Posted by 757user | 09/09/09 10:46 PM EDT
if you live in chicago and are still a good person - move now!!! - stop waisting your life there!!!
Posted by schitcago | 09/18/08 05:19 PM EDT
I couldn't agree more w/ this article. Before I moved to Chicago, I was an energetic, friendly, & optimistic young woman. Now after 3 years here, I've turned into a cold-hearted, bitter bitch because of the transportation, the people, the things to do (or lack thereof), the unpredictable weather, and the rising crime rate.Stress to work: CTA commute could be 20 minutes, could be an hour and a half. Biking to work was me asking for an injury. I'm not even discussing the stress of my job!
Driving: There's always traffic. Off-hours on a summer night=construction. Off-hours in winter=ice.
Parking: the only easy time for street parking is a Sunday or weekday during work hours. Damage done to my car during the 3 years = too many tickets to count (mainly for street cleaning: the sign that means the city is running low on funds), 2 car break-ins, then a drunk driver totaled it while it was parked?and amidst the paperwork, the city towed the car b/c they thought it was abandoned!
People: perhaps 10% of the people who have to be nice to you (cashiers/servers) actually are. Commuters and others rushing around on the street definitely are nothing but rude. Everyone else is a tourist, so of course they're nice b/c they're on vacation!
Things to do: drink. And that's the only thing to do in the winter. Even some snow would be nice, but it's just bone-chilling cold?and windy. Summer, you can sit with bums in the parks or swim with corpses in the murky chilling waters of Lake Michigan. Maybe people find that sitting in traffic is fun?b/c they seem to do that a lot. Only the wealthiest can afford to be cultured by the museums and fancy restaurants and shows. Heck, even Oprah doesn't stick around this city she calls hers!
Neighborhoods: Live in a nice neighborhood that you can't afford, and that's a gold mine for robbers. Live in a poor neighborhood and the chances of getting hit by a stray bullet increase.
Chicago has no heart, no backbone, no life!
Posted by Argyle2700 | 05/04/09 03:22 PM EDT
A friend just forwarded this article to me. I have been living in Chicago for three years; moved from Western Michigan. I have decided to move...possibly to Charlotte, NC. CONS: cost of living, weather (7 months of winter!), corruption (city ALWYAYS looking for ways to take your money...i.e, city violations...those lovely bright orange violation notices slapped on your car..I think the officers get a commission for each one they write), congestion, traffic, pot holes, slow service on the CTA/brown line, etc. I made the mistake and bought a condo last fall...but after another horribly long winter, bad experience with a neighbor at my new condo, stolen holiday gift from my building, a totaled vehicle this winter, and city violations for stupid stuff (having a clear plastic cover over my license plate), I am out of here! PROS: the lake in the summer, cultural activities, ethnic diversity. And contrary to articles I've read, I would not consider this a number one place for singles...unless you are in your 20s. I had more dates in Western Michigan than what I've had in Chicago. I agree....Chicago is stressful!
Posted by nfin8god | 12/22/08 08:26 PM EST
i agree with macbarbi10 100% and crazii4life. As a Chicagoin myself all 37 yrs of my life and it seemed to have gotten worst...the people here has no morals not only for themselve but for other people. Chicago is a beautiful place...the flip side to our seeing is: it has to get better.
Everything came from dirt (dust)...
Everything came from dirt (dust)...
Posted by macbarbie10 | 12/21/08 09:27 PM EST
I think the segregation in this city is a huge problem. It's a very corrupt place to live. I actually love this city but things have gotten so bad here that I'm considering a move. Daley needs to be stoned how can we be in a deficit when he charges people to breathe?? Now there's going to be additional parking fees for everything.
Posted by yabbi | 12/21/08 09:16 PM EST
What do people in Chicago expect? They crowd themselves into an urban area that is a hub for business, then elect officials who do nothing but line their pockets with money collected in the name of improving 'infrastructure'. You get what you vote for - Blago, Daley, Stroger. You wanted 'em, you got 'em, you deserve 'em.
