CHICAGO IS THE BIGGEST SCAM!! (but let's keep it a secret) (Dolton: how much, house)

[tribecavsbrowns]

Chicago's not a secret. Many people love and appreciate it. Those who don't aren't likely to change their minds, and it's a waste of time to try to convince them they're misguided (on the points of segregation, weather, traffic, to name a few, their points are actually valid).

[damba]

Originally Posted by BurrRidge1

Sales tax on clothes in NYC and NJ is 0. Sales tax on clothes in downtown Chicago is 10.75% Yet I'm hearing how Chicago is some incredible "deal", compared to expensive coastal cities. Not getting it.

Also, why do people think Chicago is a "hidden secret"? Last weekend there were like a billion people downtown. There was a Nickelodean Slimefest, an F1 Race, Pitbull concert, book fair, naked bike ride, and that was all just around Grant Park. Traffic was madness.

Hint: Chicago is a lot more than Grant park/along the lakefront.

[damba]

Originally Posted by BurrRidge1

Sales tax on clothes in NYC and NJ is 0. Sales tax on clothes in downtown Chicago is 10.75% Yet I'm hearing how Chicago is some incredible "deal", compared to expensive coastal cities. Not getting it.

Still cherry picking.

[wase4711]

Originally Posted by BurrRidge1

This whole thread is supposedly about how Chicago is super cheap and a hidden secret, which I find laughable.

me too, and I lived there for multiple decades..

[CCrest182]

Originally Posted by BurrRidge1

Ok, then please list a place in the U.S. with a higher sales tax. You can't, because Chicago has the highest sales tax in the U.S.

And I'm not "cherrypicking", this thread is all about how Chicago is supposedly a better "deal" than coastal metros. But the biggest coastal metro has a sales tax of 0 on clothes. So why would it be a "better deal" to buy clothes on Michigan Ave. than on Fifth Ave. or Rodeo Drive?

You act like taxes are everything... they're not. Housing values in the Chicago area are much cheaper compared to comparable metros with comparable big city amenities (SF, NYC, LA, DC). This is a fact, and you can point to taxes all you want, it's still a better deal for someone in the market for living in a big city to choose Chicago for the value.

No, Chicago is not comparable to Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, or anywhere in the sunbelt. Are those places cheaper? Yes. None of these places though offer the same amenities Chicago does (level of arts, extensive public transit system, caliber of entertainment district, breathtaking skyline, walkability, urbanity.....etc etc). If you just want to live in a simplistic suburbia with no big city features nearby, go move to Orlando.

You wouldn't compare Charlotte, NC to Chicago the same way you wouldn't compare Charlotte, NC to NYC.

If expense alone is all you care about, then maybe you are better off moving out to the sunbelt.

Chicago is a "Hidden gem" because on the surface, people view it as a "crime ridden, corrupt warzone". The reality is though, most people who have this thought have never even been here and know nothing of what the city/region has.Despite the media poop flinging at Chicago, the city is actually one of the best damn places in the world; the only comparable metropolis to New York City. If you find none of this appealing, I'd recommend leaving.

[Justabystander]

Originally Posted by CCrest182

You act like taxes are everything... they're not. Housing values in the Chicago area are much cheaper compared to comparable metros with comparable big city amenities (SF, NYC, LA, DC). This is a fact, and you can point to taxes all you want, it's still a better deal for someone in the market for living in a big city to choose Chicago for the value.

No, Chicago is not comparable to Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, or anywhere in the sunbelt. Are those places cheaper? Yes. None of these places though offer the same amenities Chicago does (level of arts, extensive public transit system, caliber of entertainment district, breathtaking skyline, walkability, urbanity.....etc etc). If you just want to live in a simplistic suburbia with no big city features nearby, go move to Orlando.

You wouldn't compare Charlotte, NC to Chicago the same way you wouldn't compare Charlotte, NC to NYC.

If expense alone is all you care about, then maybe you are better off moving out to the sunbelt.

Chicago is a "Hidden gem" because on the surface, people view it as a "crime ridden, corrupt warzone". The reality is though, most people who have this thought have never even been here and know nothing of what the city/region has.

I totally agree with you. Try going to Boston or New York or SF and see what everything costs, from food, to parking, to housing, which in Boston and SF has become absurd. In my opinion, these cities may have the same amenities as Chicago, but Chicago is a more livable place. $1 million in a place like Cupertino or Manhattan buys you nothing, that same money in Winnetka and Hinsdale and Lincoln Park will buy you a pretty decent place to live. These guys who focus on taxes can go move to a place without amenities, or can go to the other metros for comparable taxes and a bigger mortgage or rent payment.

If you google the most beautiful cities of the world, many polls place Chicago on the list, some as the most beautiful in the U.S.. For those that leave for second rate places that have fewer amenities, maybe it is worth a couple more bucks in your pocket. Life is full of choices.

By the way, in addressing Burr Ridge guy, as an ex-Californian I can tell you there are very few places where a $600,000 home 20 years ago in 1999 is worth $2 mill. today. No way, unless you are in a place like Palo Alto or San Marino.There are small pockets of Chicago where there was equal appreciation as California from that date based on percentage. The valuations are cyclical, and according to Zillow, many CA cities have stopped appreciating or are actually depreciating right now. Enjoy your life, quit worrying and complaining about money, you can't take it with you.

