Why do Chicagoans look down on people from the suburbs? (Cicero: living in, trendy)

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by compactspace

It's easy to point at urbanists who promote walkability, transit, sustainability, quality public spaces (over private ones) and great public amenities as being 'anti-suburban'. And it's true: they'll point out that suburbs are ecologically disastrous, culturally destructive and promote fear, obesity and 'otherizing'. But urbanists are only a subset of city-dwellers who dislike the suburbs.

So why then?

My guess is because in many cities, people in the suburbs want to use the city for its jobs and cultural offerings, but they don't want any of their tax money going to 'those people'. (The horror!) The 'my taxes only go to my back yard' mentality sets the city up in competition with its suburbs, who hang off it like parasites and jealously reserve any resources they have for their residents only.

To keep it all humming, there's the old trick of segregationist zoning -- minimum lot sizes, zero public transit and so forth. Can't have the wrong sort going to our beloved schools to lower the standards and soak our hard-earned tax dollars.

So yeah. The people living in the actual engine for a metro area get resentful.

Very well said, and some city-dwellers think this way for sure. But let's be honest between us girls here - the majority of urban chic and hipsters do not think this deeply about it. They want to be where it's cool and happening. And suburb = not cool and happening in their mind. I really think it's just that simple. I'm not saying their perception is fair or right, but it is what it is.

[Razza94]

Originally Posted by GoCUBS1

A good thing for the environment is to house people in multi-dwelling structures, so they are a close commute to work/shopping/services and can share public transit while leaving less of an environmental footprint and reducing the necessity for carving roads, houses, and parking lots into pristine forests...

What are you doing to protect those woods? What should stop thousands of others from following you into the woods to dwell? Cutting down forests for lodging, fishing/hunting protected species, dispensing phosphates/human waste into pure waters, introducing invasive species, disrupting native ecosystems and animal territories.... Then what would happen to your pristine wilderness? The sunset and breeze from Chicago's lakefront parks is breathtaking. There is wilderness underwater to explore. Protected and well-managed woods and prairies are not too far away.

I always assumed the rumors of a naked man carrying a spear would keep people away. Clearly that wasn't the case, in fact I became something of a tourist attraction in my later days out there, kinda like Bigfoot.

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by Razza94

I always assumed the rumors of a naked man carrying a spear would keep people away. Clearly that wasn't the case, in fact I became something of a tourist attraction in my later days out there, kinda like Bigfoot.

A naked, modern-day Thoreau living in the woods... a transvestite living out of an RV... a guy living in abandoned buildings...

We certainly have our share of interesting characters on this forum!

[Razza94]

Originally Posted by andrew61

A naked, modern-day Thoreau living in the woods... a transvestite living out of an RV... a guy living in abandoned buildings...

We certainly have our share of interesting characters on this forum!

I'd love to meet those two other people, they sound like a hoot!

[LeotheOrangeCat]

Originally Posted by Razza94

It's one pf the fastest shrinking cities in the US, the glory days are long gone. All that's left now is the shameful inner city crime, which as become a national embarrassment. My mother made the difficult decision of leaving last year, and that it broke her heart, that lady once loved the city, but the Chicago she once knew is gone.

New construction around downtown and on the north side is booming.

http://chicago.curbed.com/maps/chica...nstruction-map

[Chitwncraig]

Because they are typically uncultured, loud and ignorant, and say "we're going downtown" when that means anyplace in the city of Chicago. I could go on.

[prhill]

Originally Posted by Chitwncraig

Because they are typically uncultured, loud and ignorant, and say "we're going downtown" when that means anyplace in the city of Chicago. I could go on.

I have even known many who think that any suburb in Cook county is actually the city.

[Chitwncraig]

Originally Posted by prhill

I have even known many who think that any suburb in Cook county is actually the city.

Exactly. And they tell others they are from Chicago when in fact they live in Palatine or Schaumburg. Two totally different places.

[prhill]

Originally Posted by Chitwncraig

Exactly. And they tell others they are from Chicago when in fact they live in Palatine or Schaumburg. Two totally different places.

Yes that is very true I have seen that as well

[Clark&Addison]

Originally Posted by Chitwncraig

Because they are typically uncultured, loud and ignorant, and say "we're going downtown" when that means anyplace in the city of Chicago. I could go on.

What is ignorant is taking the liberty to paint 7 million people as "X, Y, and Z" because you decided to live within a particular municipality and they didn't . You must not have been here long or taken many rides on the CTA if you think People living in the city can't be uncultured, loud, or ignorant. What a joke.