I went to Dekalb the other day since I had a need for nostalgia and to see what I have missed these last several years. Maybe it could be that I have some envy that the Big Brother All Star contestants have it made this summer since they are earning $2,000 a week to just sit around and talk for three long months not to mention that once they go to sequester house they will be earning $5,000 a week so I completely understand why a lot of them want to go in for that sequester house money and even the $2,000 a week just to sit in the Big Brother house and all of you readers know that a good portion of our population do not make that kind of money.

So what they earn just being on the show is what many people don't see working everday of the whole year. Now I see why they were all begging on their hands and knees just to get back in the Big Brother house. They don't pay the light bill for those months nor any food bills. Now hear this too, the 20 people who had begged to go back in all recieved $7,000 just to campaign so even the six people who never made it back in the house recieved $7,000 and so that everyone who made it back in. Well as the saying goes...born with a silver spoon in the mouth and I know none of us here at blogger party were ever born with a silver spoon in our mouth.

Now back to my trip to Dekalb, unfortunately the Ellwood house was closed that day so no tours that day and the house they had as a semi miniature model...I couldn't get a picture of because my camera batteries decided not to work that day.

I at least got to see the places I did live at one time in my life and the university since it is a college town. Not as much farm land as before...in fact there are a lot of new real estate developements. I then checked the real estate listings for Dekalb and found that the really good houses are very pricey and I was not surprised since it is a very pretty town and a college town as well.

Now there is another town 15 miles east of DeKalb that is in combined counties of Will, Kane, DuPage, and Kendal. It is the City of Lights that is incorporated as Aurora back in 1837. It was founded in 1834 and then incorporated when the Post Office was established.

The reason it is known as the City of Lights is that Aurora is the first city in the United States to have electrical street lights so within 15 miles of each other there is a lot of history since DeKalb is the barbed wire capitol of the world.

Aurora now has a population of over 157,000 and houses six school districts and has two community colleges; college of DuPage being one of them.

Now housing prices are also comparable in Aurora. There are condos, townhomes, and single family homes etc. Single family properties have been sold for last year in the price range of $56,100 to $975,000. The condos and townhouses have ranged from $52,000 to $578,000. This is similar to prices with a Chicago Realtor.

Aurora is closest to the Fox Valley Park District. The Park Disrict covers 47 square miles of land and three different towns including Aurora. The Fox Valley Park District has golf courses, an aquatic center and a few fitness centers, plus much more.

Aurora also has a zoo that is open daily with free admission.