Review of Chicago, Illinois


Think twice if you didn’t grow up here
Star Rating - 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.
Mark | River Forest, IL
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Avoid Chicago, very low quality of life. Chicago is a broken city in a broken state. Corruption is the absolute norm & it is deeply rooted in both the city & state. The police force is a tax payer funded organized crime syndicate. The police are inept & corrupt to their core. The CPD should be totally destroyed & rebuilt from scratch. Bad weather all year. Bad geography. Boring people. Unfortunately I lived in Chicago for years. I have lived all over the US & I lived overseas. Chicago has the lowest quality of life without a doubt & with a relatively high cost of living. I like outdoor activities & Chicago has no legitimate outdoor recreation. People in Chicago consider eating at a new restaurant adventurous. Eating & watching tv are the primary forms of recreation but that’s the same in most of america. I really have nothing positive about the city of Chicago or the state of Illinois.
Eric | Aurora, CO | Report Abuse
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