Is Chicago a family-friendly city?

[oneven]

My whole family of 4 will be moving if I relocate to Chicago for a new career opportunity. My children are used to access to lots of outdoor space, history, and culture in our home in Italy, and I think that’s important for a young child. Will Chicago be able to provide the sorts of opportunities for a young child’s development that would help them grow and learn outside of school?

[Branwen_B_Stroll]

On the pro side -- Chicago has strong, well funded public parks and library systems, plenty of cultural experiences ranging from individual artist's studios to the theatre district to the Museum of the Art Institute. As we're a relatively young city, our history may not be long but it is well documented by several local organizations, foremost of which is the Chicago Historical Society. All of our beaches are publicly owned and filled with people during summer.

We have a good public transit system that connects most of the north side and northern suburbs. Driving into and out of the Loop can be rather slow at times.
There are certain neighborhoods which are better for families than others -- Lincoln Square, Lakeview and Lincoln Park are probably the best (but also rather expensive). If you're not averse to living outside of the city proper, Evanston and Niles/Skokie are also good places for families and are connected by public transit.

On the con side -- Chicago is about as expensive as Tokyo, there are all sorts of ridiculous taxes (including an infamous 'Netflix tax' of 9%) and some areas of the city (mostly the west and south sides) can be quite dangerous. Our public school system leaves much to be desired; although this is hardly unique to our city. You will probably end up deciding to send your kids to a private school, which is another large cost. Our summers are hot and humid, often reaching 30 C; our winters tend to be around three months of bitter cold sometimes dipping to -20 C. You will definitely need summer and winter sets of clothing, and can expect to spend a lot to keep your home's temperature acceptable.

[Riley_Johnson]

It definitely can be. Certain neighborhoods offer more or less access to green space, vivacious culture or nightspots. Access can certainly be had to history and culture through Chicago's museum campus, and Illinois residents frequently have reduced admission prices on certain days. Culturally, it can be really great to explore different neighborhoods of the city, many of which are or historically have been home to certain groups of people (e.g. Pilsen for Mexican Americans, etc.) - these rich neighborhoods have unique histories of their own and due to gentrification, that doesn't always line up with where they are now or will be even by the time you get here.

I live in Albany Park, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country, and I have two parks within walking distance of my house, both with playground equipment. I have lived in the city for 15 years and still haven't managed to explore every neighborhood. Neat things to check out: Storytime in Lincoln Square, Puppetbike, Chicago Children's Museum, Chicago History Museum, in addition to the usual big museums (Art Institute, Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry etc.)

[Brett_Bivens]

Hi Paola -

Chicago (although it has drawbacks in other areas, like weather in certain times of the year and crime in some areas) is an amazing city for culture, outdoor activities, and learning opportunities for kids and families. The entire 15+ mile lakefront is essentially a park with interesting statues, fields to play, some of the world's best museums, and a free zoo and farm.

I have an 18 month old and my wife is from France, so the things you mention as priorities were also major considerations for us when we moved here 2 years ago.

[Dylan_Meadows]

Having lived in the Chicago area for a few years now, I will say that I would NOT raise a family here unless you are rather well off. The cost of living here is extremely high. Homes are very expensive and also come with absurd property tax rates.

Your best bet in the chicago area is to try to get into one of the better suburbs like Arlington Heights, Skokie, Naperville, Downer's Grove, Schaumburg, etc. These are on the outskirts of the chicago area but they have the best public/private schools. One again, you can expect to pay a wild amount in property taxes for a home, but if you are wealthy, this wont be an issue.

Chicago itself has many great museums and points of interest, but living in this area is very expensive if you want to live in a safe area with good schools.

[Tee1]

What neighborhood are you moving to? The city has tons of museums (art, science, history), parks especially along the lake front.

[Alicia_Kraft]

While the historical aspect obviously can't compare with what you have in Italy, Chicago is full of history and world-class culture, art (both museums and public art), music, theatre, and architecture.

As far as parks go, the city's official motto is "Urbs in Horto," Latin for "City in a Garden." Read more about Chicago's outdoor spaces here.

If this kind of thing is what you value for your family, you will certainly find it in Chicago.

[Paul_Forbing]

You will get a lot of answers to this question. My personal recommendation would be Lincoln Park, Lake View or Near North Side. Not knowing your budget, I don't think I can offer a better recommendation. Rent for 2 bedrooms in these areas will range from $1500-$2500 for a modest place. Buying would range form $400,000 to $1 million+ for a comparable place.

All three neighborhoods offer nice private schools, museums, parks, the zoo (in Lincoln Park) and decent access to public transit. When you want to get out of the city, it may take a bit longer from these neighborhoods though.

If you are looking for more bang for your bucks with relative safety, you might want to consider neighborhoods like Lincoln Square, Pilsen or the Near South Side. All of these neighborhoods are in transition and property value is on the rise. These neighborhoods are quite as developed as the first three I recommended but they are on their way.

[Sandeep_Kumar]

Absolutely. Chicago is very family friendly city. Tons of families live both in the city as well as in the suburbs. I have lived here for almost 6 years and if anything it has gotten more friendly. City itself has plenty of parks to kids to, lots of musems, a famous zoo (free all days by the way). Plenty of top rated public/private schools as well. Chicago is also a very diverse city. Hope this helps.