"Chicago mostly attracts people from elsewhere in the Midwest..." Is that really true? (Peoria: living in, move to)
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Indistinguishable.... until people start opening their mouths. The Chicago personality is distinct. A recognizable flavor, if you will.
You'll find it in NWI, but probably not in Toledo OH.
That's exactly my point, though. Chicago is distinct. Illinois is not. You're right that you will find it somewhat in NWI. You won't find it in Peoria or Danville, though. So it's not an Illinois vs. Indiana thing. It's a Chicago (or Chicagoland) vs. rest-of-the Midwest thing.
It's just interesting to me as a relative outsider how people choose to break things down by state line when that's not really where the significant differences occur. People do this elsewhere in the country, too, of course.
And yes, I am someone who was born and raised in Ohio, went to college there, and then later picked up and moved to Chicago, in the late 90's. The appeal of Chicago was that it was like the Midwest's version of NYC, but it was only a 4 hour drive away from home. Not only does the city offer a lot of jobs, but it has interesting things that my hometown didnt offer (such as the L train, amazing restaurants, a huge nightlife scene, etc).
I'm also from Ohio and graduated college there in 2000; however, this was not my impression of Chicago at the time. For big city trips my friends and I always went to NYC or Toronto. Chicago was never on the radar. Before visiting I always viewed Chicago as just a larger version of Cleveland. Of course now I know that Chicago offers an urban dynamic that Cleveland does not. This is the perspective of someone from eastern Ohio. I think people from Toledo are more drawn to Chicago, at least that is my experience.
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Originally Posted by SmartGXL
Of course, the thing about Ohioans, is they want to get the hell out of Ohio...a lot of people left...in my graduating class, some went to Chicago, some went to places like Florida, a few went to California (one of my classmates went to LA and started to have some success in show biz, and actually went on to host a show on BET for a while).
Yes, a lot of Ohioans have a "grass is greener" attitude for sure and do not appreciate their state. Although, I would say the biggest target destinations for them are the Carolinas for sure.
I personally moved to the west coast after college to experience a different part of the county, although it was not because I hated Ohio. Eventually I ended up in Chicago, and geographical convenience to family certainly plays a big part of why I'm here.
Im sorry If I offend anybody but I feel the Midwest is the most boring region in the country. The flat lands,boring geography and lack of big cities. Besides Chicago, the only other big city is Detroit and Detroit isn't doing so well.I like Detroit ,the city had or still somewhat has the potential to be big urban city in the midwest. Chicago is the most attractive city in the region so its going to have allot people from across the region.
I'm a little bit of a sociology nerd, so this sort of stuff interests me. Looking through the past City-data forum posts from people posting in the Chicago or Chicago Suburbs subforums who are either (1) moving to Chicago or (2) interested in moving to Chicago or (3) have moved to Chicago and wanting more information...it really does seem to be a cross section of the country. The past 100 or so posts fitting the above criteria have included quite a few people from CA, the East Coast, the South (particularly from TX, GA, and FL), the Pac. Northwest, etc. And several people from outside the country.
Based on my perception, a common conception both on this board and in real life is that Chicago, at least in terms of relocation, tends to mostly attract people from the rest of the Midwest. But that seems to be contraindicated by a lot of the postings here on CD. To be sure - a lot of the postings have been from people elsewhere in the Midwest, but certainly not so disproportionate as to render a conclusion that most people who relocate are from the Midwest. Also a lot of posters do not specify where they are coming from, which may also be a factor. But overall, it appears that more people from outside the Midwest are posting about relocating to Chicago than from elsewhere inside the Midwest.
Now that being said, it could also be that people from elsewhere in the Midwest who relocate to Chicago are less likely to post on C-D, perhaps because of more familiarity with the city and less need for information...but I just can't see that being such a pronounced factor as to really make that much of a difference.
Anyway, I'd like to hear your thoughts on this. Particularly Chicagoans with personal experience. Does Chicago really tend to primarily attract other Midwesterners?
Ding! Ding! Ding! Yes, you answered your question. I would say that is actually a MAJOR factor. Chicago definitely attracts more from within the midwest, and yes, they are less likely to post questions here, because chances are if they grew up within 7 hours of Chicago, theres a good chance they have been here a couple times by adulthood, know people that already live here, and can ask them to give them the orientation.
So yeah, its not as necessary to post here. If you still look at the regular posters on the Chicago forum that are not from Chicago, most of them are from the midwest.
