I have a dilemma.....and Chicago may be the solution (Evanston: apartment, insurance)

[Tyryztoll]

I'm a single, 40 year old guy living in northern Michigan. From the Detroit area originally......and have also lived in Houston, Atlanta, and Boston.

I moved back to MI in 2007 hoping to meet Ms. Right and settle down in my home state. I don't deny that I was trying to recapture some of my childhood magic when I came back here, which worked for about the first year, but now I am just flat out bored. Northern Michigan is a beautiful place......but it has to be near the top of worst places in America to be single. I guess I should have known that before I came up here.

Being from Detroit originally, I thought long and hard about going back there so that I could get back into the urban vibe. After going back & forth and doing lots of research, I've decided that I just cannot do it. I love the Detroit area, but it is not possible to have a stable career there......and I am a licensed medical professional. The Big 3 implosion has singed everything around it, including hospitals.....who are having to make drastic cuts because of all the people that are out of work and without insurance. Even my current employer up here has cut our hours and benefits.

Ok, I'm rambling now.....but here's what I'm thinking: I have always loved Chicago, and came very close to moving there in 2006, when I had a job for the taking at Northwestern downtown, but passed it up for reasons I can't even remember. Now, and taking everything into consideration that I just talked about, I'm nearly convinced that I should get down there and set up shop before the few years of semi-youth I have left are gone. I can't stand the thought of being isolated up here by myself for another long, brutal winter. At least in Chicago I could get out and about while I'm freezing my a$$ off, with there being so much to do. I would also still be practically next door to my relatives in Detroit, and the playground of northern Michigan in the summer.

I hate the thought of becoming just another Michigan refugee (there has to be a TON in the Chicagoland vicinity), but regardless I would love to hear the thoughts of anyone, anywhere who is either thinking along the same lines, or has already pulled the trigger. Particularly anyone who came to Chicago from a rural area like the one I'm in now. It's only been 2 years, but should I be wary of culture shock?

Apologies in advance for the redundancy and length of the post. I needed to get this off my chest and talk to some other folks who've been there.....

[Ron.]

Chicago has a stable economy although that does not mean it has not been "touched by the cuurent situation".

To be honest even though there is much to do in Chicago you WILL NOT be DOING all the time and after awhile even all of the "stuff to do" get's old. After a few years of living hear it becomes no differnt from any other place.

I've lived in Chicago for 4 years now( from Ohio) and I am ready to move on . Certain things I miss about Ohio( although I am not going back to "O") such as having enough space to live in and parking IN FRONT of my apartment not 4 blocks away. Trust me, it gets old after a while.


Chicago is just too segregated for my tastes. Most of the Westside and Southisides are dumps and entrinched with foolish amounts of violence.

For a transplant your BEST options would be the Northside or downtown. Downtown gets pricey and it's really not worth it, no matter how nice your view of the Lake is.

This answer is about as genral as your post so I could not offer any specifics because you did not provide any thing specific.

I thought I would rspond to get some dialouge going.

You can always PM me if you have specific questions.

I am a black guy(35) so if you're black and you want to know black specific things just let me know.

If you're not black I can still answer you're questions.

Originally Posted by Northman

I'm a single, 40 year old guy living in northern Michigan. From the Detroit area originally......and have also lived in Houston, Atlanta, and Boston.

I moved back to MI in 2007 hoping to meet Ms. Right and settle down in my home state. I don't deny that I was trying to recapture some of my childhood magic when I came back here, which worked for about the first year, but now I am just flat out bored. Northern Michigan is a beautiful place......but it has to be near the top of worst places in America to be single. I guess I should have known that before I came up here.

Being from Detroit originally, I thought long and hard about going back there so that I could get back into the urban vibe. After going back & forth and doing lots of research, I've decided that I just cannot do it. I love the Detroit area, but it is not possible to have a stable career there......and I am a licensed medical professional. The Big 3 implosion has singed everything around it, including hospitals.....who are having to make drastic cuts because of all the people that are out of work and without insurance. Even my current employer up here has cut our hours and benefits.

Ok, I'm rambling now.....but here's what I'm thinking: I have always loved Chicago, and came very close to moving there in 2006, when I had a job for the taking at Northwestern downtown, but passed it up for reasons I can't even remember. Now, and taking everything into consideration that I just talked about, I'm nearly convinced that I should get down there and set up shop before the few years of semi-youth I have left are gone. I can't stand the thought of being isolated up here by myself for another long, brutal winter. At least in Chicago I could get out and about while I'm freezing my a$$ off, with there being so much to do. I would also still be practically next door to my relatives in Detroit, and the playground of northern Michigan in the summer.

I hate the thought of becoming just another Michigan refugee (there has to be a TON in the Chicagoland vicinity), but regardless I would love to hear the thoughts of anyone, anywhere who is either thinking along the same lines, or has already pulled the trigger. Particularly anyone who came to Chicago from a rural area like the one I'm in now. It's only been 2 years, but should I be wary of culture shock?