[SkylarkPhotoBooth]

Originally Posted by BurrRidge1

This whole thread is supposedly about how Chicago is super cheap and a hidden secret, which I find laughable. Chicago is expensive and really crowded.

His point is that Chicago is affordable relative to the other major global cities in the U.S., which is absolutely true. It's also true that plenty of other cities outside of that category are cheaper than Chicago. I don't think the OP or anyone else would argue against that.

[CCrest182]

Originally Posted by BurrRidge1

OK, but then why are you comparing Chicago to NYC or Coastal CA? Chicago isn't comparable to those areas either. Chicago is certainly more like Dallas or Houston than like NYC or LA. It doesn't have the natural beauty, glamour and innovation of CA or the crazy urbanity/cosmpolitanism/center of world feel of NYC. Not remotely close.


Except Chicago isn't remotely comparable to NYC, and there are about a dozen global cities more prominent than Chicago. And I love Chicago and it's my hometown for life.

Because Chicago is comparable to NYC in terms of urbanity, amenities, and comparable to both NYC and LA in terms of world classness. In terms of American urban metropolises, there's NYC, then Chicago................ then the next city, whatever that is. Nobody goes on vacations to Houston unless they have family there. People go on vacations to Chicago though because it actually has dozens upon dozens of things to offer that most cities in America do not have. Atlanta, Houston, and Phoenix, none of those cities are world class and like I said, none of them are on the same planet in terms of big city amenities that Chicago, NYC, and SF has. That's also not even mentioning the fact that these cities are nothing but giant suburban sprawl festivals. Are you genuinely going to tell me Chicago and Dallas are on the same level in terms of density, urbanity, skylines, and suburban sprawl reputations?

Coastal city homes are beginning to price out millennials and becoming unrealistic for people to buy/rent. What's the point of owning a $3 million home if nobody can afford it/want it? You're seeing a lot of this happen, especially in the SF bay area.

In a way, the high taxes in Chicago/Illinois can actually be seen as a positive for keeping home values at least somewhat reasonable, and making it affordable for millennials to buy/rent. I personally believe that while the Chicago home market now isn't seeing much growth at the moment, it will in the future. SF, NYC etc. though, are at sky high amounts and could easily be hurt by a big crash.

[BigLake]

Originally Posted by CCrest182

Because Chicago is comparable to NYC in terms of urbanity, amenities, and comparable to both NYC and LA in terms of world classness. In terms of American urban metropolises, there's NYC, then Chicago................ then the next city, whatever that is. Nobody goes on vacations to Houston unless they have family there. People go on vacations to Chicago though because it actually has dozens upon dozens of things to offer that most cities in America do not have. Atlanta, Houston, and Phoenix, none of those cities are world class and like I said, none of them are on the same planet in terms of big city amenities that Chicago, NYC, and SF has. That's also not even mentioning the fact that these cities are nothing but giant suburban sprawl festivals. Are you genuinely going to tell me Chicago and Dallas are on the same level in terms of density, urbanity, skylines, and suburban sprawl reputations?

Coastal city homes are beginning to price out millennials and becoming unrealistic for people to buy/rent. What's the point of owning a $3 million home if nobody can afford it/want it?

In a way, the high taxes in Chicago/Illinois can actually be seen as a positive for keeping home values at least somewhat reasonable, and making it affordable for millennials to buy/rent. I personally believe that while the Chicago home market now isn't seeing much growth at the moment, it will in the future. SF, NYC etc. though, are at sky high amounts and could easily be hurt by a big crash.

This is correct (maybe a little precocious but directionally accurate). Next Burr Ridge will argue Chicago's peers are Saginaw and Wheeling.

[nana053]

Free things to do in Chicago.

https://www.tripster.com/travelguide...do-in-chicago/

1) Lincoln Park Zoo
2) Millennium Park
3) Chicago Cultural Center
4) Museum of Contemporary Photography
5) Smart Museum of Art
6) Garfield Park Conservatory
7) Chicago Festivals
8) Seasonal Events
9) Lincoln Park Conservatory
10) Chicago Botanic Garden
11) Museum of Contemporary Art
12) DePaul University Art Museum
13) Chicago Greeter Program
14) Navy Pier
15) Chicago Children’s Museum
16) Buckingham Fountain
17) Chicago Architecture Foundation
18) Humboldt Park
19) Hancock Center’ Signature Lounge
20) Lakefront Trail
21) Promontory Point
22) Milton Lee Olive Park/Ohio Street Beach
23) Revolution Brewery
24) Hull House
25) City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower
26) First United Methodist Church
27) National Museum of Mexican Art
28) Maxwell Street Market
29) DuSable Museum of African American History
30) Oriental Institute Museum
31) Magnificent Mile Window Shopping
32) Newberry Library

Harold Washington Library Center
North Avenue Beach
Ed Paschke Art Center
Empty Bottle free on Mondays
Maggie Daley Park
Cole's
The 606
Renaissance Society
Jackson Park
The Whistler
Hidden Cove
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum free on Thursdays
Green City Market, Chicago’s Biggest Farmers Market
Skokie Northside Sculpture Park
Cantigny Park’s First Division Museum.