Many Chicagoans have an unhealthy obsession with berating surrounding states. (Champaign: transplants, houses)

[Lorielicious]

Originally Posted by dewthedru

i guess it's where you spend your time. i live in a polish/hispanic area and hang out a great deal in bucktown/logan square/wicker park/west loop/etc.. very different than the rest of the MW that i travel to every week for business.

My neighborhood is almost entirely Polish/Hispanic, and I hang out frequently in Bucktown and Logan Square as they're pretty close to me on the Blue Line, I work in the Loop and hang out there for happy hour not infrequently. I'm from California, I've live in Minnesota, and Chicago feels like Minneapolis with more people and better food. Your mileage may vary, of course.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by dewthedru

oh come on. there's no city that represents the midwest more than indy.

Why? Says who?

I don't know that I believe one city can be the all-encompassing example of a huge region.

[It'sAutomatic]

You hit the nail on the head about our inferiority complex, OP. We wish our city could have the rich history of Indianapolis, the active street life of Detroit, the size of Madison, and filled with people harboring the traditional values of the rural midwest!

[chrawnick]

Chicago is the best in the Midwest and everyone will just have to deal and accept that.

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

I will also add that to Californians and the east coasters, Chicago is all about football, big ten, NHL, crime, and beer when you get past Michigan Ave. And then corn beyond that.

I've lived in California since 1996 and I have never once observed people refer to these things when speaking of Chicago.

Generally Californians perception of Chicago seems to be
1) Jordan and the Bulls
2) Deep dish pizza
3) Winter

I've even heard people mistakenly refer to Chicago as east coast.

Only people in California that say bad things about Chicago , are disguntled former residents. You have to really know the city well, in order to figure out its longstanding flaws. The average Californian can't even really find the place on the map.

With respect to the question at hand, it would be one thing if Illinois touched Colorado, or Vermont, or even Minnessota, but Mizzou, Indiana, and Kentucky are kind of self explanitory.

[Milwaukee City]

Doesn't everyone make fun of Indiana? someone needs to tell Indiana they are lost and need to return to it's original spot in line in between Mississippi and Alabama.

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Interesting comments from the original poster and that post seems to have sparked some controversy.

Seems to me any random city in the Midwest or any region in the USA for that fact , will put their own city on a pedestal.

Example: People in Michigan from Grand Rapids believe their fine city is damn near perfect.

Example: In Indiana they have a tendency to look down at the northern half of that states cities in reg to Ft. Wayne, South Bend, IN.

All in all in my experiences with the city of Chicago most people do not have a spiteful attitude towards others although at times I can see where people look down upon the areas south of the city.

This is especially true if you get into a one on one conversation.
Overall my perception of Chicagoan is positive and I find 99% of the city's inhabitants friendly.

Seems to me to the city knows the importance of relationships beyond the city limits.

I do not run across to many Chicago residents who do not welcome a visitor and almost 100% of the time are always giving advice on where to eat , what to see.

People on the coast the same thing NYC tends to think they are the shining city and Boston thinks the same thing about themselves.

It is just human nature.

IMHO there is alot of bashing of Illinois and certain states stereo type our area because of politics, weather, regional accents and taxes.

This is clearly a two-way street.

On a different level I tend to believe Chicago is more open to different beliefs , different religions than most of the Midwest.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by sunnyandcloudydays

Interesting comments from the original poster and that post seems to have sparked some controversy . . .

Precisely as it was designed to do. Why people still play along even after a thousand such threads here, I don't know.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by Drover

Precisely as it was designed to do. Why people still play along even after a thousand such threads here, I don't know.

Exactly, the OP said those things and never returned to the thread because if you look, all of her posts are basically mindless attacks on the midwest or Chicago with no other reason than to get people riled up and defensive. Then people pounce on any sort of defense as some sort of crazy complex, typical midwestern, winter sucks but you won't admit it, blah blah blah.

Like if I walked into someone's house and started commenting on how awful the kitchen looked to everyone, then when the owner of the house gets defensive I gasp and grab my chest saying "oh my god!!" and acting shocked that the owner of the house is so jumpy and sensitive. Hook, line and sinker.

[edsg25]

Many Chicagoans have an unhealthy obsession with berating surrounding states.

well, at least we aren't being told here that, between poverty, crime, and economic collapse, we are falling apart at the seams and soon will be a tenth of the size of Houston. Without its charm.

I suppose then this is progress.

BTW, does anyone remember the answer to "Why do Chicagoans pick their noses more than people in other cities?" I forgot the responses, but remember they were doozies.

For the record, Mad Magazine reports that Chicago has more insane-questions-about-itself than any other city on internet forum; I'm kvelling with pride.

Meanwhile I'm wondering how we Chicagoans have this unhealthy habit of berating neighboring states when it has been my experience that Chicago area folks relate far more to Wisconsin than we do to our state of Illinois (which Chicago folks think only has three places exist outside of Chicagoland: Galena, Champaign-Urbana, and very regrettably Springfield) while Wisconsin is basically our whole statewide playground.. Go figure.