San Antonio to Chicago (Pittsburg: best neighborhoods, rent, crime)

[George Brock]

Hello,

I am a certified pharmacy technician that is looking to relocate from San Antonio to Chicago. Is there any advice on how I could complete the move? I want to leave San Antonio ASAP.

It is a city for mediocre people and it is a cess pool, If I spend anymore time here I will join the mediocre majority. I want to move to an affordable place that is also open-minded and affordable.

I can't live here anymore, I am surrounded by ignorant people, any advice on moving to Chicago? I don't have much money but honestly I am willing to do any type of work in order to leave San Antonio.

[compactspace]

Well it's important to very carefully evaluate your priorities. You talk of mediocre people: what, in particular, are you alluding to? If you want a city with the highest concentration of high-achievers then NYC is really it. That's not to denigrate Chicago (or San Antonio) but it's the simple truth.

Here's what Chicago has, for better or worse:

1. Left-wing politics. Democrats dominate Chicago and Illinois. It's a tax-and-spend philosophy with an emphasis on social services and social liberalism. The city has a long history of social and labor activism. If you like that then you're in the right place. If not then you'll need to be even more careful in weighing the options.

2. A concentration of culture, both high and low. That's fine arts (symphony, ballet, visual arts, theatre, opera, antiquities), jazz, blues, and an arrray of more popular offerings. All in abundance and in easy, walkable access. It's world-class and excellent.

3. A fine built environment. The city has the finest built environment in the US outside NYC. Its vernacular architecture, in many ways, is superior to NYC's. And the city's residents, for the most part, work hard to preserve it.

4. Walkability and transit. It's totally feasible to live without a car in most north- and northwest-side neighborhoods. It's also feasible to do so in some south and west-side neighborhoods. There are two extensive, 24 hour metro lines.

5. Good cost of living vs. wage ratio, along with a wide variety of industries for employment. In this regard, Chicago is one of the best deals in the western world. Though you will likely find your COL is higher than San Antonio.

6. Terrible, terrible crime in certain areas. It's relentless and horrifying. Outsude those areas, you might find crime is more or less what you're used to in San Antonio, depending on your background. The city is working on this, but it has a long way to go. The CPD is in flux and under the microscope and crime is a hot button issue in the local press.

7. The city and state are in a financial mess. The good news is a fix might, at last, be coming. The bad news is that fix means a lot more taxes. You'd need to be ready to put green on the exchequer, to coin a transatlantic metaphor.

8. The schools are patchy. Some are fine, most are struggling. People will say they're all terrible, this isn't true. I'm a former teacher and I've seen some schools in action. The IB program schools I've seen are pretty good. Again, this is a hot button.

9. The legacy of troubled race relations. This is immensely complicated and as an immigrant, I'm ill qualified to comment.

10. Midwestern culture... sort of. Not Nebraska, more like, say, Pittsburgh. Sort of. Rough, working class legacy giving way to college grad pastiche. I'm too new to America to make this make sense.

I'm sure others will add to and argue all this. Hope it helped a little.

[damba]

Originally Posted by George Brock

Hello,

I am a certified pharmacy technician that is looking to relocate from San Antonio to Chicago. Is there any advice on how I could complete the move? I want to leave San Antonio ASAP.

It is a city for mediocre people and it is a cess pool, If I spend anymore time here I will join the mediocre majority. I want to move to an affordable place that is also open-minded and affordable.

I can't live here anymore, I am surrounded by ignorant people, any advice on moving to Chicago? I don't have much money but honestly I am willing to do any type of work in order to leave San Antonio.

I wouldn't make this move until you either had a job lined up, or adequate savings for the increased expenses of Chicago. San Antonio is inexpensive by comparison.

[aenyiema]

If you need a place to stay for about a month or so, check my listing out.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/10100835

[George Brock]

Thank you for the responses. I will look into the Airbnb. I just feel trapped in San Antonio, I rather live a cheaper life in a world-class city, than live in a mediocre city that is not even that cheap anymore.

[Clark&Addison]

I would say do everything you can now to secure a job. Just a quick google search for "Certified Pharmacy Technician Jobs Chicago" pulled up several results. If you can get a job and come back to the forum with a budget and knowing where you will be working, I think people will be able to give you much more specific and useful advice on moving, where to live, etc.

Hope you are ready for the cold coming from San Antonio!

[GoCUBS1]

Originally Posted by George Brock

Thank you for the responses. I will look into the Airbnb. I just feel trapped in San Antonio, I rather live a cheaper life in a world-class city, than live in a mediocre city that is not even that cheap anymore.

You poor thing! I am just temporarily in a southern town (not San Antonio) and can not get back to Chicago fast enough. Not sure about your industry, but there are some big pharma companies in northern Chicagoland - maybe you can start by trying to secure a job and/or temp work there with your background?

[damba]

Originally Posted by GoCUBS1

You poor thing! I am just temporarily in a southern town (not San Antonio) and can not get back to Chicago fast enough. Not sure about your industry, but there are some big pharma companies in northern Chicagoland - maybe you can start by trying to secure a job and/or temp work there with your background?

I would suggest Walgreen's and applying at various hospitals too. It will be tough though to pay Chicago rent on $30-35k/year, especially if you don't have much in savings.

[George Brock]

Originally Posted by damba

I would suggest Walgreen's and applying at various hospitals too. It will be tough though to pay Chicago rent on $30-35k/year, especially if you don't have much in savings.

I see, thanks. Am I underestimating COL in Chicago? 30k a year here can get me a decent 1 bedroom with money left over to save a little bit, I don't have any kids and I'm used to not living in the best neighborhoods; So it doesn't have to be the best place in town. Pilsen catches my eye especially.

[IrishIllini]

Originally Posted by George Brock

I see, thanks. Am I underestimating COL in Chicago? 30k a year here can get me a decent 1 bedroom with money left over to save a little bit, I don't have any kids and I'm used to not living in the best neighborhoods; So it doesn't have to be the best place in town. Pilsen catches my eye especially.

Pilsen is gentrifying, so you could definitely find a better deal. 30k will be cutting it close. I would suggest looking into Jefferson Park. You'd be near the Blue Line but rent is considerably more affordable. Rogers Park is also an option. It's on the Lake and served by the Red Line.