Chicago, the third-largest city in the U.S. and often noted as a bastion of diversity has lost residents over the last five years. Currently, 2.7 million people call the city home. This is no doubt impacted by Chicago’s rising cost of living and lower quality of life due to gun violence and gang activity increase in recent years. Keep reading if you’re curious about why more people are moving out of Chicago than moving in.
Reasons why People Moving Out of Chicago
- Bad Weather
- Cost of Living
- Crime
- High Taxes
- The Worst Traffic
- Impaction
- Separation from Nature
- Absence of Neighborly Vibes
Bad Weather
Over the last ten years, a significant number of Chicago residents have made a choice to leave their beloved city due to harsh winters.
Cost of Living
Chicago is the city that works. Newly minted college grads are flocking to it in the thousands, giving the Windy City one of the fastest-growing economies in America. Unfortunately, higher salaries usually come with higher costs of living. With Chicago’s cost of living being 93% than the national average, it makes sense that the price to live there is so high.
According to Numbeo, a website that tracks the cost of living in cities worldwide, Chicago is the 53rd most expensive city on Earth.
Crime
The top concern among most Chicago residents is the high crime rate. Forbes recently ranked Chicago as the fourth most dangerous city in America with the highest murder rate in the country. Even though the police are trying to reduce the crime rate as fast as possible, it might take a long time for that to happen.
High Taxes
That’s right – Chicago still has the highest tax rate in the U.S. at 10.25% – a rate 3x that of Texas. Think about that, each year, Chicagoans pay more than $1,000 in taxes to live in their own homes. And that doesn’t include countless hidden taxes like property tax, electric utility tax, natural gas tax, and water utility tax!
The Worst Traffic
For decades, Chicagoland has struggled moving cars and trucks across local streets and interstate, crisscrossing the town. In response, many people leaving the area are moving out to the Illinois suburbs to lower their cost of living to enjoy the restaurants, peace, quiet, and lower crime rates.
Impaction
Even if you don’t mind Chicago’s high taxes or crime rates, chances are, you’ll mind feeling crowded. While the current exodus out of the city should help with this issue, there’s no denying that if you’re walking the streets of Chicago on a typical day, feeling like you’re being run over is likely.
Separation from Nature
Living in a big city — Chicago in this instance — is great in that there’s always a lot to do. Once you get over the bars, restaurants, and walking tours, though, you begin realizing you’re surrounded by steel and concrete.
Absence of Neighborly Vibes
Assuming you’ve at any point been to Chicago, you know directly that Mid-Western cordiality doesn’t matter to this town.
The vast majority won’t take a gander at you and make proper acquaintances when you cruise by. You regularly feel careful as you cross the city’s roads… Those real factors and a few others can prompt one inclination detached regardless of the volume of individuals present.
Some can adapt to those sensations of confinement. Others pick to dispose of them in return for feeling the miracle of living close by outsiders that appear to all the more completely care about their prosperity.
For many Chicago residents, the high taxes and cost of living outweigh the perks. This will only worsen as time goes on, as more and more people move to other states farther away from the influence of Illinois. This may be good for conditions like Indiana, who, over time, may end up taking a portion of the Chicago economy, but it’s not so good for Illinois themselves.
