How much can you share about Chicago? (Waukegan, Lincoln: income, live in)

[Mephistopheles]

Originally Posted by dewthedru

i recently moved here from michigan and have had zero issues with people looking down on me because i'm not a native chicago resident. that could be because i live in a hispanic and polish neighborhood and nobody here is from here.

as far as the gun laws, i'm guessing handguns will be legalized soon as per the recent supreme court decision. of course, that only means that those that weren't willing to break the law to get one in the past can now do so. people like me.

btw, could you avoid the crazy blue font? it makes reading your posts....painful.

one more thing about chicago that outsiders don't realize...like any major metropolitan area, it does contain residents from all social and racial backgrounds, they don't seem to mix like they might elsewhere. there are invisible lines all over the city, beyond which certain groups do or don't live. that was one of the biggest surprises to me. blacks, hispanics, whites, polish, etc. all live in their own areas and long-time residents all seem to know where those lines are.

So then overall, I surmise Chicago is a good locale to relocate? I'm trying to go somewhere I can start over after I'm done with AmeriCorps, and asking why I should pick Chicago over L.A. I mean somewhere I can move for good because I plan on leaving Texas once and for all.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by dewthedru

...
like any major metropolitan area, it does contain residents from all social and racial backgrounds, they don't seem to mix like they might elsewhere. there are invisible lines all over the city, beyond which certain groups do or don't live. that was one of the biggest surprises to me. blacks, hispanics, whites, polish, etc. all live in their own areas and long-time residents all seem to know where those lines are.

This is a gross exaggeration that only serves to reinforce divides.

Every single Northern industrial city has some lingering racial lines. Despite headlines, Chicago is not substantially more racially divided than New York or Buffalo or Cleveland or Detroit, etc. Hispanics are all over the city. Yes, Pilsen is mostly Mexican and much of Humbolt Park is Puerto Rican, however there are hispanics in significant numbers in almost every neighborhood of the city. There are ethnic Poles in any neighborhood with any significant number of white people in general. There is Devon Avenue, but you'll also find Indians all over downtown and the North Side. Chinatown and Argyle and Koreatown all exist, but there are East Asians all along the Lakefront - both North and South Sides. All these groups also exist in the Suburbs.

Chicago gets accused of not having enough racial integration, but we haven't had race riots since 1968. Los Angeles had a major race riot less than 20 years ago. Chicago may not be perfect, but people here do know how to get along for the most part.

Chicago is a major city. Some neighborhoods are very integrated. Some are not. If you look at the census numbers for 2010, the level of integration has risen substantially across the board in Chicago over the past 10 years. It's time for people to stop "warning" people about Chicago's supposed lack of integration relative to other cities.

[ole69]

New York also isn't as integrated as people claim. That's why Moynihan called it a mosaic rather than a melting pot.

[Mephistopheles]

Originally Posted by ole69

New York also isn't as integrated as people claim. That's why Moynihan called it a mosaic rather than a melting pot.

New Yorkers aren't very receptive towards outsiders, and they're very elitist. That's why I won't go anywhere near the Big Apple. I couldn't get away fast enough when I lived there, and I vowed to never return. Just so you know, I've filled out my dream sheet for AmeriCorps and Chicago was one of the ten places I put down on the list. Milwaukee was another one I put down.

[Mephistopheles]

Just so you know, I've filled out two AmeriCorps assignments on my application in Chicago. There were some others in L.A., Sacramento, Seattle; Eugene, Oregon; Corvallis, Oregon; Miami, Milwaukee; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and St. Cloud, Minnesota.

[ole69]

good luck, let us know how it pans out

[Mephistopheles]

Originally Posted by ole69

good luck, let us know how it pans out

Will do! I told the recruiter though that if they send me somewhere where I feel like an outsider or I have to watch my back and wear a bulletproof vest, the deal is off. That means if they intend to send me to the Chicago South Side to deal with hoodlums and gangs, I might be changing my diet from Chicago-style pizza to Alaskan baked salmon and mocha lattes for I'll be inclined to move to Seattle instead. They're not going to send me to a red zone where I'll feel unsafe. It's just not going to happen.

[Haley Wood]

Originally Posted by Orpheus528

Just so you know, I've filled out two AmeriCorps assignments on my application in Chicago. There were some others in L.A., Sacramento, Seattle; Eugene, Oregon; Corvallis, Oregon; Miami, Milwaukee; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Okay, I'm going to pitch in here because I've lived in several of the cities you've either applied for or lived in already. I do project work, so I've had the opportunity to live in Seattle, Portland, Denver (all recently) and Milwaukee and Minneapolis (different job and quite a few years ago) and have spent my share of time in SO CAL as well. I also grew up in Houston (ugh!) and so I can relate to much of what you're saying.

