so how is Chicago overall (thinking of moving) (neighborhood, theatre)

[Basekamp]

Tina Fey, Mike Meyers, Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, the guy from office space, Dwight from The Office, Joan Cusak, Jack Black Tenacious D, list goes on. No one is funny in NYC that didn't start here....

[gichicago]

If extreme hot/cold weather really affects you, to the point where it makes you a miserable person, than Chicago may not be for you. As mentioned above IT jobs wont be as dynamic as SF or LA, but probably fine compared to SD (unless you are working military contracts, or the like).

Otherwise Chicago is great if you want to take advantage of what the city has to offer, great dining, public transit, low cost of living (compared to NYC, LA, SF), friendly folks.

[GoCUBS1]

blue04, Don't let some of these posters get you down about Chicago. They've been picking fights all over this forum.

I was born/bred in Chicago and I love it (and I also love San Diego and San Fran). You didn't specifically ask about the weather but, since everyone is so negative about it, I'll add that I love the distinct seasons of Chicago. I love the changing seasons and I love winter here (yes, it's true).

So, if you do come in the winter, know that we're not all stuck indoors in gyms playing basketball, soccer, etc. Some of us are actually outside doing winter sports like iceskating, ice hockey, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, etc. And when we do go indoors we can experience renowned theatre, museums, art galleries, dining, etc. Or a warming drink at a great jazz club. Or a Bears, Bulls or Blackhawks game.

Some other facts about the weather here:

http://www.worldbusinesschicago.com/Home/LiveChicago/TheChangingSeasons/tabid/106/Default.aspx

• less wind than Boston
• more clear sunny days than Miami
• In the dog days of August, Chicago's average high is a pleasant 81.2 degrees - lower than New York, Atlantic City, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Denver, Washington D.C. (Let's not even talk about places like L.A., or Phoenix)
• Chicago's annual average low of 39.8 degrees is warmer than Colorado Springs, Reno, Denver, Flagstaff, Milwaukee, Minneapolis
• There is precipitation in Chicago an average of 124 days a year. Other cities get rained on a lot more: Boston, Miami, Cincinnati, San Juan, Asheville, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Seattle, Portland (Oregon and Maine)
• How about "The Windy City?" We've got wind, but a whole bunch of places have more: Dallas, San Francisco, Cleveland, Kansas City, New York, Honolulu, Boston
• There's nothing better than a clear crisp day, and Chicago has a lot more of them than Colorado Springs, Cincinnati, Miami, Portland, OR, Detroit, Cleveland, and Seattle
• Nobody likes humidity, and if you're waking up in Chicago, you're experiencing equal or less humidity than Key West, Cleveland, Dallas, Austin, Rochester, Kansas City, Atlanta, Atlantic City, St. Louis, Washington D.C., San Antonio, Santa Barbara, Miami, Seattle, San Francisco, Tampa, Daytona Beach, New Orleans, Orlando, and Houston
• Even more embarrassing for the image of the 'tough Chicagoan' is the complete and utter lack of natural disasters in Metro Chicago.

[advocatusdiavoli]

Originally Posted by Basekamp

Tina Fey, Mike Meyers, Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, the guy from office space, Dwight from The Office, Joan Cusak, Jack Black Tenacious D, list goes on. No one is funny in NYC that didn't start here....

That's why nobody funny is left in Chicago, they are all in New York.

Of course your claim is a big exagerration as the biggest of all like de Niro, Pacino, Pesci, Allen, Seinfeld are all from New York. Big ones, not some "guy from office space"

[GoCUBS1]

Originally Posted by Basekamp

Tina Fey, Mike Meyers, Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, the guy from office space, Dwight from The Office, Joan Cusak, Jack Black Tenacious D, list goes on. No one is funny in NYC that didn't start here....

LOL. Yeah, Chicago is just home to the little known Second City comedy theatre. Many unfunny, unimaginative people came out of there...

[advocatusdiavoli]

[quote=GoCUBS1;7231286]blue04, Don't let some of these posters get you down about Chicago. They've been picking fights all over this forum.

I was born/bred in Chicago and I love it

</quote>

Just come in the winter or check temperature in Anchorage AK and in Chicago. Chicago is usually much colder and more windy, really.

[crbcrbrgv]

Chicago is a great city, but the weather is horrible. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I've met several ex Californians who live in Houston. They gave Chicago a try first and moved because of the weather. You will see snow in March. You will sometimes experience up to three weeks of 40 degree days with no sunlight. The summers are beautiful but very brief if you are used to 8 or more months of great weather. If you can stand the Chicago weather, I say go for it. There are really no other negatives. But if weather is one of your top 3 criterion, I'd say you'd be happier somewhere else.

[GoCUBS1]

Originally Posted by advocatusdiavoli

That's why nobody funny is left in Chicago, they are all in New York.

Of course your claim is a big exagerration as the biggest of all like de Niro, Pacino, Pesci, Allen, Seinfeld are all from New York. Big ones, not some "guy from office space"

Yeah DeNiro and Pacino are great comedians. DeNiro was so funny in Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. I could not stop laughing. And Pacino in the Godfather was hilarious! Some of the best stand-up comedians around.

[Attrill]

Chicago is a large urban area with all the good and bad that comes with it. There are a lot of good areas to check out. Some of the areas that are worth checking out are Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Wrigleyville, Ukrainian Village, Wicker Park, and Bucktown. Almost anywhere in these areas are safe and will give you decent CTA access. The areas on the Red line are generally seen as a bit more jock/frat like and the areas on the Blue line as more "artsy". This is a gross over generalization, but could be a good starting point for doing more research.

There are also some great neighborhoods that it helps to have some knowledge of before moving to - Logan Square, Humboldt Park, and Pilsen are good examples. They are great areas that have some sketchy parts. There are also many quieter neighborhoods that are very family/residential but still have things to do - Lincoln Square and Andersonville have the most going on in this category.

There are as many IT jobs in Chicago as most large cities. The variety is pretty wide. Most tend to be support for data servers, email, telecom, etc. for traditional companies such as law firms, insurance companies, etc. There is a pretty solid web presence in the city. Marketing/Advertising/PR is pretty big in Chicago and most large firms have their own web departments and also contract out to smaller design firms to build and host sites for them. Chicago obviously does not have the number of computer engineering jobs as say San Jose, but both Google and Microsoft have offices here and there are a lot of smaller comapnies working on everything from industry specific applications to non profit open source projects (the creators of both Ruby on Rails and Django are in Chicago). There are also a lot of server farms that hire for engineering/IT positions.

Ignore the posters whose get all hysterical and **** themselves over the weather, also ignore the posters who claim it's nothing to deal with at all. The weather records for Chicago are just a quick Google search away, check out those and judge them based on your own experiences with cold weather.

[GoCUBS1]

The facts I previously posted show that Chicago has more clear days then many cities including Colorado Springs, Cincinnati, Miami, Portland, OR, Detroit, Cleveland, and Seattle.

I happen to like snow (even in March) and don't mind 40 degree days (I mean that's above freezing!). The OP never mentioned that he detested cold/snow but if he does I guess Chicago may not be the right place. I believe there are many people, like myself, who enjoy the winter here.