Quote:
Originally Posted by Handro
The issue with taxes is concerning but context is key. Chicago is still has among the lowest COL of major cities in the US, despite having top 3-4 urban amenities (transit, walkability, etc.) That doesn't solve the budget issues the city has, but it does put the threat of higher taxes into perspective. I would say it is worthy of consideration, though, and yes justified beyond perception. There are glaring issues facing the city's budget with no easy fix.
The crime issue I do not believe is justified, however. Chicago has more crime than is good or acceptable, but that's just in comparison to the possibilities (i.e., what NY and LA have done with their crime problems in the past 30 years.) However, several other large, destination US cities have as high or higher violent crime rates than Chicago. I don't see many people online or in the media holding Houston or Washington DC up as examples of urban decay and lawlessness, despite those cities having higher rates of violent crime than Chicago. In fact, Houston and Washington are often cited as the future-bearers of urban growth in the US.
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That's exactly the thing though, the COL in Chicago is extremely cheap compared to its peers in terms of jobs, urbanity, and other features you can find in other cities. However, if Chicago begins to lose that edge on affordability, it could be very bad for the city in terms of being attractive to outsiders. I did the math on what my situation would look like in NYC, me and the gf would be able to go carless, but even accounting for that we wouldn't make up the savings of living in Chicago. It's not that I think with increased property taxes etc. I think Chicago will become as expensive as LA, SF, or NYC, but I think every increase in the cost of living in Chicago does the city no favors, as its COL of currently one of the biggest selling points, at least to a person in my position.
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