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Old 04-30-2011, 09:20 AM
 
Location: Austin
758 posts, read 589,632 times
Reputation: 185

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I've just signed up for AmeriCorps because this may be a back door towards starting over elsewhere which I've planned for a long time. My specialty entails environmental work in lower income areas and assisting those less fortunate. For those who don't know, AmeriCorps is like the Peace Corps but in the inner city of urban areas in the United States. From this I have much to gain like job skills, experience, a sweet resume, and perhaps a special someone with whom I might fall in love. Would Chicago be a decent locale to do all this?
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Old 04-30-2011, 08:04 PM
 
Location: Austin
758 posts, read 589,632 times
Reputation: 185
Okay! Someone out there? Anyone? I would've thought there'd be plenty of people here that would describe their city with pride.
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Old 04-30-2011, 08:44 PM
 
3,695 posts, read 4,976,768 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Orpheus528 View Post
Okay! Someone out there? Anyone? I would've thought there'd be plenty of people here that would describe their city with pride.
We can answer specific questions but the ones you posted are so general. I mean we can tell you what the weather is and what areas are rough or not and public transport(and yes the inner city areas of Chicago can be pretty bad) but your question is too general.

We can advise you where to live(although I think americorps volunteers get housing(not sure) or where to party and stuff like that.

I mean heck you can gain experience, a sweet resume, and a special somewhere just about anywhere on earth.
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Old 04-30-2011, 08:58 PM
 
Location: Logan Square
312 posts, read 711,135 times
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I'd say Chicago has plenty of lower income areas where Americorps is already involved, and it's a big and diverse city, so, yeah, you should be all set
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Old 04-30-2011, 10:07 PM
 
Location: Austin
758 posts, read 589,632 times
Reputation: 185
Quote:
Originally Posted by chirack View Post
We can answer specific questions but the ones you posted are so general. I mean we can tell you what the weather is and what areas are rough or not and public transport(and yes the inner city areas of Chicago can be pretty bad) but your question is too general.

We can advise you where to live(although I think americorps volunteers get housing(not sure) or where to party and stuff like that.

I mean heck you can gain experience, a sweet resume, and a special somewhere just about anywhere on earth.
Is Chicago a friendly city? How bad is the crime rate? Are the locals there accepting towards outsiders? I'm well aware it's an Alpha City, but does it have a "holier than thou" mindset, or is it more down-to-earth? My mother is from Kansas City, and I loved the people there. They were some of the nicest folks I've ever met. The main thing that worries me about Chicago is the brutal winters. I'm from Austin, Texas, so it'll be a big adjustment for me. I took New York off the list because I hate the East Coast.

I like the political climate there, but the people there are cold and mean. I'm well aware Chicago is a liberal city which is a good thing. I'm a socialist. Basically, I'm trying to figure out why I should pick it over Los Angeles. The most plausible reason I could come up with thus far was the fact that it's cheaper to live there than it is in L.A. Weatherwise, L.A. has Chicago beat by a landslide. Peoplewise, I'm not too sure. The climate and scenery are great in L.A., but the people out there are shallow and fake. I'm wanting to know if I'll feel more welcome among the locals in Chicago than I would in L.A.

Last edited by Mephistopheles; 04-30-2011 at 11:18 PM..
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Old 04-30-2011, 10:12 PM
 
Location: Austin
758 posts, read 589,632 times
Reputation: 185
Quote:
Originally Posted by ole69 View Post
I'd say Chicago has plenty of lower income areas where Americorps is already involved, and it's a big and diverse city, so, yeah, you should be all set
I should be all set, but I'm not going to go into a hostile environment where I have to look over my shoulder and wear a bulletproof vest to work everyday. If I feel my safety is compromised in anyway, the deal is off. That's why Detroit, Washington DC, Baltimore, and Miami are out of the question. The entire East Coast and the South are out of the question, either. Part of the reason I'm doing this is because I want to move somewhere I can start over after I'm done with AmeriCorps rather than come back to Texas. Houston is another place that's a deal breaker because I grew up there, and I vowed not to return. I can't wait to leave this godforsaken place which is why all the red states are eliminated. The only region I'll go is either to the West Coast or one of the blue states in the Midwest.
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Old 04-30-2011, 10:28 PM
 
