Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I posted about this in the Chicago thread some time back; but wanted to get input from more non-Chicago people.
Been living in the City of Chicago (the City; not suburbs) for 6 years. We live in Rogers Park on the far North Side. Roger's Park is a pretty decent neighbhorhood; and Chicago is a pretty cool city. My family and I won't leave unless we have a better option.
That being said, We want to start exploring other options given some of the factors below:
Basic Factors:
1. Wife works for Abbott Labs; and is pretty up there in the company hierarchy. She's not 100% set on continuing. Pay is good, position is fine. But she isn't 100% happy / satisfied - is getting cold shoulder to Company Culture.
2. Wife also has a baking business she started 3 years ago that is now TAKING OFF (Maybe COVID lit the match?). She's not sure she wants to expand here.
3. My work is remote (I sell Men and Women Designer Clothes / Handbags) - so I can operate anywhere as my sourcing contacts are all over the world.
4. We have a 23 month old Infant; would like to get settled in longer term for him - so he doesn't have to move around.
5. We rent our home, and do not own property in the City (lease expires next June 2021).
Preferences:
1. No Boring Ass Suburbs: In Chicagoland, outside of North Shore, Oak Park, Evanston - etc, it's a non starter conversation wise. Nothing against Skokie or Vernon Hills or Schaumburg - but yeah; just no for us.
2. Avoiding SUPER HIGH Property Taxes. They are insane here. If we bought a $1,000,000 home in Chicago (or Illinois for that matter) - each year that's $25,000 in property taxes going straight into the black hole known as the Illinois Government, which is nearly $300 Billion in the red from Pension Liabilities. Fundamentally my wife and I just can't justify giving so much of our money to the local and state governments, for what - nothing? We don't see any benefit.
3. Business Friendly: If my wife wants to establish a brick and mortar store for her shop, or expand her online business (Illinois is very restrictive with online baking) - then we will need to relocate. I don't think Chicago is a very business friendly environment necessarily either.
4. In / Near Big Urban Area, Close to Water (Ocean Preferably) with shorter winters: We want to live in an interesting place. Prefer a city. If not, an interesting County or Suburb near one. But I myself want to be near other major Cities. Nothing against Milaukee, St. Louis, or Indianapolis - fine cities, but I'm not feeling it. Too Midwesterny.
5. Someplace not SO Hyper Liberal: I knew Chicago and Illinois was hyper Cobalt Blue politically, but my god. I didn't know it was this far left. It's pretty crazy. Our home leans a bit more to the middle / conservative - so that definitely feels a bit off here with us.
6. Weather: Yup. Summers are awesome here. But only when the freaking lake isn't closed (COVID). Winter is LOOONG. You never get used to it. So much gray. Too much time inside in my opinion. Would want a more moderate area - winters are fine. But not so long.
Summarizing: We won't be staying in our current rental home past next June. Our boy will be older and not in school yet. My wife's business is building. I'm doing well and can work wherever. Chicago is nice. But Property Taxes, politics and the finances of this place blow. To me its the perfect mix to re-evaluate options.
We are considering the following areas:
Chicago - if nothing better is found.
Maryland - DC / Baltimore Area
Michigan - Metro Detroit / Ann Arbor
Those are the three serious contenders at the moment. We are open to overseas, but only by a smidgen.
I welcome your discussion and thoughts, and please let me know if clarification on any above is needed!
You're not going to find a highly educated, pretty, and 'all that' community that doesn't lean left. Just saying.
DC is your best bet out of the three, if you live due south of the city... in Virginia. Probably the best of the three. Maryland is boring sprawly suburbs.
Why not look at Greater Boston (Very Business Friendly, suburbs arent that liberal) or Greater Charlotte?
Detroit metro is a non-starter if you seeking a change. It has much of the same problems as Chicago without the positive attributes. Also, DC metro is a non-starter if you don't want high property taxes and a "hyper liberal" environment.
That being said, if you're looking for business friendliness, less winter weather and more moderate politics I think you might do well in a major Sunbelt metro.
I posted about this in the Chicago thread some time back; but wanted to get input from more non-Chicago people.
Been living in the City of Chicago (the City; not suburbs) for 6 years. We live in Rogers Park on the far North Side. Roger's Park is a pretty decent neighbhorhood; and Chicago is a pretty cool city. My family and I won't leave unless we have a better option.
That being said, We want to start exploring other options given some of the factors below:
Basic Factors:
1. Wife works for Abbott Labs; and is pretty up there in the company hierarchy. She's not 100% set on continuing. Pay is good, position is fine. But she isn't 100% happy / satisfied - is getting cold shoulder to Company Culture.
