For those of you who've fled Illinois, where did you go? (home, job market)

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

Lower taxes, abundant sunshine, cheaper COL, every amenity you can think of, major attractions (ie Busch, Disney, etc), beaches, palm trees... the whole tropical lifestyle thing is appealing to many. The state's massive population boom should reflect that.

I can't tolerate the horrid sun angle and humidity, but that is likely due to the fact that I have a high percentage northern European ancestry. I know when I'm out of my element.
Cheap cost of living in Florida is relative, as many metros there have low paying jobs overall- even factoring in cost of living. Florida also has one of the highest percentage of its residents without health insurance throughout many of its counties.

[cunnm2010]

Albuquerque NM, Gorgeous scenery, Very nice climate, Lots of sun, Lower COL, Yummy food, Plenty of outdoor activities, Blue skies, I could go on and on. My husband and I plan on staying, the ONLY thing I miss about IL is family.

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by cunnm2010

Albuquerque NM, Gorgeous scenery, Very nice climate, Lots of sun, Lower COL, Yummy food, Plenty of outdoor activities, Blue skies, I could go on and on. My husband and I plan on staying, the ONLY thing I miss about IL is family.

We looked at ABQ, too, when we moved, but visiting was a different story. Most of the city is mired in extreme poverty, the downtown is a dud, there arent many good jobs, and it gets too cold in winter for my wife's condition(s). I agree the scenery was beautiful, but the aforementioned negatives were just too much for us to consider the place.

[Hello Okie]

Oklahoma !!!!!!!!!!!!


Why I left....


Il. and the corrupt political hacks ... raise taxes, black gang crime in the Chicago area,( they call this "gun violence") and the death spiral of Democrat one party ruin rule.


Closed my business, sold the house as ...I''ll take my $45,000 + yearly paying tax dollars and spend them myself instead of some corrupt lackey buying votes.




Anyone staying in Il. is insane.

[Stankonia]

I moved from Springfield to Denver a few years ago. So far the biggest differences for me are:

Denver pros vs. IL:
-If you like outdoor activities it's basically heaven since there's a lot to do year round. So many awesome options for skiing, hiking, biking, rock climbing, etc (except swimming since its high desert and there's no water). I've lost a lot of weight since moving here since I'm a lot more active now.
-Fantastic weather year round. Summers are hot but there is no humidity so a 90+ degree day feels good and you can walk around without being a sweaty miserable mess. It snows a lot but it typically melts the same day, so you don't have dirty brown snow lingering for weeks like in IL. It's very sunny year round so there isn't as much depressing gloominess in the winter as there is in IL.
-Excellent economy with very low unemployment
-It's a swing state so you feel like your vote matters no matter which party you belong to.
-Being able to look at the Rockies all the time puts me in a great mood since it's such a pretty view (especially when it's a sunny day right after it snows)
-Legal weed, if you're into that


Denver cons vs IL:
-Housing is crazy expensive and continuing to get worse since so many people are moving here and builders can't keep up with demand (I guess I shouldn't complain since I'm adding to the problem lol). Houses in the Denver area typically start in the 300k range, which would buy an amazing house in Springfield; instead all it gets you here is a small basic house in an average neighborhood.
-Homelessness is a huge problem here and panhandlers can often get aggressive
-It can snow anytime between September and May. I love snow but it can be frustrating in the spring when you are ready for summer and you get a bunch of snow on Mothers Day.
-The Cardinals only come to town once a year
-Other major cities are faaaaar away. In IL you can easily take a weekend trip to STL, Chicago, Indy, Milwaukee, Memphis, etc; western cities are much farther away. Salt Lake City/Albuquerque/KC are all about 500+ miles away.
-Traffic is terrible due to poorly maintained highways and it's impossible for CDOT to keep up with ever growing congestion from the population boom. Due to Colorado tax laws, their funding is far too low for necessary highway expansion projects, so projects are typically limited to adding new toll lanes that no one uses.
-Did I mention there's no water? Wildfires are common. Please send us some water

Overall I love it here and moving has been the best decision I've ever made. I didn't hate Illinois or anything, but I am so much happier here.

[ngrome]

I lived in Orlando, FL for 15 years, managed to raise a family back there, but the heat & humidity and the awful drivers was enough to make me want to pay state income tax again. Beaches and inground pool homes are overrated, I had both. Orlando does not compare to Chicago. On weekends, people do not flock to Orlando, they flock to the theme parks though some natives get away from those areas, while on weekends people flock to Chicago. I'm one of the many who migrated to Florida to find greener grass to find out it did not feel like home, many ahead of me moved back out of Florida. The snow and cold doesn't bother me, got used to it right away. I never got used to the heat & humidity, so I don't know how I survived 15 years down there. Two-thirds of the time living in air conditioning is not living to me. I love the four seasons. It's not that I hate Orlando (thought at times I did), we had some good memories down there, but I think living in the midwest is better. I'm glad I'm back up north.

[bobandsherry]

Moved from Chicago area in February of this year, lived there for 50+ years, to Tampa area. Glad we made the move.

[chicagodude84]

Didn't leave free will


I grew as a kid in Chicago/NW burbs from '92-01. My Father got transferred ( I say demoted) to Oklahoma City in 2001.

7 years in Oklahoma was enough, Didn't see myself settling down and raising a family there LMAO . Then in 2008, I started my life of travel. I lived in Los Angeles, San Francisco and currently Tacoma Washington. All cities had POS and NEG's. But easy to say Oklahoma was the WORST place i have EVER lived in !!!! the stories I could tell !!!! :-/


Recently, I decided to move back home to Chicago by end of year and stay there !!! My dad and his side of family live in the city and I miss the Food, Culture, Family and did I say the food ?? And I'm one of the "Weird" ones who prefer cold VS hot weather.


Can't wait to get some Gene and Judes dogs !!!!!!!!!!!

[IrishIllini]

Originally Posted by chicagodude84

Didn't leave free will


I grew as a kid in Chicago/NW burbs from '92-01. My Father got transferred ( I say demoted) to Oklahoma City in 2001.

7 years in Oklahoma was enough, Didn't see myself settling down and raising a family there LMAO . Then in 2008, I started my life of travel. I lived in Los Angeles, San Francisco and currently Tacoma Washington. All cities had POS and NEG's. But easy to say Oklahoma was the WORST place i have EVER lived in !!!! the stories I could tell !!!! :-/


Recently, I decided to move back home to Chicago by end of year and stay there !!! My dad and his side of family live in the city and I miss the Food, Culture, Family and did I say the food ?? And I'm one of the "Weird" ones who prefer cold VS hot weather.


Can't wait to get some Gene and Judes dogs !!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome back!

[flamadiddle]

Originally Posted by chicagodude84

Recently, I decided to move back home to Chicago by end of year and stay there !!! My dad and his side of family live in the city and I miss the Food, Culture, Family and did I say the food ?? And I'm one of the "Weird" ones who prefer cold VS hot weather.


Can't wait to get some Gene and Judes dogs !!!!!!!!!!!

We just moved back too. We had moved to Atlanta and could not stand that city. It's like a huge soulless suburb with zero culture and crappy food. So glad to be back home! Been making the rounds to every pizza/beef place I can find!