We were perplexed to see that Chicago isn’t on BusinessWeek.com’s list of top 10 places for artists to live, losing out to Carson City, Nev., and Nassau-Suffolk counties in New York, as well as more predictable choices like New York City, L.A. and San Francisco.
Come on, BusinessWeek.com! Chicago is the imrov comedy capital of the world, a hotbed of jazz, a haven of up-and-coming theater companies – we get dizzy just thinking about all the art getting churned out in this town.
And unlike New York or San Francisco, it’s possible to live la vie Boheme while living in a huge apartment with hardwood floors for less than $500 a month, especially if you’re willing to have a room mate. In some nice neighborhoods, too – trust us, we’ve tried it. And you don’t really need a car here, which cuts out a whole other layer of expense.
Sperling’s Best Places of Portland, Ore. made the list for Businessweek.com by measuring, among other things, the number of art establishments per 100,000 people and something called an “arts and culture index.” These calculations might be more meaningful if some one had actually visited these towns to check out the art scenes firsthand, or if the accompanying BusinessWeek.com story had quoted even one artist.