Do People Who Live in Chicago Like It? Is It Dangerous?
Lived in west Humboldt from 1956 till 2008. Saw it go from nice safe place to shooting gallery. Never really felt unsafe but learned to be aware of my surroundings at all times. Yes cant imagine living anywhere else.
The Criminals Love It, but Chicago Stands Firm
The criminals LOVE it. The mayor and the Cook County States Attorney run a catch and release program. IF you even GET arrested she wont file charges. Home by supper time on the taxpayers dime.
Chicago Safety: A City with Diverse Neighborhoods
Chicago has dangerous parts but so does every U.S. city. If you stay away from bad neighborhoods, most of which are in the outskirts of town where no tourist would accidentally wander, yoursquo;ll likely be fine. Irsquo;ve lived and worked in Chicago my whole life, 51 years, and never have felt unsafe except for a few times Irsquo;ve driven through some tough West Side and South Side neighborhoods late at night. But even then I didnrsquo;t face any actual danger. It was more fear than anything else.
A Vibrant and Diverse City in the Midst of Change
Chicago is a beautiful vibrant culturally and ethnically diverse city. After a few bad years especially since the pandemic, some crime has migrated into areas of downtown and the North Side where it had previously been rare. Irsquo;m hoping things improve but itrsquo;s still no reason not to visit. In fact, last week I met a couple of tourists who were in town for the first time, and they were just knocked out by the cityrsquo;s beauty: Lake Michigan and the parks and beaches along its shore. Addendum: All of the buildings in the photo above are residential. The left part of the photo with the row of early 20th-century apartment buildings is East Lake Shore Drive, the most expensive block in Chicago. Itrsquo;s also among the wealthiest census tracts in the country.
Life in Chicago: Money and Motivation
I can only speak for myself. I have lived here my entire adult life since 1998. Chicago has been very good to me. Irsquo;m doing much better here than I would have done if I stayed in my small hometown for one reason: money. It is simply much easier to make much more money in Chicago or any big city than in small towns like the one where I grew up. Everything is also more expensive in Chicago, itrsquo;s true, but the increased income for well-motivated people more than makes up for it. Plus, some debts will be the same no matter where you live, like student loans, so it makes sense to live where therersquo;s more money to be made even if expenses are high, if you have debts that will follow you wherever you go.
Opportunities and Aspirations in the City
I came here for college. I met my wife in college. Wersquo;re both working professionals. This is the same basic story for most of the people in my social circles in Chicago: moved here for college met their spouse there got good jobs with their degrees and are now living the upper-middle-class dream. Some end up moving to the more affluent suburbs. Some live in more affluent neighborhoods within the city itself. Either way, the experience is more or less the same: get married buy a house have kids pay off your debts save for retirement etc...
Except no one I know and I mean literally not a single person I know plans to stay in Chicago when they retire. Most plan on leaving Illinois completely, others just plan on moving out of Cook County usually north or west to Lake or DuPage counties. There are currently three houses for sale on my block. All three are being sold by recent retirees. If their experience is anything like my in-laws, theyrsquo;ll make more than enough from the sale of their homes to buy a much larger home with much more land elsewhere in the country and have enough leftover to buy a new car and take a long retirement vacation. The only retired people who stay in Chicago are those that donrsquo;t have a choice due to finances or medical conditions, those that have enough money to get condos with doormen, or those that want to be close to their grandkids who still live in the city. Chicago is not a good place for living out your golden years. Itrsquo;s a great place to live during your working years if you are talented and are motivated.
Politics and Daily Life in Chicago
I genuinely donrsquo;t understand how so many people struggle to make a living in Chicago unless they have physical or cognitive disabilities, drug problems, or no motivation. If you are physically able to work and have normal amounts of common sense, you can earn a good living here. I complain a lot on Quora about Chicagorsquo;s political scene. Interestingly enough, my fellow Chicagoans love to complain about the cityrsquo;s politics in real life too. When it comes to politics here, the corruption and hypocrisy are so baked into the system at this point that everyone laughs it off. Itrsquo;s the kind of laugh that you have to do to maintain your sanity in the face of something you canrsquo;t do anything about. Itrsquo;s like complaining about the snow when you live in Alaska or complaining about the humidity when you live in Florida. Therersquo;s the same ldquo;it is what it isrdquo; vibe when it comes to politics in Chicago.
Comparing Chicago Living with Small Hometown Life
Itrsquo;s how an alderman whorsquo;d been in office for 50 years and was indicted for corruption, an extortion scheme, still won his next election: ldquo;Did you hear that [any Chicago politician] was caught [doing something illegal or immoral]rdquo; ldquo;Yes but what can you do? Theyrsquo;re all corrupt. Just some of them get caught from time to time. Itrsquo;s not their fault they got caught. No sense punishing them for it.rdquo;Anyway, from what I can tell via social media posts and occasional chats with old high school friends, my old classmates who stayed in my small hometown arenrsquo;t doing as well as those who moved to larger cities. They tend to have a lot more financial woes, hate their jobs more, have more failed relationships, and have more issues with drugs. Itrsquo;s like therersquo;s a fog of hopelessness about the future that surrounds my small hometown, so everyone there just lives for the day and doesnrsquo;t worry about tomorrow. Irsquo;ve been told itrsquo;s similar to the attitude people have in the impoverished neighborhoods of Chicago but I wouldnrsquo;t know for sure since I rarely go to those neighborhoods.
Which gets back to your question about danger. The danger in Chicago is usually confined to very predictable neighborhoods at predictable times of the day/night, actually, and usually happens to people who put themselves in dangerous situations. There are really two Chicagos: the affluent one and the impoverished one. Itrsquo;s fairly easy for those living in the affluent Chicago to stay away from danger.