The Vibe
Despite being the third largest city in the country, that friendly Midwesterner personality that Illinois is famous for has a heavy influence in
Chicago. Sure, this city is full of city slickers, but they’re mostly friendly and polite city slickers, many of which are transplants from small towns scattered all around the flyover states in middle America.
Unlike busy metros like New York, Chicago residents aren’t in the same constantly stressed rush. Things are a bit more laid back here than in most urban jungles and the locals don’t seem to mind at all.
Local Flavor
Aside from having over 550 parks that residents can enjoy on a daily basis like the world famous Lincoln and Millennium Parks, there’s also constant stream of events and festivals going on in Chicago, especially during the summer.
It’s impossible to list them all, as most weekends have dozens of special events going on all around the city, but a few of Chicago’s more notable annual parties are Lollapalooza Music Festival, the St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, the Chicago Pride Fest, and the Chicago Marathon.
Cuisine
Chicago is home to several of the most famous regional dishes worldwide, like the Chicago dog, Italian beef sandwiches, and deep-dish pizza. It’s also home to a foodie revolution, with tons of new age American eateries opening up on a regular basis.
Midtown is a great place to check out a few of these new trendy restaurants, but if you want to try it all, the annual Taste of Chicago event in Grant Park provides a great opportunity to sample some of the finest local fare without breaking your bank.
Nightlife
When it comes to nightlife in Chicago, this city has the party scene you’d expect in an American city of its size, with classy rooftop patios overlooking the skyline to packed nightclubs blasting dance music into the ears of sweaty patrons.
There are tons of unique neighborhoods spread all around Chicago perfect for a night on the town, but a few of the more popular places include Wrigleyville and River North.
It’s not all just bars in Chicago either. There are tons of late night restaurants, live music venues, and comedy clubs, like Second City, that make for an awesome time as well.
Weather
The locals in Chicago have a love-hate relationship with their city when it comes to weather. Summers average a perfect 72 degrees and easy access to the beach on Lake Michigan makes it a cinch to cool off when it gets a little hotter. A lot of the corporate jobs will even let workers out early on Fridays so that they have a chance to enjoy some of the summer sun.
It’s a completely different story when it comes to winters though. While the average winter temperature is 31 degrees, that number doesn’t show how brutal the lake effect can make living in Chicago during this time of the year.
Basically, due to science, tons of snow gets dumped on Chicago, at times crippling the transportation infrastructure as cars get covered and roads are nearly impossible to clean. Most Chicagoans don’t mind though, they know that if they put up with the cold for a few months, summer will make an appearance soon enough.
Safety & Crime
While Chicago tends to have a dangerous reputation on popular media outlets, this can be a little misleading. Chicago is often noted for its gang violence, but like most major American cities, Chicago hit it’s crime peak during the 1990s and has been on the decline (for the most part) ever since.
Chicago definitely has its more dangerous areas, but many of these areas are easy to avoid. All in all, the current crime rate is around 4,000 total crimes per every 100,000 residents, with property crime making up around 90 percent of the total crime numbers.
Many experts attribute the sudden drop of crime in the Windy City to Chicago’s integrated emergency response center with more than 2000 cameras that monitor the streets and more violent areas.
Commute
Like any big city, traffic gets bad during rush hour in Chicago. That’s just one of those things you have to get used to.
However, when it’s not rush hour, driving in Chicago is a breeze. The roads are easy to understand and huge roads that cut through the city make it easy to get from one side of town to the other without much stress.
The average driving commute is a little high at 33 minutes, but keep in mind that there’s also a great rapid transit system in Chicago with 8 lines and 147 stops, as well as buses and a bike sharing program that make it super easy and cheap to get around without needing a car, especially if you live close to downtown.
Cost Of Living
Chicago is a bit over the American average cost of living, with a score of 113 on a 100 point index. However, compared to the next two largest cities, New York City and Los Angeles, which score 167 and 142 respectively, Chicago is pretty cheap.
Sure, you might be spending less in the Midwest’s smaller towns, but when you consider all of the awesome amenities that Chicago has to offer, it’s a pretty darn good deal.
Local Sports
There’s no city with a more vibrant sports culture than Chicago. With a great list of local teams, many of which are powerhouses in their own leagues, it’s easy to see why people go so crazy for the game day here.
While there are tons of niche and minor league squads in this city, the Windy City’s major league teams include the Chicago Bears football squad, Chicago Bulls basketball, Chicago Blackhawks hockey, Chicago Fire soccer, and baseball’s Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. Most locals choose to cheer for all of them with equal levels of excitement except for baseball.
With baseball, Chicagoans tend to each pick their favorite from the crosstown rivalry between the White Sox and the Cubs and stick with their decision for life.
Culture
If you enjoy the finer things in life, Chicago has exactly what you’re looking for. With countless art galleries, like the world famous Museum of Modern Art, world-class dance performances, like those put on by Joffrey Ballet, its own Symphony Orchestra, and an endless stream of live music and spoken word performances in tiny venues scattered around town, Chicago is the perfect place to flex the creative side of your brain.
Plus, a lot of the larger museums and galleries offer discount deals that let you visit multiple places for a lower price.
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