/biz/ - Business & Finance

I have mentioned this before but this seems like the thread to mention it again. Chicago is really at a crossroads right now.

>no hurricanes
>no earthquakes
>no tornadoes
>climate is getting warmer every year
>will never run out of water (re: arizona)
>housing is still fairly affordable(re: nyc, california)
>extremely diverse economy not susceptible to bubbles (re: tech hubs)
>at least five >billion-dollar development projects going on RIGHT NOW

This is where it gets interesting though:
>south and west sides (where all of the crime is) are losing population very quickly, literally emptying out
>white + young professional population is EXPLODING (highest increase in 100k+ renting households in the entire country) in the last 10 years
>avg income across the city is increasing rapidly
>those high-income renters are going to need homes in the coming years

So it depends on the next few years and where growth goes. First and foremost: get south/west siders to either stop killing each other or move south, as they continue to do. Additionally, we have a mayoral election, TOMORROW, between a pro-business, pro-police candidate, and an anti-growth, pro-labor, anti-police candidate. It is going to be VERY interesting to see how we vote in this coming election as it will completely shape the next 30-40 years of growth (or lack thereof) in this city.

Check back with me on wednesday and we'll see where we go from here.

>shielded from toxins from ohio river valley
>shielded from any downstream great lakes pollution
>no hurricanes
>no wildfires
>no earthquakes
>no tornadoes (for the most part)
>never going to run out of water
>will consistently get warmer thanks to climate change

best city

>>53411891
A couple more points:

>Crime
Yes, the crime is certainly higher than your 86% white suburb in Bumblefuck Kansas or Indiana. The silver lining of this is, as mentioned previously, its almost entirely sequestered to those horribly blighted communities on the south/west sides. With migration from those neighborhoods specifically picking up in earnest, much of the crime there is leaving with it. This will only pick up in years to come as gentrification begins to push up against places like englewood, austin, humboldt park (already happening), etc.

>le live in a pod
LOTS of people in this country love urbanism. Living in smaller homes, being able to walk to amenities (grocery store, restaurants, public transit, etc) are becoming increasingly important to larger swaths of the population especially among rich (re:white) young people. Housing that already exists or is planned in Chicago is prime to soak up much of this demand. With the jobs to boot, Chicago is ready to absorb a lot of that le walkable city housing demand over the next few years. Rich, wealthy white people move in = the neighborhoods improve. Does that take the "culture" from these neighborhoods? Sure. But at the benefit of being able to walk through your neighborhood without getting shot? I'll take it.

>Climate
This is another massive benefit. I don't want to be one of those people who thinks the whole world is going to go to shit in a few weeks, but it is a concrete fact that the west and southwest are running out of water. Chicago is by far the best major city climate-wise to benefit from Climate Change. Winters will become more mild, summers longer, water is of no issue, and there are millions of midwesterners living in states like
>Arizona
>Utah
>Colorado
etc
That will need a new place to live. Chicago, again, with millions upon millions of potential housing units ready to go or ready to be built as infill, will be there to soak up that demand.

Unironically Chicago
>google expanding
>meta expanding
>amazon expanding
>every fortune 500 company has a presence in the loop
>recruiters are begging for employees to take jobs on teams based here
>easy to get to and from office (excellent public transit in the city, metra if in the suburbs)

As for where you'll live
>cheapest major housing market in the country
>very nice/clean assuming you're in the burbs or a nicer part of the city
>nice midwestern people around you

Truly the most undervalued metro in the entire nation.