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Chicago, North America's commercial and transportation hub, offers a unique combination of a no-nonsense Midwestern work ethic and sophisticated urban living. Careerists will find a myriad of opportunities here; the city's traditional emphasis on production and distribution is complemented by a major presence of financial services companies, among other industries.
The city boasts a number of breathtaking cultural attractions, from blues clubs to the Art Institute of Chicago. Recreational opportunities on Lake Michigan abound -- when the lake isn't frozen over by weeks of subzero air temperatures or whipped into 15-foot waves by a gale. The temperature in the Windy City can reach 96 degrees or higher in the summer and 15 degrees below zero or lower during the winter months.
As for living expenses, Chicago is a relative bargain for such a large city. "Housing is getting more expensive, but it doesn't reach the levels of New York, Boston or San Francisco," says Richard Kaye, a Chicago labor economist with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The median home price for the Chicago metro area was $242,600 in the fourth quarter of 2004, only a 2.7 percent increase from a year earlier.
For a Midwestern community, the Chicago metropolitan area -- with a population of 8.5 million -- is very diverse. Its racial makeup is 14 percent black, 10 percent Hispanic and 4 percent Asian.
Just as important for the job seeker, the city's economy is diverse, although "Chicago has historically been more manufacturing-oriented than other cities, so our recovery is a bit slower," says Kaye. Chicago's unemployment rate dipped from 6.7 percent in January 2004 to 5.9 percent in January 2005, a bit above the national average of 5.7 percent (5.2 percent seasonally adjusted).
"Businesses that are expanding include legal, accounting and allied healthcare, including medical technologists and radiologists," says Kaye. An entry-level accountant in Chicago earns a median salary of $42,083; a radiologic technologist earns $46,438, according to the Monster Salary Center.
Chicago offers numerous career opportunities in accounting, advertising and marketing, banking, financial services, human resources, information technology, legal, logistics, manufacturing, sales, and transportation and warehousing. Employers who have been hiring in the financial services industry locally include Allstate Insurance and Washington Mutual.
The state of Illinois has been aggressively wooing businesses to the Chicago area that will create jobs. In 2005, a large subsidiary of petrochemical giant BP announced that it would locate its world headquarters in Chicago and bring 340 jobs to the region. In 2004, Ford Motor opened the Chicago Manufacturing Campus, bringing in 12 suppliers -- and more than 1,400 new jobs.