For Black millennials, Chicago remains an ideal place to call home • The TRiiBE

Beecher, 40, is one of many millennials (individuals born roughly between 1981 and 1996) who chose to move to a bigger city in recent years. The Chicago-specific number, which is estimated to be around 176,400 people, is significant because Chicago’s millennials overall make up 34.8 percent of the city’s total population. The recently-moved residents comprise just 6.68 percent of the overall millennial group, according to SmartAsset’s 2025 study, which used 2023 U.S. Census Bureau data – but that’s still enough folks to populate a small city of people.

The TRiiBE set out to learn more about the Black millennials who moved to Chicago with plans to call the city their forever home. This narrative runs a bit counter to Census Bureau data that shows that Black folks of all ages are leaving Chicago and heading to southern states at a rapid rate. However, it seems there is a steady influx of young people – single or with families – poised to grow into our City of Big Shoulders. In May, new Census estimates show that Chicago added 22,164 residents from mid-2023 to mid-2024, marking a second consecutive year of population gains. We talked to Beecher and several others to gain insight into the moves, the whys and the hows of it. 

For Beecher, the creep of COVID-19 changed everything. In 2020 she launched her brand strategy business, The White Agency. She also met her now-fiancé, got a dog, and sent her son off to college. She planned her move with her fiancé, who works as a student advisor for a medical research college and is a stand-up comedian. 

While Beecher didn’t initially know which neighborhood she wanted to live in, she did know she wanted access to downtown activities, walkable streets, and proximity to Lake Michigan, as well as green space for her puppy. Using the Apartment List app to narrow down her search, Beecher says she also read many articles about each neighborhood in publications such as The TRiiBE and TimeOut Chicago. 

The South Loop is now her home, so much so that she and her fiancé are looking to buy. 

“While our neighborhood is admittedly a tourist destination on one end (Grant Park, Museum Campus, Soldier Field), just walking south a block or two feels like an escape,” she said. “It’s quite residential, beautiful to walk through, and every restaurant, cafe, shop has a strong community feel. We truly enjoy living here.”