MajesticBread9147 OP t1_j35kdj2 wrote on January 6, 2023 at 4:31 AM

Reply to comment by endlessly_apollo in What is the best close-ish city to visit for the first time? by MajesticBread9147

I included Chicago because I have done a lot of reading on the city already and thought I would love to move there. A big city, with goog public transportation, jobs, and it's CHEAP. On e of my favorite hobbies is to "travel" to places on Google Street view, and Chicago is one of my favorite places to "visit".

Then I discovered that when people say Chicago is cold, that means it sometimes gets in the double digits negatives which I didn't know was possible in the continental U.S. so kind of scrapped that idea, but I still want to go there sometime in my life.

endlessly_apollo t1_j35ktl0 wrote on January 6, 2023 at 4:35 AM

Interesting. Lived there for a few months. It’s pretty amazing. Huge city feel but cheaper COL than DC. I left because October was so cold and everyone said it only get colder.

MajesticBread9147 OP t1_j35l512 wrote on January 6, 2023 at 4:37 AM

Yeah, although I'm honestly convinced it won't be low cost of living for long. Not being susceptible to sea level rise or drought should be a big determining factor in future housing values nationally before many people think.

aafdttp2137 t1_j35qn1j wrote on January 6, 2023 at 5:29 AM

It's not LCOL. Even Chicago's outer burbs are MCOL.

Agree 100% - the current and future changes in climate should absolutely be more prevalent in housing valuation.

lizzylulu957 t1_j36qv91 wrote on January 6, 2023 at 12:44 PM

Chicago was called the Windy City because of the politicians but the actual wind there is no joke, especially in the winter.

Seconding one of the other comments though, Chicago isn't actually a cheap city, unless you're comparing it to SF.

Appropriate-Ad-4148 t1_j36xxm5 wrote on January 6, 2023 at 1:46 PM

It's cheap compared to the other 5 big, dense, American cities - LA, SF, DC, NYC, Boston.

A 2b/2b, say looking over the lake in Chicago on a high floor, is typically going to be a lot cheaper than one on the water in Seattle, or right in downtown Portland or Austin, or downtown Denver or Miami.