Posted by ChicagoReyna | 12/21/08 08:55 PM EST
Thanks to Mayor Daley for is mismanagement of Chicago, high and outrageous ticket cost, corruption in his administration, all his friends get all the best city contracts...etc..stress is an understatement...Daley needs to get out of town along with Blago..and take Stroger with you too! He has become such a terribel Mayor...Impeach Daley Now!
Posted by blackhawksfan54 | 09/29/08 04:23 PM EDT
Using the word 'Chicagoland' in this article, instead of Chicago, would make more sense.
After all, there is more to Cook County than just downtown and the ones who can afford to overlook the issues that are going on in this city, that other posters, are indeed doing themselves. Cook County residents pay so many taxes for benefits for this city- that the suburbanite residents hardly use as regularly as the downtown and city residents.
Chicagoland definitely deserves to be the #1 vote of most stressful places to live at this time. Since returning here in 2004, after growing up here. I have seen the changes, and Forbes is absolutely correct.
Add the illegal immigrant population that does occur on the south side of the city as well as the surrounding suburbs- less then 10 miles away from the downtown financial district, this city has been one of the most stressful to live in.
While downtowners may get to walk to the grocery store, many Chicagoland workers do have to 'ride in' on the train- and walk through the stampede each day, or deal with the daily nonsense traffic- just to have a job right now. Some, who have had employers complaining about employees being late regularly due to train delays with the brown line and also, Metra delays especially in the wintertime. Parking at $20 per day is absolutely ridiculous, compared with Dallas TX at less than half the cost per day.
Add the interstate and township road construction that is happening everywhere, a normal commute on I294 has risen from 30 minutes to 90 minutes plus, and has been an issue for some employers regarding time schedules for their employees.
While some of the Cities residents, namely the ones making executive level 250k+ annual salaries, who can afford to live in Wicker Park, Lakeview and the like, the types who either don't see or acknowledge the issues that are going on here in this city and its suburban area- shoud be aware the issues do exist. Cook county is more than just do
After all, there is more to Cook County than just downtown and the ones who can afford to overlook the issues that are going on in this city, that other posters, are indeed doing themselves. Cook County residents pay so many taxes for benefits for this city- that the suburbanite residents hardly use as regularly as the downtown and city residents.
Chicagoland definitely deserves to be the #1 vote of most stressful places to live at this time. Since returning here in 2004, after growing up here. I have seen the changes, and Forbes is absolutely correct.
Add the illegal immigrant population that does occur on the south side of the city as well as the surrounding suburbs- less then 10 miles away from the downtown financial district, this city has been one of the most stressful to live in.
While downtowners may get to walk to the grocery store, many Chicagoland workers do have to 'ride in' on the train- and walk through the stampede each day, or deal with the daily nonsense traffic- just to have a job right now. Some, who have had employers complaining about employees being late regularly due to train delays with the brown line and also, Metra delays especially in the wintertime. Parking at $20 per day is absolutely ridiculous, compared with Dallas TX at less than half the cost per day.
Add the interstate and township road construction that is happening everywhere, a normal commute on I294 has risen from 30 minutes to 90 minutes plus, and has been an issue for some employers regarding time schedules for their employees.
While some of the Cities residents, namely the ones making executive level 250k+ annual salaries, who can afford to live in Wicker Park, Lakeview and the like, the types who either don't see or acknowledge the issues that are going on here in this city and its suburban area- shoud be aware the issues do exist. Cook county is more than just do
Posted by JHChicago | 09/21/08 01:51 PM EDT
I've lived in Detroit, Atlanta, Dallas, Ann Arbor, and most recently, Chicago. While I think this topic is highly subjective, Chicago is by far the most stressful city I've lived in. Despite its endless attractions and fantastic neighborhoods, the bad weather and mind-boggling traffic alone hurt the quality of life here and induce stress. The transportation infrastructure is shameful -- Chicago is pothole central, parking is a catastrophe and the CTA is old, unreliable and very slow. O'Hare is an inefficient and stressful airport that can be hard even to reach, with only one, always-congested expressway leading from the city to it. And moving from neighborhood to neighborhood by any means is always a challenge. One economic note -- at 11.5% in most places, the sales tax is by far the highest in the nation. It's an ideal place if you live, work, and play in the same neighborhood, are well-off, and do not mind long, cold, wet winters.
