Any Foreign Or Domestic Misconceptions about Chicago? (Lincoln, Ogden: appointed, crime rate)

[Visvaldis]

I grew up and lived in Chicago for over 30 years.
For many years I lived in Germany. Everyone I encountered has heard of Chicago. From Germans I heard a few strange things about Chicago.
Several people didn't want to believe me when I told them that you can't see across lake Michigan. Another had seen downtown photos and assumed the entire city limits was tall buildings like that. Al Capone is known in Germany as well. Chicago has a reputation for a criminal city. When asked about the high crime in Chicago I often told them there's either a mugger or dead body on every street corner.
Who else has heard weird misconceptions about Chicago?

[emathias]

Most of the misconceptions I hear revolve around crime, although I have met a few people who were disappointed that more of the city isn't highrises like the central area.

A few people think it's cold *all* the time.

Most people I've met, though, have a fairly reasonable, even if not always 100% correct, expectation of what the city is.

[gomexico]

No misconceptions which I hear, and I travel a lot.

[offbeatbop]

Biggest misconception I hear is that Al Capone is a Chicagoan when he was in fact a native NYer from Brooklyn.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by offbeatbop

Biggest misconception I hear is that Al Capone is a Chicagoan when he was in fact a native NYer from Brooklyn.

When you move here you become a Chicagoan, like my grandfather who came over from Mayo or my mother from Armagh. Granted though, I doubt many know he came from New York. As did Ogden, our first mayor.

If not for Lincoln and Obama the most famous Illinoisan would be Capone.

[Chicago60614]

The biggest are that it's cold ALL the time, and that the entire city is a warzone of crime.

[55degrees]

mostly that it's really cold. i mean, as if chicago is the only place that goes below 30 degrees in the winter. and yet that is one of the main things people comment on when i say im from chicago ("woah!! bet you're glad you're not up there in all the cold"...im not glad, actually).

[kafka_on_the_shore]

Several years ago, the strangest thing I've heard was from some Cauasian girl in my humanities class that supported her argument on how the CPS system was one of the worst of the world. She was often citing Levitt's book Freakanomics and how low ACT scores were so low; converting them to an SAT equivalent for those unfamiliar with the ACT. Two of the international students, also agreed with her, reputing how a very high crime rate was the "cause of indifference towards [their] education." It was slightly frustrating to hear that girl convince half of the class on how poorly CPS alumni were for post secondary education. At one point, she was pulling these "statistics" - I'm assuming her arse - on the graduation rate and correlation to the work force. I'm glad the professor outed me to being from Chicago, otherwise she would've led the students believe her opinion. -this girl was from Alaska by the way. - Point being, she almost led others to believe that Chicago is a crime-zone and houses the worst public educational system.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by kafka_on_the_shore

Point being, she almost led others to believe that Chicago is a crime-zone and houses the worst public educational system.

How far off was she?

[kafka_on_the_shore]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

How far off was she?

Bureaucratically, to some extent she was right. I'd give her the hand, but she was arguing education-wise. Personally I felt her tone to be more offensive than informative. North side Chicago high schools produce better results than south side high schools, which is what I've told, but given the logic of her argument, there was no way I was could've maintained my merit besides the "I'm from Chicago" or "I'm a CPS graduate." as evidence. Given the percentile of accuracy, I'd give her a 40% factual.