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So I am actually planning on leaving Chicago in the next 2-3 years. I was raised here, lived here for 30 years, but now I know I am ready to leave. Reasons range from the winters (they get harder for me to deal with every year), the city's fiscal/economic/political problems and basically I just want to live somewhere new and experience a different city as I never really have before. I am actually going to Miami where I plan to pursue my career in Latin American marketing as I am fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. Plus I have a lot of friends there and I visit the city every year. I love it there. I am also huge in water sports. I love Chicago too, but I feel I need something new and different. Also, I really don't like the Midwest, culturally speaking, with the exception of Chicago.
With that being said it seems like a lot of people I know are planning on leaving Chicago. My father is planning on moving to Miami in 3-4 years. He already owns a condo there. My mother is planning on moving to Miami when I move. Most of my mom's friends (who are all Latino like my family) have property in South Florida, which naturally they are all at the age of retiring so that's no surprise that her group of friends in the next few years will also be leaving. One actually just moved to Miami.
But what is surprising to me is all the people my age who plan on leaving too (I am 30). My sister and her husband plan to move to Denver next year. My cousin is planning on moving to either Dallas or Miami in 3-4 years when their youngest goes to college. They actually want to move sooner but they are waiting for the girls to get out of high school. My best friend and his wife are planning on moving to Los Angeles next year. Another one of my best friends also just moved to Tampa with her husbands and kids. My brother also plans to move to Florida when he graduates college, probably to Miami when my dad and I end up there. My other friend in April is moving to NYC, he grew up in Chicago, and his two sisters recently just left Chicago one for NYC as well and the other to New Jersey. The reasons everyone is planning on leaving really vary. I don't know if it's just coincidence with the group of people I hang out with and my family, but it seems everyone is starting to leave.
Is anyone seeing this a serious and alarming trend in Chicago? I know, large cities always have people moving in and out. I also know it's no surprise as Chicago has bleeded people out for years now. But I have to wonder with Chicago's very very slow growth rate, almost non-existent really, and the super slow growth of the metro as well, is this going to be an ongoing trend for Chicago for decades to come? I hate to see my beloved city decline, and I love it here, but it just seems while the city is making improvements on one end, it still seems to be having major problems in growing and attracting people. Be it the weather, that it's the Midwest, political climate, fiscal problems, etc., it seems like Chicago really has an uphill battle.
What have you all been experiencing? Are many of you seeing a mass exodus with your family and friends?
So I am actually planning on leaving Chicago in the next 2-3 years. I was raised here, lived here for 30 years, but now I know I am ready to leave. Reasons range from the winters (they get harder for me to deal with every year), the city's fiscal/economic/political problems and basically I just want to live somewhere new and experience a different city as I never really have before. I am actually going to Miami where I plan to pursue my career in Latin American marketing as I am fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. Plus I have a lot of friends there and I visit the city every year. I love it there. I am also huge in water sports. I love Chicago too, but I feel I need something new and different. Also, I really don't like the Midwest, culturally speaking, with the exception of Chicago.
With that being said it seems like a lot of people I know are planning on leaving Chicago. My father is planning on moving to Miami in 3-4 years. He already owns a condo there. My mother is planning on moving to Miami when I move. Most of my mom's friends (who are all Latino like my family) have property in South Florida, which naturally they are all at the age of retiring so that's no surprise that her group of friends in the next few years will also be leaving. One actually just moved to Miami.
But what is surprising to me is all the people my age who plan on leaving too (I am 30). My sister and her husband plan to move to Denver next year. My cousin is planning on moving to either Dallas or Miami in 3-4 years when their youngest goes to college. They actually want to move sooner but they are waiting for the girls to get out of high school. My best friend and his wife are planning on moving to Los Angeles next year. Another one of my best friends also just moved to Tampa with her husbands and kids. My brother also plans to move to Florida when he graduates college, probably to Miami when my dad and I end up there. My other friend in April is moving to NYC, he grew up in Chicago, and his two sisters recently just left Chicago one for NYC as well and the other to New Jersey. The reasons everyone is planning on leaving really vary. I don't know if it's just coincidence with the group of people I hang out with and my family, but it seems everyone is starting to leave.
