"If you don't know Chicago, you don't know America" (crime rates, live in)

[Maintainschaos]

Originally Posted by jwaiter

All of us? Man, we suck.

And we're also always complaining, and liberal, and Detroit-like. Man we really *do* suck.

[Republic of Michigan]

Originally Posted by reneeh63

Chicago IS unique...it is truly a large metropolitan city, the only one in the midwest. And it has a definite feel that is different from anything from on the east coast, west coast, or the larger cities in Texas.

Just curious - how is Chicago the only large metropolitan city in the Midwest? What is the population threshold for a city to be considered a large metropolitan city? And then how many cities even exist in the USA with a metropolitan area with your arbitrary number?

[Blutbad]

Originally Posted by via chicago

Its unique, and so are many other places in the U.S. For someone wanting to truly know America, getting to know Chicago would be a component of that. I wouldnt say you could just visit Chicago and fully understand America however. Its way too vast for that.

I would say you also cant understand America without getting to know suburbia. Or a bleak Motel 6 off the interstate. Or the west texas border country. Or Flint Michigan. Or people watching on Freemont Street in Las Vegas. Or watching a sunrise in Death Valley. Or Beverly Hills. Or a cattle auction in Iowa. Or sitting in on a mega church service in the deep south. Or eating fresh rainier cherries in Washington. Or camping in the foothills of the Tetons. Or watching a shuttle launch from the hood of a parked car.

The quote is a platitude, and is as true and not true as anywhere else you could randomly want to pick.

I like what you've said here, but gave you +1 rep (as if you needed it) for your user name. Big Wilco fan here.

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by jwaiter

All of us? Man, we suck.

even donald trump would admit there are a few good ones.

[Amercity]

Originally Posted by MassVt

True statement, or not? I'm paraphrasing a nationally-syndicated columnist and published author who has traversed around the country to describe life in each of the 50 states. And since Illinois has a major US city, is a major manufacturing state as well as a major agricultural state, a supremely important transportation hub, located in the middle of the country, and was the destination of major European immigration and south-to-north migration, would you agree?

If i had to know chicago in order to know america, i wouldn't want to know america

[steeps]

Originally Posted by Amercity

If i had to know chicago in order to know america, i wouldn't want to know america

Sarcasm right.... If not....

Why do those most negative in post... have the most private profiles? I like to check what cities. Or part of the nation, people post? To figure out where they are from....

[TheSunshineKid]

I'd say it's accurate.

It's always interesting that when positive things are said about the city there are always the "let's spread the love" type of people, usually holding up some other city as superior with niche specialties, or some troll coming out of the woodwork spewing absurd hatred.

[TheSunshineKid]

Originally Posted by jwuk45

You say liberal as if it's a bad thing.

adjective
1.
willing to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one's own; open to new ideas.
"liberal views towards divorce"
2.
(of education) concerned with broadening a person's general knowledge and experience, rather than with technical or professional training.
"the provision of liberal adult education"
3.
given, used, or occurring in generous amounts.
"liberal amounts of wine had been consumed"

I wouldn't want to live in the sort of place where those things were considered bad.

1. bold - that's hilarious.
2. debatable
3. most accurate of the variant definition

[18th&BlueIsland]

Originally Posted by MassVt

True statement, or not?

I couldn't sign on to such an absolutist statement. Surely someone who has lived in, say, New York, Birmingham, San Antonio, rural South Dakota, Flagstaff, and Seattle, but has never been to Chicago, is more likely to "know America" than a Chicago expert who hasn't lived anywhere else or traveled much. The best way to know America (or any country) is to experience as wide of a swath of it as you can.

That being said, if you HAD to pick just one major American city to be most representative of America, I think you could make as good of an argument for Chicago as any other. I do generally agree with the statement that it is "the most American of American cities" (though I'm probably biased), but America still has a wide range of cities (not to mention towns and rural areas) that need to be understood to understand the nation as a whole, IMO.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by steeps

I would add to you liberal comment... IT WAS CORPORATE AMERICA AND INVESTORS THAT BUILT CHICAGO'S WORLD RENOWN SKYLINE....
Also, Chicago, NYC, LA, Boston and SF always had liberal slants. For that comparison. As for goofy people... too personal to call other cities on it. Crime, its been proven many times. Crimes/100,000 people remove Chicago from the top 10 crime cities.

Chicago's North Side the size of all of San Francisco. Has a crime rate as SF and most Labeled Conservative cities. Sadly most is Gang on Gang on their same ethnic group on the South Side. Also if White the rate is significantly lower, especially the murder rate.

As for Aesthetics of the Southside. Where once areas looked like bombed in was. That worst of light from the 60s 70s racial turmoil and White flight to the Newer Southwest and Northwest sides and suburbs. HAS BEEN CLEARED OUT by the previous Mayor. Many empty lots and blocks returned to Prairie. Bold well for the future when better times and economy demand more housing.

As to Chicago as Detroit. Chicago has the most diverse Economy. . Chicago has a booming Downtown.
In its Core 2-mile Radius of its City Hall, which includes Grant/Millennium Parks. According to the US census. Added the most people.
Chicago had largest downtown population growth from 2000 to 2010. This 2-mile radius has a population increase from 133,426 to 181,717. US census numbers.

Also CHICAGO is listed as #1 METRO FOR NEW AND EXPANDING COMPANIES and No one Industry employees more then 14% of its workforce.
Economy 2014 and 2015.

CHICAGO STILL is listed as the #9 ECONOMY in the WORLD. This sight even claims raised 3 places surpassing Boston.
The 20 best cities for global finance GFCI index - Business Insider
It still reasons in the future it will be lower as Asian cities continue to rise. SF and Boston with Tech firms will rise. Even LA will drop.

In ARCHITECTURE. CHICAGO LISTED AMONG These 7 cities of BARCELONA, BEIJING, ISTANBUL, CHICAGO, DUBAI, ATHENS and ROME. Though this sight is 2010.
Best Architecture Cities in the World | BootsnAll

This sight says 18 structures that prove Chicago is Americas Best Architecture City.
18 Structures That Prove Chicago Is America's Best Architectural City

So these still DOES NOT SHOW CHICAGO as OVER-RATED....
As you Suggest as this SKYLINE SUGGEST IT IS NOT.

That would have been an interesting post if you bothered to spell words correctly, use complete sentences, and leave out the solid caps.