Chicago, IL Reviews

Chicago is a Mini NYC - 11/20/2018
I've lived in Chicago since 1999, relocated from Pittsburgh after attending college in Virginia.
Chicago has 77 neighborhoods. Very diverse population from all around the world. People claim it's very segregated. In my experience those who feel that way were born and raised here. They tend to stick to their side of town and dont venture outside of what they are accustomed to. On the other hand, migrants to Chicago are naturally more curious and venture all over the city, there is much to discover.
The Northside is the most diverse area by far, it's a true melting pot. Every race and culture you can think of you can find it.

The Southside is the largest part of the city which has the largest combination of African American, Latinos, Asians, Irish, And a good mixture of Africans and Caribbean people sprinkled throughout.

The Westside is mixture of African American, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cubans, Mexicans, Guatemalans, Ukrainians,  Read More

Low quality of life. City & state broken. - 10/10/2018
I was unfortunate enough to live in Chicago for several years. First of all the weather is horrible. People know the winter is bad but the summer is the worst season, disgusting humidity combined with many 90+ degree days.
Chicago is known for it's violent crime which is true but there are parts of the city that have very little crime. I'm not sure where I heard this & can't take credit but here is a great summery of Chicago: It's like Detroit and San Francisco had a baby. Similar to Detroit with horrible climate all the rust belt problems like violent crime, outdated infrastructure, old pollution/remnants of heavy industry, corrupt government. It's like San Francisco in that there are some great urban neighborhoods with access to transit, parks, culture, grocery stores but only people in the wealthiest 5% can afford to live in these neighborhoods. Chicago has a relatively diverse economy even more diverse than strictly tech based SF or auto based Detroit.
It's odd, in Read More

Sweet home Chicago. - 8/11/2018
I’ve lived in several major cities and although Chicago is far from perfect, I will always love it there. I highly recommend living here/visiting here. Culture, history, art, food, public transit, and (relatively) bike friendly. The biggest downside... The winter temperatures. Read More

Most corrupt city in the USA - 6/22/2018
The city is loosing people everyday. The taxes will eat you up alive. The crime rate is out of control. It's safer in Iraq.
Winters are long and dreary.
Little if any job growth. Unemployment is a big issue.
The City and State is bankrupt, so they are desperate for more tax Read More

Why - 6/14/2018
Why you vote people in that hate us. Illegals kill us poor. Illegals they don’t even arrest here. Rich or rich and used to just keep the poor poor...they we afraid for our Read More

Calm down - take a chill pill - 12/30/2017
Chicago is a world class city with economic and political challenges like nearly every other part of the United States. If you can get your mind to accept that reality, then maybe you can move on to embracing the cultural and historical impact this city has had and continues to have on the world. Universities with Nobel prizes, architechectural leadership, ethnic diversity, musical and theatrical excellence, numerous athletic accomplishments, world class cuisine, and many other things to get excited about. All of this wrapped in a neighbor friendly, humble, midwestern environment.

Some other comments.

Weather: The legend of the Chicago winter is far worse than the reality. Yes the entirety of the Midwest has some tough winter days, but Chicago is far from being America’s Siberia. The sun shines 54% of the time in Chicago, which is consistent with most major cities (typical range is bewtween 50-60% for cities outside of the Southwestern US). The average Read More

Hidden Gems of Bronzeville - 11/4/2017
I'm from Chicago and I love Chicago. We have our hiccups in the road, yes its a lot of division here, but there is a huge amount Chicagoans who support one another. In some way shape or form. The Absolutely Anything Essential Gift shop is a retail incubator of artists from across Chicago. We welcome those with Positive Vibes Only. 3521 S. King Drive. Read More

Urban and culturally rich, not for everyone - 10/22/2017
Move to Chi if you want:

* A walkable, urban environment with distinctly city-like streetscapes
* Coffee houses, jazz joints, blues bars, comedy pubs, greasy spoons and similar that are open till 4AM
* Bookstores and so on that are open till midnight or thereabouts
* Other stores open till ten or thereabouts
* Great symphony, opera, ballet, galleries, museums and theaters all concentrated near each other, or located in convenient, walkable parts of town
* Grand and beautiful architecture
* Metro transit running twenty four hours (busiest two lines) or twenty hours (the other lines)
* A decent, second-tier concentration of creative culture
* Decent professional-class opportunities
* A city with immense civic pride, fascinating history and a strong, unique, cohesive sense of place. There's no mistaking you're in Chicago -- this ain't Anyplace, USA.

If you're seeking these things, move into a loop-adjacent Read More

Best City - 9/27/2017
Awesome city w/ the most friendly people Read More

Stay away from this school - 6/5/2017
Stay away from this school. It is run by a bunch of people whose main goal is to make money. My son is currently in 8th grade and for high school, he will be going to Walter Payton. The British school made us sign a contract 3 weeks before the results of the magnet school comes up, to secure your place at the school. Now that my son is not going to the British school, not only do they keep your downpayment ($2k), we now have to pay for the full fall semester which is $10k.
I understand this was stated in the contract but the British school purposefully made us sign the contract before the magent school results because they know some students will leave. Now that I am doing my research, I found out that this has been going on for years now and a lot of parents have tried suing them but they all failed because of the contract. And if you don’t sign the contract, you lose your spot so we had to and we were ready to lose the 2k but to pay for the full fall semester is just so Read More