Am I crazy to consider moving to Chicago right now?
Title says it all - am I nuts for wanting to move there from NYC? Part of me thinks it’s the next detroit, the other part of me think it’s a mini-nyc at half the price.
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yes, crazy...both are bad places to be walking the streets right now...don't draw attention to yourself
Would also be interested in the safety / merits behind moving to Chicago... Just signed my SA offer there.
Chicago north-side and the magnificent mile are getting lit up right now (violence/looting is usually more prominent on the south side). But I can't say that New York looks any better (based off of the news). At least Lori Lightfoot is pro law and order unlike De Blasio.
Yes, NYC is degenerating into total chaos. Murder is up 30.9% YTD, putting us back at the level of...2012. A time of madness and mayhem in NYC to which I certainly would never want to return. I remember it clearly, the gangs roaming the streets, home prices collapsing, my parents hiring armed security just to visit me.
EDIT: Love that I got MS for this - seeing actual statistics can be disconcerting when one is relying on Fox News/NY Post anecdotes.
I live in the Gold Coast. GC and Mag Mile got wrecked last night. Seeing it this morning with my own eyes was pretty crazy. Even Jimmy Johns, Wao Boa, and Sbux got looted.
Anyone that knows Chicago the stretch of Rush south of Division along with Oak Street got destroyed. It would be easier to list out the stores which didn't get looted (Peter Millar) than to list all the ones that did.
Damn man, I live in River North and went for a walk this morning to check out the damage. Pretty bad again and the city is trashed. It's making me seriously re-think living downtown or in Chicago in general. You thought about moving out of GC?
Definitely been thinking about it. The best part about living in GC for me was walking to and from work everyday. When I first moved to Chicago I lived in Lakeview around Diversey/Clark. I have been thinking about moving back up there depending on how the WFH situation plays out. Getting to the loop in the morning from Lakeview was pretty easy, but coming home could be really annoying if I left before 6ish.
What about you?
Really embarrassing what's happening to the City. Feels like the leadership is playing hot potato with responsibility. No end in sight either
I did SA in both Chicago and NYC prior to accepting FT in Chicago. I will say that there are areas in both cities that are bad. If you just watch on the news, you will hear about a number of awful things going on in bad parts of citites across the US.
During normal times in Chicago walking to work in the mornings is never an issue (except the fucking cold). I've walked home a handful of times around midnight and I stopped after a few times. Chicago's loop gets really dead after dark and the only people left are the cops and homeless people. I started ubering after a homeless guy followed me for three blocks when walking home just pestering the shit out of me. Its not that I don't think I'm safe walking home, I just didn't want to get in a screaming match with a homeless guy at midnight again.
As for right now, I would hardly consider this normal behavior at night in Chicago. I've seen some crazy shit in my short time here. Saw a guy getting arrested and a cop was holding a handgun and said, "looks like he filed off the serial number". This was around 1:00 PM on a Sunday. This was also about 6 blocks south of my office, but it was still in the loop. One time I had to call the cops because there was four or five guys fighting outside a 7-11 right in front of my building at 4:00 AM. Was an experience to say the least. There was once the same homeless guy outside of a 7-11 for what seemed like months. I bought him ciggarettes one night after going out to the bars and he still remembers my name and asks how I'm doing when I see him around. He doesn't ask for anything but I'll hand him a gatorade or some ciggarettes once every few weeks. His name is Mike, nice guy.
The nice parts of Chicago are usually a mini-nyc at half the price. South and West sides are filled with shootings. On the news its hard to tell how far those places are from where corporate offices and higher rent areas are, but you wouldn't stumble into those areas by accident by any means. I'd generally classify a normal Chicago as a safe place to live. Right now with the violence the way it is, I just don't go outside of my building past sunset.
Thanks for the inside perspective - I think the question is, how long will this persist?
Anyone’s guess. Logically I’d have to guess it’ll change with weather or unemployment.
>Right now with the violence the way it is, I just don't go outside of my building past sunset.
I wonder if this will keep into winter? Chitown can get nasty cold during the winter months.
Correlation isn’t causation but I’m pretty sure that I read a stat about the number of shootings is strongly correlated with warmer and longer summers.
Chicago winters are brutal, but it is an open secret that crime significantly drops. Chicago in the winter becomes like Toronto.
What part of the city do you live in? Definitely a lot of crazy shit going down recently. All the motor cycles cruising down LSD and Clark are starting to get on my last nerves too. If I am out at night I wouldn't say I feel unsafe, but I definitely don't wear headphones and keep aware of my surroundings.
Block away from trump tower
Do stay safe out there. I've never been to Chicago, but the only things I know about it are the Gold Coast Bentley dealership, the weird pizza and the shootings.
Fantastic in the summer months. Absolutely horrid in the winter. Pizza is great. Usually get a group order in the office once every week or two.
Overall it’s a very interesting city. Vastly different worlds just miles apart.
Honestly, you're trying to pick which option is less ideal right now. New York is pretty shut down still (and half the city has migrated to the Hamptons or elsewhere during COVID) but Chicago is getting looted once a month now and not much more is open. Both will likely get back to normal at some point and become fun places to live again but Chicago isn't great right now overall. Personally, I don't think it's worth the trouble to move from NY to Chicago right now unless you grew up here or want to be here long-term. If you have flexibility to move to a variety of places, I would examine some options other than these two.
You think it's the next Detroit? Lol
It’s headed that way
Detroit declined because of industrial businesses moving, Chicago has a generally diversified economy. If you think people will move from Chicago en masse because of a one time looting spree, I don't know what to tell you.
Yes you’re crazy, don’t fucking move here. Yes, it’s less of a shithole and cheaper than NYC is...but it’s getting worse by the day. You really want to be in a state run by that utter rube, Fats Pritzker, and in a city within it governed by our worthless mayor?
I mean, if you’re looking for work that can only be had in a few cities in the world (like most of us do) - then sure, it’s probably better. But I wouldn’t do it for fun, that’s for damn sure...we’re all over here trying to figure out how to get the hell out...
Chicago actually is a mini-New York at half the price.
1990s New York that is.
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