Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 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.
Hi!
My husband and I are considering making a move from Dallas to Chicago. We're young, 22 and 23, AA, and we really love living in big cities. I'm not too worried about the cold, although it'll be a change we're both from New Jersey so we know about cold and snow too. We've only been in Dallas for a little less than a year but have been overall really underwhelmed with it ( I actually like Austin and Houston a lot more than Dallas). We are looking for a city with plenty to do, safe neighborhoods (I do understand its a big city and things happen everywhere but relatively safe would be nice). Also my 18 year old brother will be moving with us, so safety while also having some stuff nearby to do are very important. I'm even open to "urban suburbs" Any neighborhood suggestions?
I'm a little worried about the segregation I keep hearing about in Chicago... Is it really that bad? Could we comfortably live in a trendy area and not feel completely out of place?
My husband will be able to transfer his job but I work in Medical Administration. How is that field in Chicago? Right now I'm an office coordinator for a therapy company. I would like to go to Wilbur Wright for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program once we get settled but until then I would hope to find some sort of job even if it was part time.
Location: Pittsburgh (via Chicago, via Pittsburgh)
3,887 posts, read 5,517,350 times
Reputation: 3107
Quote:
Originally Posted by JasmineDS07
Hi!
My husband and I are considering making a move from Dallas to Chicago. We're young, 22 and 23, AA, and we really love living in big cities. I'm not too worried about the cold, although it'll be a change we're both from New Jersey so we know about cold and snow too. We've only been in Dallas for a little less than a year but have been overall really underwhelmed with it ( I actually like Austin and Houston a lot more than Dallas). We are looking for a city with plenty to do, safe neighborhoods (I do understand its a big city and things happen everywhere but relatively safe would be nice). Also my 18 year old brother will be moving with us, so safety while also having some stuff nearby to do are very important. I'm even open to "urban suburbs" Any neighborhood suggestions?
I'm a little worried about the segregation I keep hearing about in Chicago... Is it really that bad? Could we comfortably live in a trendy area and not feel completely out of place?
My husband will be able to transfer his job but I work in Medical Administration. How is that field in Chicago? Right now I'm an office coordinator for a therapy company. I would like to go to Wilbur Wright for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program once we get settled but until then I would hope to find some sort of job even if it was part time.
Thanks!
Glad you are considering Chicago. I just moved here in August and couldn't be happier. As far as neighborhoods, some great places that newer transplants tend to gravitate to are Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, Bucktown, Logan Square, Rogers Park, Ukranian Village, Ravenswood, Roscoe Village, Andersonville, Edgewater, and others. Some other places you may want to consider looking are Bronzeville and Pilsen (these neighborhoods aren't as popular for new transplants). Much of what you hear exaggerated on this website about segregation is overblown. Two of the closest friends I have made since I moved to Chicago are both African American (I am white). One lives in Wicker Park and one lives in Logan Square, and they are both very happy with where they live. There are of course parts of the city that have its problems, but that is the case with every large city. Chicago is a large, dynamic and exciting place. It has been all I hoped for and more. Good luck with your search!
The segregation in Chicago is more west/south side with high numbers of working class and bellow AA/latinos vs. the north side which is more diverse and affluent (not rich per see but less welfare baby moma drama going to the north than say to the south and less in the street gangbanging (there are gangs on the north side but they are more discreet). Basically the north side is about 80% ghetto free but you pay dearly for the privilege(higher rents here than on south or west sides).
North side is whiter collar, south side more blue collar. You won’t have any issues with prejudice per say, the north side is pretty mixed up save Lakeview and perhaps the gold coast. And in thoose places you won't have racism per see but more the am I the only AA for three blocks here?
This has come up before. The segregation and general isolation that exisits in Chicago is one of the most troubling aspects for middle class minorities, especially AA. I have a handful of co-workers and no matter if they grew up in Chicago, elsewhere in the US or even overseas all the AA men and women that talk about race relations in Chicago talk about how little "casual mixing" there is in comparison to pretty much any other place in the country...
Mind you this is not likely that anyone will actually prohibit you from rent in an apartment in a hip spot, it is just that you are unlikely to see any other young AA couples except maybe in Oak Park or Hyde Park and even in those places the odds of them being "just" middle class (as opposed to physicians or college professors, which while not 'wealthy' do have the 'elite academic' type thing to separate them...) are slim.
