Chicago is a smart, dynamic city that offers a quality of life unparalleled by any other major metropolis, providing a true community with world class amenities for businesses and people. Described as an "urban value," Chicago's cost of living is lower than leading cities including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Philadelphia. Chicago's wide variety of places to live - from downtown high-rise condos, to traditional bungalows, to row homes, to rural farm houses - are conveniently linked to business opportunities by a 3,700-square mile public transit system serving over 600 million passengers annually. The city's unique character can be attributed to its people, its location/infrastructure, its collaborative business and government community, and an unprecedented array of cultural activities and destinations.
Restaurants, Shopping, & Hotels
- Over 600 stores in and around Michigan Avenue including destination retailers Barney's, Coach, Chanel, H&M, Burberry, American Girl Place, and others
- 5 Conde Nast Gold Hotels
- Thousands of places to eat & drink including seven 4-Star restaurants, two 5-Star restaurants, and more Five-Diamond restaurants than any other city in the country
- 25+ farmers markets, including 4 in downtown Chicago
Arts & Culture
- 35+ museums in the city including the renowned Art Institute, Museum of Science & Industry, Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum - each attracting more than 1 million visitors annually
- Voted #2 art destination by AmericanStyle magazine reader poll (2nd only to New York City)
- More free festivals and events than any other city in the US, with 400 neighborhood festivals and 14 city-sponsored festivals like Blues Fest and Taste of Chicago
- 200+ theater companies, including Second City, Steppenwolf, and Broadway in Chicago (which attracts an annual audience of nearly 2 million people)
- Only city with 4 Tony Award-winning regional theater companies
- Home to Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera, and Joffrey Ballet
- Nearly 80 libraries equipped with free WiFi service
Sports & Recreation
- Home to 10 professional sports teams (baseball, basketball, football, soccer, and hockey)
- 80 miles of public shoreline and 94 vacation beaches
- 315 miles of bikeways including the 18.5-mile public lakefront path
- 5,200 public marina boat slips in the city alone (+4,000 more in the larger metro region)
- Rated one of Top 5 most walkable cities
- Lincoln Park is the 2nd most visited city park in the country, attracting 20 million visitors annually
- Millennium Park is a 25-acre park in the heart of downtown, attracting 4 million visitors annually
- Lincoln Park Zoo is the oldest public zoo (and one of the only free zoos) in the country, with an estimated annual attendance of 3 million
Getting Around
- 3,700-mile public transit network of trains & buses connects nearly 2 million passengers daily throughout the Chicago region
- Regional and national Amtrak train connections via Union Station, the 4th busiest Amtrak station, with over 3 million on/off boardings
- Within a 4-hour flight of all major North American destinations
- 2,900 daily flights with direct and nonstop airline service to more than 230 cities worldwide
