Is Chicago Underrated? (Charleston, Winnetka, Worth: credit, hotels, houses)

[MILWCITY]

In my opinion living in Downtown Milw my whole life and traveling more than anyone ever will in there lifetime I get the whole cheesehead ref. (I'm a Bears fan!!!) and how the Midwest is boring and one of the great things I tell them about living in Milwaukee and the Midwest is that we are a hour train ride away or 45min drive for me(80+) from Downtown Chicago and then everytime I have to clue them in about MKE and CHI. The response I get is "yeah but what does Chicago have?" Chicago has been included in a lot of movies so it's not like nobody knows what it looks like, so what gives???

[Hyun-Soo]

I've never been to Chicago but judging from the pictures, it's totally underrated.

It's one of the few cities in the U.S. that has such a huge downtown with world class skyscrapers like New York.

By the way, how big is tourism there?

[Chicagoland60426]

Chicago is underrated because its in the Midwest. There is nothin wrong with Chicago, but because its in the Midwest, its sorta of underrated. IF Chicago was moved on the east coast or California it will get more credit.

[hsw]

Most highly educated, intelligent people in NYC/LA/SF tend to be provincial....

Many in Manhattan know little (or at least claim to) about rest of NYC region, aside from Greenwich...the outer boroughs/NJ/LI tend to be mocked as "B&T"...

Many on LA's Westside know little about rest of LA region (the Valleys/OC)...except Chatsworth is where much porn is filmed...and Disneyland is somewhere behind the Orange Curtain...

Know many financiers from NYC/SF/LA who visit Chic for business, and impressions always seem very positive: many smart financial guys in Chic; excellent hotels and dining; very civilized downtown; lower taxes than Coasts...

Would argue Chic and LkForest/Winnetka are well-known and highly respected in NYC/SF/LA by affluent people, though perhaps not by the unwashed masses...

[Lookout Kid]

Yes, Chicago is underrated. It used to be more on the map as a celebrity playground in the Jazz age up through the early 1960s, but in the age of jets it's not a necessary stopover between the coasts anymore. Also, Los Angeles passed Chicago up to become the nations second-largest city in the 1980s--even though Chicago feels like a larger city...

[hsw]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Yes, Chicago is underrated. It used to be more on the map as a celebrity playground in the Jazz age up through the early 1960s, but in the age of jets it's not a necessary stopover between the coasts anymore. Also, Los Angeles passed Chicago up to become the nations second-largest city in the 1980s--even though Chicago feels like a larger city...

The "flyover" term is often used by those in entertainment industry....an industry not known for its intelligence and known for sourcing most of its new "talent" from trailer parks throughout "flyover" land....most of these people can barely read/count/think, even when sober/drug-free, so tend to devalue their comments...

In the business/financial world, suspect many view Chicago region as one of world's 5 most powerful, well-balanced economic regions...

Population stats can often mislead...many places exist w/lots of people w/poor education levels working in low-wage/low-IQ industries (FL's urban regions, LasVegas region, etc etc)...

LA region, by most measures, is less affluent/well-educated than Chic region...need to also factor in that many of the most expensive houses on LA's Westside and Malibu are actually owned (and used as wkend houses) by those who made their money in SiliconValley/NYC/Chic, etc, not LA.....

[Lookout Kid]

Other underrated large cities (in my opinion):

1. Philladelphia
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Providence, RI
4. Charleston, SC
5. San Antonio
6. Milwaukee
7. Pittsburgh
8. Cleveland


Largely overrated large cities (in my opinion)

1. Los Angeles
2. Phoenix
3. Atlanta
4. Dallas-Fort Worth
5. Houston
6. Orlando
7. Charlotte
8. Minneapolis
9. Denver

[Chicagoland60426]

Originally Posted by hsw

The "flyover" term is often used by those in entertainment industry....an industry not known for its intelligence and known for sourcing most of its new "talent" from trailer parks throughout "flyover" land....most of these people can barely read/count/think, even when sober/drug-free, so tend to devalue their comments...

In the business/financial world, suspect many view Chicago region as one of world's 5 most powerful, well-balanced economic regions...

Population stats can often mislead...many places exist w/lots of people w/poor education levels working in low-wage/low-IQ industries (FL's urban regions, LasVegas region, etc etc)...

LA region, by most measures, is less affluent/well-educated than Chic region...need to also factor in that many of the most expensive houses on LA's Westside and Malibu are actually owned (and used as wkend houses) by those who made their money in SiliconValley/NYC/Chic, etc, not LA.....

A lot of people think the LA region is wealthier/more educated than Chicagoland because the property is more expensive. A lot of people don't realize a lot of people in LA is only property rich and not affluent in income. Look up the stats for LA suburbs, and you can see that alot of people don't make enough money to really afford the house they live in. Many people that live in the North Shore suburbs of Chicago have some of the highest incomes in the country.

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by hsw

Many in Manhattan know little (or at least claim to) about rest of NYC region, aside from Greenwich...the outer boroughs/NJ/LI tend to be mocked as "B&T"...

The view of the world from Manhattan:
http://www.petergolden.com/Art/The_N...9th_Avenue.PNG

[Bud Dickman]

I dont think so, everyone not only knows Chicago but they tend to have an opinion of it, good or bad, and only a few cities have that recognition. I get the "middle of the country" crap sometimes and brush it off only because a close minded person would think that way. Most people I meet tend to like Chicago because they think of it as a tough city with great character.