It's political history has been colorful, to say the least, and often criticized. But let's remember, America is still a democracy, and Democrats are popular here because they are a grass roots political movement that relies heavily on popular support and on getting things done for the people. It's not easy getting elected in Chicago, and it is even more difficult after election, especially for high profile office holders, partly because expectations are so high.
I choose to live here, and am planning on retiring here, or at least, close enough to visit regularly.
Yes, it does cost a little more to live here, at least in some ways. But not so much that there aren't other expenses that help balance things out. For one thing, living in the city, we save about 35% on our grocery bill, since we have multiple choices of places to shop that are far less expensive than the one grocery store that existed in the small town where we lived before moving here, and even less than the big box retail places, one brand in particular, that existed in the county seat, 15 miles away from where we lived. Food prices here are noticeably lower, because of the competition, and department stores and other retail goods, also affected by competition, also provide us with a big savings.
We also save here in the big city on utilities. Maybe its unique to Chicago, but our water, electric and gas bill, because of competition, is half what it was when we lived in a small town. And I can also save by buying a transit pass, and taking public transportation to work, instead of filling up with gas and driving. The combination of bus to train to bus to work saves me twenty minutes of drive time, and the cost of the ride each way is well below what I'd be paying for gas, not to mention wear and tear on the car.
It's real estate that makes the biggest difference in cost. Property values, especially inside the city limits, can run pretty high, and drive up rents or mortgage payments. When we moved, we swapped square footage for rent, moving from a 2,800 square foot, two story house with full basement to a 650 square foot condo, for about the same monthly payment, The condo utilities are less, because of both size and their actual cost, taxes are more. So that's how we've made it work. And we've gained a community of neighbors in our building that we really didn't have when we lived in a small town.
The difference between what I pay in taxes here, and what I would pay if I moved across the state line in Indiana is $134 per year. That's it. And let me tell you, the smoke from the factory chimneys in Chicago blows east, because Indiana sucks.
But that's enough about the cost. Living in Chicago is worth the difference we pay.
Life is vibrant in this crowded, densely populated, big, old Midwestern city. With a population larger than a third of the 50 states, and growing once again, Chicago still retains so much of its historical appearance, ethnic and racial diversity, and what it has to offer, that, after seven years, I still haven't covered it all. There are museums, live theaters, teams in just about every category of professional and college sports, including college football, my personal favorite. The restaurant scene is incredible, and the best places are the small, hole-in-the-wall hot dog shops, Italian beef vendors and the pizza is to die for.
I'm not much for walking anymore, since diabetes and neuropathy have played havoc with my feet. But I can still enjoy a stroll down the Magnificent Mile, on Michigan Avenue. I'm not much of a shopper, my wife is, though, but I will go just to find a new place for lunch. Sometimes there's something therapeutic in being among the kind of crowds that are encountered down there.
There is something to be said for a city that promotes and maintains a high percentage of educated population. There are 18 colleges and universities within the city limits, along with the largest junior college system in the country, two years of college at a minimal cost to its students in 7 schools scattered around the city. Altogether, there are over 50 institutions of higher learning in Chicago, including four medical schools that provide significant research.
I've benefitted tremendously from being close to the medical facilities in the major cities where I've spent most of my adult life. I have a couple of conditions which I'm able to live with, but which require a level of care that is not always available in rural areas. And what I've observed here, aside from the quality of the care, is the effort to make it accessible and available to the whole population. Most of the major hospital systems are not-for-profit, and they have clinics which cover virtually every neighborhood.
Welcome to the Real World of Politics in Chicago
It has a reputation, not always a good one, but Chicago politics are a microcosm of how things work in the United States. This is a Midwestern, American city, and it reflects Midwestern American values in a big way.
It is a working class, union-based political stronghold of the Democratic party. The municipal government operates off of a tax base provided by almost 3 million residents, and one of the largest corporate business communities in the country. Taxes, which we all love to complain about, run 1.52% for households, less than the fourth largest city in the country, Houston, and about average of other big cities. I've lived in Houston, too, and for the tax dollars I pay in Chicago, we get a while heck of a lot more. Our schools are better, for one thing, our crime rate is lower, and if I don't want to fight the traffic here, which is, I will admit, worse than Houston was, I can use public transportation, combination of the bus and the "L", and get to where I'm going in a half hour or less.
It's a big city, and big cities have crime, though in the United States, some of the highest crime rates are found in smaller cities like Memphis or St. Louis, both of which have much higher crime rates than Chicago does. The violent crime is concentrated in a few of the neighborhoods with high poverty rates. Overall, while there are neighborhoods where it is always a good idea to be a little more vigilant, the fact of the matter is that most neighborhoods in this city are walkable and safe. Three precincts are responsible for 90% of the gun violence. That was not the case in Houston, where multiple neighborhoods have difficulty with gun violence.
From a personal perspective, I have not been victim of a crime since living here. In Houston, I had my apartment broken into, even with the alarm set and running, and on three different occasions, someone broke into my parked car, once at work, once sitting in the underground garage of the apartment building, and once while parked in the lot of a shopping mall. That's anecdotal, but the fact is, I feel safer here in Chicago, safe enough around where I live to walk my dog late at night, safe enough to ride public transportation, including the bus-train combinations that get me to my destination faster than driving and parking do.
Do the Politics of a Region Really Make a Difference?
After having lived in various parts of the country, including Missouri, Kentucky, Arizona, Texas and Pennsylvania, I say that they do. People complain, but where government works like it is supposed to work, as far as the services it provides, and the ability of individuals to feel that their conscience is free, and their "pursuit of happiness." is protected.
Conservatives are always jabbering and jawing about their freedoms being taken away from them. I challenge any conservative to tell me what freedom they lose by living in a place like Chicago. I can't think of one thing. This is a great place to live.
And in addition to the local politics being dominated by the Democratic party, so is the state. J. D. Pritzker is or governor, that's a bonus, right there. No kooky legislation gets through the Democratic supermajority here, and in spite of its critics, the city council works well, too. Very well, as a matter of fact. I have no complaints.
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