Chicago

[Kyla]

I lived there for three years (2003-2006). I loved it and would move back in a heartbeat if I could find a job there. Which is unlikely, there aren’t a lot of jobs in my field there. It makes me sad.

[evilbeth]

I have visited and I love it. Generally, I do not like big cities but Chicago is different to me for some reason.

I loved it (and the person I was visiting) so much that a friend and I used to make weekend trips* to Chicago every couple of months or so.

(This is significant because we were driving to Chicago and back from eastern Tennessee–for the weekend. That’s a lot of driving.)

[Surly_Chick]

I worked in the city and lived outside it for 15 years and I love it. I miss White Castle and real pizza. And Wrigley Field and Chinatown. And Greektown and Little Italy. I could go on and on…

[Jack_Batty]

Never been - would love to go.

My Other: it’s one of two cities not near an ocean that I’d consider moving to (the other one is Denver … and I don’t even know why).

[Skammer]

I lived in/near Chicago for about 13 years, starting when I was a student at Northwestern. Loved it, and would never have left except to chase my wife. We just went back a few weeks ago for our 10th anniversary. Great place to live.

[Markxxx]

I live in Chicago not by choice. The only good thing about it is it’s dirt cheap to live here. Basically because you don’t need a car. But I’ve lived in a lot of cities and I’ve only seen one other place that is so unfriendly and that was Washington DC.

If I could be anywhere else I would. I think I’d even go back to DC as the rude, unfriendly people here are amazing. I think it’s ironic people think NYC is bad. I’ve lived in NYC and it was 100 times nicer than here.

But as I said, it sure is cheap to live here.

[Whack-a-Mole]

@Markxxx

I live in Chicago not by choice. The only good thing about it is it’s dirt cheap to live here. Basically because you don’t need a car. But I’ve lived in a lot of cities and I’ve only seen one other place that is so unfriendly and that was Washington DC.

If I could be anywhere else I would. I think I’d even go back to DC as the rude, unfriendly people here are amazing. I think it’s ironic people think NYC is bad. I’ve lived in NYC and it was 100 times nicer than here.

But as I said, it sure is cheap to live here.

Not sure what city you are in but doesn’t sound like Chicago.

Chicago is the 4th most expensive city to live in in the United States (cite).

As for unfriendly you must be in Bizarro Chicago (or perhaps Ogacihc is more accurate ;)). Certainly in a big city you have all types but I know people who spent their whole lives growing up in New York and are now in Chicago and to a person they all consider Chicago distinctly more friendly. Anecdotal maybe but you are the first person I have ever heard describe Chicago as unfriendly to that degree.

[Cat_Whisperer]

@HazelNutCoffee

I loved Chicago when I lived there. Sure, the weather was crap for 95% of the year and both of the neighborhoods I lived in were sketchtastic but I just loved the vibe of the city. The architecture is beautiful and the people are interesting. Each neighborhood has its own thing going on.

Although to be honest, I don’t know if I’d enjoy it as much if I moved back now. Half the fun of living there was living in close proximity to some of my close friends.

I think it’s awesome that some people from Calgary met someone from Korea in Chicago. The world really is getting smaller.

We liked Chicago okay, but about the only reason we’d go back would be for the architecture. We didn’t take the time to see as much of it as we could, but the glimpses we caught along the way were really impressive. We do, however, plan to go back to Wisconsin for a cheese tour.

[delphica]

I get to go to Chicago a few times a year for work, which is awesome for me because I will also make plans to visit with friends during my free time. I love it!

As a snobby New Yorker though, I have to confess I don’t know how much I would love living there. Chicago and I might have the perfect relationship with me as a visitor.

[StusBlues]

Chicago is probably my favorite Great American City to visit. Y’know, I always tell myself that I’ll branch out the next time I go there, but I usually find myself in my familiar haunts: The Field Museum, The Art Institute, and Buddy Guy’s Legends.

[StusBlues]

@Whack-a-Mole

@Markxxx

I live in Chicago not by choice. The only good thing about it is it’s dirt cheap to live here. Basically because you don’t need a car. But I’ve lived in a lot of cities and I’ve only seen one other place that is so unfriendly and that was Washington DC.

If I could be anywhere else I would. I think I’d even go back to DC as the rude, unfriendly people here are amazing. I think it’s ironic people think NYC is bad. I’ve lived in NYC and it was 100 times nicer than here.

But as I said, it sure is cheap to live here.

Not sure what city you are in but doesn’t sound like Chicago.

