Move to Chicago?

brettw22

The people I work for are apparently trying to now get me to move to Chicago (they tried and failed miserably to get me to go to LA, CA). The powers that be haven't officially pitched the idea to me, but I've heard they're wanting to see if I'm game for that neck of the woods now.

Instantly I think in a monetary sense (doubt there would be much if any more money to move there), but Chicago has flat rate vehicle registration (savings of between $200-500 a year if i get my Chrysler 300), lower state income taxes (have to confirm this), and should be lower insurance (AZ is in the top 5 high risk states last I checked). Also, I would be driving a LOT more than I do here in AZ, and the mileage money (now that federal rates jumped to 40.5 cents per mile) would subsidize quite a chunk (not that I'd want to put a ton of miles on a new car)....might look into just a basic 4-banger civic to get me around...

I can't say that I'm feeling that loyal to these people based on what I've gone through over the past year, and don't know that even if I moved there I would stick with the company long term (would have to stay a year or I'd need to re-pay the moving expenses), but if used in a way to relocate and see how things go, Chicago might not be too terrible of a place......maybe?

Other than winter (used to live in SLC, so somewhat use to the white stuff), who does/has lived there and what was the overall opinion of the place? I've been up there for work a couple of times, but not enough to really get a feel of it and see how I like it.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.......

swerve

chicago is great.
i've been up there for weekends a few times and stayed in various suburbs.... it's alot of driving and stuff but for the most part it's a great city.

I usually stay in naperville which in the nice part it emits a great feeling when you are there... chicago is nice. and you would be that much closer to me!!!

cubdog

I have quite a few relatives who live and work in the Chicago area. I grew up about 100 miles to the west. IMO Chicago is a wonderful city with great museums,architecture, resturants, sports teams and most importantly people. The only downside is that it really is a huge city, and that takes some getting used to.

cubdog

PolkThug

I like the city, BUT...

Traffic sucks. My friends pay as much rent for a little apartment as I pay for my comfy house.

brettw22

I should clarify......

I'm not looking to move into downtown Chicago. Our offices are in Franklin Park, and would be looking to live probably within 20+/- miles from there.....

wodom1

Well, I live in Chicago (Yes, in the actual city) and absolutely love it. I live in Lincoln Park which is on the North side. It's super expensive but a great area. I grew up in a small city (15 000 people) in southern Louisiana and would never return. I just love living in the city too much. Overall, Chicago has got anything that you could want in a city--recreation, bars/nightlife, world-class restaurants, beaches, museums, sports. PM me if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them, though I'll probably be offline until Monday morning.

Josh

heiney9

Chicago has incredibly diverse culture, 2nd only to NYC, IMO. There are so many opportunities and possibilities in a city the size of Chicago. The nightlife and culture are endless. Anything you are into can be experienced in Chi-town. Sure it has all the trappings of a large city, but the culture and endless possibilities more than make up for it. Some of the best museums, nightlife, restaurants, architecture, shopping, parks, airports, sports-life, newspapers, and many other attractions. If this type of life-style were not you cup of tea than maybe you wouldn’t care for it so much. I live about 45 miles NW of downtown and try to make it in a few times a month and have a great time. Plus you have all the surrounding suburbs that also offer many great things.

Some of the downsides…..it’s the mid-west so forget about distinct seasons, plus the hassle of snow. A slightly corrupt city Government. Exhorbanent parking fees because of lack of parking. Taxes aren’t exactly low including sales tax. Pollution isn’t as bad as many other large cities, but still an issue. Cramped especially in the downtown area. Crime is average, not better, not worse than other big cities. Who knows you may like it, even if you don’t stay with your current employer.

H9

pmlewis

My parents moved out to Phoenix (Sun City West) about 18 years ago and I have been out there several times. The biggest thing I notice when I go out there how laid back and slow everything moves out there. Not just in the retirement community, but in the Phoenix metro area as well. Chicago is a very fast paced city (except for rush hour traffic and any state office).

Here’s what I think the worst part of living in the Chicago area. The weather is will change faster than the Cubs blow a lead. Spring and Fall will last a week if your lucky. Traffic can be a nightmare. Housing is very expensive, and property taxes are on probably in the top 10% of the nation. Gas in Cook County is probably the 3rd highest in the continental US. Utilities tend to be higher also. I guess you could say the cost of living in general is much higher than in Phoenix. I would try to get some kind of cost of living increase.

