Does Chicago "feel" like a megacity? (Aurora, Naperville: neighborhoods, subdivisions)

[MachineKnownAsLosAngeles]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

I saw that you posted here and expected to read something like "Chicago sucks. LA absolutely disembowels Chicago and crushes its guts into oblivion" or something equally bizarre. But hot dang, did you just, um, actually, uh, say something nice about Chicago?

Someone pinch me.

Steve-o, buddy...I'm calling a truce.

Chicago is a great city that doesnt deserve to be glossed over as just a typical midwestern town.

It actually has nothing major in common with the rest of the region.

Its the powerhouse of Illinois imo.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by MachineKnownAsLosAngeles

Steve-o, buddy...I'm calling a truce.

Chicago is a great city that doesnt deserve to be glossed over as just a typical midwestern town.

It actually has nothing major in common with the rest of the region.

Its the powerhouse of Illinois imo.

Truce accepted, my swords are sheathed.

I just couldnt understand where you were coming from on most of your posts. Come on out to Chicago sometime, youll probably change your opinion in an instant like most people do.

[At1WithNature]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Truce accepted, my swords are sheathed.

I just couldnt understand where you were coming from on most of your posts. Come on out to Chicago sometime, youll probably change your opinion in an instant like most people do.

just make sure you come in either summer or fall, no later than Halloween.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

This post is quite offensive. First off, dont call the entire area "snoozeville". I can list MANY a town in OC that are also incredibly lame and boooooring (Yorba Linda, anyone?). Youre generalizing here, BIG TIME. One hour you can be in Oak Park which is quite urban, with fantastic Frank Lloyd Wright housing and excellent PT. The next you can be in Long Grove, and feel like you stepped back in time 100 years with the covered bridges, etc. The next you can be in Schaumburg and living it up at the clubs or taking in some fine dining. If thats too much for you, head west towards Wayne, where youd swear you were in Kentucky with all the big homes on lots of land and huge horse communities. Too boring for you? Head up the road to Elgin where you can gamble in a "big" city. Dont want to gamble? Head to Wheaton, where its about as conservative as places come. Too conservative? Head over to blue collar West Chicago and feel like you were in Zacatecas. Dont like the Mexican food? Stroll over a few towns to Bloomingdale and hit up the authentic Indian joints. Wanna feel like youre in New England? Hinsdale, with its gorgeous housing stock and downtown, is just the ticket. Want to do some great nightlife? Naperville. Need to get to Chicago? Take advantage of the extensive Metra lines. Head up to Winnetka, Lake Forest, Kenilworth, etc, to feel like youre in the Hamptons almost. Need a beach? Evanston or Illinois State Beach will suffice. Want a deep forest? Choose from TONS of Forest Preserves. Lakes? Check. Streams? Check. Prairies? Check. Be sure to check out the vast housing stock of Victorians, Georgians, Greek Revivals, Unions, Moderns, etc, on the way out to the destinations. There are Childrens Museums, several water parks, Six Flags, outlet malls, dragstrips, Nascar tracks, indoor sports domes, arboretums, museums, historical sites, quaint B&B towns, bustling downtowns, air shows, boat races, skydiving, architectural tours, lots of minor league sports, ice rinks, infinite ballparks, go kart tracks, mini golf, pro golf (most in the world), cuisines from practically every country in the world it seems, endless summer fests, winter fests, fall fests, dragon boat races, art walks/fairs, professional horse racing, private automotive race tracks, cruise nights, infinite car shows, riverboat gambling, Greek/Venetian nights, Sci-Tech, you-pick-it orchards and pumpkin farms, hiking/biking/running trails, snowmobile trails, truck off-roading parks, snowboard parks, cross country ski trails, every type of shopping known to mankind, unique-to-IL places like Genos, Lous, Portillos, etc, Ravinia Fest, every concert known to mankind, drive-in theaters, live theater, mega-complexes w/IMAX theatres, several zoos, etc.

Thats just getting started. "Snoozeville", eh? Its kept me more than entertained for over 30 years, and Ive only seen probably 25% of the area.

Steve,

I love the Chicago burbs just as much as you. We've agreed on a lot of the posts regarding this in other threads. I know all about most of these attractions.

I'm only tempted to "talk smack" about the Chicagoland area when others suggest that it is infinitely more exciting than the other top ten metro areas in the country.

All I was saying the excitement/vibrant meter has a much sharper gradient between downtown Chicago and 20-30 miles out than in other metro areas.

Other cities that have smaller less exciting downtowns have other non-downtown business/entertainment districts or even other cities' downtowns almost as big as their downtown. Chicagoland meanwhile is simply very centralized in regards to employment, etc.

When I've lived outside the area and I've told people that I am from the Chicago area, they look and talk to me as if I'm from midtown Manhattan. Where the reality is, you say Chicago and they think you live in a highrise, they think you are more urbane, cosmopolitan, and sophisticated than other midwesterns/middle-Americans.

The reality is though if you are from anywhere 20-30 miles from downtown Chicago you are simply from an environment that has more in common with Dallas Fort Worth, Oakland County, MI or some other major white collared population center between the coasts, the only difference is that you have ACCESS to what downtown Chicago offers, you are not really OF that place. That's all I'm saying.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

Steve,

I love the Chicago burbs just as much as you. We've agreed on a lot of the posts regarding this in other threads. I know all about most of these attractions.

