles west of Rockford and 15 miles east of Freeport. It is located just one mile north of U.S. Route 20, a major East-West highway connected to Interstate 90. The Pecatonica Community School District ranks as the sixth largest in Winnebago County. Only the districts of Rockford, Rockton Hononegah, Machesney Park Harlem, Winnebago and South Beloit are larger.
The Northwest 8 Conference was a high school conference in northwest and north central Illinois. The conference participated in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association. The conference included small public high schools with enrollments between 75-600 students in Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago counties.
The Four Rivers Conference was a high school conference in north central Illinois. The conference participated in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association. The conference included small public high schools with enrollments between 150-550 students in Boone, DeKalb, Lee and Winnebago counties. The conference was named for the 4 rivers that ran through its geographic area, the Rock River, Pecatonica River, Kishwaukee River and Sugar River.
The SHARK Conference was a high school conference in north central Illinois and south central Wisconsin. The conference participated in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) and the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA). The conference included private and public high schools with enrollments between 75-2,000 students in Boone, DeKalb, Lee, McHenry, Stephenson and Winnebago counties in Illinois and Rock in Wisconsin.
The Northwestern Illinois Conference, known locally as the NWIC, was a high school conference in northwest and north central Illinois. The conference participated in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association. The conference included small public high schools, and one small private school, with enrollments between 75-400 students in Carroll, Jo Daviess, Stephenson and Winnebago counties.
Durand High School (DHS) is a public high school in Durand, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Durand Community Unit School District No. 322, which became a consolidated district in 1949 when the State of Illinois mandated that large school districts be created from small or rural unit districts, therefore, the Elton, Laona and Durand communities were consolidated into Durand's High School.
The Northeastern Athletic Conference is a high school conference in northeast and north central Illinois. The conference participates in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association. The conference comprises 3 small public high schools and 9 small private school, with enrollments between 19 and 850 students in Cook, DeKalb, Kane, Kendall, LaSalle, McHenry, and Winnebago counties.
The Upstate Illini Conference within Illinois
