{"id":19615,"date":"2021-12-08T20:37:37","date_gmt":"2021-12-08T20:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fultongrace.com\/blog\/?p=19615"},"modified":"2021-12-08T20:37:37","modified_gmt":"2021-12-08T20:37:37","slug":"relocating-to-chicago-heres-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fultongrace.com\/blog\/relocating-to-chicago-heres-what-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Relocating To Chicago? Here\u2019s What You Need To Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether it\u2019s for work, play, or just a change of scenery…Chicago is a great place to consider, and voted the second most beautiful city in the world! If you\u2019ve been thinking about making the move to the Windy City, we\u2019ve got a few tips for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(The first tip is \u2018don\u2019t call it the Windy City\u2019 by the way! Only tourists say that.)<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Okay, let\u2019s start with the biggest one and the one everyone seems to want to talk about; Chicago weather. \u2018Is it windy?\u2019 Well, there\u2019s some wind coming off the lake sometimes, but that famous phrase was actually a turn-of-the-century \u2018diss\u2019 towards the politicians of the city; seems they were occasionally blowing a bit of \u2018hot air.\u2019 Speaking of that, warm air is something Chicagoans like very much. Especially if you\u2019re relocating from a southern state, the CHI can be very, very cold.<\/span><\/p>\n

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So the first thing one might do is buy some warm clothes. For a coat, most Chicagoland residents wear one of two types; the kind that\u2019s long and wool, or the synthetic type that is basically a sleeping bag with a hood. One of these is a requirement. You\u2019re also going to need a couple hats, and we don\u2019t mean caps with Cubs or White Sox logos on \u2018em. We\u2019re talking beanies, stocking caps, something that covers your ears. Scarves in some cities are fashion accessories. Not in Chicago. You\u2019ll need at least one good one; thick and able to cover the gap between your jacket and your neck.<\/span><\/p>\n

Midwest winters require layering; you\u2019ll need long underwear\/long johns, as well as gloves and a good pair of boots that can handle snow. Even better, if you\u2019re out walking or cycling you\u2019ll want clothes that unzip and\/or ventilate; otherwise any sweat will chill you even further. Speaking of being ambulatory in the wintertime, Chicago sidewalks get pretty icy, so be careful out there! One more winter tip; if you\u2019re driving around, stock up your car with a small amount of winter gear as well. You\u2019ll need a snow brush to scrape ice off your windshield, and possibly a cover to keep it from forming in the first place. In the trunk, you\u2019ll want to keep jumper cables, an extra pair of gloves, antifreeze, and maybe a shovel or those plastic \u2018wedges\u2019 for getting your car unstuck from snowbanks. But don\u2019t let the cold get you down! As they say, there\u2019s no bad weather; only bad clothes. Layer up and be smart, and you\u2019ll be acting like a real Chicagoan in no time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Of course, the other side of winter is summer! And Chicago summers might be the best summers in the whole world, period. We may be slightly biased, but seriously! The \u2018hundred days of summer\u2019 in CHI is a wonderful thing. When it\u2019s warm (read: above 50 degrees F) Chicagoans are alive. There\u2019s a music festival or street party every weekend, and the Lake Michigan \u2018Third Coast\u2019 beaches are a real thing!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Another thing that\u2019s different in Chicago is the commuting situation. In most American cities, the car is basically the only way to go. Not so much in Chicago! Now, if you want to commute by car, feel free. However, residents know that \u2018rush hour\u2019 in the CHI starts at about 6am, and only ends about 10:30am or noon. Of course, it starts back up again around 3pm, and goes until 7 or so. Basically, unless you live in Milwaukee; don\u2019t drive here. Take a bike. Walk. Or do what most Chicagoans do and take the \u2018L.\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u2018L\u2019 is short for \u2018eLevated,\u2019 because most CTA tracks in the city are above street level. The CTA is the Chicago Transit Authority, the government agency in charge of traffic-jam-free commuting in the Chicago area. A ride is only $2.50, and the L goes most places at most times. Of cours there\u2019s always rideshare companies like Uber, Lyft, and the classic Chicago Taxis. These are best used during off-peak hours, or when you really don\u2019t feel like waiting for a bus or train in the cold.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It almost goes without saying, but another thing to think about when moving to Chicago is that there\u2019s always something to do here! Do you like shopping? From the boutiques of the \u2018Magnificent Mile\u2019 to the thrift stores in Wicker Park, there isn\u2019t much you can\u2019t find. Culture? Hit the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum Campus, the Museum of Science and Industry to name a couple offhand. Sports? If you want to play, there are hundreds of parks and gyms. As spectators, Chicagoans really go all in for their teams; the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls, Bears, and Fire all have their legions. Food? The James Beard Awards are from here. There are more Michelin stars and celebrity chefs in the CHI than in many small countries. Traditions? I mean, which other city dyes their river green for St. Patrick\u2019s Day?<\/span><\/p>\n

It leaves one last question; if you relocate to Chicago, you\u2019ll need someplace to live. Compared to the East Coast and the West Coast, Chicago\u2019s housing market is quite down-to-earth. As a renter, you\u2019re in luck; Chicago\u2019s median rents don\u2019t differ much from the average rent in the United States as a whole. Try saying that about LA or NYC! One thing that can be said about Chicagoland; it\u2019s not a small place. There are 77 named neighborhoods in nine districts, all with their own distinct feelings and vibes. Feeling a bit overwhelmed?<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, this is a specialty of FultonGrace Realty<\/a>. Whether you\u2019re on the hunt for a rental apartment<\/a> for yourself, or you plan to purchase a home<\/a> for your family, Fulton Grace has the property selection and the agent for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether it\u2019s for work, play, or just a change of scenery…Chicago is a great place to consider, and voted the second most beautiful city in the world! If you\u2019ve been thinking about making the move to the Windy City, we\u2019ve got a few tips for you.\u00a0 (The first tip is \u2018don\u2019t call it the Windy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99745542,"featured_media":19617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[353160,1518248,35091017,683195153],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fultongrace.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/7fac5f835591508ecf073df4dca62fe6.jpg?fit=564%2C846&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbBC5T-56n","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fultongrace.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19615"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fultongrace.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fultongrace.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fultongrace.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99745542"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fultongrace.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19615"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.fultongrace.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19615\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19623,"href":"https:\/\/www.fultongrace.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19615\/revisions\/19623"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fultongrace.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fultongrace.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fultongrace.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fultongrace.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}