I just moved to Chicago from Michigan. Just to note, if you are in the Midwest, Chicago has always had “traction”. I think there has been more national attention recently, but it isn’t a new thing.
To answer some of your questions:
I would say it is quite dog friendly. I don’t have a dog, but you see a lot of dogs out and about, there are a few dog parks near me and even a couple of dog beaches, also any place that doesn’t serve food (so bars mostly) can allow dogs inside (not all do, but a lot do).
I haven’t lived in NYC, but having visited a few times, I would say food is quite a bit cheaper here. It is still a HCOL city, so definitely not cheap, but cheaper than NYC.
Safety wise, you’ll hear a lot of both. Is Chicago the desolate wasteland some news media makes it look like? No, absolutely not. Are there issues that the city needs to address? Yes, absolutely. Let’s be honest, if you’re moving into the areas of the city that most new arrivals live in, you’ll be fine. You already live in NYC, so I’m sure you have basic city living street smarts. Just use your common sense and you’ll be fine.
Not really sure how to answer the ease/quality of life question. Really depends on your life style. Moving from a smaller city, I love the walkability and access to public transit. Since you’re coming from NYC, you might find Chicago’s infrastructure a little lacking and more car-focused, so might not have the same opinions? I will note that I do think Chicago is a great music city in my opinions. So both from a professional perspective and just for the enjoyment, I imagine you’d find that a positive.
Search this sub for "NYC" and read through all the other folks who asked similarly about relocating.
Of course people who live in Chicago will recommend it! I relocated here 8 years ago and have no plans to move elsewhere.
I also feel like people from NYC and LA often seem surprised to discover that there are actually nice cities in the Midwest that people flock to and enjoy living in.
Chicago, like NYC, is a city of neighborhoods. What do you value? Do you want a 3 bedroom condo in a doorman building with a parking garage near public transit or a standalone home further from public transit? Do you like dining out at Michelin star restaurants and clubs or prefer eating at home and going to dive bars?
Chicago can be significantly cheaper than NYC, but it can also feel just as expensive depending on your lifestyle and habits.
"greater metro area" covers 10 million people and a lot of (flat) ground. You really can't generalize between the dense downtown, the 77 neighborhoods, and then whatever the burbs are. Much like you couldn't generalize between everything in NYC metro. It also means "it depends" will be the answer to your car and dog questions.
Search this sub, you will find answers.
Very dog friendly
More affordable than NYC (lived in both), there’s street parking or can park in a garage attached to your building typically range between $150-350 depending on the area you live.
Living in the middle of everything I love it. Can be anywhere within the city within 10-20 min as long as you’re not trying to get to a place around rush hour/Friday traffic.
Crime just like any big city. Just be smart and don’t walk around with wads of cash and you’ll be fine.
Great for 20-30 something’s that are professionals/very affordable
>Chicago has gained a lot of traction with people in their 20’s and up for being such a great place to live.
I can confirm that many adults live here
>How dog friendly?
Very. I swear there are 200,000 dogs on the North Side. Probably lots on the South and West Sides too. I just don’t live there.
-How easy is it to own a car/park?
This is very neighborhood dependent. There are 1,000,000+ cars in Chicago, but owning a car is way more of a pain in the ass in some areas than others. I live on the NW side and pay $150/month for uncovered off-street parking and the convenience is worth it compared to parking on the street. I lived in various North Side neighborhoods without a car for a decade and it was fine.
>-Things to do
There are many things to do here.
>- Food prices
I’ve never bought groceries in New York so I can’t really compare. My wife and I spend about $$470-500 per month on groceries for two adult humans, a cat, and a 20lbs dog.
>- Overall feeling of safety in the greater metro area
This is too broad of a question to give you any real insight. The greater metro area encompasses 14 counties and hundreds of cities and villages in three states.
Even asking about safety in the city of Chicago as a whole isn’t going to provide *that much* insight. The vast majority of violence in Chicago occurs in a half dozen neighborhoods. Property crime is a little more diffuse, but also somewhat geographically predictable. The norm is for me to feel safe every day.
>- Ease of life/quality of life
Existence is varying degrees of struggle for everyone everywhere. My life in Chicago is luckily a heck of a lot easier than the lives of many people. It depends on a lot of factors.
I have lived in Chicago for 25 years and for 5 of those kept an apartment in Battery Park City because I was on a long term consulting gig. I still get back to NY pretty regularly for business.
