Thinking of moving out of Chicago area (Phoenix, Atlanta: best cities, chapel)
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First, what kind of nut asks Chicagoans where to move away from Chicago to?
Second, Houston might be a good choice for what you want, but I do want to take issue with the claim that it's second to New York for theatre. Houston isn't even in the top ten of American cities for live theatre attendance. I'm sure they have nice theatre, but it doesn't compare to Chicago. I'd put Dallas ahead of Houston, in fact.
Thanks for all the responses. Just to respond to some comments....I don't think I would move to IA, kind of want to get out of the midwest if possible, I feel like IA would be more of the same of IL and worse. It's biased, but I really don't put IA at the top of my list.
I'm surprised to hear about dallas winters. Based on stats I've looked at the average temp is still a good 15-20 degrees better than CHI, im not necessarily looking for a place that's hot year round or else I'd move somewhere tropical
Agree w/SanFran, expenses seem like they'd destroy me, same with just about any other place in CA which is a shame because the weather seems great.
I have considered Atlanta but as you mention, the job market is probably the worst of any city I've looked at besides places in NV.
I wouldn't want to move to poland, it would be same or worse weather than CHI and I'm pretty sure the job market sucks (at least in the areas I've seen). It's great for me to go there and see family but I would never spend more than a month, just drives me crazy. I would definitely run to Canada before Poland in a SHTF situation.
mikey, thanks for the houston plug, good sell but ive heard some pros and cons. houston is probably the 1 city most similar to chicago as i understand, which could be a smooth transition but i hear some mixed reviews
First, what kind of nut asks Chicagoans where to move away from Chicago to?
Second, Houston might be a good choice for what you want, but I do want to take issue with the claim that it's second to New York for theatre. Houston isn't even in the top ten of American cities for live theatre attendance. I'm sure they have nice theatre, but it doesn't compare to Chicago. I'd put Dallas ahead of Houston, in fact.
I figure ppl would check the CHI forum since they had roots here and maybe check from time to time. I guess im not necessarily looking for success stories either, if someone wants to steer me AWAY from somewhere id appreciate that too. I agree with you that Dallas is probably higher on my list than Houston but for some reason I'm getting a ton of pro-houston responses. must be a popular destination for the chicago crowd?
and cubssoxfan, thats what makes this pretty tough, i do think shes the 1 and want to make it work but i dont want to force her to come with me. right now these are all thoughts in my head and no real plans. like i said, no job, no move. a job change would help but like i said, there are other factors and some can't be helped. in my spare time i workout/play sports, ride my motorcycle, im part of a polish folk group (i guess polish community should be on my list of wants), and just generally do stuff w/the gf or friends (parties, bars).
Thanks for all the responses. Just to respond to some comments....I don't think I would move to IA, kind of want to get out of the midwest if possible, I feel like IA would be more of the same of IL and worse. It's biased, but I really don't put IA at the top of my list.
I'm surprised to hear about dallas winters. Based on stats I've looked at the average temp is still a good 15-20 degrees better than CHI, im not necessarily looking for a place that's hot year round or else I'd move somewhere tropical
Agree w/SanFran, expenses seem like they'd destroy me, same with just about any other place in CA which is a shame because the weather seems great.
I have considered Atlanta but as you mention, the job market is probably the worst of any city I've looked at besides places in NV.
I wouldn't want to move to poland, it would be same or worse weather than CHI and I'm pretty sure the job market sucks (at least in the areas I've seen). It's great for me to go there and see family but I would never spend more than a month, just drives me crazy. I would definitely run to Canada before Poland in a SHTF situation.
mikey, thanks for the houston plug, good sell but ive heard some pros and cons. houston is probably the 1 city most similar to chicago as i understand, which could be a smooth transition but i hear some mixed reviews
I figure ppl would check the CHI forum since they had roots here and maybe check from time to time. I guess im not necessarily looking for success stories either, if someone wants to steer me AWAY from somewhere id appreciate that too. I agree with you that Dallas is probably higher on my list than Houston but for some reason I'm getting a ton of pro-houston responses. must be a popular destination for the chicago crowd?
and cubssoxfan, thats what makes this pretty tough, i do think shes the 1 and want to make it work but i dont want to force her to come with me. right now these are all thoughts in my head and no real plans. like i said, no job, no move. a job change would help but like i said, there are other factors and some can't be helped. in my spare time i workout/play sports, ride my motorcycle, im part of a polish folk group (i guess polish community should be on my list of wants), and just generally do stuff w/the gf or friends (parties, bars).
I suppose that you could just follow her wherever she winds up ( I believe that you mentioned CA, AR, etc), and trt to find something there, even if it means using an agency like Accountemps to get you started..
I think you're feeling the natural urge to see something different, and you're at the best age to do it. If you wind up going somewhere else, and wind up coming back, at least you had the experience-- Chicago isn't going anywhere. It would be a shame to just accept the status quo, and not really expand your horizons and try something new..
Houston is nothing like Chicago. It's better than Dallas though, which is not saying much.
Houston isn't much like Chicago, but given the O.P.'s list of wants, it might well fit the bill. Houston does have a pretty diverse immigrant population (although not so much Polish as far as I can tell), which means you'd at least have access to a lot of different kinds of food. The summers are brutally humid, though. I'm not a fan of southwest cities in general, but if I had to live in one I'd probably pick Phoenix of Houston for weather, even though I'd pick Houston for diversity. There are a lot of other smaller cities you can consider, too, like Raleigh and Huntsville and Little Rock. Yeah, their winters may be a bit chilly, but they won't get the deep freeze cold you see sometimes in Chicago. Keep in mind, too, that your body will acclimate, so what seems warm now may seem cold compared to summer weather in a new home.
Another place you could consider is Denver or Boise, which aren't nearly as cold or snowy in the winter as most people assume.
Second, Houston might be a good choice for what you want, but I do want to take issue with the claim that it's second to New York for theatre. Houston isn't even in the top ten of American cities for live theatre attendance. I'm sure they have nice theatre, but it doesn't compare to Chicago. I'd put Dallas ahead of Houston, in fact.
I think the "second to NYC" claim for Houston comes from the fact that Houston's theater district boasts the second-largest concentration of seats in one geographic area, behind only NYC. Which is not at all the same as having the second-best theater scene overall.
I've also seen people on these forums boast about Cleveland and Detroit being second only to NYC in regards to theater, both for equally dubious reasons.
I am in the same boat as you equipt31 (sans girlfriend), same age and looking to potentially leave Chicago. I have a good job here in accounting, but I feel as if I don't leave and explore another place I may regret it when I am older. I figure at least I tried out somewhere else, if it doesn't work I can always come back. I was thinking of somewhere like Miami, just the whole vibe and culture seems so energetic and youthful. Also it has great weather, like you I enjoy the summer and hate winter! It is on the ocean too, and I love all kinds of water sports and having the ocean so close at your disposal.
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