On
the Move
One
of FreeportŐs finest attributes is its central location in both the
Midwest and the nation.
Location,
location, location. One of Freeport’s finest attributes is its
central location in both the Midwest and the nation. Freeport is close
to a number of markets in the Midwest, including Chicago, Milwaukee,
Madison, Minneapolis/St. Paul and St. Louis. The entire world is readily
accessible via the world’s busiest airport, O’Hare International
Airport, just a 75-minute drive from Freeport.
The city is conveniently situated near several larger cities. Freeport
is linked to nearby Rockford, Ill., by U.S. Highway 20, a four-lane
divided highway that skirts the community’s northern edge. Interstates
90 and 39 intersect in Rockford, just 25 miles away, giving Freeport
manufacturers, merchants and residents easy access to the entire Interstate
system. Interstate 90 is the major route to Chicago (about 120 miles
away), Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Milwaukee (via Interstate 43).
Neighboring communities in Stephenson County are linked to Freeport
by State Routes 26 and 75, as are Madison, Wis. (65 miles), and Beloit,
Wis. (45 miles). U.S. Highway 20 continues west of Freeport to historic
Galena, Ill., and Dubuque, Iowa, and on to connect
with Interstate 35. A 45-minute trip to the south takes drivers to Interstate
88; to the southwest is Interstate 80, one of the major east-west interstates
in the nation.
Regional
airports are conveniently located. Chicago’s O’Hare International
Airport is easily accessed by car or by bus out of Rockford as well.
It takes just over two hours to reach either Midway Airport in Chicago
or Milwaukee’s Mitchell Airport. The Greater Rockford Airport offers
limited passenger service; eight air-freight services serve this airport,
located in the southwest corner of Rockford. This airport, the second-busiest
UPS hub in the United States, is Foreign Trade Zone #176 and a Port
of Entry for U.S. Customs.
Private and corporate aircraft use Freeport’s Albertus Airport,
located just three miles south of the city at an elevation of 856 feet.
The airport accommodates small jets with a 5,504-foot paved and lighted
runway and small, privately owned planes on its two grass runways of
2,800 and 2,700 feet. A glide slope and approach lighting will be installed
in 2005, a final step towards making Albertus Airport an all-weather
airport. The glide slope makes it possible for planes to descend through
clouds during low visibility. Albertus Airport serves Freeport and Stephenson
County and is owned by the City of Freeport. The airport offers flight
training and charter service. With less traffic and lower operating
expenses, the airport represents a great value for owners of aircraft.
The Canadian National Railroad and nearly 50 motor freight carriers
serve the city’s businesses and industries. At least one of the
freight hauling companies has a terminal in Freeport.
