[solardev]

Sure, these things come and go, but isn't that partially because of the types of industries and workers that settle there in a given period? I'm sure it was quite the scene during the gold rush or tenements eras too. In the 90s it seemed really nice though. Rose tinted glasses and all that.

I don't think Chicago is magically more affordable or anything, just significantly more so than West Coast tech hubs, while still being very livable (transportation, food, culture, art, diversity, etc.) It does lack nature compared to the West Coast, but there are some really well maintained parks and awesome museums.

Point is, cities are in part defined by who lives and works there. Tech workers as a class don't really seem to contribute as much "liveliness" to a city, IMO. We make our money, hoard it or spend it on luxury cars and housing, then mostly keep to ourselves. Not very community or civic minded. Not EVERY worker, obviously, but it's a stereotype I've seen true more often than not in my limited personal experiences.