But there are a lot of pluses. We have good public schools, libraries and community colleges. Municipal services are generally first rate (of course there are always exceptions). As people have already said the cultural opportunities are on par with New York, LA or San Francisco. Traffic isn’t that bad once you learn how to deal with it. I think the best thing about living in this area is that no matter what you need, you can usually find it within a 50-mile area. You are not more than 2 or 3 hours from camping, swimming, skiing, rock climbing, boating, etc.

In my view it would be well worth it to move out, especially if you have a family with kids. That’s one of the main reasons I’m staying here. I don’t think I could find as nice a place for my family where I could have a job that gives me the same kind of income that I do now.

danger boy

one word Oprah !

brettw22

Originally posted by danger boy
one word Oprah !

ROFL!!!!!!!! Good Lord..........

wodom1

Yeah, traffic is brutal, but once you learn how to drive in it, it's not so bad. Chicago PD doesn't seem to care about moving violations unless you're doing something really wreckless. Public transportation is really good here as well. The CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) is always bitching about a lack of money, but overall you've got a lot of options. If you're in the 'burbs there are Metra commuter trains that you can take into the city for as little as $5. On the weekends, weekend passes are available for $5 which allow unlimited rides on Metra for all of Saturday and all of Sunday. You're pretty much covered anywhere in the city with the CTA as there are El trains and buses located everywhere. Currently it's $1.75 to board a CTA train or bus, though they are talking about a $.25 fare hike which may take place next year. If you have a car in the city, you are required to have a City of Chicago vehicle sticker which runs $75/year for cars & $90/year for trucks/large SUV's. All stickers start/expire in June, so if you were to move here before December, you'd have to purchase a sticker for full price. After December, six-month stickers are available for half-price.

brettw22

I don't have any kids, so it'll just be me moving up there(might be living with a friend/co-worker). I'm not sure about the house purchase right at the beginning if I do move, especially because I won't know for sure what area I like most.

How much is sales tax there(on average since cities can range up to a percentage point or so)? Do they tax food groceries?

Traffic can be a PITA anywhere (LA being by far the worst I've experienced) so that's not too big of a deal. That, and most of the work that I'll be doing will be a few hours outside of the city anyway.

dkg999

I work in Schaumburg, but live out in paradise in the Belvidere/Rockford area. It's a 42 mi. commute one-way, but the difference from the NW suburbs of Chicago to the Belvidere area is like night and day. The 4 bedroom, 3 car garage house with separate Morton building on a 20 acre site cost me roughly 50% of what a small older 3 bedroom house on a small lot would cost in the NW suburbs, and the taxes are around 30% of what city taxes are. I moved from central IA 4 yrs ago, and although I still spend about 30% of my time back on the farm, I love the Chicago area. IL politics are humorous and totally corrupt at the same time. There are really 3 states in one, Chicago with little dickey daley in charge, downstate IL which is like going to a whole different country, and NW IL, which really wants to be Wisconsin.

DarqueKnight

If you have the opportunity to experience Chicago, go for it, especially since you only have yourself to move.

My company sent me to Lisle, IL (west suburban Chicago) for an eighteen month rotational assignment from '89-'90 and I loved it. Yes, I hated the winters, but I loved all the cultural amenities the area had to offer. Like others here have said, you can usually find whatever you are interested in within a 50 mile radius.

I still go back to visit at least once, and sometimes twice a year (but never in the winter).:cool:

rnp614

Originally posted by PolkThug
I like the city, BUT...

Traffic sucks. My friends pay as much rent for a little apartment as I pay for my comfy house.

I second that. My rent for my apartment is ridiculous, and I dont even live downtown. , I live just north in Evanston!

brettw22

Originally posted by rnp614
I second that. My rent for my apartment is ridiculous, and I dont even live downtown. , I live just north in Evanston!

Define ridiculous......

rnp614

well my room in the apartment is 760. The whole apartment (for 3 people) is 1800. We have kind of a duplex setup so my whole group (2 apartments next to each other) is paying 3600 total a month.

MacLeod

:eek:

Yikes!!

Thats as bad as Austin!

rnp614

I feel like with the amount we're paying its a mortgage...except we arent getting anything!

MacLeod

Thats what sucks about big cities.

I dated a chick in Austin when I lived there years ago. She had a nice 2 story house. Probably in the 1000-1300 ft2 in size and in a decent neighborhood. It went for $190,000!

My mom in Temple Texas, a small **** town about 45 miles from Austin just sold her 2500 ft2 house with a pool and big yard for $189,000!

Ive heard Colorado is worse.

rnp614

Originally posted by MacLeod
Thats what sucks about big cities.

I dated a chick in Austin when I lived there years ago. She had a nice 2 story house. Probably in the 1000-1300 ft2 in size and in a decent neighborhood. It went for $190,000!

