for those thinking of leaving chicago (Nashville, Phoenix: transplants, sales, crime)

[chitown202020]

I love chicago but one of the biggest reasons I want to leave is the winters. What city in the US would a chicagoan feel most comfortable in with warmer weather and somewhere to swim and bike? I almost want to clearwater florida once and it bothered that they did not have any good food like chicago.

It can be a smaller city just looking for maybe a smaller chicago, less crime, milder winter, place to swim and bike friendly. Is that a unicorn?

[reneeh63]

I dunno....I love Chicago and it seems unique to me. You're right about Florida in general - I've found the food to be not worth mentioning but I suppose you could try Miami or Tampa. Obviously you won't get anything other than "single season" weather - do you really want to go that extreme?

[SunnySam16]

Indiana Dunes Parks/beaches are open. Valparaiso? Can take south shore to the beaches. Or back to illinois if wanted. drops you off millennium park or museum park etc. take the sky for a few bucks... im thinking rural. Hebron, IN asap

[Bitey]

If you want a warm Chicago, try Phoenix. Lots of former Chicagoans out there, they have Portillo's and Rosati's and Lou Malnati's and Giordano's and a Jimmy's Red Hots out there and so forth. They even have a mini Wrigley Field out there (Sloan Park).

Even their NFL team is from Chicago so you can cheer for the local team without betraying your home town.

[personone]

If you truly want "warm" weather, you will likely not find a comparable replacement for Chicago. If you want slightly "warmer" weather, Philadelphia would likely be a good fit. It is the 6th largest city in the US (many similar types of neighborhoods and a big downtown core). You still get a real winter, but you don't have to deal with the lake effect and slightly warmer on average.

There are really no equivalents in the South. Your next best best would probably be to look at somewhere like Denver or Seattle. Seattle, while not as big as Chicago, is a major city with mild weather (although lots of rain).

[nap1313]

What do you like about Chicago the most that you want in your new city? Some of the suggestions, although they have a lot of Chicago transplants, are not really like Chicago at all. Phoenix is a very different city. If you are looking for similar qualities to Chicago but warmer, it will be hard to find, but it would be helpful to know exactly what those qualities are.

[Avondalist]

If you have the budget the only place that really fits the bill is LA. It's pretty dense all over, has good food, and an urban vibe. It's the closest the Sunbelt has to a dense traditional city. It's also a working class city like Chicago.

It's probably too expensive though. (Not an assumption about you, but about the average person.)

If you're looking for urbanity + food + culture + warm weather + outdoor activities, Miami is probably the next best. It has problems with crime and corruption like Chicago though, and the summers are too hot. Unlike Chicago, or LA, it's less of a working city so getting a good job there is hard.

[Robert9]

Originally Posted by chitown202020

I love chicago but one of the biggest reasons I want to leave is the winters. What city in the US would a chicagoan feel most comfortable in with warmer weather and somewhere to swim and bike? I almost want to clearwater florida once and it bothered that they did not have any good food like chicago.

It can be a smaller city just looking for maybe a smaller chicago, less crime, milder winter, place to swim and bike friendly. Is that a unicorn?

My only complaint with this city are the winters are not long at all and not cold and the summers are brutal as hell and go on for an eternity!!!

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by chitown202020

I love chicago but one of the biggest reasons I want to leave is the winters. What city in the US would a chicagoan feel most comfortable in with warmer weather and somewhere to swim and bike? I almost want to clearwater florida once and it bothered that they did not have any good food like chicago.

It can be a smaller city just looking for maybe a smaller chicago, less crime, milder winter, place to swim and bike friendly. Is that a unicorn?

There is nothing in the Sunbelt that is similar to Chicago. Phoenix is the leading Sunbelt destination for Chicagoans. It has a lot of outdoor recreational opportunities and culture, but it is also very suburban.

[Curly Q. Bobalink]

From what I hear, ex-Chicagoans are getting to be a big segment of the population around Nashville. A friend from work is a big fan of that city, she loves it down there. The winters are much more mild, and the summers aren't that much worse than those in Chicago. TN is very "green" state getting several inches more rain than Illinois. And if you start missing the south or west sides of Chicago, you can always drive over to Memphis, LOL, I believe they are credited more for "The Blues" than Chicago is. No income tax, MUCH lower property taxes, and a similar sales tax to IL. If you can find a decent job down there, you'd be Golden.

You could also check out Louisville. I wouldn't consider St. Louis because of its reputation for crime, but it must have some nice areas. I myself want to visit Kansas City (KS), they supposedly have some great BBQ.