20 posts, read 16,537 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Orpheus528 View Post
I should be all set, but I'm not going to go into a hostile environment where I have to look over my shoulder and wear a bulletproof vest to work everyday.
I would say that in any medium or large city the neighborhoods AmeriCorps would send you into will be a bit dangerous. Maybe you should have done more research on the program before you signed up.
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Old 04-30-2011, 10:33 PM
 
3,695 posts, read 4,976,768 times
Reputation: 2070
Quote:
Originally Posted by Orpheus528 View Post
Is Chicago a friendly city? How bad is the crime rate? Are the locals there accepting towards outsiders? I'm well aware it's an Alpha City, but does it have a "holier than thou" mindset, or is it more down-to-earth? My mother is from Kansas City, and I loved the people there. They were some of the nicest folks I've ever met. The main thing that worries me about Chicago is the brutal winters. I'm from Austin, Texas, so it'll be a big adjustment for me. I took New York off the list because I hate the East Coast.

I like the political climate there, but the people there are cold and mean. I'm well aware Chicago is a liberal city which is a good thing. I'm a socialist. Basically, I'm trying to figure out why I should pick it over Los Angeles. The most plausible reason I could come up with thus far was the fact that it's cheaper to live there than it is in L.A. Weatherwise, L.A. has Chicago beat by a landslide. Peoplewise, I'm not too sure. The climate and scenery are great in L.A., but the people out there are shallow and fake. I'm wanting to know if I'll feel more welcome among the locals in Chicago than I would in L.A.
Ok before you get your head ripped off, the city is nice and once you get to meet people(co workers people in the program ect.) or even meet up or other social thing you will have a blast. This holds true anywhere. The Midwest tends to be blunt if we don’t like you we tell you so.

So long as you don’t do like some distant relatives of mine saying “Hello” to total strangers in the Dearborn street subway you will fit in fine. This is a big city not a very small town where it is easy to know everybody.

Politically things are very complex and diverse here too diverse to really explain. We have pro labor democrats who many not be say in favor of say gay rights. Gay republicans and libertarians. Racist attitudes aplenty yet somehow we manage to survive.

Weather wise yes winter is a bear but that is something that is months away. It can get as low as -3 to -10F(or so) here with wind chills of -20F. Our winter isn’t as bad as people think but yes it is bad.

Chicago’s winter is freeze thaw. We get cold snaps that can last two days to two-three weeks where it may never rise above 10F. We also bounce up to 50 maybe 60F in winter as a high. The worse of it will be the last two weeks of January and the first of February. Plan to need a winter coat from about the last two weeks of December to March. It will start cooling off in September but that is still a nice month (i.e. at worse a windbreaker needed and usually not that).

October is a wild card month where it could still be nice or cool enough to need a heavy jacket. For October you usually need at least a windbreaker. November might bring flurries but any snow in November won’t stick to the ground. November is heavy jacket weather.

April is a wild card month and the most wild card of them all. April can be snow on the ground or people in shorts. May is the first safely warm month in the day time. It sometimes warms up long before then, but not that is the safe point. You still may need a windbreaker for day and night. June is the best month of the year. July/Aug hot, up to 90 and in some years even 100F but not as bad as the south.

If the winter hasn’t scared you try out the place worse you can say is that you didn’t like it and you will have great stories about how you nearly froze to death that year to tell when you are 90.
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Old 04-30-2011, 10:34 PM
 
Location: Lincoln Park
838 posts, read 3,090,806 times
Reputation: 172
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!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Orpheus528 View Post
That's why Detroit, Washington DC, Baltimore, and Miami are out of the question. The entire East Coast and the South are out of the question, either. Part of the reason I'm doing this is because I want to move somewhere I can start over after I'm done with AmeriCorps rather than come back to Texas. Houston is another place that's a deal breaker because I grew up there, and I vowed not to return. I can't wait to leave this godforsaken place which is why all the red states are eliminated. The only region I'll go is either to the West Coast or one of the blue states in the Midwest.
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Old 04-30-2011, 10:36 PM
 
Location: Austin
758 posts, read 589,632 times
Reputation: 185
Quote:
Originally Posted by izzystradlin View Post
I would say that in any medium or large city the neighborhoods AmeriCorps would send you into will be a bit dangerous. Maybe you should have done more research on the program before you signed up.
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.
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