Why is everyone leaving Chicago? (Phoenix, Atlanta: colleges, safety, moving)

[Master Jay]

Vlajos, Love Lincoln Square! I always got that close family vibe. If I was to move to Chicago, Lincoln Square would definitely be an are to consider! Until then, I have my Lincoln Square TShirt from a store on the strip. Have a great day everyone!

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by Master Jay

Vlajos, Love Lincoln Square! I always got that close family vibe. If I was to move to Chicago, Lincoln Square would definitely be an are to consider! Until then, I have my Lincoln Square TShirt from a store on the strip. Have a great day everyone!

Awesome! That sounds like Enjoy, my kids love that place!

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by wase4711

painting your logic with such a wide brush is really off base, and, frankly, I dont see many people who chime in this thread about how Chicago is not what it was for them when they first came to the city, as being "gripers", they just dont like seeing what chicago/illinois has denigrated into, and come here to express their opinions. Obviously, you are free to agree or disagree with them, but, to say that they are not more concerned with where they live now is a judgement you aren't qualified to make, unless you are psychic, or, possess some advance psychological degree.
Of course no place is perfect, but the demise of Chicago over the years has been real, and its sad to see what bad politics, and other mitigating factors have do to the city..

BTW, how long have you lived in Chicago? Your profile says you live in Seattle, so that brings up other questions..

Demise of Chicago? Area on the west and south sides have demised - a majority of the city certianly has not, and most of that is in far better shape than it was 10-20 years ago.

I moved here 17 years ago and I would say much of the city is in better to much better shape than it was back then. The huge exception being the 1/3 or so of the people who live in neighborhoods on the west/south side.

You can't really paint a general picture of Chicago. It's going to be the 1/3 doing very rough, the 1/3 totally booming and the 1/3 chilling out and being stable.

You seem to be very bitter on the city. I've noticed that the only people who move somewhere far away but still keep talking about and having strong opinions on where they came from are:

1) people who had some sort of traumatizing experience that took place in that city and they have associated that city with their abuse, breakup or some other personally emotional experience.

2) people who are either straight up insecure about their choice or are trying to validate their move by telling themselves and unfortunately trying to tell everyone else how bad the place they moved away from is so they can try to prove to themselves that they made a good decision to leave.

[Master Jay]

Vlajos, you are right. It is indeed the ENJOY store. We also love the Book Cellar, and I have even brought them down a couple of times in summer for the story time in the Plaza. I even bring them down for the trick or treat, that the stores on the strip participate in. You are fortunate to reside in that area. Another section that I think is really quaint is the Bowmanville section. When I bring my bicycle down in my car to do some biking, I will often park over there. And of course San Soo Gab San is a great Korean restaurant!

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by Master Jay

Vlajos, you are right. It is indeed the ENJOY store. We also love the Book Cellar, and I have even brought them down a couple of times in summer for the story time in the Plaza. I even bring them down for the trick or treat, that the stores on the strip participate in. You are fortunate to reside in that area. Another section that I think is really quaint is the Bowmanville section. When I bring my bicycle down in my car to do some biking, I will often park over there. And of course San Soo Gab San is a great Korean restaurant!

Thanks, glad to hear you like it as much as we do! We do feel lucky getting in right before the current house price increase the area is seeing.

Talk about trick or treating. You should see Ravenswood Manor and Gardens on Halloween (just a bit west of Lincoln and Western centered on Wilson)! There are traffic jams because there are so many people crossing streets from 6-9PM. We easily give out 1000 pieces of candy in two hours and regularly have to put "sorry, out of candy" sign on the door.

[Master Jay]

Vlajos, I'd have to assume may residents of Lincoln Square are proponents for NOT LEAVING Chicago! It seems mostly residential. I understand the schools are good in the area? The area has always felt generally safe. It looks clean. My children are part German background, so I think that was another reason I always liked the area, given your neighborhood's history... We enjoy your library and Welles Park. That said, I also am a big fan of Edison Park, Norwood Park, North Park, and Forest Glen. See you in the Square! Master Jay

[Chicago South Sider]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

Demise of Chicago? Area on the west and south sides have demised - a majority of the city certianly has not, and most of that is in far better shape than it was 10-20 years ago.

