Anyone move from Chicago to DMV and regret it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did it 14 years ago and haven't looked back.

Us too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Chicago and have lived here 20 years. There are certainly things I miss, but I wouldn't move back. Weather is part of it, sure, but I feel like people greatly overlook the other negatives. First and foremost-- racism. The segregated history of the city runs deep and it's just not the environment I want to be in.

In relation to DC you're joking right. Have you ever been east of the river?

[Anonymous]

People come to the DMV to work not to live. A few like it. Most just tolerate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People come to the DMV to work not to live. A few like it. Most just tolerate it.

I am from Chicago with roots generations deep. Although very poor due to a divorce, went to a great north shore high school which gave me years of advantage at some of the best schools in the nation. The suburb very much supported the athletic careers of my brother and me, where we were state and national champions. I worried about too much emphasis on sports but my peers at my school - albeit a place with no diversity - set a fantastic academic tone.

I could live anywhere, but Chicago has its challenges. The north shore schools remain excellent and on par or better with Fairfax schools. Taxes are a problem. My small home back in the north shore suburb is 1400 square feet, is worth 480k, and has property taxes of 12k a year, more than I pay for large a 1.3 M dollar place here. Yes, housing is generally a bit cheaper in the desirable places in Chicago but the taxes eat at equity. I competed throughout the state, and places I used to like - Peoria, Rockford, Decatur, the Southern suburbs, and the Illinois side of the quad cities are now run down, bleak and crime ridden places with incredibly poor schools. This doesn't necessarily impact north shore denizens but the vibrancy of these places is gone and not coming back. The public university system after U of I UC is bleak, with nowhere near the options of Virginia. Chicago has the most debt per capita of any state by far due to its pension obligations, and it is unsettling to live in towns where 60-80-100 (Peoria) percent of property taxes go to pensions - work long ago performed. Crime in Chicago - even places like River North, Lakeview Lincoln Park and Steeterville are now experiencing escalating crime. My father just passed away and he was saddened in his last days by the number of armed carjackings on his Gold Coast street. Yes, DC has crime but when violent crime hits the 4 or 5 wards that pay for most of the city it is a problem and is depressing.It is not logical to move back to the Chicago area, even with roots which run deep. I do miss Lake Michigan but hiking the AT here is great. The ocean is close and on balance Chicago does not deliver like it used to.

[Anonymous]

I miss it but I don't regret it. If all else were equal I'd prefer to live in Chicago, but things aren't equal and so it's okay. DC is pretty boring and blah, but it's fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi, we’re thinking of moving from Chicago to Arlington to be close to family and good schools.
But I wanted to see if anyone has done the move from Chicago to the DMV area and regret it?

We moved from Chicago to DC....and then to South Florida.

DC can be a good career move for a while but not a healthy long-term environment IMO, especially if you have kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi, we’re thinking of moving from Chicago to Arlington to be close to family and good schools.
But I wanted to see if anyone has done the move from Chicago to the DMV area and regret it?

Chicago is the best city in the world

[Anonymous]

I didn't move directly to Arlington from Chicago, but close. I went to Columbia College Chicago and then spent my 20s in Chicago and then went to law school in the south and then moved to the DC area (first apartment was in Arlington) for my job after law school. Twenty years later I still live in Northern VA and work in DC.

I hate it here and miss Chicago a great deal. If it weren't for DH, who is from here (Fairfax VA) I would have moved back to Chicago many years ago. Sometimes I fantasize about it and look up real estate to check for condos in Wicker Park which is where I lived when I left (although I lived all over during my 10 years there). Or if I'm feeling really fancy I'll look up houses for sale in Ravenswood.

YMMV.

[Anonymous]

No!! It was easily the best decision we have ever made!!!!

[Anonymous]

Do you actually mean Chicago and DC, or do you mean Buffalo Grove and Vienna?

Because I've lived in both suburbs and cities, and Chicago is HUGE. Even if you live what is considered a closer suburb, you could be 20+ miles away from events in downtown Chicago. The people of suburban Chicago I met went into the city very very infrequently. Kids that went to school with my kid had never taken the train downtown. Everyone drives and the Metra only runs through limited areas on a very limited weekend schedule, and you still have to drive/park/get on the train for close to an hour and then walk all the way across the river. Whereas living in MD and VA it was way more common for people to go into DC for things other than just work, and it was a short Uber ride or easy train ride to get out to the museums, for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No!! It was easily the best decision we have ever made!!!!

Same. Moved from Fairfax to downtown Chicago 15 years ago and have never looked back

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Totally regret it. It’s so so different from Chicago. Chicago is so much friendlier and less of a gross competitive rat race.

If you have family here it might feel different, but think carefully about the move.

Food? Neighborhoods? Lake? Friendliness? Chicago wins for all of them.

Sorry, OP. I moved here 18 years ago for a job for my spouse and still regret it

Maybe it's you.

OP DMV is great!

[Anonymous]

Both are great cities but I prefer DC in February and March. I don't mind November in Chicago but as the winter drags on, it is harder to be there. You see it with people's moods too. This isn't the time of year too many Chicago transplants are regretting their moves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Chicago and have lived here 20 years. There are certainly things I miss, but I wouldn't move back. Weather is part of it, sure, but I feel like people greatly overlook the other negatives. First and foremost-- racism. The segregated history of the city runs deep and it's just not the environment I want to be in.

In relation to DC you're joking right. Have you ever been east of the river?

I have lived in Chicago (including on the south side) and DC and agree with previous PP that the racial dynamics of Chicago are really negative. The large size of the city makes residential segregation more acute. I knew plenty of white people who lived on the north side who would never even consider visiting the south or west sides. And the Chicago police department has a terrible history of racism.

[Anonymous]

I miss the DMV, especially now that I have kids. I am AA and the segregation is still bad. We live in Lakeview and I just wish our kids were exposed regularly to diverse professionals without me going out of my way to make it happen.