Beautiful city with reasonable cost of living - 1/14/2024

I've lived in Chicago city and later moved to suburbs when family size increased. Absolutely love this city. This is the cleanest and most beautiful among the major cities in the country. The architecture, lakeshore, places to see are just superb. And the cost of living is very reasonable when compared to other major cities. You get best value here. Ok, downsides? Well it is the few weeks in winter that gets really cold. And no, don't believe some of the media about Chicago crime which is located in a small areas of south and west of the inner city. Vast majority of the city and suburbs are very safe.

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My Favorite City in the Country - 8/14/2023

Chicago is probably the best value in a major city that you can find and my personal favorite city. It will become increasingly important as climate change makes the winters more mild. Lots to do here and many job opportunities. No large city is perfect, however, Chicago's problems are very fixable if given a few competent leaders. Property taxes and crime rate aren't great, however, property taxes are better than NY and crime is better then Houston so it could be worse. There are many more positive things I could say but visiting is a must. Planning to move there shortly after graduation.

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Crime ridden Medical center. - 2/16/2023

I've live on north side and south side, UIC medical center. Don't move here go to the north side. No good amenities, if you get bored with one there is no other choices. and plus only one grocery store available for miles. When I live up north, there is all sorts of options. Oh BTW we were looking for houses that doesn't has that much stairs because my mom was elderly., we couldn't find one. So if your elderly or wheelchair bound, don't look here.

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Good and Bad - 11/15/2022

A fun city to live in with great food! Housing isn't terrible compared to other big cities. The cyclists who think they own the streets and paths drive me crazy. People generally get along just watch certain areas that are a bit dangerous. The cold - it is for real. The heat - it is also for real. The traffic is also for real. A great city for a few years after college then everyone leaves. The crime, cold, and congestion beat you down eventually.

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Capital of the Midwest, Just Dont Buy a House - 8/17/2022

I've spent my time between Chicago and Atlanta and in the end I chose to buy a home in Atlanta. Chicago is a cultural icon and no doubt the capital of the Midwest. I've had incredible experiences and met great people from all parts of the city. Chicago is a great place to start a career as there are many wonderful companies of all sizes in downtown. I would describe Chicago as a more comfortable and affordable version of New York. However, thinking long-term, the government of Illinois and Chicago are incompetent. Holding the largest debt of any state in the country- that burden is passed on to taxpayers more and more each year. As someone who dreamed of owning a home, I could not justify the amount of taxes I would have to pay towards this debt. It all depends on where you are in life. If you are young, liberal, want the city experience, and could care less about the cost of property- this is the place for you. I would think twice about putting down roots of any kind.

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Underrated - 4/16/2022

This place is so underrated. I just want to thank all the people leaving as you are making it cheaper for me to move in.

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Great City! - 11/20/2021

Love it! From the cultural diversity to all the amenities to all the tourist attractions and beautiful architecture Chicago is definetly the jewel of the midwest!

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It's good i guess - 7/21/2021

I was born and raised here until i was 4 1/2. there are also nice places to see also I'm very confused why are people giving bad ratings of my birth city

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At your own risk - 3/17/2021