When my co-workers mention Atlanta it is a hub for all kinds of AA singles / couples / families and while there certainly are a fairly large number of middle class AA families around Chicago, regardless of being a suburb or inside the city having a "balance" of races even that is rare and only happens in handful of towns / neighborhoods, most of which are frankly not very "fun"...
I don't know that you would necessarily feel out of place, but you would be VERY out numbered -- far more white couples in basically ALL the neighborhoods mentioned by FYLO. If you are OK with that for yourselves it is one thing, but for your 18 old brother "things to do" and even broadly defined "safety" are real issues. Bars are mostly strictly an over 21 entertainment option. That forces young people to hang out, wherever that happens trouble is not far behind. In fact one of the reason that so many posters "hate the suburbs" is the bulk of suburban kids are in school and generally limit their circle of friends to those that they went to school with. Thus while they are "back home" they are not "mixing" with anybody they don't already know.
Adding the racial component makes things even tougher -- in more than a few of the neighborhoods listed by FYLO an AA 18 year old male will attract the wrong kind of attention from BOTH cops and criminals. When your brother is not getting hassled for typical "driving while black" checks in predominately white areas he might be getting mistaken for some wrongly affiliated or "independent" by criminals looking for trouble. The insane murder rate in Chicago includes a HUGE percentage of people who ,as some posters are fond of saying "have street smarts", but unfortunately were on the wrong end of bullet fired by someone that could care less about such things.
I cannot in good conscious recommend that someone in your situation consider moving to Chicago without thinking long and hard about what sorts of short term and longer term risks that means...
Last edited by chet everett; 11-02-2011 at 09:38 PM..
Location: Pittsburgh (via Chicago, via Pittsburgh)
3,887 posts, read 5,517,350 times
Reputation: 3107
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett
This has come up before. The segregation and general isolation that exisits in Chicago is one of the most troubling aspects for middle class minorities, especially AA. I have a handful of co-workers and no matter if they grew up in Chicago, elsewhere in the US or even overseas all the AA men and women that talk about race relations in Chicago talk about how little "casual mixing" there is in comparison to pretty much any other place in the country...
Mind you this is not likely that anyone will actually prohibit you from rent in an apartment in a hip spot, it is just that you are unlikely to see any other young AA couples except maybe in Oak Park or Hyde Park and even in those places the odds of them being "just" middle class (as opposed to physicians or college professors, which while not 'wealthy' do have the 'elite academic' type thing to separate them...) are slim.
When my co-workers mention Atlanta it is a hub for all kinds of AA singles / couples / families and while there certainly are a fairly large number of middle class AA families around Chicago, regardless of being a suburb or inside the city having a "balance" of races even that is rare and only happens in handful of towns / neighborhoods, most of which are frankly not very "fun"...
I don't know that you would necessarily feel out of place, but you would be VERY out numbered -- far more white couples in basically ALL the neighborhoods mentioned by FYLO. If you are OK with that for yourselves it is one thing, but for your 18 old brother "things to do" and even broadly defined "safety" are real issues. Bars are mostly strictly an over 21 entertainment option. That forces young people to hang out, wherever that happens trouble is not far behind. In fact one of the reason that so many posters "hate the suburbs" is the bulk of suburban kids are in school and generally limit their circle of friends to those that they went to school with. Thus while they are "back home" they are not "mixing" with anybody they don't already know.
Adding the racial component makes things even tougher -- in more than a few of the neighborhoods listed by FYLO an AA 18 year old male will attract the wrong kind of attention from BOTH cops and criminals. When your brother is not getting hassled for typical "driving while black" checks in predominately white areas he might be getting mistaken for some wrongly affiliated or "independent" by criminals looking for trouble. The insane murder rate in Chicago includes a HUGE percentage of people who ,as some posters are fond of saying "have street smarts", but unfortunately were on the wrong end of bullet fired by someone that could care less about such things.
I cannot in good conscious recommend that someone in your situation consider moving to Chicago without thinking long and hard about what sorts of short term and longer term risks that means...
"an AA 18 year old male will attract the wrong kind of attention from BOTH cops and criminals" in the neighborhoods I listed? Really? I see young black professionals all the time living their normal lives in these neighborhoods. Your posts are consistently negative, and pretty unhelpful.
