Chicago Weather (Phoenix: apartments, house, construction)

[Mel2882]

So, since I am planning on moving to Chicago in the next year or so, and I am from Southern California...I just want to know: what is life like in negative degree weather? Do the warmest clothes even do any good? Do you just run up a "hundreds of dollars" heater bill? I am just curious...today it was around 85 here in California, and I see that it was like...-3 there. Wow. Something to adjust to, but I want to get advice. Thanks!

[j33]

your heating bill depends on the size of your house and the quality of the construction. I live in a small space (larger one bedroom apartment) with poor insulation (built in 1875) and my heating bill is about $100 - 120 a month in the winter. The windows are being replaced this year, so I'm expecting the bill to go down when they are.

As far as clothing is concerned. I was out and about quite a bit today, and I'm not going to lie, it wasn't pleasant, I wore long underwear and two pairs of socks (one of them wool) and was still quite cold waiting for the 'el' to go home tonight (I did see a tipsy tourist tonight almost to the point of tears about the cold), but as long as you have the right clothing and cover your head and ears, you'll be okay (the above mentioned tipsy tourist did neither). And not every winter day is like this, in a week or so, we'll probably be much 'warmer'.

[Drover]

As I type this, it's six below zero. I can't begin to give you a rational basis of comparison because I'm a rather, uh, well-padded individual with a good-sized layer of natural insulation. ("You go now! You been here four hour!!") I just came back inside after smoking a cigarette in jeans and a T-shirt. Any longer than that and I'd have been seriously uncomfortable. Any hint of wind and I'd have been seriously unfomfortable. Part of that is just a function of my size. But part of it is acclimation. After a while, you kind of get used to it. For those temperatures beyond the "get used to it" threshold, it really doesn't matter how cold it is; you can always put more and warmer layers on.

Below-zero temperatures doesn't slow this city down one bit. The buses still run, the trains still rumble, the expressways still clog up, your boss still shows up to work, and he expects you to to do the same. Last night I went to a concert in Wicker Park, one of the city's primary entertainment districts. The streets were teeming with people at 3am with temperatures near or below zero. It's just another day in the life.

Heating bills: they suck ass. I properly expect my next heating bill for my 1200sqft apartment to approach if not exceed $200. Similar to j33's situation, I've had to jack up my thermostat to offset the lack of adequate insulation in my 1920s-era apartment. I offset it as much as I can by programming my thermostat to dial it down to 55 degrees while I'm at class and my wife is at work, but the last couple weeks have been brutally cold that it's gonna cost us regardless. The added expense of your heating bill will be well more than offset by the difference in housing costs between SoCal and the Chicago area.

Good luck moving here, and bring an Air Force parka.

[Dariusz]

I haven't turned on the heat yet this year

One of the pros of living on the 3rd floor (apartment).

[rgb123]

my car wouldnt start Sunday....and last night watching my dad take the battery out (less than five minutes) the wind was whipping and I felt like, I could survive maybe 5 minutes in weather like this if I wasn't dressed right....maybe an hour or two dressed appropriatley. Its really not nice when its this cold.

The good news, is that it really does not stay this cold for very long. You just get through it because its usually just a "cold snap" that you only have to endure for a day or two...though this one seems unusually long to me, but this is the coldest time of year.

Generally, winter around here isn't so bad, especially compared to even colder places. There is a huge difference between 30 degrees and -5 degrees. It is usually closer to 30 in the winter.

However...if you like California weather, well...this will be difficult to get used to as winter can seem like it lasts forever come March and April -- you get a few nice days then get slammed again with cold rain or ice and snow. But I love the thunderstorms and more dramatic weather we get. California weather can be kind of boring.....(try to look on the bright side

oh...but summer weather is really no picnic most of the time either....hahaha. sorry...

[Paxtonian]

As for the heating bills, my gas company offers a budget plan. They work out what I use yearly, and average the cost off by month. That way I pay the same dollar amount all year round.

[saltino]

In a lot of older buildings, you don't have to pay for heat. Many apartments here are heated with old-fashioned steam radiators, and though they can be a little overzealous (might have to open a window in the winter if you live on a top floor), they work great and are free. On craigslist, look for the ads that say "heat included".

As far as the weather goes, just make sure you have a really good, puffy, down coat. Wool pea coats look cuter but they don't cut it.

[chitowner]

Why would you want to move to Chicago from socal? If its job related I understand, We are currently looking to move to the Sacramento area...we love that California weather. That being said ,utilitiy prices in Chicago are much more reasonable than that in Cali. I have a 3500 sq. foot home and our gas bills average about $180-$220 on the cold months, electric about $75.
As for the weather ,coming from socal and never having experienced our bone chilling winters ,its something you need to sample first hand before you move here.Its like going to Phoenix in august to see if you want to move there .
There is alot more housing affordability here than in socal ,but you pay for that weather out there.Here you'll be trapped indoors for 6 months,and when it gets warm ,get your misquito spray ready.
I hope I dont sound too negative on Chicago ,we've just had enough of the depressing weather.

[wildeforoscar]

On this topic: I'm considering a move to Chicago from my current home in San Francisco SPECIFICALLY to experience the four seasons. Being a romantic, can I expect winter for MOST every Christmas?

[Drover]

Not really. The average temperature on Christmas is in the mid-30s and you're more likely to have no snow on the ground than otherwise. Winter doesn't usually hit full-bore until about mid-January.