Those from the coasts, might not have Chicago on their radar at all, due to simple sheer distance, and the fact that they have "world class" cities closer to home. They may not know anyone in Chicago, but either they came here, and were totally blown away from visiting, because they never knew about Chicago, and would like to move here and don't know where to start, or they are simply being transferred by their company, etc., etc. So, they are more likely to need this forum.
It is a little different on the coasts, at least in terms of the four giants on the coast: SF/Silicon Valley, greater LA, DC area, and of course NYC. All these four metro areas on the coast get a lot more media coverage than Chicago, and are the North American center for specific career opportunities and are considered ultlimate destinations for careers in technology, entertainment, federal government, and finance as well as entertainment respecitively. So, I think those four DO cast a much wider net because of the media attention and well known career opportunities.
So, I think you answered your question, and yes it does make a difference. I have come to the realization that C-D forum in no way reflects the general consensus of the american population.
That's exactly my point, though. Chicago is distinct. Illinois is not. You're right that you will find it somewhat in NWI. You won't find it in Peoria or Danville, though. So it's not a Illinois vs. Indiana thing. It's a Chicago (or Chicagoland) vs. rest-of-the Midwest thing.
It's just interesting to me as a relative outsider how people choose to break things down by state line when that's not really where the significant differences occur. People do this elsewhere in the country, too, of course.
What we need to do is to draw a line to form a boundary.
Draw a boundary with Cermak on the south,
Ashland going north a little
then turn west on Grand,
until you say Pulaski, go north on Pulaski, until you hit Foster, take Foster to the lake.
If you live within this zone, you can honestly say you live a Chicago lifestyle.
If you live outside this zone, which is all the suburbs and large tracts of the city, both good and bad, you live a more generally midwest-urban suburban life, that just happens to have world class Chicago nearby.
Indistinguishable.... until people start opening their mouths. The Chicago personality is distinct. A recognizable flavor, if you will.
You'll find it in NWI, but probably not in Toledo OH.
That really depends on how strongly an individual identifies with what makes Chicago different. Some people grew up strongly identifying with Chicago, even if they grew up in the suburbs, exurbs, NW Indiana.
Others do not strongly identify with Chicago. Those that don't identify strongly with Chicago, do not have that distinct personality.
I think it has a lot to do with geographic convenience. Being the largest city in a given section of the country has the broadest appeal. I'm sure NYC has a greater sphere of influence to the cities around it just as I'm certain LA does as well.
Also Chicago is a regional hub while New York is a global hub with a much larger sphere of influence.
Im sorry If I offend anybody but I feel the Midwest is the most boring region in the country. The flat lands,boring geography and lack of big cities. Besides Chicago, the only other big city is Detroit and Detroit isn't doing so well.I like Detroit ,the city had or still somewhat has the potential to be big urban city in the midwest. Chicago is the most attractive city in the region so its going to have allot people from across the region.
I lived in the Chicago area my whole life and never cared. Never traveled much on vacation, or went vary far. Never had the desire to -- most of what I wanted and needed was five minutes away. If it wasn't, there was probably the same thing but closer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tex?Il?
What we need to do is to draw a line to form a boundary.
Draw a boundary with Cermak on the south,
Ashland going north a little
then turn west on Grand,
until you say Pulaski, go north on Pulaski, until you hit Foster, take Foster to the lake.
If you live within this zone, you can honestly say you live a Chicago lifestyle.
If you live outside this zone, which is all the suburbs and large tracts of the city, both good and bad, you live a more generally midwest-urban suburban life, that just happens to have world class Chicago nearby.
Seriously? That's the dividing line?
So, you're saying that there's not much difference between Schaumburg and some farm town halfway between Peoria and Tennessee?
I lived in the Chicago area my whole life and never cared. Never traveled much on vacation, or went vary far. Never had the desire to -- most of what I wanted and needed was five minutes away. If it wasn't, there was probably the same thing but closer.
Seriously? That's the dividing line?
So, you're saying that there's not much difference between Schaumburg and some farm town halfway between Peoria and Tennessee?
No. I'm saying there is not much difference between Schaumburg and Troy, MI. (major business and shopping suburb in Oakland County, north of Detroit) or Clayton, MO (same for outside St. Louis) or Bloomington, MN (where Mall of America is outside Minneapolis).
I said general midwest urban-suburban as opposed to specifically Chicago. In Chicago the skyline and size of downtown is disproportionately huge relative to its metropolitan area. Almost any other metro area, the reverse is true.
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