Not sure how many brothas on this forum live in Chicago. But my experience here has been very negative with regards to interracial. I live in Lincoln Park, a very nice neighborhood that is mostly post-college white professionals. The bars are full of hot midwestern white women: blonde, blue eyed, big tits, banging bodies. Unfortunately, they're not open to black guys. Quite a few of them told me straight up that they don't date or mess around with black dudes, and walking around the city I very rarely see interracial couples.
I can rep the Chi to the fullest; I get around everywhere in IL. You name a place, I been there, or damn close to it, and I always take note of the ladies of course.
First off, Lincoln Park is eclectic, but it may not serve as the IR neighborhood. At the same time, you might run into some more open minded people than you would in some other towns, also, they do have an affluent line that runs through there also.
Chicago can be kind of tricky. You kinda have to be in the right place at the right time. I don't think there are as many communities catering to IR as other states. And when there is, IR “piggy backs” on something like the gay community (which isn't a bad thing). Oak Park is very well known for it's IR and Gay population. I have known many people that have come from over seas for jobs and moved there because it accepting or I have even known people to come over seas just to live in Oak Park because it's accepting. This burb (OP) doesn't have a metropolitan night life though.
But like you kinda have to be in the right place at the right time, and it's more about your presentation skills. I find Chicago to be like most other major metropolitan areas; they all have residents that huddle together in certain communities because of race and income, some communities mesh well because they don't care about race more about income, some communities care more about race (but from an openmided standpoint), and several other categories.
To make a long story short, even if your not in a self-proclaimed IR friendly area, there is always an opportunity & you just have to take advantage of it when you can. I spent my young life in the city, half my adolescent life in on the border of the city and the burbs, and the rest in the deep burbs. I say this to illustrate the progression of geography and diverse set of girls/women. The further I have lived from the city, the better I had to become at picking up women. I live in an area that has it's fair share of diversity, but is predominantly white, and when I go out, I am successful every time, not bragging, but it's true. I had to hone my game, I have had girls--not just white mind you, tell me they don't date bruthas, only to be with me that same night.
My overall advice, be creative, we have a lot of events that draw IR crowds, at Millennium Park, Taste, festivals, Parades, some clubs, bars, lounges, etc. You just have dig, trial and error sometime, get a good crowd friends that like to do different things, and step your game up.