How much can you share about Chicago? (Manhattan, Union: student loans, job market)

[izzystradlin]

Originally Posted by Orpheus528

That being said, I'd have a choice of going to either the South Bronx in New York, South Central Los Angeles, or the worst part of Chicago.

So they told you the name of the neighborhood?

Originally Posted by Orpheus528

nobody said I had to live in that part of town or even work with the public.

So why do you care about crime levels in the worst neighborhoods in the city?

I don't get it. You are contradicting yourself.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by Orpheus528

I'm doing my research now. Why do you think I'm not going to Detroit, Washington, Baltimore, or Miami? I just explained. It's only a one-year commitment. That being said, I'd have a choice of going to either the South Bronx in New York, South Central Los Angeles, or the worst part of Chicago. Take your pick! It's only temporary, and nobody said I had to live in that part of town or even work with the public. My specialty will be in environmental work, and I'll only be working 35 hours a week. Part of my research entails asking questions and taking a consensus. Mainly, I'm trying to figure out why I should choose Chicago over L.A. other than the fact that it's cheaper and doesn't have a bad smog problem.

City-wide crime statistics are worse for Chicago than LA. I would hazard a guess that the worst neighborhoods in Chicago have more significant crime problems than the worst neighborhoods of LA, but I have no good data to back that up.

[Mephistopheles]

Originally Posted by lincolnparker

In other words, the deal is off as long as the location has some type of civilization. Have you looked into maybe Fairbanks, Alaska. I think that'd be a perfection location for you!

I'm not afraid of a big city. Did you read the part where I said I grew up in Houston - the fourth largest city in America behind Chicago? The reason I'm not going back to the East Coast is because I couldn't stand the people. I lived in New York when I was in middle school, and I loathed it. The locals were nasty and belligerent, and they didn't like outsiders. I'm not going to live somewhere where I'll feel like a pariah. I didn't feel that way when I was in L.A. because half the people there are all transplants. Fairbanks, Alaska, is too cold, and there are no job opportunities there. Plus, the population in Alaska is ten men for every woman, so that's a guaranteed deal breaker.

[Mephistopheles]

Originally Posted by izzystradlin

So they told you the name of the neighborhood?



So why do you care about crime levels in the worst neighborhoods in the city?

I don't get it. You are contradicting yourself.

No, they didn't tell me the name of the neighborhood. AmeriCorps is like the Peace Corps in the United States. They send people to impoverished areas to improve the quality of life and make poor folks better educated and healthier. It's humanitarian work. Therefore, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out they're going to send me to an area that's probably been hammered with urban blight.

[ole69]

I would take the worst part of Chicago over the South Bronx (with the exception of Riverdale and Spuyten Duyvil )

[ole69]

Also, as for places to stay after Americorps, I would take Chicago over LA (personally, I hate LA) or NY (I loved New York but it's expensive even if you live in Brooklyn or Queens, imo)

[Mephistopheles]

Look, I've never been to Chicago, but I'm willing to give it a go. I've already lived in New York and L.A. I know the mindset of both cities. I've also traveled all around the United States. The only region of the country I've never been is the Great Lakes. Because I know the mentality of the East Coast and the South is why I've ruled those areas out. Alaska and Hawaii are probably unavailable because I don't think there are too many people living in abject poverty in either state considering how expensive it is to live in both.

The only beef I have with Chicago is the two baseball teams. I'm an Astros fan, and the Cubs are in the same division. It was a heartbreaking watching their crosstown counterparts sweep the 'Stros in the World Series four years ago. That being said, those qualms are infinitesimal compared to the bad blood I have with New York City. Perhaps none of you know this, but Texans and New Yorkers have the same love/hate relationship that the British and French do. That I learned the hard way when I lived in New York. Also, several bad things happened to me there, but that's another story.

The bottom line is there are too many personal conflicts that would interfere if I were to work in New York. I'm already signed up for AmeriCorps, and I'm trying to figure out where would be a good place. Now that I already know where I WILL NOT go, I'm trying to figure out where I WILL go. In other words, I'm going through the process of elimination. Last but not least, I have no hard feelings towards the Cubs or the White Sox because it's just a darn baseball game.

[chirack]

Poverty and crime go hand and hand. I grew up in one of the areas you could be assigned to. In general with Chicago you can get robbed or raped anywhere. However with low income areas comes the additional danger of getting caught in drive by shootings, gang shootings, ect. If you fear crime then what you are doing is a bad fit in any city and street sense goes a very long way.

[ole69]

Maybe you should look into Milwaukee

[izzystradlin]

Originally Posted by Orpheus528

Look, I've never been to Chicago, but I'm willing to give it a go.

Do you think you can hop on a Greyhound and check the city out first?