
Ask HN: What is the technology sector in Chicago like? - neofrommatrix
I&#x27;m contemplating moving out of the Bay Area to Chicago. I work in a big enterprise company that&#x27;s very pro-remote work. So, a transfer is not an issue. Would you recommend it? Have you moved from one of the big tech cities to Chicago?
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dbnoch
Chicago is an awesome city. Right now is the best time (Chicago summers are
amazing) however it really depends on your priorities.

Strong opinions here:

If you are ready to settle down, buy a house, raise a family in or near a
city... Chicago is a safe/comfortable bet.

If you are looking for tech, don't move.

Can you provide more details on WHAT you are looking for in Chicago?

DISCLAIMER: I moved to Chicago about 2 years ago and now i'm back in the bay
area.

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rl3
> _If you are looking for tech, don 't move._

To expand on this: HN's monthly "Who is hiring?" threads tend to feature the
same Chicago-based companies, over and over, with very little change. There's
no contest compared to the Bay Area as far as variety is concerned.

It's a great city though, and summers are indeed amazing—in part because the
other seasons tend to suck.

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jetti
I feel like the "Who is hiring" is a poor indicator of tech in a city as it is
small sample of developers that use HN.

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rl3
Sure, but it's a good indicator of startup- _ish_ tech in a city.

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jetti
I live in the Chicago suburbs and work in the city and I'm a big fan of the
suburbs (not a big city fan) and would recommend them. The weather sucks (cold
winters, humid summers) but there is a lot of stuff to do.

As for tech, I'm a .NET developer and haven't had any issues getting work in
the city. Chicago is also a great place to live if you want C++ work because
of the financial markets as you have prop trading firms, HFT firms, clearing
firms and exchanges all using C++. That same sector also uses .NET as well.

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g2_gabe
The tech scene in the Midwest is expanding rapidly right now. It's exciting to
see what businesses are growing up here. I joined G2 Crowd in Chicago almost a
year ago and it couldn't be a better company to work for and Chicago could be
a better place to work.

