Crime isn't as big a problem as people think it is (it's isolated to a few long-disadvantaged neighborhoods), it's affordable, cars are optional, and we have two airports to escape the winter weather.
Really depends on where you live and want to be. This is true everywhere (NYC, SF, Seattle, etc.)
I spent many years in NYC and only knew 1 person who owned a car.
By contrast, when I lived in Chicago, I was the only person without a car.
Chicago compared to anything not east coast is a life changing experience in terms of transit.
Yes, it's getting harder and more expensive. When I first moved to Chicago in 2004 though, it was cheap ($1100/mo for a 2BR apartment) to live a few stops from the loop off the blue line. That is rapidly changing, but still plenty of cheap transit-friendly locations if you're not super picky.
I'll take the train instead.
[+] http://midwest.chicagofedblogs.org/?p=3096 (How Should the State of Illinois Pay for its Unfunded Pension Liability? The Case for a Statewide Residential Property Tax)
If voter demographics keep rebalancing towards the young and un-pensioned, those pensions will probably be slashed quite a bit.
“Benefits to public employees are protected under the Illinois Constitution, and a recent attempt to reduce the unfunded liability by reducing retirees’ benefits was struck down by the Illinois Supreme Court”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/ct-illinois-pension-law-court-...
Which can be amended if there is popular will. I don’t think state pensions are enforceable under federal law.
The number of people over in the brackets over 60 is substantially less than the younger brackets. Median age of the US population is 37.9.
Going back farther in history (like 1930 and before), the population pyramid did look quite different, though. There's a fun tool here to check it out (1900-2000): https://www.census.gov/dataviz/visualizations/055/
Pretty similar to how the Bay Area operates (you get to stay if you're rich or continue to grind, otherwise you have to GTFO).
States are sovereign, it's more likely that when the shit hits the fan with state/local debt and broader economic conditions that the states will just stop paying and renegotiate general obligations. Look at what is happening with puerto rico, and think about how it would play out in a scenario where the Federal government has more limited ability to drive anything.
By getting the whole "municipality" thing out of the way and falling under county jurisdiction, property taxes are reasonable (and we pay for emergency services from adjacent municipalities), lot sizes are bigger, more choice over who delivers our services (like, say, trash), and we have the benefits of both Chicago and the surrounding areas.
Granted, Cook County and the State of Illinois all have their problems with unfunded pensions, but removing one layer definitely helps.
The job opportunities for people newly graduating are piss poor in Chicago compared to elsewhere. A lot of old opinions on work prevail, compared to new flexibility in working that we're seeing.
Also, having lived in the suburbs for a while, I was shocked how much casual racism is present there.
Chicago is in many ways trapped in the past. It's corrupt and dirty. When I see billboards for strip clubs above sprawling concrete freeways, I know I'm in Chicago.
Why does this shock you in a city with such a ridiculously high crime rate for specific demographics? People are making conclusions - some of them less than ideal - based on observation. The only way that's going to stop is if the murder rate stops being similar to a sub-saharan african country.
The city isn't exactly a strip bar destination due to laws that forbid serving alcohol at establishments that permit nudity. The suburbs around it are different story.
It's quite well planned having burned down earlier.
And generally imports recent college grads.
Don't move to California then as it's probably one of the most shockingly(it's California!) racist places I've ever lived. And I'm from Chicago!