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Old 08-14-2010, 08:04 PM
 
Location: Central Illinois by way of Michigan
38 posts, read 134,944 times
Reputation: 33

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I saw this on another (closed) thread but I wanted to get other peoples' perspectives on this.

I'm a Detroit native who recently relocated near St. Louis for my job (I was on the MO side and now I live in the IL side). I love it, it reminds me a lot of Detroit.

But I noticed on another thread the trend of Chicagoans who seem to turn their noses up at any other Midwestern city (St. Louis, Detroit, Minneapolis, Cleveland, etc.) that isn't Chicago.

Obviously, Chicago is a world-class city. There's more to do there than most other cities in the Midwest.

However, many Chicago natives are really snooty about their city in relation to the rest of the Midwest— this despite the fact that half of the city are transplants from the rest of the Midwest. But the people that grew up in the suburbs and never ventured outside their little bubble have this feeling that Chicago is the only place worth going between NY and LA. For example, I recently worked with a guy from Chicago (the suburbs, obviously) who bragged about his favorite things to do in Chicago and trashed Detroit at every opportunity he got. Mostly, it was in jest, but one day I got so fed up with it that I said, "Look. I know Chicago is sweet and Detroit has its problems. But do you even KNOW anything about Detroit? Have you ever actually even BEEN to Detroit?"

Of course, the answer was no, and he never talked crap about Detroit again. But that mentality exists for many Chicagoans. I think this is why us natives of other so-called "Rust Belt" cities like Detroit, Cleveland, Indy, St. Louis and plains cities like Des Moines, KC, etc. get so defensive about our hometowns when we hear Chicagoans boast about their city.

Sure, Chicago's a great city. But we like our own hometowns too (and so do 1/3 of the people who actually live in Chicago that are from the rest of the Midwest).

Has anyone else noticed these sentiments?

PS: Chicagoans, I live in Central Illinois now (about halfway between STL and Indy). Whatever you do, the natives here REALLY hate it when you call it "downstate."
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Old 08-14-2010, 08:15 PM
 
Location: Denver
6,625 posts, read 14,392,168 times
Reputation: 4191
Quote:
Originally Posted by jackhitts View Post
Chicago is the only place worth going between NY and LA.
This.

I don't know anything about cities like Cleveland and Indy, etc...but in all honesty I really don't want to know anything about them.

I think Detroit is extremely interesting however. Its fall from grace is extremely sad, but very intriguing. It's a model for other cities in what not to do in terms of economic infrastructure. Again, it's sad but true. Look at Vegas: it bet (pun ) heavily on casinos and now that the economy is in the tank, people are becoming less-risky with their money and therefore gambling a bit less...as a result Vegas is now topping Detroit in unemployment rates.

In the end, Chicago is by far and away the best thing the Midwest has to offer...even if you combined all the other cities in the Midwest as (I think) you're suggesting.

/drunk rant
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Old 08-14-2010, 08:15 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX/Chicago, IL/Houston, TX/Washington, DC
10,138 posts, read 15,935,989 times
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I've recently come across a lot too. I haven't been around that type of setting in Chicago as most of my friends are my age. We are just the ordinary kids, don't talk mess, don't look people down type of 20 year olds, drink a lot and do a lot of stupid things. I've always had the idea instilled to me that every place has its positives, to look beyond the negatives. But I understand that the real world doesn't work that way, people will find things to look down on.

As far as Chicago goes, its always struck out to me as a city that thinks of itself as more than just a "Midwestern" city. No one says "Chicago, Illinois" they just say "Chicago". Ever wondered why a city is more famous than the state it is in? Look at Chicago. New York is a lucky state, it shares the same name with its premier city. So it doesn't matter who gets more recognition there, same name, can go either way.

Chicago in general seems like the only city in the Midwest that wants to be something else, IMO. I don't know what and I don't know the details, but I get that vibe a lot when I'm at home in Chicago.
Anyways I'm done posting on this site for a few months, I need to get away from here for a while, a lot of what you described for Chicagoans in your post is what makes me want to stay away from this site in general. Theres just way to much hate.

And for the record, I like Detroit, and I love its suburbs. I like every city in this country for what they are and what they offer, and thats my take as a native Chicagoan to not only the rest of the Midwest but also the other cities in the country.

Peace out. (see everyone in a few months)
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Old 08-14-2010, 08:28 PM
 
Location: Twilight zone
3,639 posts, read 8,271,339 times
Reputation: 1762
Quote:
Originally Posted by Awesome Danny View Post
I've recently come across a lot too. I haven't been around that type of setting in Chicago as most of my friends are my age. We are just the ordinary kids, don't talk mess, don't look people down type of 20 year olds, drink a lot and do a lot of stupid things. I've always had the idea instilled to me that every place has its positives, to look beyond the negatives. But I understand that the real world doesn't work that way, people will find things to look down on.