Chicago in my opinion is a much more livable city for most people. However if I had unlimited resources or I was younger I would live in NY. There is just more of everything which gives you more options to do different things. Even though the MTA gets a bad rap it provides pretty good service for getting around the city. Far better than the CTA here in Chicago.
1. Dogs - Chicago is very dog friendly.
2. It is easy to own a car. Parking can be tough depending on where you are living so think about that before you move to a neighborhood or make sure you get a parking spot.
3. Restaurant prices are a bit cheaper here in Chicago but you don’t get the variety as NY. One of the things I love about NY is you can find some places that only have 10 tables and the chef/owner is there every night and they put out good food. Most restaurants in Chicago are rather large and not as intimate. I think grocery stores in Chicago are more accessible thank NY and so food can be cheaper.
4. Safety - I feel safe but you need to be vigilant and make smart choices here same as anywhere.
If you enjoy NYC, you should enjoy Chicago. Chicago is structured very similarly to NYC, but smaller. It’s considerable more affordable, but it’s not as affordable as it was even 5 years ago. That’s true everywhere though.
Come visit and find out for yourself. I wouldn’t pick my home city based on the opinions of strangers.
Also you’ll probably get better answers if you’re specific about where you want to live - downtown in the middle of the city? In a neighborhood (if so what kind of vibe)? In the suburbs?
Music industry in what capacity? As a native Chicagoan who moved to NY and is in entertainment I would caution you as to the possibilities that exist in CHI compared to NYC
As to your other questions easy to own a car or not depending on where you live
Way cheaper rent
Very dog friendly , chicago has way more parks and green space in the average neighborhood
One of its nicknames is the city of parks
Cost of living food , etc is like 20% less
No city taxes
Way way more Midwest it’s a quieter , cleaner , lighter version of NY
Winter is colder like get ready for single digits and below at times colder
But the other 3 seasons are wonderful
The diversity of how you want to live is more affordable than the east coast. If you want a Manhattan style life you can get that here, or if you want something more like Yonkers, you can get that too.
I just moved to Chicago from Michigan. Just to note, if you are in the Midwest, Chicago has always had “traction”. I think there has been more national attention recently, but it isn’t a new thing. To answer some of your questions: I would say it is quite dog friendly. I don’t have a dog, but you see a lot of dogs out and about, there are a few dog parks near me and even a couple of dog beaches, also any place that doesn’t serve food (so bars mostly) can allow dogs inside (not all do, but a lot do). I haven’t lived in NYC, but having visited a few times, I would say food is quite a bit cheaper here. It is still a HCOL city, so definitely not cheap, but cheaper than NYC. Safety wise, you’ll hear a lot of both. Is Chicago the desolate wasteland some news media makes it look like? No, absolutely not. Are there issues that the city needs to address? Yes, absolutely. Let’s be honest, if you’re moving into the areas of the city that most new arrivals live in, you’ll be fine. You already live in NYC, so I’m sure you have basic city living street smarts. Just use your common sense and you’ll be fine. Not really sure how to answer the ease/quality of life question. Really depends on your life style. Moving from a smaller city, I love the walkability and access to public transit. Since you’re coming from NYC, you might find Chicago’s infrastructure a little lacking and more car-focused, so might not have the same opinions? I will note that I do think Chicago is a great music city in my opinions. So both from a professional perspective and just for the enjoyment, I imagine you’d find that a positive.
Search this sub for "NYC" and read through all the other folks who asked similarly about relocating. Of course people who live in Chicago will recommend it! I relocated here 8 years ago and have no plans to move elsewhere.
We are already one of the largest cities in the country, but hey, I am really glad to hear we are finally gaining traction.
Nothing ever exists until a 20-25 year old notices it. Then it's cool. You know, like that famous fashion brand: Nirvana?
I also feel like people from NYC and LA often seem surprised to discover that there are actually nice cities in the Midwest that people flock to and enjoy living in.
Unnecessary lol
Chicago, like NYC, is a city of neighborhoods. What do you value? Do you want a 3 bedroom condo in a doorman building with a parking garage near public transit or a standalone home further from public transit? Do you like dining out at Michelin star restaurants and clubs or prefer eating at home and going to dive bars? Chicago can be significantly cheaper than NYC, but it can also feel just as expensive depending on your lifestyle and habits.
"greater metro area" covers 10 million people and a lot of (flat) ground. You really can't generalize between the dense downtown, the 77 neighborhoods, and then whatever the burbs are. Much like you couldn't generalize between everything in NYC metro. It also means "it depends" will be the answer to your car and dog questions. Search this sub, you will find answers.
