NYC to Chicago?

Travel Info
I'm thinking of moving from NYC to Chicago in the next year or so. I grew up and went to college in Minneapolis and moved to NYC right after college. I've been here for about 2 years now and am ready to move back to the Midwest. What do you think of your city? What are some nice neighborhoods to live in for a mid-late 20's college grad? How does it compare to NY? Thanks!

Travel Tips

wrigleyville is a great place to live. Chicago is very cold in the winter, but if you are from Minneapolis, that probably will not bother you.
Others

Well....if you want to live in Wrigleyville, be aware that it is next to boys town. No thanks. On top of that it's next to Wrigley Field of all places.
Since you are moving from New York, you'll be able to find a HUGE place for New York prices in Bucktown, Wicker Park, Logan Square, or River West.
Chicago is kind of like a cross between New York and the Twin Cities. It cleaner and more attractive than most of New York, but it has a lot more going on than Minneapolis--particularly at night. Chicago is a much more diverse place than Minneapolis, but it's still very much a Midwestern city.

As for neighborhoods, a lot of young professionals live in or near downtown in rapidly gentrifying areas like the South Loop, West Loop, and Near North Side. Another trendy area is Wicker Park/Bucktown on the northwest side of the city. You'll might also try down by the University of Chicago in Hyde Park or in some of the close-in suburbs like Oak Park or Evanston.
Where you live depends on how much money you're willing to spend. If you've got some long green, Lincoln Park, Lake View or Wrigleyville might be good places. Lot of the post grad school crowd gravitiate there. But they're kind of expensive for one person by themselves. If you have a couple of room mates, the expense would drop considerably. But if you're like me and value your privacy and would perfer to live alone, you might want to move somewhere else not as "hot and happening" but nice none the less. There are nice apartments for a lot less in areas like Andersonville, Edgewater, parts of Buena Park (near Irving Park) and Roscoe Village. You could check the hipster areas around Logan Square and Wicker Park, but rents have been moving steadily upwards lately and it might be hard to find something in your budget.

Other than that, Chicago is a great place to live. Lots to do, lots of cool bars and clubs, live music somewhere seven nights a week (any type of music you prefer you'll find), easy public transportation, great professional sports, lots of social clubs for young urban professionals where you can play sports and meet other people.

NYC is too expensive as you probably know. For what most people pay for a one bedroom in NYC you can probably get a two-bedroom with a back porch for the same price. And if I'm not mistaken, the subway and certain buses don't run all night in NYC. They do here...

Like someone else said, if you're from Minneapolis, you know about the cold (and them some). There are beaches here to make up for it, though.
Chicago is an awesome place to live- you'll get the New York feeling every now and then but still got the impression of beeing in a nice little neighbourhood. What I like about Chicago in comparison to NY is that it's simply not as big and crowded and it's cleaner too. You can even drive through the city in a reasoneable amount of time. Festivals there are awesome and public transportation is great. I'd recommend North-West area like Lakeview- I lived right off Clark and Addison Ave and it has all the bars and clubs- also the cubs games on the weekends which brings an awsome crowd of party people! lake isn't far and downtown neither
but it really gets cold during wintertime
I believe that after San Francisco, Chicago has the nation's highest gay population. In any case, we have a vibrant gay community, and I hope you don't let folks like Madrider discourage you.
Boystown's website
http://www.boystownchicago.com/...