Questions about weather and crime (Chicago, Oregon: crime rate, neighborhoods, best)

[TinyDancer2020]

How cold does it get really? Colder than Portland?

And 2) How is the crime there? I heard it is really scary etc.

[Robert9]

Frankly I don't think it gets cold enough at all here. I wish it did. Even a friend of mine from Florida was stunned that some people think what we experience here is cold.

And crime like any where is for the most part in certain parts of the city. This is a huge city with many neighborhoods and many of them are very nice!

[MSchemist80]

Originally Posted by TinyDancer2020

How cold does it get really? Colder than Portland?

And 2) How is the crime there? I heard it is really scary etc.

We routinely get cold snaps in Jan/Feb/March where we have several days of below 0dF temperatures. More typically we have weeks where highs are in the 20's and lows are in the teen or single digits.

Snow we typically get 1 or 2 >12" storms, a fair number (4-6 or so) of 6-8" and quite a few 3" and a lot of nuisance dustings of 1" or so.

[deeman7]

Chicago does not typically get 4-6 6-8" events a year.


I would say maybe 1-2 5"+ events a year, with a 8-12"+ event maybe happening once every 5 years or so. The average snowfall for a year is like 30-35 inches total, with most of those events being under 5 inches total.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by TinyDancer2020

How cold does it get really? Colder than Portland?

And 2) How is the crime there? I heard it is really scary etc.

Chicago will feel like one of the coldest cities you've ever been to. But, if you're like most of us, you'll get used to it—even potentially embrace it. Chicago and Portland, Oregon are totally different climates. Chicago is much hotter in the summer and much colder in the winter.

Chicago has a crime problem comparable to other large cities east of the Mississippi. Our crime rate is significantly higher than New York City's, but markedly lower than Baltimore's, for example. Much of the City of Chicago has been devastated by post-industrialization and urban decay. That being said, you could have an existence in the Loop and points north and northwest and never know this. This part of the city ranks up there with the best in the globe.

Due to recent events, I am concerned about spiking crime in northside neighborhoods. Over the past couple of weeks, I've witnessed rioting, looting, and now the aftermath of a major shooting on the north side. I think that Chicago will be one of the cities that is more vulnerable to the 'Ferguson effect.' Before COVID and recent unrest, I felt more comfortable being out late at night. But, now, I am definitely taking a break from late nights out—even when things start to reopen at later hours.