My mom in Temple Texas, a small **** town about 45 miles from Austin just sold her 2500 ft2 house with a pool and big yard for $189,000!

Ive heard Colorado is worse.

And Colorado is the state I hope to end up in later in life. Oh great! :eek:

MacLeod

My uncle/aunt moved out there a few years ago.

According to them, in the Colorado Springs area, $200,000 is about the minimum youre going to pay for a house worth living in.

Average rent for them was $1000 a month for a 1 bedroom!!

Granted, this may not be the norm but it was what they encountered.

pmlewis

I recently purchased an IMAC from a lady in the city who was moving to San Diego. I went to her place to pick up. It was about a quarter mile from the expressway in a neighborhood that was being converted to lofts. She had a new construction loft, not more than 600 sq. ft max. She had mentioned that she was moving in 10 days and had to get rid of her extra stuff. I was curious so I asked her what she was asking. It listed at $260,000 and change. She could see the look on my face, but said here realtor assured her that it would sell before she moved, since the last unit for sale in her building sold for over $250,000 in January and people have been asking about units in area. She’ll probably get her asking price if not more.

On the bright side, my brother-in-law just moved into a nice vintage apartment right outside the city in Oak Park. He pays around $800/mo heat and water included. Not to bad for a 1 bedroom with separate kitchen, dining room, living room, and of course bedroom and bathroom.

McLoki

I live in Central Illinois (about 3 hours to Chicago or St. Louis). One thing that no one has mentioned is that while vehicle registration is not bad compared to other cities, property taxes suck. My brother-in-law lives in Chicago (naperville actually) and purchased his house about the same time I purchased mine. His is an 1600 sq-ft. house, 3 bedroom, 2 bath in a subdivision of houses that are all the same (about 8 different models in his subdivision of 500 houses) he paid around $190k for it. My house (2500 sq-ft., 4 bedroom, 3 bath in an area of similar but all custom homes) was $200k. (this was 4 years ago) - For taxes I pay around $4500/year my brother in law pays about a grand more.

from an investment perspective, his house is worth more than mine were we both to sell them now.

He would never want to leave the Chicago area. He loves it up there. I would rather not deal with it day to day and like visiting a few times a year. (going to brookfield zoo today as a matter o fact)

If you like large cities, it rocks, give it a shot. If you dont - it will suck (or just dont leave the suburbs)

Michael

brettw22

Well, I confirmed it with my boss yesterday morning that I will be moving out to Chi-town......

They want me moved there and starting on July 11th.....or the 18th at the latest.

This is gonna be a VERY crazy few weeks....I'm in town for this week, in KC the week after, in Chiago the week after that to shop for a place to move to, then in Phoenix for a week to move my stuff and be gone mid week to be in Chicago and unpacked by that weekend......wish me luck.......ha.

Jstas

I think you will like Chicago. It is the exact polar opposite of Arizona and while it can be an expensive place, the surrounding area is not any more than any other average suburb.

I have family out there and yes, teh weather can get downright brutal in the winter but there area is used to dealing with it so it doesn't cause more than a day or two of downtime at the most if they do get hit hard.

It is a cultural and economic hub of the mid-west and the itself is loaded with tradition and history.

One thing, if you are going to get your 300, you would probably want to grab a beater for winter. Your 300 would be destroyed in the foul weather. Also, find some place with covered parking if you can because clearing 2 feet of snow off of your car in the morning sucks the big one!

Jstas

The other thing I have to point out is that while some may think taxes, rent and so on are oppressive, it really is defined by the area. In most cases, salaries are equivalent to the standard of living in the area. Everyone will ****, complain and moan but few rarely have it as bad as they make it out to be. The best thing to do is talk to a realator from the area. They usualy have demographical data that can assisst you in finding a spot to live that is within your means.

danger boy

congrats on the new position and hope your move goes smooth. :cool:

polkatese

Good luck, Brett!

Your move is very timely, just when the hot, muggy, damp, monsoon thundershower are about to descend.

brettw22

I have to get a new car by August (current lease expires then, and I don't want to buy the Honda out) so I can't wait until winter. There is an AWD option, but that adds quite a bit and I think I'd be fine with just getting a set of studded snows, which is how I got around in UT for 7 years during the winters.

Jstas

It's not the snopw and ice that I am concerned about. Snow and ice do very little damage to a vehicle. Much, much less than what most people think. It's road grime which is made up of exhaust particulates, unspent fuel, lubricants and other funk and road salt that will destroy the cars. Given the Chicago area's reputation for winter this is a concern and I'd hate to see a nice car demolished by a Chicago winter.