Lived here for five years, right downtown for three, and two at the end of the Brown train line, a close suburb known as Ravenswood, commuting in to the city for work. Like they say, Chicago is a quilt of neighborhoods, and outside of the Loop (downtown), few buildings are above 3 stories. So there are many Chicagos, but the differences have blended. Basically, you have the north (white, hispanic, Asian) and the South (a black war zone, with a few heavily guarded enclaves like U of Chicago and some older white blue collar neighborhoods full of cops.) There is undeniably a lot of good in Chicago, if you can afford to enjoy it. But the place grinds you down; the pace, the costs, the crime, the corruption, the intensity, the grunge, and THE WEATHER. I was a professor at a very famous museum and art school downtown, and my time in Chicago was spent very much in the thick of things. Moving there I sensed that I had about five years tolerance to it all, so made the most out of it, and sure enough, moved away almost 5 years to the day, exhausted and pretty fed up with the place. The reputation for corruption there is NO JOKE. This has effects in every aspect of life. The fact that half the city is a war zone more dangerous than Baghdad or Mogadishu, even if you never experience it first hand, has effects. And you can live in the north parts of the city and never hear a gunshot, never get mugged, or worse. It can seem pleasant and peaceful. But the place is still run by crooks, is inconceivably violent, and is still a disaster. The latest mayor is the worst yet, but those that proceeded her were hardly much better. The schools? The teacher's union? Unbelievable. So of course the food is fantastic, the cultural institutions are second only to NYC and superior in some cases, the lake is nice, the 8 weeks of summer pleasant. I like cold and snow, so the winters didn't do me in like I watched them do to most others, but still, by April you are worn out. I've only watched all the BLM Antifa stupidity there this last year on TV, and its hardly isolated or even worst in Chicago, but there are a lot of people ginning up a race war, and the situation in Chicago is a powder keg. So-called "white" folk are getting assaulted every day just for their presumed skin color; I was more than once stalked and nearly mugged, but for my awareness and taking steps (ducking into stores, jumping off trains last second and sprinting out of stations, etc.) Woke-tardation and Trump Derangement ARE the politics there; communists, blue-haired tattooed feminists, and pride-full gays run every cultural institution, and angry black women and lesbians the politics, so expect to just live among people who are completely out of touch with reality and basic sanity. Chicago is Chicago. It sprawls forever on a neverending pancake plain, so don't expect to hike or anything. The city is resented by everyone else in the state. Still in my top three cities to visit, to visit the museums, see a show, eat great food, drink in dive bars. I'd warn anyone to never live there.

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its safe then why does local new start with shooti - 12/18/2020

Went to Chicago once for a live event was told to go to the main airport because the second one was in the middle of a war zone only stayed two days just wondering for those who think Chicago is fine why is it the local news 95% of the time opens up with someone got shot doesn't sound too fine to me

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Great history, devastating present, live elsewhere - 11/27/2020

Place is a train wreck which is too bad as it has good architecture, interesting history and good airports. If you are interested in personal safety responsible government and retention of Realestate value look elsewhere. Property taxes amount to 10% of your income in addition to a high sales tax and 5% income tax: all in 20-25% of your gross income. Politics could be more screwed up but they would have to plan it out. One party rule for 60 years has resulted in a $35B city deficit and $110B state deficit. Detroit went under at $18B. 3/4 of the city is a poverty wasteland with a school system/Union failing the Black population: 50% of black males not meeting state standards for graduation. Many parts of the city are food deserts with failing infrastructure so people who can, are leaving at a remarkable rate. Mayor is happy to let the downtown burn while sending police to her house to protect her family. She is happy to quarantine the city but go get her hair done. Happy to pass a mask mandate but go out to gatherings without one.

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Chicago is a World-Class Alpha City. - 5/25/2020

Chicago is a world class Alpha city. People from all over the world make it their home and can find everything their own country has right at their fingertips. Politics and crime exist everywhere. People worldwide need lessons in safety and how to keep a low profile even in a bedroom community. Through hard work and networking, opportunities exist for anyone and everyone. If you can make it in Chicago, you can live any where on the planet. If you know the city like the back of your hand even traffic isn't a big deal. There are multiple ways to get around, and Chicagoans are never deterred or (detoured) when unexpected problems arise. Education is highly regarded, and multiple avenues to afford one. You won't find a bigger pool of talented health professionals and lawyers. Chicago police get a bad rap for a handful of bad apples. If you're respectful and compliant, most often you won't even be cited. The lakefront, forest preserves, parks, biking and running trails are like no other city. I agree Chicago is like a mini NYC, but is much cleaner and much more livable. Sales tax and property taxes are high, compared to New York and London, you get much more for your money and a higher return when you sell. It's the people that make it great, strong, competitive at everything and always striving to be better. It's a standout among cities and on par with the best of the best. Anyone who thinks it's a flyover city or too hardened and corrupt has never truly experienced it as a Chicagoan. Many people live in and visit cities as a tourist, Chicago is a city to be experienced and discovered off the be4aten path. It is not a cookie cutter place and honestly that is how most people want to live. Go to Milwaukee for that. It is 'easy', unsurprising and predictable. As far as weather goes, winters are a piece of cake from what they were 25 years ago. A snowstorm comes and it melts a few days later. Worldwide, places are experiencing extreme weather that is unpredictable and unprecedented. So far, we haven't had earthquakes, tornadoes, mudslides, devastating forest fires, or terrorist attacks. (anything is possible) The good news is, when the weather is bad, we have plenty of places to go and things to do for entertainment. The Art Institute is the 'best in the world' and you can choose from over 75 neighborhoods of which country you'd like to eat in and experience.

