When Chicago comes up, some people say, "Ah, Chicago pizza!" while others wonder, "Isn't there a lot of gun crime there?"

Honestly, both are true. There are many great pizza places, and if you turn on the news, shooting incidents come up one after another.

Chicago's murder rate is almost four times higher compared to the national average.

The national average is about 6 per 100,000 people, while Chicago is around 25.

At this point, it's natural to think, "Wow, that's really dangerous." Violent crime follows a similar pattern; the national average is about 380 incidents per 100,000 people, while Chicago exceeds 900. Almost two and a half times. Just looking at the statistics, you might think, "Oh, if I go there, I need to be careful and watch out for my safety."

However, if you come here and just go out to downtown for sightseeing, there shouldn't be any major problems. The really tough neighborhoods are elsewhere.

One cannot talk about Chicago without mentioning gangsters. Just hearing the name Al Capone gives off a Chicago vibe, right?

He was a legendary figure who dominated Chicago during the Prohibition era in the 1920s by selling alcohol and running gambling operations. The weapon used by kids back then was the Tommy gun, also known as the 'typewriter.'

The nickname came from the sound it made, resembling the clacking of a typewriter, but it was actually a submachine gun. That's why the image of Chicago as a gangster city, with typewriters and 'a city where bullets fly,' still lingers today.

Interestingly, crime is seasonal. There are significantly more incidents in the summer, especially during the hot and humid months of July and August.

When it gets hot, people tend to get irritable, drink more, and then fights break out, leading to gunfire... you know how it goes.

In winter? When it's minus 20 degrees and snowing, even robbers are too lazy to go out. The atmosphere is more like, "Hey, let's just stay home."

But it's not just Chicago that deserves criticism. Cities like Detroit and Baltimore have even higher murder rates than Chicago.

However, because Chicago has a larger population, the absolute number of incidents is much higher, and it frequently appears in the news, earning it the nickname "the city of gun incidents."

It is true that Chicago has a higher crime rate than the national average.

But at the same time, it is a city rich in jazz, sports, architecture, and deep-dish pizza.

If you visit, enjoying an Al Capone tour to feel the old gangster atmosphere can be fun.

Just be a bit more cautious on summer nights, as that would be wise.