Chicago is the 4th most expensive city to live in in the United States (cite).

As for unfriendly you must be in Bizarro Chicago (or perhaps Ogacihc is more accurate ;)). Certainly in a big city you have all types but I know people who spent their whole lives growing up in New York and are now in Chicago and to a person they all consider Chicago distinctly more friendly. Anecdotal maybe but you are the first person I have ever heard describe Chicago as unfriendly to that degree.

I concur on the friendliness. Culturally, Chicago isn’t really removed from the Midwest USA. I’ve never gotten a rude vibe there at all. It’s as friendly as anywhere I’ve ever been. This includes small cities and towns that USED to be friendly but have gotten decidedly prickly over the past 20 years.

I’m surprised to hear Chicago in the same league as New York and San Francisco as far as cost of living is concerned. I’ve always found the costs very comfortable, though I can’t speak to rents and such. The prices in NY and SF have always caused me to do a double take, but not Chicago.

[mo50]

As for unfriendly you must be in Bizarro Chicago

Can’t speak to Chicago in general, I’m sure there are plenty of great people there, but I’ve been to Wrigley a few times, & while I hate to say it, I haven’t found the “Friendly Confines” all that friendly. Too much frat boy/ beer muscle sloppy drunkenness & outright hostility. Hassling women & opposing fans, spilling beer all over the place, picking fights, the usual. Happy to accept the possibility that I just was unlucky the times I went. I’ve been to stadiums all over the country, drink at games myself & have no problem with that aspect of it in and of itself, but this just seemed like too much to me.
OK, maybe I’m just getting old & need to watch the games on TV at home.

[Trom]

@mo50

As for unfriendly you must be in Bizarro Chicago

Can’t speak to Chicago in general, I’m sure there are plenty of great people there, but I’ve been to Wrigley a few times, & while I hate to say it, I haven’t found the “Friendly Confines” all that friendly. Too much frat boy/ beer muscle sloppy drunkenness & outright hostility. Hassling women & opposing fans, spilling beer all over the place, picking fights, the usual. Happy to accept the possibility that I just was unlucky the times I went. I’ve been to stadiums all over the country, drink at games myself & have no problem with that aspect of it in and of itself, but this just seemed like too much to me.
OK, maybe I’m just getting old & need to watch the games on TV at home.

Everyone moves to Wrigleyville/Lakeview/Lincoln Park after they graduate from college. It’s full of Trixiesand Chads.

[pulykamell]

Love Chicago. Course, I did grow up here. Of all the cities I’ve been to in the US, the only ones that interest me in terms of places to live are (in order) Chicago, Seattle, Milwaukee, and St. Paul. I think the weather here is just fine, but I am one of the sickos that enjoys the Chicago weather.

I am shocked to hear that Chicago is the 4th most expensive city to live in. In terms of costs of housing, food, etc., compared with the salaries in the area, it’s extremely affordable for a big city in my experience. As for unfriendly? That’s a new one for me. Then again, no cities I’ve been to in particular stand out as being particularly unfriendly. New York can be a bit brusk, but friendly enough. Chicago to me has some of that big city gruffness tempered with a certain Midwestern politeness.

[HazelNutCoffee]

Chicagoans, in general, have never been anything but friendly to me. I’ve even been offered a free joint on the El. Can’t get any friendlier than that.

[raindog]

@Whack-a-Mole

@Markxxx

I live in Chicago not by choice. The only good thing about it is it’s dirt cheap to live here. Basically because you don’t need a car. But I’ve lived in a lot of cities and I’ve only seen one other place that is so unfriendly and that was Washington DC.

If I could be anywhere else I would. I think I’d even go back to DC as the rude, unfriendly people here are amazing. I think it’s ironic people think NYC is bad. I’ve lived in NYC and it was 100 times nicer than here.

But as I said, it sure is cheap to live here.

Not sure what city you are in but doesn’t sound like Chicago.

Chicago is the 4th most expensive city to live in in the United States (cite).

As for unfriendly you must be in Bizarro Chicago (or perhaps Ogacihc is more accurate ;)). Certainly in a big city you have all types but I know people who spent their whole lives growing up in New York and are now in Chicago and to a person they all consider Chicago distinctly more friendly. Anecdotal maybe but you are the first person I have ever heard describe Chicago as unfriendly to that degree.

+1

I read Marxxx’s post and thought, ‘How did he mis-read Seattle?’ and btw, I love Seattle

I lived in Chicago 30ish years and love Chicago. I am biased, having been born there, but I think it’s the greatest American city.