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Considering a move to Chicago? Read this.... - 5/14/2020

We moved here from Colorado back in 2013 and want to move out ASAP. This is definitely not the place to live and raise a family. I have five facts that must be considered before moving to the Chicago area. 1. You must accept that if you plan on buying a house (i.e. avg $250000 - $300000) you will pay approx $7000 - $10000 in property taxes minimum (I say minimum because there are homeowners here (that have a house around that value) who pay more). 2. You must accept you will pay the highest sales taxes in the nation (i.e. sales tax is up to 11% in most areas). 3. Our not so wonderful governor just passed the highest gasoline tax in the nation and how it is .38c per gallon (i.e. it is a progressive tax so each year it will raise). 4. Our not so wonderful governor just passed the highest auto registration fees in the nation (i.e. $151 per passenger vehicle). 5. Chicago politics run the state. Chicago is great if you do not mind the five facts I explained. Granted, there are things to do downtown but if you live near any city, you can find stuff to do. That is a given no matter which city you live in/near. I did not even get into the other dirty political facts about this state. You will have to do your own research and decide if this is the place you want to settle down in. Think and choose wisely.

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Nice Place To Visit But Not To Live - 4/19/2020

Nice city to visit but you really don't want to live there. I did for many years and it has lots of problem and is a very stressful place to live. First of all, it cost like hell to live there. If you aren't making lots of money by either being a professional or having a union gig, the rent or mortgage there will eat up most of what you make. Real estate taxes are likely the highest in the nation. If you want to own a car there, your insurance cost will be SKY high too. Even for liability. The roads there are in horrible shape and potholes damage cars all the time- especially small ones like a Corolla. And there is no place to park in most neighbourhoods on the street so you'll have to rent a private space for more than a little money. Oh, and you have to pay the city for a "city sticker" too. If you don't have a car, the CTA provides decent bus and subway service 24/7. For the most part, it is quality service and safe though I wouldn't advise riding it anywhere south of 35th street after dusk. Speaking of crime, the crime thing is overblown by the national media. Chicago is not anymore dangerous than most any big cities. There are bad neighbourhoods like Lawndale and Englewood where you'd be stupid to go into but there are also neighbourhoods like Edison Park and Jefferson Park where you can leave your car or front door unlocked and not worry. It's really a question of not hanging around the bad neighbourhoods. The lakefront neighbourhoods are not really too dangerous although there are some dicey areas in Uptown and East Rogers Park. West Rogers Park is very safe. The Chicago Public Schools really suck. Horrible, terrible and awful. You will have to pay Catholic school tuition if you live in the city. Most Chicago teachers do NOT send their own children to CPS. You might apply your kids to one of the CPS magnet schools. If you get really lucky and they get in, those are great schools. Walter Payton and Northside Prep are 2 of the best schools in the USA but your chances of getting in are probably around 5 percent. There are some other good schools that are not ranked but good such as Lane Tech that you would have a better chance getting admitted to but they are competitive too. Apply to all and save yourself having to pay Catholic school tuition if you can. Another thing you will hate about Chicago is the winter. It is cold as a well diggers ass in the Klondike there And you can't put on enough layers to stay warm when the wind chill is minus 25 degrees for days on end. And the winters are dark. Dark at 4 PM because Chicago sits on the eastern boundary of the Central Time Zone. That makes it get dark an hour earlier than next door in Indiana which is in the Eastern Time Zone. Another good thing however is that Chicago has some of the BEST cultural offerings in the world! It has a world class Art Museum, the Shedd Aquarium and the Museum of Science and Industry is great! It also has a great City College system. I graduated from Truman College and then from Northwestern University. So all in all the city has some good things to offer but it is a very costly and stressful place to live. Move to Kenosha Wisconsin. It's a METRA train ride to The Loop. All of the benefits and none of the bullshet.

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not as bad as you think - 10/29/2019

I lived in the city my whole life I loved it.

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Horrible - 9/5/2019

Lived there for 40 years, worse place in the nation. The weather is nice about 3% of the time, terrible roads, angry people, expediently growing corruption, and taxes taxes taxes!!! Second highest in the country in fact. Don’t like a certain tax, don’t worry they’ll double it to solve another problem. And don’t get me started on the crime! Swirling down the toilet, no wonder 150,000 people have left over the past 5 years. Glad I was part of that for sure!