Is anyone seeing this a serious and alarming trend in Chicago? I know, large cities always have people moving in and out. I also know it's no surprise as Chicago has bleeded people out for years now. But I have to wonder with Chicago's very very slow growth rate, almost non-existent really, and the super slow growth of the metro as well, is this going to be an ongoing trend for Chicago for decades to come? I hate to see my beloved city decline, and I love it here, but it just seems while the city is making improvements on one end, it still seems to be having major problems in growing and attracting people. Be it the weather, that it's the Midwest, political climate, fiscal problems, etc., it seems like Chicago really has an uphill battle.
What have you all been experiencing? Are many of you seeing a mass exodus with your family and friends?
It explains that while a ton of people are actually moving into the city, actual population growth is low because the household sizes of the people moving in are smaller household sizes. Why that is remains unknown.
A lot of people do move though. My brothers both left and live in CA, I lived myself in CA for 5 years and now back in the Midwest. My mother is planning to move to Phoenix and is wanting me to move to be closer to her as she gets older. I told her in no uncertain terms that I would honestly go into a major depression if I had to live in a place like that. I don't think she realizes just how brutal the summers are there, not to mention the horrible political climate, sprawl, pollution. It's quite literally the last place in the US I would live.
Florida would be a non-option for me as well. Too many crazy people there, weather is pretty awful, no such thing as an urban city in that state. I was just on vacation in Puerto Vallarta and even after two days the humidity was too much. South Florida has a very similar climate. Anyone who thinks the Midwest is unbearably humid would be ill-equipped for a South Florida summer. To say nothing of the insects.
Miami would be a good place if you speak Spanish and Portuguese but realize it is mono-cultural. You aren't going to have the diversity you have in Chicago. It is all Latin American with a small white American/European minority.
Most friends are still in the area though some are thinking about moving elsewhere. But I also know several people not from Chicago who have moved there.
Of course, before I left the area no amount of convincing would have made me stay. It took me leaving the Midwest and living somewhere else to realize I actually like it better here, though I'm likely going to have to leave the Midwest again for work in the next couple of months.
It explains that while a ton of people are actually moving into the city, actual population growth is low because the household sizes of the people moving in are smaller household sizes. Why that is remains unknown.
A lot of people do move though. My brothers both left and live in CA, I lived myself in CA for 5 years and now back in the Midwest. My mother is planning to move to Phoenix and is wanting me to move to be closer to her as she gets older. I told her in no uncertain terms that I would honestly go into a major depression if I had to live in a place like that. I don't think she realizes just how brutal the summers are there, not to mention the horrible political climate, sprawl, pollution. It's quite literally the last place in the US I would live.
Florida would be a non-option for me as well. Too many crazy people there, weather is pretty awful, no such thing as an urban city in that state. I was just on vacation in Puerto Vallarta and even after two days the humidity was too much. South Florida has a very similar climate. Anyone who thinks the Midwest is unbearably humid would be ill-equipped for a South Florida summer. To say nothing of the insects.
Miami would be a good place if you speak Spanish and Portuguese but realize it is mono-cultural. You aren't going to have the diversity you have in Chicago. It is all Latin American with a small white American/European minority.
Most friends are still in the area though some are thinking about moving elsewhere. But I also know several people not from Chicago who have moved there.
Of course, before I left the area no amount of convincing would have made me stay. It took me leaving the Midwest and living somewhere else to realize I actually like it better here, though I'm likely going to have to leave the Midwest again for work in the next couple of months.
Actually that is a huge plus for me with Miami. If I really had total freedom I would prefer to live in a place like Brazil, Puerto Rico, Argentina, etc. I love Latin American culture and very in tune with it too. So to me since I have visited Miami so much, it almost feels like home (I was born in Puerto Rico). I am all about the Latin American culture, music, food and people, specifically Caribbean culture, which is why Miami would be a good fit for me I believe.
But I plan on leaving because I also don't want to look back in 30 years and have only experienced Chicago. I don't hate Chicago and not dying to get out either. If Miami doesn't work out I can always come back. It just seems a lot of people I know, are all moving from Chicago too.
Where do you think you will be moving to for a new job?
Actually that is a huge plus for me with Miami. If I really had total freedom I would prefer to live in a place like Brazil, Puerto Rico, Argentina, etc. I love Latin American culture and very in tune with it too. So to me since I have visited Miami so much, it almost feels like home (I was born in Puerto Rico). I am all about the Latin American culture, music, food and people, specifically Caribbean culture, which is why Miami would be a good fit for me I believe.