Unfriendly? Cheap to live? Chicago?

[SanVito]

I’ve visited once (15 odd years ago) and loved it, although it was my first visit to the US, so I may have been a bit ‘ooh, new shiny place’ about it.

Being a big city girl however (London), I’m not sure I’d choose to live there over, say, NY or London. If you’re going to live in a big city, might as well pick one with the most going on.

[Kyla]

1. Chicagoans have always been extremely friendly to me. When I first moved to the city, and got lost, on multiple occasions I had strangers observe my confusion and come up and offer to help me find my way. The last time I was there was last year, and it had been a couple years since I’d ridden the el, so I spent a minute staring at the el map over the door, trying to decide where to get off the train, and again, someone kindly asked me if I needed any help.

2. I plain old do not believe the cite that Chicago is the fourth-most expensive city in the US. That cite has Chicago being more expensive than San Francisco. I’m originally from San Francisco, and I can guarantee you that Chicago is cheaper to live in. That cite says that “In Chicago, the fourth-most-expensive city in the United States, the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $2,500.” If you look at the Craigslist listing for 2-bedroom apartments, there are a whole bunch of listings already up for today. Glancing over it, I can see two out of many that are $2500/month. The rest are all under that, some significantly so. The corresponding listing for San Francisco shows that housing is significantly more expensive, with 2 bedroom apartments mostly being above the $2500/month mark, many of them into the $3000/month range, with some in the posher neighborhoods being in the $7-$8k range.

[WhyNot]

@Kyla

2. I plain old do not believe the cite that Chicago is the fourth-most expensive city in the US. That cite has Chicago being more expensive than San Francisco. I’m originally from San Francisco, and I can guarantee you that Chicago is cheaper to live in. That cite says that “In Chicago, the fourth-most-expensive city in the United States, the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $2,500.” If you look at the Craigslist listing for 2-bedroom apartments, there are a whole bunch of listings already up for today. Glancing over it, I can see two out of many that are $2500/month. The rest are all under that, some significantly so. The corresponding listing for San Francisco shows that housing is significantly more expensive, with 2 bedroom apartments mostly being above the $2500/month mark, many of them into the $3000/month range, with some in the posher neighborhoods being in the $7-$8k range.

I think that’s a function of time, statistics and your sampling method. Places renting on the Gold Coast aren’t going to be listed on Craigslist, and they undoubtedly run the average way, way up. Plus, the rental market is following the housing market downwards right now. I rented a year ago and found a “cheap” 3 bedroom for $1500 in Irving Park. Seriously, the cheapest 3 bedroom we could find in an okay but not great neighborhood. This year, we’re about two blocks away for $1100, and that wasn’t an unusually low price among the 20+ units we looked at.

Rent here isn’t as bad as it was at the height of the housing bubble, and now that our sales tax is “only” 9.75%, I practically feel like Midas! (Ok, maybe not.)

[Kyla]

@WhyNot

@Kyla

2. I plain old do not believe the cite that Chicago is the fourth-most expensive city in the US. That cite has Chicago being more expensive than San Francisco. I’m originally from San Francisco, and I can guarantee you that Chicago is cheaper to live in. That cite says that “In Chicago, the fourth-most-expensive city in the United States, the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $2,500.” If you look at the Craigslist listing for 2-bedroom apartments, there are a whole bunch of listings already up for today. Glancing over it, I can see two out of many that are $2500/month. The rest are all under that, some significantly so. The corresponding listing for San Francisco shows that housing is significantly more expensive, with 2 bedroom apartments mostly being above the $2500/month mark, many of them into the $3000/month range, with some in the posher neighborhoods being in the $7-$8k range.

I think that’s a function of time, statistics and your sampling method. Places renting on the Gold Coast aren’t going to be listed on Craigslist, and they undoubtedly run the average way, way up. Plus, the rental market is following the housing market downwards right now. I rented a year ago and found a “cheap” 3 bedroom for $1500 in Irving Park. Seriously, the cheapest 3 bedroom we could find in an okay but not great neighborhood. This year, we’re about two blocks away for $1100, and that wasn’t an unusually low price among the 20+ units we looked at.

Rent here isn’t as bad as it was at the height of the housing bubble, and now that our sales tax is “only” 9.75%, I practically feel like Midas! (Ok, maybe not.)

Point taken, but the same thing is true about San Francisco. I think their sampling method is way off if they think Chicago is more expensive than San Francisco. Just based on my own life experience. (It also has a very high sales tax, at 9.5%.)