Chicago, the Deep-Dish Pizza Capital of the World, and a Great Place to Live and Work

Chicago isn’t just any old bustling metropolis. The third-largest city in the US has inspired movies and musicals, fueled our love for some of the best pizza outside of Italy and become home to some of the biggest names in sports. Those are some of the reason’s it’s known as “The Crown Jewel of the Midwest.” Frank Sinatra even wrote a song about it, declaring it as “[His] kind of town…[his] kind of people too, people who smile at you…one town that won’t let you down.”

Crooning, swooning, and all that jazz aside, did you know that Chicago is also a great place to live and work?

Here are just some of the reasons why The Windy City makes our list.

Things to do

History, architecture, sport, and shopping fans will never be bored around town. With the Field Museum of Natural History, Wrigley Field, the famed John Hancock Center observation deck, and plenty of shopping at the landmark Navy Pier and Magnificent Mile, visitors and residents alike can enjoy the sights, sounds, and activities year-round. At the 57-acre Museum Campus, you’ll find the Adler Planetarium and Shedd Aquarium (which is one of the largest indoor aquariums!) along with plenty of lakeside eats.

Prefer to be outdoors? Part of Chicago’s master plan was that every resident would be within walking distance of a park. Grant Park, Lincoln Park (50% larger than Central Park!), Portage Park, Jefferson Park, and Millennium Park help achieve that vision. Millennium Park is home to some beautiful architecture, amazing skyline views, ice skating, and Cloud Gate (or “the bean” as it’s more commonly known). Within it’s 5 acres, you’ll also find plenty of eco-friendly botanical landscaping at the Lurie Park urban sanctuary. And have we mentioned the 29 miles of beautiful, swimmable beaches in the city?

Pizza—a category unto itself

Chicago takes its pizza pretty seriously, and we do to. The city has been labeled the “Pizza Capital of the World.” Whether you prefer the legendary Chicago-style, deep-dish pizza, or the ultimate thin-crust, this town’s pizzerias have you covered. If your love for pizza goes as deep as those deep-dish variety’s, there’s even a Pizza Tour you can take for the ultimate pizza tasting experience.

Cost of living

Your money will go a lot further in Chicago than in other major metro areas like New York or San Francisco. Whether you’re looking to rent or buy, you can expect to find a much nicer building in a nice part of town than the same budget would allow you in either of those other cities. And housing isn’t all that’s more affordable. Compared to New York, groceries tend to be 30% less, utilities 47% less, and health care costs 20% less.

Jobs and job outlook

Chicago has become a corporate magnet. Not only is it a major global thoroughfare with O’Hare International Airport, but affordable housing, easy transit, and top talent have attracted some of the biggest brands and companies around. McDonalds has moved its corporate headquarters to Chicago’s Fulton Market, a move which it estimated would create 2,000 new jobs. First Midwest Bancorp has also announced a move from a Chicago suburb to Chicago proper. Construction machinery company, Caterpillar, has also made the move to the city proper to be in closer proximity to the airport. State and global companies (including EXP and Les Mills International) are making the city the hub of their corporate headquarters.

This year, the rapid growth downtown has led the city to its highest job spurt in decades. Between 2010 and 2017, Chicago experienced a 16.6% growth in employment, and downtown Chicago a 23.9% upswing.

There are also whispers going around that Chicago could just become the home to a new Apple campus, Google operations center, and maybe even Amazon. These moves could easily spur upwards of tens of thousands of new jobs—and continue driving the city (and you) into the future.

Convinced that Chicago is right for you? Check out our latest Chicago job openings and you could find yourself on the next plane to the great Midwest.