The Guler family — Andy, Thelma and Hilary in the back yard of their Rockford home. (Photo by Lynne Conner/for Chronicle Media)

For Andy Guler, there truly is no place like home. This young professional, his wife Hilary and their baby daughter, Thelma, have become part of the “boomerang generation.”

According to the Pew Research Center, this term identifies young adults who move away from their hometowns for college or a job and then move back in with their parents while pursuing careers in their cities of origin. Guler’s journey back to the Rockford area was a long time coming.

After receiving a film and television degree in Chicago, Guler lived and worked in the Windy City for seven years before moving to Los Angeles 13 years ago. There, he met and married Hilary. Now, the family is back in the area where Andy grew up.

“I’m originally from Belvidere … so the reason we moved back here was not completely arbitrary; I have family here,” he said. Hilary, who is originally from Pasadena, Calif. also has family roots in the Midwest.

The Gulers agreed that their biggest motivation for moving to Northern Illinois was due to the smallest member of their family, baby Thelma.

Andy, Thelma and Hilary Guler search the boxes in the garage of their Rockford home. (Photo by Lynne Conner/for Chronicle Media)

“There are many reasons why we moved out of Los Angeles and to the Midwest,” Andy said. “The big reason was Thelma.”

Hilary agreed.

“She was the final decision-maker for us,” she said. “I grew up in the Los Angeles area and had a great childhood there, but we both agreed that raising Thelma in the Midwest was preferable.”

According to Andy, “Los Angeles is a fine place, but it is difficult to raise a family there. The cost of living is quite high, the real estate market is extremely expensive, private schools are very expensive and there are not a lot of choices in that respect.”

Finding good public schools is also very challenging.

“The public school situation in Los Angeles is definitely not great,” Andy said.

“The areas that do have great public schools are so pricey that the cost of living just skyrockets and there is no chance of affording a home in those areas,” Hilary said.

The Gulers are currently living with Andy’s parents while the home they purchased in Rockford undergoes some renovations. They cite affordable housing as one of the main reasons for their move.

The Guler family — baby Thelma, Hilary and Andy in front of their Rockford home. (Photo by Lynne Conner/for Chronicle Media)

“It was a big, big benefit for us knowing how reasonable the housing market is here, first and foremost. The house that we just purchased would have literally cost us 10 times more in Los Angeles,” Andy said.

“We wouldn’t be able to have a single family home in LA,” Hilary said. “It wouldn’t happen.”

The Gulers were living in a two-bedroom condo in Los Angeles with very little green space. They consider their new home in an established northeast side neighborhood a “big upgrade” from their former accommodations.

“Thelma now has a yard to play in and enough inside space for her toys as well,” Hilary said.

They also appreciate the urban vibe of their new digs as opposed to living in a subdivision of an outlying town like Roscoe or Rockton.

Beyond affordable housing and a lower cost of living the Gulers also enjoy the less-frenzied pace of life in Rockford.

“Running errands is so much easier here,” Hilary said. “There is so much traffic and you have to take freeways. Anywhere you wanted to go in Los Angeles, you had to take one, two, possibly three freeways, just to get to Target.”

“Anytime we left the house to go somewhere in L.A., it was a major ordeal,” Andy said. “Now with a baby in tow, it just makes it that much more difficult to do something simple like run to the store.”

The Gulers both appreciate how easy it is to navigate the Rockford area.

Environmental factors of the Rockford area, both personal and physical are another big draw for the Guler family.

“Everyone is so friendly in this part of the country,” Hilary said. “I also appreciate how clean and green the environment is here in Rockford. I actually sent a photo of the grass in our yard to some friends in California, because they can’t believe that we actually have yards with green grass here.”

“The drought, the wildfires and the earthquakes are all very real in California; they’re palpable,” Andy said. “The drought wears on you, the water restrictions, the heat and the lack of discernable seasons. It seems great to always have ‘summer’ in California, but after 13 years, it becomes monotonous. We are looking forward to the change of seasons, and watching Thelma experience fall, winter and spring.”

The move from Los Angeles to Rockford also brings a career shift for Andy who will be working in the family business, Guler Appliance Company.

“My dad and I have always been in touch about my involvement in the family business. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, my dad has always wanted me to work with him; and now it just seems that the timing is right for me to work at Guler Appliance and keep family business going. I’m really looking forward to it,” Andy said. Hilary says she won’t miss the long hours she and Andy used to work as part of the television and film industry. She looks forward to continuing her voice-over work as her schedule permits.

The Gulers are exactly the kind of family that groups like Transform Rockford are hoping will precipitate a positive and lasting impact on the city’s undesirable perception.

“There’s something happening in Rockford where the city is changing from what it was in the past to making Rockford a more-sought-after place to live,” Andy said. “There is this push more toward fostering small businesses. You can see that in the farmers’ markets, in the downtown festivals, City Market, Stroll on State, Main Street Market; these are cool, community oriented events.

“We’re a young family and there are some great places in Rockford that we would love to visit,” Hilary said. “There are lots of unique, hip restaurants that we can’t wait to try and have a date night. I’m anxious to explore the different cultures, foods and entertainment venues of this area.”

Though living in sunny California may sound like a permanent vacation to Rockford natives, the Guler family is happily looking forward to experiencing all that this area has to offer.

“I’ve paid attention to this city for a long time and I can tell there’s something happening here. We wouldn’t have made the move to this city if we had a gloom and doom idea of Rockford. There’s a sense of community and a sense of pride here. It’s an exciting time to live in Rockford.”

— Rockford housing market, attractions are big draw for small California family —