I moved here 17 years ago and I would say much of the city is in better to much better shape than it was back then. The huge exception being the 1/3 or so of the people who live in neighborhoods on the west/south side.

Last time I checked about 1.2 million people live on the south and west sides. That's almost half the population of the city. Those two areas also take up more than half the total land area of the city.

[damba]

Originally Posted by Chicago South Sider

Last time I checked about 1.2 million people live on the south and west sides. That's almost half the population of the city. Those two areas also take up more than half the total land area of the city.

I don't believe that important fact is incorrect.

The point made was that those two (larger) parts of Chicago are arguably the most negatively affected.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by Chicago South Sider

Last time I checked about 1.2 million people live on the south and west sides. That's almost half the population of the city. Those two areas also take up more than half the total land area of the city.

I'm specifically talking the areas that are doing bad, which are fairly clumped together and centered around the I-290 corridor stretching west from Western to Austin and the south side from around 31st street down to the southern limits along the Dan Ryan and branching out on either side.

Not as much the southwest side, Hyde Park or near-west and near northwest sides.

Those areas are only around 1/3 of the population if that, but are seeing a vast majority of the hardships and issues in the city.

[MsJenny]

As someone who was born and raised in the Chi-town. this is my 2 cents. Btw, I have also lived in other places in the US but have spent most of my life here in Chicago. However, I may also move in the near future. Firstly, it not a bad place, it just depends on what kind of lifestyle you imagine for yourself.

Pros-
The people when compared to other cities, are straight to the point, somewhat open minded, and mostly friendly.
Not as much racism, plus diverse, and forward thinking feel in this city
A lot of culture and some of the best restaurants with a VARIETY of different dishes you can only find (a good version of) in Chicago.
Great festivals in the summer months and nice parks
Pretty clean compared to other cities and good service
Great sports atmosphere and teams, Museums, various parts of town where you can experience different lifestyles/cultures
Suburbs pretty nice
Great colleges/universities, nice competitive learning environment
Vibrant political atmosphere, you can complain about something and your local politician does respond
Good medical care and ambulance/police services. if i call an ambulance they are in front of my house before I hang up!

Cons
WEATHER, WEATHER, WEATHER I don't know about anybody else but I lived in Arizona where it was very hot (dry heat) for many months and in ATL where the humidity is high but I feel like I can deal with that better than snow blizzards where you can't leave the house or drive anywhere and the freezing temps of minus zero for weeks at a time every winter. Also, the winter months and unstable cold/rainy weather last for about 8 months of the year. When it is finally Summer, Guess what? there are construction blockages/detours everywhere to fix all the pot holes that damaged your car in the winter. So now, traffic is jammed (Though they have been a little better with that), depending on what part of town you live in, SOME people feel they must have a loud party every single day of the work week and weekend for the entire summer. I mean, parties are nice, but everyday? It's a bit much. I swear, I am not exaggerating.

Overcrowded beaches that are not comfortable to go to
It really is according to our motto, "the city that works" so don't expect any big things to do for holidays like New Years unlike NYC or party all night like in Miami.
All those great attractions in the city are actually hard to get to unless you actually live right next to them which many do not and you pay high parking costs to go anywhere in downtown area. LIke $20 for a 1/2 hr. If you don't mind taking the train, fine but sometimes you want to be comfortable and dress up to go somewhere.

The rent is extremely high, though I agree with all the other posters about it being the same everywhere.
The political news and campaigning is ridiculous
The Crime is REALLY as horrible as they say just look at the news feed for Chicago in your own town, granted some areas are better than others, but you definitely have to pay attention to your surroundings no matter where you are. Don't assume anything. If you feel uncomfortable, always cross the street or get to safety. Do not wear earphones when you can't hear anything,etc.
Btw,when the city tore down places like cabrini green and the mayor wouldn't deal with more divisive gang problems, it just got worse over the years.
CPS schools is a mixed bag, private or catholic grammar schools are best.
Many Blacks are leaving Chicago because of the expenses and crime. Most are migrating to the South, East coast, or other places in the US. In fact, there are places on the far South Side of Chicago that look like ghost towns.
Btw, there are many Hispanics moving to neighborhoods that used to be mostly Black, East European, White, or Italian.
Overall, the reports of people leaving is true and this is my 2 cents about some of the reasons why.