Do you love Chicago? (Washington, Washington Park: sales, real estate, condo)

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by FAReastcoast

I don't understand how anyone can say there is no middle class here. The tens of thousands of 20 and 30 somethings moving to the city are all middle class, the vast majority of the office workers in the loop who live in the city are middle class, all of the city employees living in the city are middle class....I think people on this site set the bar really low for what they consider rich.




Oh please; It's no more difficult to make $60K in Chicago than anywhere else, granted $60K isn't all that much money, and your dollar will go further in many other places; but to claim having rich parents or being a criminal are the only two ways to make money, is beyond ridiculous.

I know this goes against the Millennial narrative (I'm a Millennial) that there are no jobs, life isn't fair, etc. but I don't think it's all that hard to earn close to six figures, as long as you're smart, understand what an asset is, and are willing to work hard and hustle.

I think Vinny just hates Chicago. If Vinny does not like Chicago, that is his or her right, but the statements being made are highly exaggerated.

I only speak the way that I do because I have been there and done that and I am personally better off in Chicago than I was in the south. But of course everyone's experiences are different.

Even with all of the taxes, I am not noticing any major differences in the cost of living here versus what I was paying living in Atlanta and Dallas, both of which also have very high rent with average salaries there much lower than Chicago to the point that I feel like I made a mistake moving back here.

While the current field I am working in is not where I want to be, since the recession I have not been able to find work in my previous fields. And while I would agree that I am having a difficult time finding work in Chicago in my previous field, I had an even harder time finding work in Atlanta and Dallas. Post-recession it is just much more difficult for anyone to find decent work and it is the same all over the country. The majority of the jobs that are being created now our service industry jobs. Chicago is no exception to this. This is just the direction our economy has gone nationwide. If you don't come up with a side hustle or if you don't have a degree in STEM it is just going to be harder for everyone.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by FAReastcoast

I don't understand how anyone can say there is no middle class here. The tens of thousands of 20 and 30 somethings moving to the city are all middle class, the vast majority of the office workers in the loop who live in the city are middle class, all of the city employees living in the city are middle class....I think people on this site set the bar really low for what they consider rich.




Oh please; It's no more difficult to make $60K in Chicago than anywhere else, granted $60K isn't all that much money, and your dollar will go further in many other places; but to claim having rich parents or being a criminal are the only two ways to make money, is beyond ridiculous.

I know this goes against the Millennial narrative (I'm a Millennial) that there are no jobs, life isn't fair, etc. but I don't think it's all that hard to earn close to six figures, as long as you're smart, understand what an asset is, and are willing to work hard and hustle.

I think Vinny just hates Chicago. If Vinny does not like Chicago, that is his or her right, but the statements being made are highly exaggerated.

I only speak the way that I do because I have been there and done that and I am personally better off in Chicago than I was in the south. But of course everyone's experiences are different.

Even with all of the taxes, I am not noticing any major differences in the cost of living here versus what I was paying living in Atlanta and Dallas, both of which also have very high rent with average salaries there much lower than Chicago to the point that I feel like I made a mistake moving back here. The biggest gripe I have with Chicago is the cost of parking. But were I not living in the South where public transit is minimal to non-existent, forcing me to own a vehicle prior to moving back here, I would not have had to own a vehicle in the first place.

The majority of the jobs being created now are service jobs. This is not exclusive to Chicago. This is the case Nationwide. Since the recession, it is just been much more difficult to get decent work. Unless you can come up with a good side hustle, your own business or you have a degree in STEM, it is going to be much harder to earn a decent living.

I am currently not working in my field. And while I agree that I have had difficult time finding work in Chicago in my previous field, this was also true in Dallas and in Atlanta. It was virtually impossible for me to find a job in Atlanta, which is why I left. At least the current company I am with, I was able to get hired with in Dallas.

Chicago is not for everyone but I think Vinny is assuming that the problems he experiences in Chicago is exclusive to Chicago. It is like this all over the United States.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Master Jay

BRU67, actually there are some great restaurants on Harlem Avenue in the Galewood section of Austin. You named 6 community areas of Chicago that I have never had extensive contact with (I come from Milwaukee and do not usually spend time south of 35th Street, as driving is ling enough once I get to the north side of the city). But I am curious of a comment you made. I mentioned that Chicago, one of the most populous cities in the United States, has some great restaurants and then I named several areas where I have been. I wonder why you chose to focus on several of the 77 community areas that you report that are not pleasant? For me to say that Chicago has some great restaurants is not disputable. I chose to focus on the positive aspects of the city... Again, some people focus on the glass being half full, while other choose to focus on the glass being half empty. I wish you all well! Jay

The areas that are "not pleasant" are getting increasingly worse and doing increasing damage to our City's reputation, not to mention costing us a fortune. If the core problems are not addressed it's going to grow like a cancer. That's why I chose to focus on those. And I wish more people would too.

[valpofan11]

Originally Posted by BRU67

The areas that are "not pleasant" are getting increasingly worse and doing increasing damage to our City's reputation, not to mention costing us a fortune. If the core problems are not addressed it's going to grow like a cancer. That's why I chose to focus on those. And I wish more people would too.

BRU67, I agree all the way. Problems aren't exclusively staying in the crappy areas either. Too many Chicagoans have their head in the sand and only focus on the positives, ignoring the terrible stuff that brings down the Windy City's reputation. Unfortunately, many of us individually cannot do much to curb these problems.

[MassVt]

I am a huge fan of Chicago, and always will be.

[Chicago South Sider]

Originally Posted by Manterro

Chicago's becoming a two-tiered society where the mayor and the politicians cater to the rich while ignoring the needs of the middle class and the poor. It's becoming a “Luxury City” where a small contingent of super rich are accompanied by a large, struggling servant class. The high taxes, regulations and high cost of living are driving out the middle class in droves.

You can say the same thing about this country.

[Chicago South Sider]

Originally Posted by Vinny Lugo

THIS...THIS...THIS....AND SO MUCH THIS.

But it's so difficult to actually make those wages in this city, it's ridiculous. The only way you could make that kind of money in this city these days is one of two ways:


1) You have rich parents that funded you all the way through school.


2) You do crime.


3) You worked your way up in a city with a much lower cost of living, got career experience, and picked up a degree or two in another cheaper city. Then, you took that and moved to Chicago and got a better job. Working your way up from the ground up in Chicago these days is just about an impossibility.

It's not that hard to make $60k in this city. Sure, it fairly rare to make $200k but $60k is very doable.

[Chicago South Sider]

Originally Posted by QCongress83216

What do you find wrong with a lot of its people?

They're a little too dark for him.

[prhill]

Originally Posted by Chicago South Sider

It's not that hard to make $60k in this city. Sure, it fairly rare to make $200k but $60k is very doable.

Not that hard making 60k doing what?

[lepoisson]

Do I love Chicago?

Yes and no. I love everything the city has to offer. The restaurants, public transportation, bike friendly streets, and diversity are all perks.

But the politics completely kill it for me. It's bad enough that I'm not even considering buying a home here. If taxes continue to rise at the current rate, I won't be able to live here much longer.