Question about moving to Chicago

[stranger]

I'm about a year shy of graduating from college, and I've been looking forward to moving out of Oklahoma to a greater place, so to speak. I've narrowed it down to NYC, San Fran, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Seattle, or San Diego. Furthermore, I think for the time being I've narrowed it down to Chicago.

Can someone help me find answers to a couple questions?

1. Once I move to Chicago and find a job, what will I do during the weekends and for nightlife?
2. What are the people like?
3. Let's suppose I start out making $55,000 per year. If I want to live in a decent location somewhere close to downtown, where should I look?