As far as Chicago goes, its always struck out to me as a city that thinks of itself as more than just a "Midwestern" city. No one says "Chicago, Illinois" they just say "Chicago". Ever wondered why a city is more famous than the state it is in? Look at Chicago. New York is a lucky state, it shares the same name with its premier city. So it doesn't matter who gets more recognition there, same name, can go either way.
you rarely hear anyone from chicago or the burbs say that they're mid-western
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Old 08-14-2010, 08:50 PM
 
Location: Central Illinois by way of Michigan
38 posts, read 134,944 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mas23 View Post
you rarely hear anyone from chicago or the burbs say that they're mid-western
That might be true. Though, I have some Chicago friends who do call themselves Midwestern. Of course, all Chicagoans say they're Midwestern when they're outside the Midwest.

Anyway, I don't think all Chicagoans think this way, but there is a bit of a superiority complex going on with Chicagoans. Of course, we in Detroit and Indy and St. Louis also have an inferiority complex and maybe even a jealousy factor going on when we see Chicago. So it goes both ways. I'm not, like, mad about it or anything. It's just something I find interesting (and occasionally annoying).
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Old 08-14-2010, 08:58 PM
 
Location: Central Illinois by way of Michigan
38 posts, read 134,944 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tmac9wr View Post
I don't know anything about cities like Cleveland and Indy, etc...but in all honesty I really don't want to know anything about them.

....

In the end, Chicago is by far and away the best thing the Midwest has to offer...even if you combined all the other cities in the Midwest as (I think) you're suggesting.
That actually wasn't what I was suggesting. I was, however, suggesting that these places aren't backwater nothing towns like many Chicagoans believe. We're not dealing with Kandahar or Baghdad here. There are some great things about these cities and if you don't want to know anything about them then you're simply playing into the assumption that Chicagoans are arrogant jerks about their city.
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Old 08-14-2010, 09:01 PM
 
Location: Twilight zone
3,639 posts, read 8,271,339 times
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To be honest I never heard anybody in from detroit(the city or the suburbs) say they're mid-western either. Probably because most people associate it with farms and rural surroundings

mas23
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Old 08-14-2010, 09:02 PM
 
Location: South Side Chicago
36 posts, read 75,239 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jackhitts View Post
I
Sure, Chicago's a great city. But we like our own hometowns too (and so do 1/3 of the people who actually live in Chicago that are from the rest of the Midwest).

Has anyone else noticed these sentiments?

PS: Chicagoans, I live in Central Illinois now (about halfway between STL and Indy). Whatever you do, the natives here REALLY hate it when you call it "downstate."
I don't know about the 1/3 of Chicago being Midwestern transplants at least not in the part of the city I live in.

Personally, I have been to Detroit, Indianapolis, and Cleveland and I wasn't impressed at all. I tell my wife all the time that if we ever move out of the city it won't be to another state in the midwest. In fact, most people I know from the city move to other regions of the country not other midwestern cities. That's the one negative thing about Chicago when compared to other cities is there's not much else for a Chicagoan in the midwest outside of Chicago including other parts of Illinois.

If I moved outside of Chicago it would be out of Illinois and to the East Coast maybe Philadelphia.
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Old 08-14-2010, 09:09 PM
 
Location: Central Illinois by way of Michigan
38 posts, read 134,944 times
Reputation: 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by westchesterfielddad View Post
I don't know about the 1/3 of Chicago being Midwestern transplants at least not in the part of the city I live in.

Personally, I have been to Detroit, Indianapolis, and Cleveland and I wasn't impressed at all. I tell my wife all the time that if we ever move out of the city it won't be to another state in the midwest. In fact, most people I know from the city move to other regions of the country not other midwestern cities. That's the one negative thing about Chicago when compared to other cities is there's not much else for a Chicagoan in the midwest outside of Chicago including other parts of Illinois.

If I moved outside of Chicago it would be out of Illinois and to the East Coast maybe Philadelphia.
Maybe not 1/3 (that was probabaly a grand exaggeration), but there are a ton of Midwestern transplants in Chicago simply due to the nature of Chicago as the business hub of the Midwest. The fact that every Big 10 school has at least one bar in the city is telling (probabaly more, I dunno... I personally have been to at least three Sparty-themed bars in Chicago to watch MSU basketball/ football games when visiting friends). I do think many people from the Midwest tend to move TO Chicago, while many people from Chicago tend to move outside the Midwest.
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Old 08-14-2010, 09:11 PM
 
Location: Central Illinois by way of Michigan
38 posts, read 134,944 times
Reputation: 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by mas23 View Post
To be honest I never heard anybody in from detroit(the city or the suburbs) say they're mid-western either. Probably because most people associate it with farms and rural surroundings

mas23
One doesn't have to have farms to be Midwestern. Regardless, I've heard plenty of Detroiters call themselves Midwestern.
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