Coolest thing about Chicago to me. (Alpha: extended stay, credit, how much)

[jman07]

I have lived in many other cities and states, and they all always have this insecure drive to "attract more businesses", "better jobs", and "stop the brain drain", build their downtown's, and make the city more desirable to young professionals. It seems to be all you hear. But then you have Chicago which is a true alpha city which is the king of all these things. One thing that is amazing is all the huge international corporations that run their global and national operations out of Chicago. Basically anyone I know who works in the business world has a job at a corporations headquarters. Back where I grew up this would be rare and working for a regional corporate headquarter was a big deal. A lot of people just did some basic business related job for a company with only a local reach.

[MannheimMadman]

I agree, and think it's great that such an opportunity exists. I'm also one of those people, and a lot of my friends also work for some of the F500 companies HQ'd here. At least in my field, there is a ton of opportunity, given all of the choices.

[reppin_the_847]

This is a huge draw to Chicago, I agree. If you have a decent education, it's tough not to be employed in the Chicago area. Can be quite the opposite situation in some of the smaller Midwestern markets.

The biggest negative to Chicago I think is the cost of living (housing particularly) & congestion. But for a lot of us, the pro's outweigh the cons.

Originally Posted by jman07

I have lived in many other cities and states, and they all always have this insecure drive to "attract more businesses", "better jobs", and "stop the brain drain", build their downtown's, and make the city more desirable to young professionals. It seems to be all you hear. But then you have Chicago which is a true alpha city which is the king of all these things. One thing that is amazing is all the huge international corporations that run their global and national operations out of Chicago. Basically anyone I know who works in the business world has a job at a corporations headquarters. Back where I grew up this would be rare and working for a regional corporate headquarter was a big deal. A lot of people just did some basic business related job for a company with only a local reach.

[ChiGuy2.5]

Lets not forget that the OP's originally post was also complimenting Chicago on its ability to adapt and constantly improve. IMO, it does do a good job of reinventing itself. Also, cost of living isn't really that bad when you compare it to places like California or New York so in reality Chicago is a great place to live and work.

[UnderTheLiveOaks]

Out of curiosity, Chet, have you ever lived outside of Chicagoland? (Not trying to argue. I'm genuinely curious.)

[chet everett]

As far as a permanent residence - nope. I did attend college at a major university in a neighboring state. I also have relatives and friends in many other states that I have had the pleasure of visiting for extended periods. Work has also afforded me the opportunity to travel both domestically and abroad. I have spent many months on some extended business related projects in a variety of setting in North America, Western Europe and Asia.

Believe me I well understand the economic strengths of the employers in Chicago and the region but I also see many more firms expanding in states with a less craven approach to business taxes, a more honest / rational approach to funding necessary government functions and less openly lopsided way of trying to balance out high skill office work with more modest employment.

Similarly when I look at the ability of countries like Canada or Germany to cooperatively move forward and not become overly mired in destructive partisan ideology or overly personality driven personal invective those things are sharply contrasted with the forces that keep the US economy from fully tapping into the potential we have for better lives of all in the US.

[UnderTheLiveOaks]

Right on. The reason I ask is not because I think you're being too harsh on Chicago, but because I think you might be giving other locales a little too much credit. When you have lived in a place most of your life, you tend to see more of the warts than most would. The reverse is also true, of course, and a vacation or even an extended stay in a place can still keep you blind to its shortcomings.

I've lived for some time both in IL and in several states that you'd probably consider more pro-business. I've gotta say, the best answer still seems like its something in the gray area between the two approaches.

[ChiGuy2.5]

Originally Posted by CarolinaBredChicagoan

Right on. The reason I ask is not because I think you're being too harsh on Chicago, but because I think you might be giving other locales a little too much credit. When you have lived in a place most of your life, you tend to see more of the warts than most would. The reverse is also true, of course, and a vacation or even an extended stay in a place can still keep you blind to its shortcomings.

I've lived for some time both in IL and in several states that you'd probably consider more pro-business. I've gotta say, the best answer still seems like its something in the gray area between the two approaches.

[Snip: Quoted post deleted.]

Right on you two. Even though Illinois has PLENTY of down falls, Chicago is still an Alpha city for a reason. I can only imagine what Illinois and Chicago would be without all of the corruption but sadly we have to play with the cards we are dealt. Still, despite the corruption not many other cities or states can compete with Chicago.

I have to laugh sometimes at how much Chicagoan's complain about our public transit or traffic yet pretty much any other comparable city with regards to population and density that I have been to is FAR worse. New York's Street Traffic is way worse than Chicago's but I have to say that their public transit setup is better. But still places like Miami or LA cannot even touch Chicago when it comes to traffic or availability of public transit.

[Chicago76]

Mod cut: Orphaned (quoted post has been deleted).

The nice thing about Chicago to me in this regard is while the area might not be the absolute pinnacle for a given field in terms of corporate presence or opportunities, it is a solid top 5-6 for almost everything and in a few cases is #1 or #2. Outside of NYC, the area offers more breadth and depth of industry opportunities than anywhere else.

[steeps]

Mod cut: Orphaned (reply to posts which have been deleted).

No one should lessen all the progress made in Downtown Chicago in the last 30 years. From residents moving in, to new construction. If the Crash of 07 happened a year or two later? Chicago would have had 4 or 5 new super tall skyscrapers built 2 were started when the crash halted them. Coming right in the peak of a building boom then. Now new living skyscrapers being built is bouncing back and a Hotel boom as they call it happening. So them speculators are not seeing all gloom and doom. Nor Chinese investors, now discovering Chicago.

Chicago got Millennium Park a great success as is Navy Pier. Chicago got its expressways rebuilt. It maintains downtown well impressing tourist. As a whole, the city is much cleaner the most other big cities. Its parks are well maintained even in bad neighborhoods. The Loop is progressing not constricting. Gentrification continues, still overall good for the city.

[Snip.]