Chicago Chicago vs Sorta Chicago

Escalator to platform

Waiting for the Brown Line at Fullerton

(The photos above are taken by me)

If you are from the City, you must be familiar with the differences between being from Chicago and being from the Chicagoland area. Any 'true' city dweller will without a doubt emphasize the big difference that exists between these two terms, these two groups of people. But how big is the difference really? Why do some of us 'true' city dwellers get annoyed at those who are not (be they suburbans or actual tourists). I recently asked a friend who has experienced both sides, having once lived in the city (14 years) and then moving to Evanston (3 years), if he thought there is a difference in the way people act in the city vs in Evanston. My friend, Lucas Ortiz-Young, told me that he definitely notices a difference. He seems to think it is mainly because of the size. Evanston has about 75,570 residents and is about 8 sq miles vs Chicago's 234 sq miles and population of 2.7 million residents, so its no wonder why there is less crime there and it generally feels safer than Chicago. He thinks the safety encourages people to go out more, I agree. With safety comes a willingness to step further out of comfort zones, and when it comes to interacting with strangers, feeling safe definitely helps. He believes, "the sense of unity within Evanston encourages people to be outgoing."  Now, I understand the impact the size difference has, but why is it that the sub-communities (neighborhoods) within Chicago don't have more of an "Evanstonian" feel when it comes to daily interactions? His thoughts, "the main difference between here (Evanston) and Chicago is the Township High School and Evanston's small size that keeps everything close together. If one were to sit next to someone at a Northwestern football game people would most likely interact. If I take the bus to school, I wouldn't hesitate to speak to the people next to me if they intrigued me."

In a previous blog post, I mentioned the interesting way that the city's demographics change during a long ride. I'm glad I'm not the only one noticing this difference. Because he lives in Evanston, Lucas rides the red/purple lines a lot, and it being a long commute, he confessed he also noticed a difference. "There are times where I start way north in Evanston to end up way south past the loop. During a long commute, you can notice the different types of people entering and exiting the train, and how it changes as you move from area to area. Once I was south of the loop I started to see people that didn't appear to be so wealthy as those who go off/on the bus at the loop. I shouldn't assume, for I do not know their financial status, that people in different areas that get on the train are diverse in their wealth, health, genders, age and race."

It's actually pretty cool to see the transitions between Chicago's people and the areas they commute while riding CTA. It sorta feels like you are an outsider looking in. You're still, and the city life moves around you, without you, as you wait for your stop.