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A Living Hell - 6/5/2019

I grew up here, and have lived many places in the city & suburbs. I've also lived in other states, so I know what life is like elsewhere. As of 6/2019, this is the worst I've ever seen it here. I'm going to leave my elderly parents alone (bad!) because I hardly leave the house at night (I currently reside downtown, in a heavily touristy area).. and I've traveled all over the world, sometimes by myself. The crime has been unthinkable (recently a mother and daughter murdered a pregnant woman and cut out her baby, for ex.), atrocious, violent (they shoot people at funerals, hospitals, around schools.. babies, kids, grandparents, innocents, does not matter), filled with hate (they don't only rob people, they beat them up first unnecessarily), and non-stop. (This past weekend only, 52 shootings, 10 people dead). See: cwbchicago.com (newspaper), or heyjackass.com (yes, that's the name, it's crime statistics), or Chicago Tribune. Right now - one person is shot every 3 minutes. The south and west sides have it the worst, and downtown and all around city has all kinds of incidents frequently, and it's moved out into the suburbs. The criminals have no fear of law enforcement, they drive in stolen cars and run into police to get away. They call cops names to their faces and get away with it. It's a very pretty place downtown.. but all this goes on, too, and people don't think it does that don't pay attention.. people have stopped reading the news because it's so bad. The racial tension is the worst I've seen. The post office doesn't deliver mail several days a week, and if you inquire about it, they stop delivering it (no escalation path.) "The City that Works" - not so much anymore. So much cronyism, half the gov't employees don't work at all. (i.e. only 1 postal work is out in the front at one office at any time, the rest are in the back.) The people were my favorite part.. the diversity.. so many great things going on here... but it's changed... people have become more hardened, more embittered, more depressed, more prejudiced, more unloving. What good is the sports, music, restaurants, etc. if no one is safe? And IL is a mess - when I went to get my driver's license and asked for a rules of the road book at the Drivers License facility where you take the test, the front desk clerk said, "IL is bankrupt", we don't have any books. ... uh? ok? I had to wing it. And so.. only a very small percentage of crime gets solved and prosecuted.. (see the Trip for an article on it) Then the state cuts a deal, because they don't want to pay for more jails to be built. After the people go up there as witnesses and the police spend their time on it. In the center of "The Heartland" ... there is so much unrest it feels like there isn't any heart. 500 plus teenagers flash mob during Spring Break, stealing sell phones, food from places, etc. The police showed up (200 of them) or it would've been way worse. But not ONE, not even ONE reporter brought up - where is the parent's responsibility for making sure their teens are not up to no good? All that was said was "they say they're bored" WTF... minors are the responsibility of parents.. but here.. in Chicago.. there seems to be no accountability. The flash mobs have been going on for a few years. No excuse. If you're a nice person/company, ethical, hard working, loving, like your freedom and a high quality of life.. this isn't the City for you. Maybe the new Mayor will lead change, so check back in a few years.

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Best City Ever - 4/24/2019

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My kind of Town - 4/13/2019

I have lived in this city for 15 years, and I love it. However you have to be a certain type of person to love it here. To be successful here, these are some of the things that are important and you should decide if it's right for you. You get all 4 seasons here, in equal amounts. Living on the lake is cooler in the summer and warmer/less snowy in the winter. Once you figure out how to dress properly, winter is no big deal. If you live within about 3 blocks from the lake, summer isn't hot and miserable, and you rarely get snow more than a few inches. If you want a lot of snow, you would need to move to the NW suburbs. If you need great shopping, amazing and diverse food and an abundance of things to do, this is a wonderful city. The transportation is amazing. I haven't owned a car in 5 years, and certainly don't miss it.

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Think twice if you didn’t grow up here - 1/26/2019

I grew up in the near west suburbs of Chicago and moved back 5 years ago in my 50s to be near family. I have lived all over the country, including NY and CA. I now take the metra train downtown every day to work. If you didn’t grow up in a big, old city you really should think twice about moving here. This city has a lot of quirks and even picking a place to live is a complex affair. The city is very heavily segregated by race and right in the middle of far reaching gentrification, especially west and south of downtown. This means that neighborhoods are changing quickly. The commute is bad and the weather can be brutal. On the plus side, there is no place in the US with the combination of cultural and music events that you can actually get to and afford. Chicago basically has all of the great things about a big old city and all of the bad things too. It will take considerable learning to take advantage of the good while avoiding the bad.

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