Questions about Chicago 'vibe' (Lincoln, Washington: fit in, houses, job market)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hey there, I have a few questions about the 'vibe' of life/people in Chicago. A little background on me first: I'm a 25 year old graduate of a Big Ten Uni in Michigan. I have a few years of professional experience under my belt in the creative media industry. I spent the past year traveling around the world, thus severely thinning my bank account. I want to live in a large, progressive, world-class city where I can really advance in my career (without a car). In the United States, that leaves me with NYC and Chicago.
I have had my eyes set on NYC for the past few weeks, but have found the job market a bit tougher than I expected. I have had a couple of interviews, but no job offers yet. With my shortage of funds, it is a bit harder to take risks with moving to NYC (i'm currently in Michigan). So now, Chicago is entering the fray as a serious possibility. I have always loved Chicago, but have a couple concerns about the city with relation to NYC.
How is the city in terms of 'creativity'? Does Chicago have a solid creative industry?
What is the vibe of Wicker Park/Bucktown area? Is it 'hip', 'fratty', 'yuppy', other ambiguous adjective? Being that I grew up in Michigan, I am well versed in the Upper Midwest lifestyle. I am a little worried that I am going to be surrounded by Big Ten grads whose only concern in life is to get stupid drunk and go to Cubs games. Granted, I can easily fit in to this environment, but I would prefer to be around a culture of intellectual and creative curiosity as well. Around people whom objectively could be considered 'worldly' or 'cultured' (I am seriously over-doing the apostrophe). Does Chicago have that vibe in certain areas?
Last question, how reliable is public transportation from the North Side? I think Chicago has a pretty good metro system setup, but from perusing these boards it seems as if there is some dissatisfaction with it? I don't want to worry about a car, so this is a concern.
Sorry for the length or if I have created a redundant thread. I appreciate any feedback! Thanks!
I don't know anything about the creative job scene here, though I do have a couple of friends in advertising but they tell me that they are holding on to their jobs for dear life so that will not be comforting to hear for you.
I just wanted to say that you may want to throw San Francisco into your list of cities. It has the same price point disadvantages as NYC but there are a good deal of creative jobs in the city center. It is progressive as well (obviously) and a car is not needed.
Not trying to sway you against Chicago. Most of us love it here but I don't think it is a great time here, or anywhere really, for job possibilities right now.
San Francisco would be option #3 for me, but it is a little small for my taste. Plus, being that its on the west coast, means it has a larger 'startup cost' for me, which is tough considering I am not loaded at the moment.
As far as Boston and Philly, again, too small. I am looking to live in a LARGE urban environment. Chicago definitely has piqued my interest, I just had a couple questions about it. Being that I am currently within about a 4 hours drive of the city, it earns points in the convenience/price category.
Honestly, the only thing that makes Chicago "bigger" than Philly or Boston is that the actual borders are bigger. The population density of these three cities is near enough to make no difference. Being 10 miles from downtown "feels" no different in either case; the only difference being that in Chicago you're more likely to still be within the city limits. Don't write off Boston and Philly just because the borders of the city proper are drawn tighter around the central business district than they are in Chicago.
Okay, let me specify further, to avoid confusion. I want to live in one of the top 3 media markets in the US. I also want to be able to get by without a car. This eliminates LA and leaves me with NYC and Chicago.
The intent of this thread was not to get advice on where I should live, but rather to gain insight on the creative/intellectual culture of Chicago. I also threw in a question about public transportation. I love Chicago, and am merely looking for info from people who live there.
Location: The great, formidable City of Chicago, Illinois
8,669 posts, read 13,693,072 times
Reputation: 2119
My wife and I are both in "creative" fields in Chicago. Until this recent downturn, there were plenty of jobs available. There are still a LOT of people working in the creative industries in Chicago, but just not a lot of new hiring going on. New York is just as bad right now, my sources tell me. The Bay Area is starting to pick up.
Anyway, in terms of the "vibe" thing, Chicago has all types. For all of the Big Ten frat boys getting drunk at Cubs games (your characterization, not mine), there are just as many people who are the antithesis of this. But to be on the safe side, you'll probably want to avoid Lake View and Lincoln Park if these people really annoy you. Neither is a homogenous frat boy zone, but there are enough to dominate the night life in those particular neighborhoods. My suggestion for you is to live in Wicker Park or Bucktown when you first move here, and then explore the emerging hipster zones in nearby Logan Square and Pilsen. If you decide to move on to a less yuppified neighborhood once you are comfortable in Chicago, then move on.