2. Wife also has a baking business she started 3 years ago that is now TAKING OFF (Maybe COVID lit the match?). She's not sure she wants to expand here.
3. My work is remote (I sell Men and Women Designer Clothes / Handbags) - so I can operate anywhere as my sourcing contacts are all over the world.
4. We have a 23 month old Infant; would like to get settled in longer term for him - so he doesn't have to move around.
5. We rent our home, and do not own property in the City (lease expires next June 2021).
Preferences:
1. No Boring Ass Suburbs: In Chicagoland, outside of North Shore, Oak Park, Evanston - etc, it's a non starter conversation wise. Nothing against Skokie or Vernon Hills or Schaumburg - but yeah; just no for us.
2. Avoiding SUPER HIGH Property Taxes. They are insane here. If we bought a $1,000,000 home in Chicago (or Illinois for that matter) - each year that's $25,000 in property taxes going straight into the black hole known as the Illinois Government, which is nearly $300 Billion in the red from Pension Liabilities. Fundamentally my wife and I just can't justify giving so much of our money to the local and state governments, for what - nothing? We don't see any benefit.
3. Business Friendly: If my wife wants to establish a brick and mortar store for her shop, or expand her online business (Illinois is very restrictive with online baking) - then we will need to relocate. I don't think Chicago is a very business friendly environment necessarily either.
4. In / Near Big Urban Area, Close to Water (Ocean Preferably) with shorter winters: We want to live in an interesting place. Prefer a city. If not, an interesting County or Suburb near one. But I myself want to be near other major Cities. Nothing against Milaukee, St. Louis, or Indianapolis - fine cities, but I'm not feeling it. Too Midwesterny.
5. Someplace not SO Hyper Liberal: I knew Chicago and Illinois was hyper Cobalt Blue politically, but my god. I didn't know it was this far left. It's pretty crazy. Our home leans a bit more to the middle / conservative - so that definitely feels a bit off here with us.
6. Weather: Yup. Summers are awesome here. But only when the freaking lake isn't closed (COVID). Winter is LOOONG. You never get used to it. So much gray. Too much time inside in my opinion. Would want a more moderate area - winters are fine. But not so long.
Summarizing: We won't be staying in our current rental home past next June. Our boy will be older and not in school yet. My wife's business is building. I'm doing well and can work wherever. Chicago is nice. But Property Taxes, politics and the finances of this place blow. To me its the perfect mix to re-evaluate options.
We are considering the following areas:
Chicago - if nothing better is found.
Maryland - DC / Baltimore Area
Michigan - Metro Detroit / Ann Arbor
Those are the three serious contenders at the moment. We are open to overseas, but only by a smidgen.
I welcome your discussion and thoughts, and please let me know if clarification on any above is needed!
Annapolis, MD or (Old Town) Alexandria, VA. Both have the luxury of being within striking distance of a lot of industry and major cities, and both offer a unique local/boutique experience should your wife want to go brick and mortar. Both have nice harbor/waterfronts with close proximity to beaches, and there's plenty of activity to keep you sane when you don't feel like going to Baltimore/DC.
I'm not overly familiar with the political climate in Annapolis, though I'd bet the Naval Academy brings together a more conservative belief system than you'd find in other areas of MD/northern VA.
I'd choose that DC/Baltimore CSA over Detroit, unless I was making a move for full financial freedom. If that was the case, then obviously Detroit would become more appealing. Royal Oak, followed by the Grosse Pointe(s) would be my pick.
As an aside.... Would you consider Portsmouth, NH? NH is generally very moderate. No sales tax, no income tax, and even property tax remains lower than Cook County. Portsmouth is an awesome coastal city, with a great harbor front, and really nice local beaches (Rye being my favorite).. Doesn't hurt that the Boston-Portsmouth-Portland chain makes everything pretty accessible. Boston and Portland are 60 minutes from Portsmouth in either direction, and are connected by train.
You're not going to find a highly educated, pretty, and 'all that' community that doesn't lean left. Just saying.
DC is your best bet out of the three, if you live due south of the city... in Virginia. Probably the best of the three. Maryland is boring sprawly suburbs.
Why not look at Greater Boston (Very Business Friendly, suburbs arent that liberal) or Greater Charlotte?
Greater Boston is more liberal than Chicago and it’s not At all SMALL business friendly. It’s also just as cold and snowy and more 2.5x more expensive which would more negate the savings on property tax. It’s not gonna work for OP.
I agree regarding the DC area and would recommend searching inside DC itself. There are several neighborhoods with a solid reputation for supporting local brick and mortar businesses...in particular places like Eastern Market, Lincoln Park, Logan Circle, Cardozo, Cleveland Park and Palisades.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
