Relocating? This isThe Thread for YOU!

RedefinedDiva · #1 05-16-2007, 02:01 AM

Any opinions of Chicago? A bunch of folks have gotten jobs there from my school. I've never been, but I have one classmate that is originally from Chicago and says she will NEVER go back. What's up with the Chi?

Proverbs31 · #2 05-16-2007, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedefinedDiva

Any opinions of Chicago? A bunch of folks have gotten jobs there from my school. I've never been, but I have one classmate that is originally from Chicago and says she will NEVER go back. What's up with the Chi?

This really surprises me. I guess I would call Chicago my second home from visiting my dads side of the family over the years, and I LOVE it! Of course some areas are better than others, as is the case with most cities. But from what I understand there are LOTS of job opportunities there for professionals, the night life is excellent and there is always some type of cultural festival, play, concert etc. going on in the city. I'll actually be moving there in less than 3 months for law school and I plan to start my career there. If you have any specific questions about the city, feel free to PM me.

unspokenone25 · #3 05-16-2007, 10:13 AM

Now Soror RD, you know that I love Houston (born and raised and coming back at the end of the month) but I'm not going to tell you to come here. I have a lot of friends for law school as well getting jobs in Chicago. But it is called the Windy City and my little azz would blow away.

The reason that I'm not going to tell you to come to Houston: IMO, it's boring as hell. Maybe because I'm from Houston but there is no excitement to the city. The transportation sucks. The H looks like a big slab of concrete. Although I would rather live in Houston than Dallas, that's not saying a lot.

Keep your options open. If I could, I would move back to DC (or the surrounding areas) in a second. Yes, the cost of living is high but I just love that part of the country. It's much more progressive.

SummerChild · #4 05-16-2007, 11:28 AM

Congrats Proverbs! I think you and I briefly discussed your possibility of going to lawschool there, right?
Congrats!
SC

Quote:

Originally Posted by Proverbs31

This really surprises me. I guess I would call Chicago my second home from visiting my dads side of the family over the years, and I LOVE it! Of course some areas are better than others, as is the case with most cities. But from what I understand there are LOTS of job opportunities there for professionals, the night life is excellent and there is always some type of cultural festival, play, concert etc. going on in the city. I'll actually be moving there in less than 3 months for law school and I plan to start my career there. If you have any specific questions about the city, feel free to PM me.

Proverbs31 · #5 05-16-2007, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SummerChild

Congrats Proverbs! I think you and I briefly discussed your possibility of going to lawschool there, right?
Congrats!
SC

Yes we did, thank you!

unspokenone25 · #6 05-16-2007, 12:15 PM

^^^
Congrats, Proverbs! You got a lot of people here on GC to get you through the three years of law school. Don't be afraid to utilize us.

The more I keep hearing about Chicago, the more I wonder if I should relocate up there!

RedefinedDiva · #7 05-16-2007, 01:02 PM

My friend that's originally from Chicago HATES the cold weather. I'm sure that I would traumatized by it as well. There is no such thing as winter in Louisiana. LOL! But, I keep hearing how great Chicago is. I'll be up there in mid-August for a job fair, so I'll see what all the fuss is about. One of my friends just went there for a summer job. Hopefully he'll get an offer and then I'll be able to visit whenever I like.

SummerChild · #8 05-16-2007, 02:04 PM

Soror, you know what they say - you can always go back from wherever you left. We only live one life and a year or two of cold weather never really killed anybody. It's a great city. I could tell you where to find all of the sorors b/c you know that it's AKAtown, right?

Nothing but AKA license plates as far as the eye can see. We definitely run Chicago.

Ok, I'll stop now....

But seriously, many people never really get out of their own backyard. Many from down south have never really lived in or seen the snow. Many from up north have never seen countrysides or anything but the "concrete jungle." I encourage you to venture to someplace different from where you've ever been - no matter where you decide to go. Even if, as we mentioned earlier, you want to spend a year or two or three out of the country. You can always go back to a city or state that's similar to what you are accustomed to. This is a great and fun time of your life. You can literally go anywhere where you want to go so venture out. You only live once. Lucky you!

How many people get an opp in their lives to throw the net open to *wherever* they want to live.

Also, I lived in NJ for awhile and enjoyed visiting Philly from time to time. Philly also seems like a cool place. It was also listed as one of the top cities for AAs.

SC

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedefinedDiva

My friend that's originally from Chicago HATES the cold weather. I'm sure that I would traumatized by it as well. There is no such thing as winter in Louisiana. LOL! But, I keep hearing how great Chicago is. I'll be up there in mid-August for a job fair, so I'll see what all the fuss is about. One of my friends just went there for a summer job. Hopefully he'll get an offer and then I'll be able to visit whenever I like.