I am also considering moving to Chicago because it's a large city, on a lake, without pretension, and lots to do. It's a real, exciting, vibrant, diverse city, and I'm all over the idea. I know that the weather will test my good nature on days but I'm not moving to Chicago for the weather (except summer & fall). I'm moving to Chicago for the amazing list of things to do, the sailing, the lake, the restaurants, the lack of pretension, the affordability compared to other large cities, Wrigley Field, the views, and the ability to have a lifestyle there (nice areas to live with big dogs, high walkability and public transportation) and I figure I might have to work a little harder to make friends, but it will be worth it. I'll be in the Von Steuben Day Parade before you know it

So while I can't tell you if Chicago is friendly, or if you'll hate the winters, here's my assessment of the other places on your list. Two things to keep in mind:
no matter where you go, there you are, of course,
and
there's positive and negative about every place, so much depends on your attitude and ability to accept/adjust...
So with that said, I apologize in advance for the length of this, and I offer my comments to be considered or tossed :

Seattle -- beautiful and lots to do IF you have flexible hours. Also, lots of money helps here. Great food, but not the selection of Chicago. The weather here is dreary much of the year, and even though it doesn't rain constantly, for 9 months out of the year (sometimes 10), it looks as though it will, and intermittent showers are the norm. Traffic is awful, so if you live in-city, and work regular hours, you'll have a bad time getting out of the city with traffic to go sailing in the Sound or hiking or whatever. Pretty much weekends are the time for that. In city there is stuff to do BUT (and it's a big but, we're talking JLO sized one here), it's not a large city and you quickly go thru the 'what to do in Seattle' list. It's also VERY expensive. I'm sitting at a friend's house right now as I type this, and it's a $600,000 house and it's got a lot of issues. No view. Crime close. And I haven't gotten to the bad part yet: GOOGLE Seattle Freeze -- it's not a joke or an urban myth, nope indeedy. I'm as friendly as it gets, and of all the places I've lived, this city is the hardest for friend-making, and I know many transplants who agree. It's kind of strange really. Also, it may be laid back, but don't be fooled -- the pretension is more than skin deep. I love to visit my friends here, I love the islands, I love the sailing, I love the beautiful views, but I love living somewhere else.

Portland -- I know it's not on your list, but other parts of OR are, so I'm including my experience. Portland is friendlier than Seattle but it's still not the friendliest. Great farmer's markets, food is better, I think, and I love the OR Coast. That said, you're going to need some cha-ching to live in Portland. It's really expensive housing and the state taxes -- ouch. And unemployment is massive. The weather is better imo than Seattle, simply because of its location, but it is still overcast a lot and chilly. Does get hotter and drier in summer, which I love. Overall, I love Portland, especially living in the Pearl, but I would not go back there right now. Lots of gang problems and street people, too. The rest of the state has a lot of unemployment as well. People are friendlier than Seattle, though, and lots of outdoor stuff to do that is easier to do mid-week than in Seattle. That said, still a small city, and you'll run out of the cultural to do stuff pretty fast.

Denver -- you didn't list it, but I'll just say -- friendly people, fairly liberal IN DENVER PROPER (and in Boulder) and lots of sun. The city itself, though, oy! People there think they live in a progressive happening city only because they've never been to one It's also expensive rent, and you have to drive EVERYWHERE.

LA -- oh, how many times I've had the opportunity to move to LA and oh, how many times I've said "No way, Jose". I won't live in LA because of the urban sprawl, the fact that you have to drive everywhere and contend with the awful traffic and smog that is a result of the fact that you have to drive everywhere, the crime (whole neighborhoods the cops don't even go into, so who knows what the crime rate is ) the extremely materialistic and superficial lifestyle, the pretension, and the expense. I get paid well when I'm on a project, but I just won't spend money the way many of these people spend money. Still, the weather is so nice, and the scenery so beautiful. I'm happy to visit. And I do know some nice people there, but I'd still get grief for my old Mercedes wagon. I'd do San Diego or San Francisco IF enough money were involved, but otherwise, no.

Milwaukee and Minneapolis: I'l put these two together because it's been awhile, but overall, people not terribly friendly, extreme weather and cities not large enough to get bonus points that outweigh the weather and I met a lot of racist people in Milwaukee (remarks made in front of me, not to me directly). I'd choose Chicago hands down over either of those cities.

All in all, I've enjoyed each place I've lived, some (Portland and Denver) more than others (Seattle and Minneapolis), but I have great friends in each location, and I'm still choosing Chicago over all of it. Good luck to you!

[Mephistopheles]

Guess what, everybody! I just got a call from Chicago today from a recruiter. She wants to set up an interview for next Wednesday at 10:30. Everyone wish me luck because I'm stoked about this interview.

[Mephistopheles]

So who can tell me the best pizza parlor in Chicago because there's a strong likelihood I might be going there after all. Shall I visit Pizzeria Uno, Gino's East, or someplace else. I'm intrigued!