Apologies in advance for the redundancy and length of the post. I needed to get this off my chest and talk to some other folks who've been there.....

[Basekamp]

You know yourself all too well. I am excited just reading your post because I know what a great time you are about to have. Come to Chicago. Move downtown. join a club (s) and get involved in extracurriculars. Be shamelessly outgoing for a while. In five years you will be in a position of starting to thank yourself for the rest of your life.

Originally Posted by Northman

I'm a single, 40 year old guy living in northern Michigan. From the Detroit area originally......and have also lived in Houston, Atlanta, and Boston.

I moved back to MI in 2007 hoping to meet Ms. Right and settle down in my home state. I don't deny that I was trying to recapture some of my childhood magic when I came back here, which worked for about the first year, but now I am just flat out bored. Northern Michigan is a beautiful place......but it has to be near the top of worst places in America to be single. I guess I should have known that before I came up here.

Being from Detroit originally, I thought long and hard about going back there so that I could get back into the urban vibe. After going back & forth and doing lots of research, I've decided that I just cannot do it. I love the Detroit area, but it is not possible to have a stable career there......and I am a licensed medical professional. The Big 3 implosion has singed everything around it, including hospitals.....who are having to make drastic cuts because of all the people that are out of work and without insurance. Even my current employer up here has cut our hours and benefits.

Ok, I'm rambling now.....but here's what I'm thinking: I have always loved Chicago, and came very close to moving there in 2006, when I had a job for the taking at Northwestern downtown, but passed it up for reasons I can't even remember. Now, and taking everything into consideration that I just talked about, I'm nearly convinced that I should get down there and set up shop before the few years of semi-youth I have left are gone. I can't stand the thought of being isolated up here by myself for another long, brutal winter. At least in Chicago I could get out and about while I'm freezing my a$$ off, with there being so much to do. I would also still be practically next door to my relatives in Detroit, and the playground of northern Michigan in the summer.

I hate the thought of becoming just another Michigan refugee (there has to be a TON in the Chicagoland vicinity), but regardless I would love to hear the thoughts www.city-data.comho is either thinking along the same lines, or has already pulled the trigger. Particularly anyone who came to Chicago from a rural area like the one I'm in now. It's only been 2 years, but should I be wary of culture shock?

Apologies in advance for the redundancy and length of the post. I needed to get this off my chest and talk to some other folks who've been there.....

[Tyryztoll]

Thanks for responding, folks.

I hear you on the segregation, Ron. I come from the Detroit area (I'm white, BTW), which is THE most segregated place in the country. City 80% black, suburbs 80% white. Blacks don't want anything to do with the suburbs, whites don't want anything to do with the city. I hate that about Detroit........and it's a big reason why that town is so screwed up. Then I'm up here in northern Michigan, which is ALL white. I miss the ethnic diversity badly.....especially when it comes to women. Nothing is better than checking out beautiful women of all different races! I was in Chicago (actually Schiller Park) a few weeks back, and I went to a supermarket called Tony's (I think) on Mannheim Rd..........oh man, what a smorgasboard of women there was to look at! Latino, white, black......I think I even saw a couple asian girls.....it was like a breath of ultra fresh air after looking at nothing but big ol' white farm girls for the past 6 months!

Basekamp, if I come to Chicago I will probably not live downtown. I lived in the middle of Boston for a while, and paying outrageous rents to live in a shoebox with no parking anywhere is not my cup of tea. I would like to live in a lively suburb close to the city with at least some mix of ethnicities, without it being a total war zone. I want to be relatively close (20 miles) to O'Hare as well so I won't have to drive a country mile whenever I wanna fly somewhere. Any suggestions based on those descriptions?

[OrangeAndBlue]

^ Oak Park, but maybe that is still too urban for you

[Organized Mess]

Originally Posted by Northman

I want to be relatively close (20 miles) to O'Hare as well so I won't have to drive a country mile whenever I wanna fly somewhere. Any suggestions based on those descriptions?

^Oak Park? Urban? Close to O'Hare?^ Bucktown, Wicker Park, Logan Square = close to Blue Line and 90/94 (easiest access to O'Hare). I would recommend Lincoln Square as well. All awesome neighborhoods.

[soulful]

Lively suburb. My choice would be Evanston (home of Northwestern University as you probably know).

[Costa Rica Chica]

Chicago sounds like a great solution for you!

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by Costa Rica Chica

Chicago sounds like a great solution for you!

I think it would be as well.......if only I could find the job I want in this bad economy. Slim pickens, even in a town as big as Chicago right now.

BTW, Chica.....love your status line......."son up to son down". That's great!

[Tenzo]

the reason many of us left Michigan for Chicago was to be in a major city.
Detroit is a geographical point on a map, not a city.