I'm a remote worker who moved to Chicago. Social media helped me make friends, but it's hard to meet people during the city's freezing winters.

Wed, 07/17/2024 - 06:11

Aley Clark sits on her sofa in her apartment in Chicago, holding a hot drink and looking at a magazine — Summer is the season for socializing in Chicago, Aley Clark says.
Courtesy of Aley Clark

Aley Clark is a writer who relocated from South Carolina to Chicago in March 2023.
Her TikTok following helped her make friends in the Windy City.
But when winter rolls round, it's hard to socialize, she said. People just want to stay indoors.

This as-told-to article is based on a conversation with Aley Clark, a lifestyle and wellness writer and content creator who relocated from South Carolina to Chicago in March 2023. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I moved from Moncks Corner in South Carolina to Chicago in March 2023.

I really just needed a new start. The south is pretty slow and I felt very stagnant there. I wasn't really growing. It felt like it was time to go, and I just always had an itch for bigger cities.