Should We Move to Chicago or DC? (Washington, Georgetown: condos, job)

[colonialsfan]

I am very undecided... My husband and I have job offers in both cities and need to make a decision soon. I went to college in DC and I miss the city a lot, but my extended family and friends all live in Illinois. I've only visited Chicago twice and very briefly each time, so I don't really know the city that well. The pay in DC $8000 higher than in Chicago, but the cost of living is also more expensive (and I hate living in far-out suburbs). Also, this isn't the most important issue, but I am *very* moderate in politics, and don't really like extremists (regardless of whether they're right or left wingers).

Any advice/insight would be appreciated :-)

[lincolnparker]

dc's winter is milder, but chicago is much bigger.
dc does not have the beach, but the beach is only a couple of hrs drive away.
dc area has national parks, and chicago does not
dc is more expensive, but you can find cheaper deals in southern MD or Nova. those are not far out suburbs. For instance, if you live in Roslyn, its only across the river from georgetown and barely a 2 min metro ride to foggy bottom.
I also went to school in dc. Personally, it would be hard for me to decide between dc area and chicago. DC feels more connected with other coastal cities and international cities, and Chicago is very much american. it's a personal preference. I would give dc a slight edge over Chicago simply because I went to school in the dc area and miss friends there, and also like the fact that within 3 hrs you can be in baltimore, philly, manhattan. and yes, who could refuse the blue crabs from the chasepeak bay

[DC's Finest]

Both cities are great - I live in DC but Chicago is my second favorite city, even more than NYC and I am originally from Brooklyn. I think it all depends on what you are looking for. Keep in mind that Chicago is more than 4 times the size of DC physically and by population. Here's my two cents.

Weather - DC
Transportation - Push DC has more subway riders & Chicago has more bus riders. Metra kills VRE & MARC
Restaurants - Chicago
Culture - Push leaning towards Chicago
Museums -Chicago is cool but you cant beat free Smithsonians
People - Chicago
COLA - Chicago
Taxes - DC
Housing Cost - Chicago (Best bang for the buck)
Diversity - DC
Location - DC (East Coast is a beast) Baltimore in 35 minutes; Philly in 2 hrs; NYC in 4 hrs; Boston in 7hrs; Mountains in 2 - Atlantic Ocean in 2
Employment - Push
Cityscape - Chicago
Suburbs - DC (Arlington, Alexandria, Bethesda, Silver Spring) an extension of DC and urban as the burbs can get
Activities - Push
Cosmopolitan - Push
Shopping -Chicago
Sports - Chicago except football (Redskins nation kills the Bears)
Nightlife - DC has some of the best (upscale) clubs in the US but Chicago has the bar scene
Outdoor Activities - DC (Rock climbing on the Potomac or Rock Creek Park)
Neighborhoods - Chicago has too many great neighborhoods
Walkability - Push but DC is more compact
Big City Feel - Chicago

[Lookout Kid]

I think the nice, urban areas of DC (such as Georgetown or DuPont Circle) are more beautiful than our equivalent Chicago neighborhoods, but the 19th Century Chicago streetscape grows on you after a while with its consistent brickwork and style. DC seems to have a lot more color at all times of year--both in architecture and plantings. But even the harder edge of Chicago grows on you as well. There is a culture of teardowns in Chicago that is really mucking up neighboroods all over the city with crappy new-construction condos that should never be allowed to pass code. I didn't see nearly as much of that in DC the last time I was out there.

But just let me say that Chicago offers a LOT more choice than DC. We have more liveable urban neighborhoods in number and size. DC has generally nicer suburbs, but you have said that this isn't your preference.

As far as transit, DC has a beautiful system with vast open modern stations that are actually quite beautiful with the coffered cast-in-place concrete ceilings. Chicago's system is old and decrepit, and we have the worst subway stations I have seen in any city anywhere in the world. But I would actually say the El is more useful in terms of how it's integrated into the city's neighborhoods.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by DC's Finest

Transportation - Push DC has more subway riders & Chicago has more bus riders. Metra kills VRE & MARC

This isn't really an apples-to-apples comparison. The El had about 700,000 riders in 2008 and DC's Metro had about 800,000 riders. However, the Metro has a lot more suburban stations than the El, so it functions somewhere in the realm of Chicago's urban El and suburban Metra.

[DC's Finest]

DC's metro is nothing like Metra. The Metro is urban heavyrail. The Metra (diesel) is more like our MARC and VRE. You cannot discount the Metro because it goes to the burbs. Boston's T also goes to the burbs.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by DC's Finest

DC's metro is nothing like Metra. The Metro is urban heavyrail. The Metra (diesel) is more like our MARC and VRE. You cannot discount the Metro because it goes to the burbs. Boston's T also goes to the burbs.

What I was trying to say is that the Metro picks up a lot of the suburban riders that would be taking the Metra in Chicago. I'm not trying to discount the Metro--just pointing out a difference in its usage patterns. I love the DC Metro! I do realize that DC has a diesel commuter rail system in addition to the Metro.

The Chicago El has a few suburban stops, but does not serve suburban areas as extensively as the Metro. Most El terminus points are still within the city limits. I think the El would pick up more riders if the terminal stations were pushed further out.

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by DC's Finest

Both cities are great - I live in DC but Chicago is my second favorite city, even more than NYC and I am originally from Brooklyn. I think it all depends on what you are looking for. Keep in mind that Chicago is more than 4 times the size of DC physically and by population. Here's my two cents.

Weather - DC
Transportation - Push DC has more subway riders & Chicago has more bus riders. Metra kills VRE & MARC
Restaurants - Chicago
Culture - Push leaning towards Chicago
Museums -Chicago is cool but you cant beat free Smithsonians
People - Chicago
COLA - Chicago
Taxes - DC
Housing Cost - Chicago (Best bang for the buck)
Diversity - DC
Location - DC (East Coast is a beast) Baltimore in 35 minutes; Philly in 2 hrs; NYC in 4 hrs; Boston in 7hrs; Mountains in 2 - Atlantic Ocean in 2
Employment - Push
Cityscape - Chicago
Suburbs - DC (Arlington, Alexandria, Bethesda, Silver Spring) an extension of DC and urban as the burbs can get
Activities - Push
Cosmopolitan - Push
Shopping -Chicago
Sports - Chicago except football (Redskins nation kills the Bears)
Nightlife - DC has some of the best (upscale) clubs in the US but Chicago has the bar scene
Outdoor Activities - DC (Rock climbing on the Potomac or Rock Creek Park)
Neighborhoods - Chicago has too many great neighborhoods
Walkability - Push but DC is more compact
Big City Feel - Chicago

I think that's a fair and accurate assessment (other than sports).

Metro isn't like Metra in Chicago, but for most of the system the distance between stations is much greater than in Chicago. Metro is more like BART, or other modern systems, while the El lines in Chicago are based on an older model, similar to NYC, London, or Boston. And the El does run to the suburbs as well.

[LIS123]

I don't think $8K is enough to cover the increased COL of DC vs Chicago (esp if it's a
pre-tax figure).

If you provide more information about what you do and do not like (besides distant suburbs), we may be able to provide better answers. The DC suburbs are nice in the sense they are very close to the city and very Metro-accessible. That said, many of them are also very expensive.

I'd also agree with DC's finest, except that the Bears fans can keep up with Redskins nation. I like that the Washington nightlife scene runs the gamut from no cover to needing to be on a guest list (and or cover) and from trashy/meat-market to
very upscale/chic. Chicago should have as wide a variety. It's probably close to a wash overall.