Moving from Nashville, TN, to Chicago, IL

Windy City chills

When moving from Nashville to the Windy City of Chicago, be prepared for more wind and chillier temperatures overall — especially in the winter.  

Winter temps in Chicago are often below freezing, and the city averages around 37 inches of snow per year, quite the contrast to Nashville’s average of just over 4 inches. You’ll definitely want to invest in some warm winter gear you likely didn’t need in Tennessee.  

Summers in Chicago are mild, with temperatures rarely exceeding 90 degrees, unlike Nashville, where the mercury can sometimes top 100 degrees in August. 

Get ready for a faster-paced lifestyle

It’s no surprise the lifestyle is different between Nashville, a city of under 690,000, and Chicago, with a population of almost 2.8 million. Chicago has a fast-paced atmosphere compared to Nashville’s laid-back country vibe, so be prepared to hit the ground running in your new city, which is full of opportunities.  

Top employers in the area include Boeing, Deloitte, Ford Motor Company, JPMorgan Chase, Nestle and United Airlines. 

Find a new music scene in Chicago

Nashville may be known as “Music City,” but moving to Chicago doesn’t mean leaving your love of music behind. Chicago has a vibrant collection of Blues and Jazz live music venues complementary to the country music scene Nashville’s famous for. If you want to experience many different artists, you won’t want to miss the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago each summer, with over 170 performers.

Enjoy deep-dish pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs

If you loved the Southern cooking in Nashville, don’t worry; you can still find it in Chicago. But you’ll also find that Chicago has its own unique cuisine.  

The city is famous for deep-dish pizzas and Chicago-style hot dogs with a poppy seed bun. The franks are topped with mustard, onions, relish, tomato slices, pickles, sport peppers and celery salt. Ketchup isn’t popular, but we won’t tell if you bring some from Nashville to hide in your fridge! 

Use U-Pack for a stress-free move to Chicago

U-Pack® is ready to help with your long-distance move from Nashville to Chicago. We have nationwide service centers and more than 25 years of experience as a DIY-moving service. You handle packing, loading and unloading, and then we move your belongings. Get a free online quote today, or give us a call at 844-362-5303844-594-3077 to speak to a moving consultant.