Houston Texan thinking about living in Chicago (Lincoln, Dix: high crime, credit)

[reving19]

Hello!
Next year, I am going to move somewhere. I had considered Austin, Texas but circumstances seem to lead me elsewhere and Chicago is in my sights. I visited there earlier this year (March) and loved it.
I know a guy there and he is from Texas and says he will never go back. He says this --
Sell my car. The transportation system will take me anywhere I want to go. (He also says people in Chicago would love to buy Southern older cars because the salt on the roads that prevents icing rusts the cars).
He lived near Wrigley Field and says Lincoln Park/Lakeview area is the best. But he doesn’t knock downtown either.
Also, the job market for my skills -- I am a writer with a BA. Looking on the Net, it seems writing jobs are hard to come by in Chicago. Is that really true?
So basically this -- I can sustain myself for a little while there but will need a job within 6 months of my arrival.
What is the job market really like for writers? I have written for PR companies and newspapers.
I like my car -- is parking that hard to come by? My friend also tells me parking tickets is something I need to figure into my budget because it happens frequently.
Is Lincoln Park/ Lakeview area really a good place to live? A lot of people say so, but is it really? I am looking at a 2 BD, cat friendly, decent neighborhood (doesn't have to be uptown, but not the ghetto either) at about $1500 a month. Parking is a plus.
I may have a roommate and he is looking to going to school to be an engineer. How is the Chicago community college system? Good for a career start or not worth the paper the degree is written on?
Finally, how do people in Chicago react to Texans? I am a native Houstonian, lived here 40 years, but many people have said "You sound like you are from up North" because I talk fast and have no Southern Drawl.
Overall, is Chicago better than Houston? I am hoping so.
Thanks in advance.
MH

[Windy City John]

come up here for a 3 or 4 day visit-- take a look around-- come in February!

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Windy City John

come up here for a 3 or 4 day visit-- take a look around-- come in February!

Read his 3rd sentence.

[reving19]

Originally Posted by Windy City John

come up here for a 3 or 4 day visit-- take a look around-- come in February!

Well actually I am planning to come there for a three day visit around Feb. or March 2008. I was hoping to be there in time for St. Patrick's Day. I am of Irish descent and I understand Chicago goes all out for that day.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by reving19

Well actually I am planning to come there for a three day visit around Feb. or March 2008. I was hoping to be there in time for St. Patrick's Day. I am of Irish descent and I understand Chicago goes all out for that day.

Make sure to see the parade and when they dye the Chicago River green, its a cool experience. I did it 2 years ago and loved it. Nothing like riding the train back home with a bunch of drunk, singing Irishmen either.

[jessiegirl_98]

Originally Posted by reving19

Hello!
Next year, I am going to move somewhere. I had considered Austin, Texas but circumstances seem to lead me elsewhere and Chicago is in my sights. I visited there earlier this year (March) and loved it.
I know a guy there and he is from Texas and says he will never go back. He says this --
Sell my car. The transportation system will take me anywhere I want to go. (He also says people in Chicago would love to buy Southern older cars because the salt on the roads that prevents icing rusts the cars).
He lived near Wrigley Field and says Lincoln Park/Lakeview area is the best. But he doesn’t knock downtown either.
Also, the job market for my skills -- I am a writer with a BA. Looking on the Net, it seems writing jobs are hard to come by in Chicago. Is that really true?
So basically this -- I can sustain myself for a little while there but will need a job within 6 months of my arrival.
What is the job market really like for writers? I have written for PR companies and newspapers.
I like my car -- is parking that hard to come by? My friend also tells me parking tickets is something I need to figure into my budget because it happens frequently.
Is Lincoln Park/ Lakeview area really a good place to live? A lot of people say so, but is it really? I am looking at a 2 BD, cat friendly, decent neighborhood (doesn't have to be uptown, but not the ghetto either) at about $1500 a month. Parking is a plus.
I may have a roommate and he is looking to going to school to be an engineer. How is the Chicago community college system? Good for a career start or not worth the paper the degree is written on?
Finally, how do people in Chicago react to Texans? I am a native Houstonian, lived here 40 years, but many people have said "You sound like you are from up North" because I talk fast and have no Southern Drawl.
Overall, is Chicago better than Houston? I am hoping so.
Thanks in advance.
MH

