Re: Labor is the key.
Taxes?
When you consider cost of living and cost of talent... not much different than Seattle. Even our local brew has improved. (Including distilled beverages)
Taxes can go down if you get rid of Madigan
What you're missing is transportation. As to high tech talent... You can get OSU grads to come to Chicago... but how many Big10 grads, or Univ of Chicago grads want to go to Cowlumbus?
(Free clue, I had a cowbell that I picked up at a Clippers game... ;-)
There's more I can say, but Chicago is a much better option when you consider transportation and logistics. (When you fly in to Cowlumbus... its not going to be a direct flight. Chicago... it usually is. ;-)
Biting the hand that feeds IT