Little32 · #9 05-16-2007, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedefinedDiva

Any opinions of Chicago? A bunch of folks have gotten jobs there from my school. I've never been, but I have one classmate that is originally from Chicago and says she will NEVER go back. What's up with the Chi?

I am from Chicago (raised there anyway) and I think that it is a great city. Lots of cultural activity, museums, festivals, theater, music, a lot of diversity in that respect. Of course, Lake Michigan is beautiful, my family has a home a couple of blocks from the lake. Public transportation is good--you almost don't need a car--and the shopping is pretty good too.
The complaint that I have heard most often about Chicago is the weather--its cold and often gray during the winter which lasts really from November to April (so if you do not like the cold, it is probably not the place for you). Also, housing is becoming increasingly expensive, especially if you want to live anywhere near the city. There are some neighborhoods that are being revitalizing about 15 mins from downtown (on the southside which is where most of us live), but those prices are rising quickly too.
If you enjoy cold weather, and I am probably the only person on the board that prefers cold to heat, Chicago is a pretty nice city to live in.

SummerChild · #10 05-16-2007, 11:18 AM

Soror RD,
Being born and raised in Chicago too, I co-sign with everything Little32 has said. It's a great place for AA professionals and tons to do if you like museums, etc. It is often said that there is no better place to be in the summer than Chicago. Now, the emphasis there is "in the summer." If you are ok with the cold, below zero temperatures and gray, dark skies from November to April, as Little32 said, you are good. It is more expensive than down south but it is a very reasonably-priced northern city. It is nowhere near the cost of living (esp. for real estate) as say a DC, a NY or an LA - yet, it is just as cosmopolitan. If you're just interested in renting for now, I could point you to areas that I lived in in Hyde Park over near the lake with one bedrooms from 675-875 per month, radiant heat so you only pay electricity and cooking gas. There are lots of professionals in this area. Also, it is a bit of a student community b/c UChicago is there also, so it can be a bit of a walking community the closer you are to the lake. I took the #2 or the #6 right past my house straight into downtown so it's convenient into downtown. If you want something out in the suburbs, the commute is longer (I think it's about 45 minutes to an hour) but there are nice places out there too. Sububs not so nice if you don't drive, however. There are also other places in the city that you may like. But trust that it is *real* inner city life. My parents live in GA so I know the Atlanta (or other souther inner cities that I have seen) are not quite like what I would consider to be inner city - buses all the time, train stops in walking distance, etc.. This is Chicago so if that's what you like, it may be cool for you.

Chicago is more fast-paced than say any other city in the midwest, if that's what you like. It is also true that you can survive w/out a car. One of our sorors has been doing it for over 5-7 years now and she sees all sorts of plays, etc. downtown regularly. The reason that I moved from Chicago was b/c I got tired of the dark, gray skies for so much of the year. It was kind of dreary and depressing to me. But during that season, the sun does manage to peek through at least once every couple of days for a little while, for a very little while, at least. I also got tired of watching the news each night from Nov to March to see if there was going to be a snowstorm and, hence, I would have to get up even earlier to shovel my car out. Then I got tired of my car getting stuck in the snow on the streets when I parked on the street or my car getting stuck in the main thoroughfare of my gated lot b/c my management was too trifling to have the snow trucks out there at a reasonable hour. It is one thing to deal with snow and bad weather when you have a parent that will go out and shovel your car out for you and warm your car up and scrape the ice off the windows for you, as a teenager, and quite another when you have to do it yourself.

But if you're cool with the cold and gray skies won't bother you, then Chicago is a great place!

SC

Let me know if you have specific questions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Little32

I am from Chicago (raised there anyway) and I think that it is a great city. Lots of cultural activity, museums, festivals, theater, music, a lot of diversity in that respect. Of course, Lake Michigan is beautiful, my family has a home a couple of blocks from the lake. Public transportation is good--you almost don't need a car--and the shopping is pretty good too.
The complaint that I have heard most often about Chicago is the weather--its cold and often gray during the winter which lasts really from November to April (so if you do not like the cold, it is probably not the place for you). Also, housing is becoming increasingly expensive, especially if you want to live anywhere near the city. There are some neighborhoods that are being revitalizing about 15 mins from downtown (on the southside which is where most of us live), but those prices are rising quickly too.
If you enjoy cold weather, and I am probably the only person on the board that prefers cold to heat, Chicago is a pretty nice city to live in.