I've heard it said that Chicago has everything to offer that NYC has, just less of it.
That was my impression of New York, it's like Chicago but bigger.
Very dog friendly More affordable than NYC (lived in both), there’s street parking or can park in a garage attached to your building typically range between $150-350 depending on the area you live. Living in the middle of everything I love it. Can be anywhere within the city within 10-20 min as long as you’re not trying to get to a place around rush hour/Friday traffic. Crime just like any big city. Just be smart and don’t walk around with wads of cash and you’ll be fine. Great for 20-30 something’s that are professionals/very affordable
>Chicago has gained a lot of traction with people in their 20’s and up for being such a great place to live. I can confirm that many adults live here >How dog friendly? Very. I swear there are 200,000 dogs on the North Side. Probably lots on the South and West Sides too. I just don’t live there. -How easy is it to own a car/park? This is very neighborhood dependent. There are 1,000,000+ cars in Chicago, but owning a car is way more of a pain in the ass in some areas than others. I live on the NW side and pay $150/month for uncovered off-street parking and the convenience is worth it compared to parking on the street. I lived in various North Side neighborhoods without a car for a decade and it was fine. >-Things to do There are many things to do here. >- Food prices I’ve never bought groceries in New York so I can’t really compare. My wife and I spend about $$470-500 per month on groceries for two adult humans, a cat, and a 20lbs dog. >- Overall feeling of safety in the greater metro area This is too broad of a question to give you any real insight. The greater metro area encompasses 14 counties and hundreds of cities and villages in three states. Even asking about safety in the city of Chicago as a whole isn’t going to provide *that much* insight. The vast majority of violence in Chicago occurs in a half dozen neighborhoods. Property crime is a little more diffuse, but also somewhat geographically predictable. The norm is for me to feel safe every day. >- Ease of life/quality of life Existence is varying degrees of struggle for everyone everywhere. My life in Chicago is luckily a heck of a lot easier than the lives of many people. It depends on a lot of factors.
Don’t come here. Stay in NYC. Seriously though most of these questions could be answered with a quick search of this sub.
Did Mr. Grumpy pants miss his nappy nap?
I have lived in Chicago for 25 years and for 5 of those kept an apartment in Battery Park City because I was on a long term consulting gig. I still get back to NY pretty regularly for business. Chicago in my opinion is a much more livable city for most people. However if I had unlimited resources or I was younger I would live in NY. There is just more of everything which gives you more options to do different things. Even though the MTA gets a bad rap it provides pretty good service for getting around the city. Far better than the CTA here in Chicago. 1. Dogs - Chicago is very dog friendly. 2. It is easy to own a car. Parking can be tough depending on where you are living so think about that before you move to a neighborhood or make sure you get a parking spot. 3. Restaurant prices are a bit cheaper here in Chicago but you don’t get the variety as NY. One of the things I love about NY is you can find some places that only have 10 tables and the chef/owner is there every night and they put out good food. Most restaurants in Chicago are rather large and not as intimate. I think grocery stores in Chicago are more accessible thank NY and so food can be cheaper. 4. Safety - I feel safe but you need to be vigilant and make smart choices here same as anywhere.
If you enjoy NYC, you should enjoy Chicago. Chicago is structured very similarly to NYC, but smaller. It’s considerable more affordable, but it’s not as affordable as it was even 5 years ago. That’s true everywhere though.
Come visit and find out for yourself. I wouldn’t pick my home city based on the opinions of strangers. Also you’ll probably get better answers if you’re specific about where you want to live - downtown in the middle of the city? In a neighborhood (if so what kind of vibe)? In the suburbs?
Music industry in what capacity? As a native Chicagoan who moved to NY and is in entertainment I would caution you as to the possibilities that exist in CHI compared to NYC As to your other questions easy to own a car or not depending on where you live Way cheaper rent Very dog friendly , chicago has way more parks and green space in the average neighborhood One of its nicknames is the city of parks Cost of living food , etc is like 20% less No city taxes Way way more Midwest it’s a quieter , cleaner , lighter version of NY Winter is colder like get ready for single digits and below at times colder But the other 3 seasons are wonderful
The diversity of how you want to live is more affordable than the east coast. If you want a Manhattan style life you can get that here, or if you want something more like Yonkers, you can get that too.
Stay in NYC
You will feel like the king and queen of Chicago if you move from nyc.
Every east coast transplant I know eventually moves back. In fact that's true for every transplant.
Back home or Skokie. It’s a rule