COMMENT BY
Mark from River Forest, IL
COMMENT ABOUT PLACE
River Forest, IL
COMMENT
Think twice if you didn’t grow up here
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.