My wife and I are both in "creative" fields in Chicago. Until this recent downturn, there were plenty of jobs available. There are still a LOT of people working in the creative industries in Chicago, but just not a lot of new hiring going on. New York is just as bad right now, my sources tell me. The Bay Area is starting to pick up.
Anyway, in terms of the "vibe" thing, Chicago has all types. For all of the Big Ten frat boys getting drunk at Cubs games (your characterization, not mine), there are just as many people who are the antithesis of this. But to be on the safe side, you'll probably want to avoid Lake View and Lincoln Park if these people really annoy you. Neither is a homogenous frat boy zone, but there are enough to dominate the night life in those particular neighborhoods. My suggestion for you is to live in Wicker Park or Bucktown when you first move here, and then explore the emerging hipster zones in nearby Logan Square and Pilsen. If you decide to move on to a less yuppified neighborhood once you are comfortable in Chicago, then move on.
Thanks! That's exactly the type of information I was looking for.
I don't want to come off as a cynical ******* in regards to the 'frat boys'. Hell, I love to party and watch sports just as much as anyone. Some would probably label me a yuppy as well. Most of my friends from uni in Chicago are in the LP area. I would just prefer to be around people with similar creative/intellectual interests. From everything I have heard about 'Wicker Park / Bucktown', this seems like the place I could best find my niche upon first moving to the city.
Last edited by rickmahorn; 05-26-2009 at 10:40 PM..
Honestly, the only thing that makes Chicago "bigger" than Philly or Boston is that the actual borders are bigger. The population density of these three cities is near enough to make no difference. Being 10 miles from downtown "feels" no different in either case; the only difference being that in Chicago you're more likely to still be within the city limits. Don't write off Boston and Philly just because the borders of the city proper are drawn tighter around the central business district than they are in Chicago.
Have to completely disagree with you, Drover. Chicago feels like a far bigger city than either Boston or Philly. It's more than pure density. East coast cities are, by nature, more dense than midwestern ones. And Boston, like San Francisco, gains a good part of its density due to the confinements of water. It is boxed in. On a smaller, yet noticeable, scale, the same kind of shoreline induced density and intamacy can be seen in Madison.
And whether we're talking Boston or San Francisco or Philadelphia, all with major and impressive downtowns, none is the draw or has the buzz and draw of DT Chicago. And Chicago is far more global in reach and power than are Philly or Boston. Chicago's magnet like quality matches San Francisco's. It exceeds Philly's by leaps and bounds. And it trumps Boston's unquestionable draw due to its larger and more ecclectic appeal: like Washington, also a great east coast city whose draw mainly comes from one domain (government), Boston, too, gains its attraction largely based on one field: education. It's the World's Largest College Town.
We tend to have paradigms about density that says the denser a city is, the more urban and urbane it is. I disagree. I find Chicago's scale outside of the downtown area and the lakefront to be refreshing and complimentary to those two dense regions. Part of the charm of places like Lincoln Park, Old Town, Lakeview, Hyde Park, etc., is their ability to generate pure urban critical mass while remaining sublime, leafy, and, most important, livable.
Point is, Chicago's neighborhoods that spread outward from downtown don't suffer one bit on urban character and urban offerings because they have two and three flats, victorian houses, trees that form canopies over the streets, parks and open spaces....just the opposite actually. These contribute to the unique urban fabric that is Chicago....the towering central core above the flat, leafy plains, the skyline possessing an Oz like quality that draws you through the great neighborhoods that can view it gaining size and bulk as you are drawn to the center of it all.
IMHO, only three US cities can offer what I consider to be the magnet like quality of destination, of drawing you into the center from the hinterlands: New York, Chicago, San Francisco. That doesn't prevent places like Boston or Philadelphia from providing their own pure urban joy or Los Angeles from creating a different, but hardly inferior, form of urban setting.
Thanks! That's exactly the type of information I was looking for.
I don't want to come off as a cynical ******* in regards to the 'frat boys'. Hell, I love to party and watch sports just as much as anyone. Some would probably label me a yuppy as well. Most of my friends from uni in Chicago are in the LP area. I would just prefer to be around people with similar creative/intellectual interests. From everything I have heard about 'Wicker Park / Bucktown', this seems like the place I could best find my niche upon first moving to the city.
Agree with that assessment, but I'd add that I have friends in creative fields who live on Printer's Row who really like it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $53,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