Obsession8 · #11 05-17-2007, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Little32

I am probably the only person on the board that prefers cold to heat.

No, you're not, soror. It's the lesser of the two "evils" for me, which is one of the reasons I can't wait to go back home to AK once my "stay" here in The 5th Circle of Hell is over. If I were to stay here in LA, it'd have to be in Baton Rouge (where most of *my* fam ended up post-Katrina). As far as other options go, I'll co-sign with the majority in considering Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas (in that order).

Now, back ttt...

RedefinedDiva · #12 05-17-2007, 02:03 AM

How did you wind up in Louisiana ALLLLLLL the way from Alaska?

Obsession8 · #13 05-17-2007, 03:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedefinedDiva

How did you wind up in Louisiana ALLLLLLL the way from Alaska?

LOL, soror! I get that a lot. I'm originally from LA (Kenner; most of my fam on both sides still lives here), but moved to AK when I was little. So, it's "home" for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SummerChild

Soror would somebody PLEASE tell me the fascination with Atl? My parents caught the Atl bug and moved there back in 1990 and even then people had been flocking there. So I've lived there but, um, why are the masses going there? I might just move on back to be with family, especially now that i have a niece, but here's my viewpoint:

1. it's hard for many people (ex: teachers) to get a job b/c everybody and their mother is moving there and market is oversaturated to some extent
2. the ratio of single and heterosexual AA men to AA women is approximately 3 to 10 (lol) or something like that - does anybody know a woman who was not in college at the au who moved to atlanta and actually found a man that wasn't already married to somebody else?
3. it's not that scenic - there's no water, no mountains, no beaches
4. it gets kinda cold in the winter for it to be the south

so really ya'll, what gives? i love seeing that AA girl in the mural when I come up the escalators at the airport and i love the numbers of AAs. is that basically it?

do tell b/c a sister has been going there at least 5-6 times a year since i graduated from college there in 97 and i don't see it.
what.is.the.fascination?
SC

I see where you're comin' from, soror. I see those as (relative) weak points as well (I'll add bad traffic/gridlock as #5). But, I have fam there...lived there during my junior high school years...went to Spelman for a year (94-95), etc. So, I have roots there as well. I'm always chomping at the bit to go visit, especially now that I'm an auntie (and anything to get out of Monroe for a while

). I guess my personal fascination with The ATL can be summed up in two words: SHOPPING (i.e. Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza) and EATING (i.e. The Cheesecake Factory {my fav restaurant, Olive Garden is a close second}, other local and franchises not in LA or AK, etc.), namely the former. I'm just shallow that way. As long as I have those things, I can make do.

icebrAKA · #14 05-17-2007, 09:16 AM

Sorors yall read my mind!

Alaska to Louisiana, Wow. Baton Rouge is a great city in Louisiana. I know that I couldn't live in Northern Louisiana. For some reason Atl is not on my "to-do" list. I'm sorry yall but I prefer to be in diverse settings. Not in settings in where one race is the dominant race. Plus the hetero rate to homo rate is a lil scary for me.(I'm just being real)

SummerChild · #15 05-17-2007, 02:16 AM

Soror would somebody PLEASE tell me the fascination with Atl? My parents caught the Atl bug and moved there back in 1990 and even then people had been flocking there. So I've lived there but, um, why are the masses going there? I might just move on back to be with family, especially now that i have a niece, but here's my viewpoint:

1. it's hard for many people (ex: teachers) to get a job b/c everybody and their mother is moving there and market is oversaturated to some extent
2. the ratio of single and heterosexual AA men to AA women is approximately 3 to 10 (lol) or something like that - does anybody know a woman who was not in college at the au who moved to atlanta and actually found a man that wasn't already married to somebody else?
3. it's not that scenic - there's no water, no mountains, no beaches
4. it gets kinda cold in the winter for it to be the south

so really ya'll, what gives? i love seeing that AA girl in the mural when I come up the escalators at the airport and i love the numbers of AAs. is that basically it?

do tell b/c a sister has been going there at least 5-6 times a year since i graduated from college there in 97 and i don't see it.
what.is.the.fascination?
SC

Quote:

Originally Posted by Obsession8

No, you're not, soror. It's the lesser of the two "evils" for me, which is one of the reasons I can't wait to go back home to AK once my "stay" here in The 5th Circle of Hell is over. If I were to stay here in LA, it'd have to be in Baton Rouge (where most of *my* fam ended up post-Katrina). As far as other options go, I'll co-sign with the majority in considering Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas (in that order).

Now, back ttt...