I am planning to move to chicago from cali. Need more info on city ex. jobs, housing, party scene 
?
I tried looking on the net but all i got was lame info. I want someone who actually lives there to give me their opinion and advice. thanks!
How much do you want to spend for rent/condo purchase, etc? That will determine the type of neighborhood you live in, what you’ll be near, maybe even what job you get. You can find studios for as cheap as $500 or a one bedroom as cheap as $600. Some will be cheap and nice. some will be cheap and … well, cheap. Depends on where you go. Edgewater and Rogers Park have cheap, decent apartments. Wicker Park USED to have cheap apartments but now… forget it!. Try the Chicago Reader website (do a search). They have a form that let you put in the type of apartment you are looking for and the rent range you are seeking and will filter it out for you. Once you see something you like, make note of the neighborhood and go over the the Chicago Police Department website to take a look at crime date. Now, Chicago is a big city and guess what? it has crime! But some places have it more than others. Do your homework on this. But the bottom line is that you don’t have to be afraid in Chicago if you learn to be a big city dweller and don’t do stupid things (don’t go to a “house party” with a relative stranger, know which streets to avoid – that one alley without street lights? probably not a good idea to take that short cut). Be street aware and you’ll be fine.
As for job, again it depends on your profession. There are a lot of new shops opening up on State street and commercial districts are expanding all the time. And many major corporations are still moving their base of operations here all the time.
The party scene is great. People are amazed when they come here to find out that a lot of bars and clubs stay open to 4 a.m on the weekdays and 5 a.m. on the weekends. Clubs open and close here every week so there’s always something to do. We have a whole shytload of live music venues, from rock to blues to hip hop to salsa to you-name-it. Every major musical artist in the world HAS to pass through Chicago. Bruce Springsteen was just here and Lollapalooza is on the way (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Common, Kanye West, Wilco…). Pick your musical style and you’ll find it playing somewhere here.
It’s a great city and gets a bum rap from hick from small towns who can’t handle the pace and aren’t used to being around a city of more than a million people and don’t seem to realize that with that many people there is bond to be crime. They’re scared and shocked when they hear about a murder that occurs on the other side of town! They should just stay home in Tiddleburg, kansas. But if you’re ready for the pace, the people, the big city life, Chicgao is a perfect mix of NYC hutzpah and LA laid back cool. And we have a lake!
Mary – Breast Cancer Survivor
