Are people from Chicago nice like the rest of the Midwest? (Shawneetown: quality of life, living)

[EddieOlSkool]

Ok, so I grew up here so I'm not asking so I'll know whether to move or not. More so want to get opinions of other people. As I've been living across the country my opinion has shifted.

I do some part time work for Uber and a lot of my pax tell me that us city people are so nice. However, after living elsewhere I feel inclined to disagree. Their point of reference is New York so therefore they think since we're not like NYC, we're much nicer. However I feel like even if we're not NYC mean, we're still kind of big city jerks. At least the natives are. I still think it's very "get out of my way" but on a smaller, non-New York scale.

I feel like other regions of the Midwest which are less densely populated have nicer people. Us? Not so much.

[Maintainschaos]

I don't know if other Midwestern cities are necessarily "nice," in my experience. Places like Milwaukee, Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, and even Minneapolis never struck me as teeming with polite people. Some places really just have more passive-aggression, as I've experienced it. Certainly Chicago is not full of "nice" people like the rural Midwest, but I don't think other large Midwestern cities are either.

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by Maintainschaos

I don't know if other Midwestern cities are necessarily "nice," in my experience. Places like Milwaukee, Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, and even Minneapolis never struck me as teeming with polite people. Some places really just have more passive-aggression, as I've experienced it. Certainly Chicago is not full of "nice" people like the rural Midwest, but I don't think other large Midwestern cities are either.

Yeah good point. I think it might be more of a rural thing.

[TBideon]

Some are, some are not

[Irishtom29]

There's no typical Midwestern type or behavior; people from Shawneetown don't have the same local culture as people from Minnesota.

[mjtinmemphis]

I've only experienced life in Chicago and St. Louis when it comes to the Midwest.

I don't know if St. Louis is "friendlier" but they are a lot more "well mannered" The pace of life is a lot slower. No one is trying to compete for a parking space in 30 below wind chill. There is no where near as much traffic to be concerned about. You don't have aggressive homeless people harassing you on every corner. Nor do you have the annoying guy on the Red Line platform annoyingly hollering about loose squares. The quality of life is on a totally different level because of the size of the city. Women are not so on guard thinking that every man wants to holla at them just because they speak.

I don't think that people are jumping out of their skin to welcome you to St. Louis anymore than Chicago.

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by Maintainschaos

I don't know if other Midwestern cities are necessarily "nice," in my experience. Places like Milwaukee, Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, and even Minneapolis never struck me as teeming with polite people. Some places really just have more passive-aggression, as I've experienced it. Certainly Chicago is not full of "nice" people like the rural Midwest, but I don't think other large Midwestern cities are either.

Clevelanders used to be nice, as in twenty years ago before I left town and moved to Chicago. I just moved back to Cleveland about a month ago, looking forward to the kinder, gentler vibe I remember from my younger days. Sadly, however, Clevelanders appear to have become ruder and more aggressive during the time I've been away. I used to see a marked difference from Chicago in this regard, but now, not so much.

It could be more of a "times have changed" thing, rather than geography. There has been an increase in coarseness, and a decline in manners, nationwide. Cleveland always was a bit behind the times, but eventually it does catch up to the trends.

[EddieOlSkool]

Where does this idea of Midwestern niceness come from?

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by EddieOlSkool

Where does this idea of Midwestern niceness come from?

Not from Shawneetown or Bellville, I'll tell ya that.

[VictoryIsMine1]

I've lived in Chicago for years, and can't remember ever encountering random acts of kindness.