Hello! First, I can't answer about the job market for writers. My advice would be to secure a job before coming if you can. Secondly, regarding parking, you can search the forum for a ton of threads on this, but here's the summary: if you don't want a car, you don't need one. You can do public transpo to most places (check out Chicago Transit Authority | 1-888-YOURCTA). If you want a car, you can have one. I had a car for 6 years in the city and never got a parking ticket, so if you read signs and follow them, I don't think you need to add tickets into the budget; however, if you do live in Lakeview/Lincoln Park you would want parking (my opinion, you can try to street park but it can be a nightmare). It can be anywhere from $100-200 depending. You can find a 2 bedroom easily in Lakeview for $1500, but the price won't include parking (I also have friends with a 2 bedroom for $1200, so cheaper is possible). Lakeview and Lincoln Park are nice, but I wouldn't say that you have to live there by any means to have a great neighborhood. What do you want in your neighborhood? Give us more of a description and we can give more suggestions.
As for the community college system, I don't know, however, there are a ton of great 4 year colleges in the area to check out.
Lastly, Chicago people are pretty open in general. No one will reject you because you're from the South

[reving19]

Originally Posted by jessiegirl_98

Hello! First, I can't answer about the job market for writers. My advice would be to secure a job before coming if you can. Secondly, regarding parking, you can search the forum for a ton of threads on this, but here's the summary: if you don't want a car, you don't need one. You can do public transpo to most places (check out Chicago Transit Authority | 1-888-YOURCTA). If you want a car, you can have one. I had a car for 6 years in the city and never got a parking ticket, so if you read signs and follow them, I don't think you need to add tickets into the budget; however, if you do live in Lakeview/Lincoln Park you would want parking (my opinion, you can try to street park but it can be a nightmare). It can be anywhere from $100-200 depending. You can find a 2 bedroom easily in Lakeview for $1500, but the price won't include parking (I also have friends with a 2 bedroom for $1200, so cheaper is possible). Lakeview and Lincoln Park are nice, but I wouldn't say that you have to live there by any means to have a great neighborhood. What do you want in your neighborhood? Give us more of a description and we can give more suggestions.
As for the community college system, I don't know, however, there are a ton of great 4 year colleges in the area to check out.
Lastly, Chicago people are pretty open in general. No one will reject you because you're from the South

We are thinking about living close to Wilbur Wright College. What are the 4-year colleges like?
Also, of course no one likes to live near a high crime area. But I'm sure as with any big city, crime comes with the territory.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by reving19

We are thinking about living close to Wilbur Wright College. What are the 4-year colleges like?
Also, of course no one likes to live near a high crime area. But I'm sure as with any big city, crime comes with the territory.

Around Wright it is more a family type area. Much safer than Lake View or Lincoln Park. The school is decent and very cheap. You will save a boatload of money taking your first two years there. I have taken a few classes there and know people that have associate degrees from there and are doing great. I think it is around $70 per credit hour if you are a resident of Chicago, which is a pretty good deal.

My grandfather came here from Texas around 1900 and he was accepted. They used to call him "Tex".;-)

[jcp123]

I'm a naitive Californian who's lived in E. Texas (Tyler) and is planning on living in Chicagoland after school. Here's my impressions.

Sell your car if you like - I plan on living in the 'burbs, though, where a car is still the way to go. I have a '67 Mustang with a lot of sentimental value, though, so I'm going to buy a beater car for the aforementioned salt. If you live in Chicago proper, then a car isn't needed, but depending on the neighborhood you live in and how the parking situation is there, you may want to keep it anyway.

As for neighborhoods, I happen to like the Wicker Park/Bucktown area, but it is trendy, is probably filled with young yuppie professionals, and it may have an expiration date. Logan Square might be the next boom area? Anything in the Loop will be surprisingly dead at night. North of the Chicago River is where much of the nightlife happens, but the closer to the Loop it is, the pricier it gets. The Wrigley Field area may indeed be a good compromise.

One other thing to think about: if you, like myself and many Texans are a handgun fan, handguns are illegal in Chicago and many of its suburbs. This was a big reason I am choosing my suburbs carefully, as I have my Dad's service revolver which I will not under ANY circumstances part with, and I'd prefer to stay legal.

As long as you don't embody a total redneck personality (and you don't seem to me to do this at all), I think you'll find it pretty easy - I've spent several weeks there and there is an undercurrent of dislike for Southerners, but moreso in other parts of the state than in Chicago. Chicagoans seem to embody the one thing about large metro areas I appreciate - a larger take on life which is more accepting of others. Take that with a grain of salt, though, as I'm no naitive Southerner, and my radar for such sentiments may not be so sharp.

[KevK]

If you wear a big 10 gallon hat, you might be a bit out of place and Chicagoans are kind of snobbish about pickups (they were actually banned from Lakeshore Drive at one time and still may be, I don't know and some suburbs and HOAs ban parking of them in a visible manner). Other than those 2 things, you will be fine! And they do have a country radio station in Chicago (US-99) that is one of the few in the country where you can still hear a Dixie Chicks song!