Location: Pittsburgh (via Chicago, via Pittsburgh)
3,887 posts, read 5,517,350 times
Reputation: 3107
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett
Profesional and 18 year old do not belong in the same sentence.
Seriously.
There are kids still in high school at 18.
If the OP wants to help their brother they won't move to an area where they would be at risk.
I didn't say 18 was young professional...but they are close to being a young adult. So, you're basically saying a black 18 year old can't move to Chicago because they will be "at risk"? Ridiculous. Everyone realizes Chicago has problems, but this is going a little too far. I'm not going to sit here and have a pissing match with you, because I'd like for the OP to have some more input that is on topic.
**To the OP: Another thing I forgot to mention.. one thing I learned after moving to Chicago is that where you work plays a big role on where you may want to live. Having fairly easy access to the CTA trains is also pretty convenient. Another mistake I made was UNDERutilizing the bus system. I was really surprised at how well the bus system covered seemingly every block of the city. If it is not easy to get to a CTA train, don't hesitate to use the bus if you or your husband don't want to drive.
This has come up before. The segregation and general isolation that exisits in Chicago is one of the most troubling aspects for middle class minorities, especially AA. I have a handful of co-workers and no matter if they grew up in Chicago, elsewhere in the US or even overseas all the AA men and women that talk about race relations in Chicago talk about how little "casual mixing" there is in comparison to pretty much any other place in the country...
Mind you this is not likely that anyone will actually prohibit you from rent in an apartment in a hip spot, it is just that you are unlikely to see any other young AA couples except maybe in Oak Park or Hyde Park and even in those places the odds of them being "just" middle class (as opposed to physicians or college professors, which while not 'wealthy' do have the 'elite academic' type thing to separate them...) are slim.
When my co-workers mention Atlanta it is a hub for all kinds of AA singles / couples / families and while there certainly are a fairly large number of middle class AA families around Chicago, regardless of being a suburb or inside the city having a "balance" of races even that is rare and only happens in handful of towns / neighborhoods, most of which are frankly not very "fun"...
I don't know that you would necessarily feel out of place, but you would be VERY out numbered -- far more white couples in basically ALL the neighborhoods mentioned by FYLO. If you are OK with that for yourselves it is one thing, but for your 18 old brother "things to do" and even broadly defined "safety" are real issues. Bars are mostly strictly an over 21 entertainment option. That forces young people to hang out, wherever that happens trouble is not far behind. In fact one of the reason that so many posters "hate the suburbs" is the bulk of suburban kids are in school and generally limit their circle of friends to those that they went to school with. Thus while they are "back home" they are not "mixing" with anybody they don't already know.
Adding the racial component makes things even tougher -- in more than a few of the neighborhoods listed by FYLO an AA 18 year old male will attract the wrong kind of attention from BOTH cops and criminals. When your brother is not getting hassled for typical "driving while black" checks in predominately white areas he might be getting mistaken for some wrongly affiliated or "independent" by criminals looking for trouble. The insane murder rate in Chicago includes a HUGE percentage of people who ,as some posters are fond of saying "have street smarts", but unfortunately were on the wrong end of bullet fired by someone that could care less about such things.
I cannot in good conscious recommend that someone in your situation consider moving to Chicago without thinking long and hard about what sorts of short term and longer term risks that means...
OMG this sounds beyond scary! I cant be convinced that a such a HUGE city with plenty of students (which all 3 of us will be) has no AA that "mix" with other races and don't get mistaken for gang members smh.
Glad you are considering Chicago. I just moved here in August and couldn't be happier. As far as neighborhoods, some great places that newer transplants tend to gravitate to are Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, Bucktown, Logan Square, Rogers Park, Ukranian Village, Ravenswood, Roscoe Village, Andersonville, Edgewater, and others. Some other places you may want to consider looking are Bronzeville and Pilsen (these neighborhoods aren't as popular for new transplants). Much of what you hear exaggerated on this website about segregation is overblown. Two of the closest friends I have made since I moved to Chicago are both African American (I am white). One lives in Wicker Park and one lives in Logan Square, and they are both very happy with where they live. There are of course parts of the city that have its problems, but that is the case with every large city. Chicago is a large, dynamic and exciting place. It has been all I hoped for and more. Good luck with your search!
Thanks! We'll definitely look into the neighborhoods.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 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 2 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.
