Chicago is known for strong public transit along with a rich food and cultural scene, according to residents. (Reddit)
The city encompasses 77 distinct neighborhoods, each offering its own character and identity. (domu.com, choosechicago.com)
Raising children in Chicago brings tradeoffs, with park and museum access weighed against public school and childcare concerns. (Reddit)
The job market is described by residents as highly competitive across both white collar and entry level positions. (Reddit, Reddit)
Nightlife energy appears uneven across neighborhoods, with some areas feeling quieter than they once were. (Reddit, Reddit)
“it just seemed dead on a Friday night” (a resident)
Who tends to love Chicago, IL
Foodies: Residents praise diverse food finds and top restaurant lists across the city.
Museum and arts fans: The Art Institute and Cultural Center are seen as world class attractions.
Healthcare seekers: Residents highlight top hospitals and specialty care systems like Northwestern and Rush.
Walkers and transit users: The city is seen as very walkable with great public transportation.
General impressions
Public transportation and the food and culture scene are described as great, though winters are super cold. People are generally friendly, public transportation is great, food and culture are great.(Reddit)
One resident lived in Chicago childless for years, moved away for work, and has now returned to rent in the suburbs. lived in Chicago for 8 years, childless. Then moved to Atlanta for work and have recently moved back(Reddit)
Nightlife and social
Old Town's bar row, including Benchmark, Woodies, and The Vig, draws a younger crowd on nights out. The row of bars you wanna hit will be all younger people.(Reddit)
Clark Street in Wrigleyville offers a dense cluster of bars with dives and sports options within a couple blocks. You want Clark St in Wrigleyville (take the red line to Addison).(Reddit)
One bar hopper found Bucktown and Wicker Park surprisingly dead on a Friday night despite occupied bars. I was bar hopping in bucktown and wicker park last night and it just seemed dead on a Friday night.(Reddit)
A longtime resident recalled that nightlife spots like Exit, Neo, Danny's, and Berlin used to be consistently crowded a decade ago. I remember about a decade ago places like Exit, Neo, Danny's, and Berlin (to name a few) were always crowded,(Reddit)
Jobs and work
One resident said Chicago's job market is insanely competitive and that they applied to 340 jobs. Chicago right now is insanely competitive for jobs. Applied to 340 jobs.(Reddit)
One resident found that salaries for jobs they are qualified for match the middle of private sector averages. the salary is right in the middle of the averages I've seen in the private sector(Reddit)
One resident works remotely in Chicago while collecting a salary from Georgia, which makes career growth hard to assess. collecting a Georgia salary while working remotely in chicago(Reddit)
One resident shared that their company eliminated the home office and they are now fully remote. My company got rid of their home office and I am working remote moving forward(Reddit)
Family and schools
One resident weighing the city for kids cited Chicago Public Schools and childcare affordability as drawbacks alongside park programs and museums. Chicago Park District, museums Cons: Chicago Public Schools, finding good and affordable childcare, lack of family friendly events(Reddit)
Making friends
One resident found it fairly easy to make friends in Chicago, noting many locals are from the area and tend to rely on existing networks Chicago is a bit different since a lot of folks are both/raised here and seem to rely on(Reddit)
One resident said that despite moving six months ago they have not made a single friend yet, admitting they have not really been trying I haven’t made a single friend yet. To be fair, I haven’t really been trying(Reddit)
Events and festivals
One resident named Evanston Space, Thalia Hall, Empty Bottle and Salt Shed as favorite venues for programming, views and sound. Great programming, solid views, solid sound, solid area(Reddit)
One resident analyzed about 1300 Chicago concert listings to find top genres by venue. I analyzed ~1300 Chicago concert listings to find top genres by venue(Reddit)
Seasons and weather
One resident said Chicago only has about two months of nice weather, in early summer and early fall, usually 75 to 80 at night. it's usually 75/80 at night(Reddit)
Healthcare
One resident said Chicago has some of the best hospitals in the nation and a highly ranked healthcare system overall. We have some of the best hospitals in the nation(Reddit)
One resident reported receiving the absolute best care from Northwestern Medicine in the Chicago area. The absolute BEST care I have ever received is from Northwestern Medicine(Reddit)
One resident named Northwestern, University of Chicago, and Rush as the top medical systems for specialty care in the city. Northwestern, University of Chicago and Rush are the best medical systems for specialty care(Reddit)
One resident listed top hospitals in the city of Chicago. Best hospitals in the state are Northwestern Memorial, University of Chicago MC, Rush University MC(Reddit)
What Chicago, IL is known for
Taste of Chicago (July): food and music festival in Grant Park
World Music Festival Chicago (September): music festival featuring global artists
Bank of America Chicago Marathon (October): annual marathon race
Chicago International Film Festival (October): competitive film festival screening many films
More on Chicago, IL
The full Varro guide adds rent and home prices, local taxes, schools, healthcare, getting around, weather by month, and a quiz that shows how Chicago, IL fits what you want.