Relocating to Chicago from UK – any advice and info much appreciated!
Hello all,
Just wondering if there is anybody on here in Chicago and if so, I would be really interested in hearing your opinions on the city and suburbs - any useful info is much appreciated e.g. taxes, general feel for the place, what’s the music scene like, nice areas ti live etc?
Also, anybody on here a CFP qualified Financial Adviser in Chicago?
Fantastic city. I’ve gone for Lollapalooza the past 3 years. The people are so nice, public transportation is a dream, and it’s a great place to discover new music. Enjoy. I’m jealous.
Brilliant - Thanks for that Bassgoesmeow - looking forward to it, just got loads of research to do before we make the jump!
E[quote=“crumarbit, post:1, topic:53285, username:crumarbit”]
Hello all,
Just wondering if there is anybody on here in Chicago and if so, I would be really interested in hearing your opinions on the city and suburbs - any useful info is much appreciated e.g. taxes, general feel for the place, what’s the music scene like, nice areas ti live etc?
Also, anybody on here a CFP qualified Financial Adviser in Chicago?
[/quote]
I’m in Chicago. The music scene is really hit or miss depending on what you’re into. As far as where to live, it’s really dependent on your budget and style. Wicker Park was the big hipster neighborhood years ago, but now it’s mostly yuppies. There are still good venues there though. Lincoln Park is the ultimate yuppie neighborhood. Logan Square is pretty nice and still relatively cheap. Avondale is the new hipster neighborhood. Humboldt Park is relatively cheap, but has some pretty sketchy areas. Logan does too though tbh. More details would help.
Chicago is a great city. The culinary scene is among the best in the world. There are great museums. Summers are fantastic. Bars are fun.
There are lots issues too. Taxes are high. The south side is among the most dangerous places in the western world, as are parts of the North and west side. The city is also very segregated, which is a shame.
I’ve heard people say that Chicago and NYC are the only true urban cities in the US.
One of my closest friends is a Financial Advisor at Deutsche Bank.
Lakeview is where music goes to die.
Unless your idea of a good time is listening to the same Miley cirrus song four times in a single hour, Lakeview/Lincoln park is the place to avoid. Wicker park is hit or miss - it can have some cool stuff but the amount of yuppies there can definitely make a night out at a spot lean towards the douchy. Pilsen has got a lot of interesting parties there because of how cheap some of the spaces can be - but that also comes at the cost of crime. Most of the south side isn’t as bad as people try to paint it, but the parts that get bad get real bad. Most of the cities shootings are on the far south side, ha most of the west side, Humboldt park, and Rogers park in the north… So basically all over the city
Thank you both for your response, much appreciated! Music wise, I like artists such as Four Tet, Vakula, Floating Points, Space Dimension Controller and just good old house music (certainly not Miley Cirrus)!
I am 33, married and have a 14 month old daughter so I don’t expect to get out much, it would be nice to know that there are people with similar taste in music in the area though.
I would also be interested in your definition of Yuppie – I take it to be a good earner, middle class professional with a city job and healthy lifestyle – unfortunately it can also relate to individuals classed as snobs (people who think that they are better than others).
For me, I would like to be in an area that is family focused, friendly (as we will really need to get meeting people as we will be on our own their), low crime rate (one of my big concerns with the move), good schools, transportation into the city etc.
We have been looking at:
Glen Ellyn
Winnetka
Northbrook
Highland Park
Lincoln Park
Any other areas you could recommend we look at will be great (especially some urban areas with an easy commute into the city and places closer to the city). We will be out for 3 months towards the end of the year and see how it goes. If we like it, we will head back over for 6 months and then make the leap from there.
I would also like to get an idea with regards to the tax system so I can try and work out a budget and was hoping to speak with a Financial Adviser based in the US as we will also need to get an idea regarding insurance, medicare etc.
I am also a CFP qualified Financial Adviser and would be very interested speaking with practising advisers in Chicago so that I can get an idea for how business works, potential income, opinions on whether or not being British will affect me gathering clients etc.
It would also be good to get a real perspective of the crime in the city – is it really as bad as the media make it out to be (e.g. highest crime rate in the US with more people shot dead than soldiers in Afghanistan)?
Are all the shootings and violent crime between gangs etc. or does this spill over and affect everyone?
Once again, thank you for your input, all invaluable advice!
Neil
If you’ll be working in the city, you’ll probably want to live in the city. IMO, you’ll have a much better experience by actually living within the limits. I’d look into these neighborhoods: Lincoln Square, Andersonville, Roscoe Village, Avondale, South Loop, West Loop. All these neighborhoods are full of young families.
Thanks very much b1sh0p 
B1sh0p, I was born and raised on the south side of the Chi. Its not THAT bad…
…alright its pretty fucked up.
I moved from the UK to US 10 years ago. Hit me up if you need any ex-pat advice
i want to say no, but yes. its easy to be oblivious to it, but its there.
most of the conflicts, in most of the city, doesnt have much spill over - but certain parts theres a lot of spill.
that being said nearly every place you mentioned isnt in chicago, and all of them are wholesome and all that for family/kids. ha just stay clear of the west side. a lot of gunplay over there
don’t get shot…
welcome to America, we all have guns