But I plan on leaving because I also don't want to look back in 30 years and have only experienced Chicago. I don't hate Chicago and not dying to get out either. If Miami doesn't work out I can always come back. It just seems a lot of people I know, are all moving from Chicago too.
Where do you think you will be moving to for a new job?
Most likely back to SoCal though there's a possibility it could be DC. It's a good opportunity for advancement, otherwise I'd just stay here. But I'd like to make it back to either KC or Chicago eventually.
If you really like Latin American culture, then Miami does sound like a good fit. You should do it, especially if you haven't experienced living somewhere outside of Chicago. And yes, you're right that Chicago will always be there in case you want to move back.
I don't think though that there is a mass exodus from Chicago, at least more so than there has been. If there was, the central core wouldn't be booming as much as it is. There are so many new projects in the pipeline right now. I wish the politics could be cleaned up a bit, and I'm somewhat disappointed in Rahm after this latest fiasco. But I don't think Chicago is going the way of the dodo at all.
It is a big city and big metro area with a big economy all together - it's transitional. This is absolutely normal - places like LA and NYC have the same transitional nature to them as Chicago does.
As far as population and what not goes. There's a current shift going on. Larger households, maybe that have been here for awhile, leaving to go elsewhere but being replaced by a lot of more single (or married without kids) households more and more. It's led to stagnant overall growth in the city as a whole talking about total population. If you are out in areas like downtown, wicker park/bucktown, logan square, lakeview, etc you see growth easily there. Go to areas like Englewood, Chatham, Austin, etc and it's mostly the opposite and it all kind of evens out (actually a slight population gain), raw population numbers wise at least. There's other things which are not evening out though such as per capita income, median household income, etc which has increased by a healthy amount lately.
And good call on experiencing somewhere else by living there. I think it's important to do at least a few times in your life. You'll learn to appreciate a number of things in life.
It is a big city and big metro area with a big economy all together - it's transitional. This is absolutely normal - places like LA and NYC have the same transitional nature to them as Chicago does.
As far as population and what not goes. There's a current shift going on. Larger households, maybe that have been here for awhile, leaving to go elsewhere but being replaced by a lot of more single (or married without kids) households more and more. It's led to stagnant overall growth in the city as a whole talking about total population. If you are out in areas like downtown, wicker park/bucktown, logan square, lakeview, etc you see growth easily there. Go to areas like Englewood, Chatham, Austin, etc and it's mostly the opposite and it all kind of evens out (actually a slight population gain), raw population numbers wise at least. There's other things which are not evening out though such as per capita income, median household income, etc which has increased by a healthy amount lately.
And good call on experiencing somewhere else by living there. I think it's important to do at least a few times in your life. You'll learn to appreciate a number of things in life.
I agree with most of what you say. And I really do need to experience something else. I actually have a final round interview with a company that's headquartered here in Chicago but has a large office in Miami. If I were to get it, it would be sweet because if all goes well, the transition to Miami would be easy since they have an office there I wouldn't need to search for a new job. And if I don't like Miami after 2-3 years? Well even easier to come back and move to Chicago with the same company since they are headquartered here. Also, what I love to is they are very flexible, so I think I could even come up and work from the Chicago offices every month or so, so that I am constantly present here too but living in a new place at the same time. That would be the dream! They are a huge company too, so we will see. Taking it one day at a time.
So you're leaving Humboldt Park area? Are you Puerto Rican?
Im leaving Logan Square where I live, but I was raised in Roscoe Village where my mom still lives. My family for the most part lives in Roscoe Village, Lincoln Square and Lincoln Park. Just because one is Puerto Rican does not mean they are from Humboldt park. My family and I have ZERO connections to that neighborhood.
I agree with most of what you say. And I really do need to experience something else. I actually have a final round interview with a company that's headquartered here in Chicago but has a large office in Miami. If I were to get it, it would be sweet because if all goes well, the transition to Miami would be easy since they have an office there I wouldn't need to search for a new job. And if I don't like Miami after 2-3 years? Well even easier to come back and move to Chicago with the same company since they are headquartered here. Also, what I love to is they are very flexible, so I think I could even come up and work from the Chicago offices every month or so, so that I am constantly present here too but living in a new place at the same time. That would be the dream! They are a huge company too, so we will see. Taking it one day at a time.
Your entire paragraph matches my situation 100%. Good luck!
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