I'm only tempted to "talk smack" about the Chicagoland area when others suggest that it is infinitely more exciting than the other top ten metro areas in the country.

All I was saying the excitement/vibrant meter has a much sharper gradient between downtown Chicago and 20-30 miles out than in other metro areas.

Other cities that have smaller less exciting downtowns have other non-downtown business/entertainment districts or even other cities' downtowns almost as big as their downtown. Chicagoland meanwhile is simply very centralized in regards to employment, etc.

When I've lived outside the area and I've told people that I am from the Chicago area, they look and talk to me as if I'm from midtown Manhattan. Where the reality is, you say Chicago and they think you live in a highrise, they think you are more urbane, cosmopolitan, and sophisticated than other midwesterns/middle-Americans.

The reality is though if you are from anywhere 20-30 miles from downtown Chicago you are simply from an environment that has more in common with Dallas Fort Worth, Oakland County, MI or some other major white collared population center between the coasts, the only difference is that you have ACCESS to what downtown Chicago offers, you are not really OF that place. That's all I'm saying.

Well, if I misunderstood you (which it sounds like I have in a way), I apologize. But I stand by my opinion that Chicago has some of the best burbs in the nation. Ive been to practically every major city in the US, and nothing has the feel of Chicagoland. Sure, places (especially the Sun Belt) outside of Chicagoland have what we have to a certain extent, but never in the volume or quality that Ive seen here. LA has some nice burbs, as does San Fran and Dallas/Houston, but overall just seemed no different than here, minus mountains in CA. Sun Belt burbs have most of the stores we have, the same basic attractions, but seem very generic and cheap. Id put it into other words if I could, but thats what comes across in my mind: generic. To be honest, the only place Ive been that had suburbs that I could relocate to would be San Diego, Pittsburgh, Boston and Albuquerque. Most other suburbs Ive been to left a bad taste in my mouth. There are just sooooo many suburbs here in Chicagoland, and they all offer something unique for the most part. I love how even neighborhing towns are worlds apart. I havent seen that in most places Ive been. Plus, there are Chicagoland quirks that I absolutely love that I cant find elsewhere (crazy weather at times, huge sports rivalries, community rivalries, historic aspects, natural terrain, etc).

[Lookout Kid]

I'm with Tex on this one. Most Chicago suburbs are pretty unremarkable, with a few key exceptions. If I were to live in the suburbs, I think I'd rather live in the suburbs of some other city where the traffic isn't as bad (like Milwaukee for instance). I just don't see that much uniqueness in most post-war Chicago suburbs. They are about as bland as it gets, with a few notable exceptions of course.

The best quality of many Chicago suburbs is proximity to Chicago.

[Chicago60614]

But the pre-war ones and the nice little downtowns around the Metra stations are very nice in many cases. I like the northern burbs quite a bit. I'd cut myself if I had to live there, but they're still nice.

[aragx6]

^^I agree that they're nice, but I don't seem them being particularly unique. If I was going to live int he suburbs I'd probably live in a cheaper metro. After a year living in Chicago's suburbs they seem just about like every other suburb.

That's not to say there's nothing nice or unique about them, but rather there's no more nice unique stuff than most other suburban areas I've been too and the prices are truly outrageous when compared to the smaller midwestern cities.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I'm with Tex on this one. Most Chicago suburbs are pretty unremarkable, with a few key exceptions. If I were to live in the suburbs, I think I'd rather live in the suburbs of some other city where the traffic isn't as bad (like Milwaukee for instance). I just don't see that much uniqueness in most post-war Chicago suburbs. They are about as bland as it gets, with a few notable exceptions of course.

The best quality of many Chicago suburbs is proximity to Chicago.

I strongly disagree. Places like Wayne, Long Grove, Naperville, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Hinsdale, Elgin, Aurora, St. Charles, Geneva, etc, are far from Chicago yet offer a lot and all are unique. People might disagree with Naperville, but you cant argue that its a happenin' place.

I can agree that many are very bland (ie Hanover Park, Carol Stream, etc), but thats how most suburbs are across this country. Trust me, go spend time in Houston's burbs or Phoenix's burbs or Oklahoma Citys' burbs and youll beg and crawl on broken glass to come back here. There is a variety here that you cannot get elsewhere for the most part.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by aragx6

After a year living in Chicago's suburbs they seem just about like every other suburb

Places like Plainfield could easily be Overland Park, KS or Cookeville, TN, but places like Geneva, Long Grove, Naperville, Wayne, etc, are hardly the norm. Ive yet to find a place that is the size of Naperville in the USA that is 1/3 as nice/fun or a tiny community like Long Grove that is jammed into the middle of a major metropolis or a rural Kentucky-ish feeling Wayne that is next to a rust-belt-feeling Elgin.

Sounds like many of you are generalizing the exurbs and grouping them together with wonderful places like Glen Ellyn and Hinsdale, and thats not fair. There are what, 200+ burbs in Chicago? There is something for everyone, and then some. You just dont have those options in most urban areas in this country, especially in those numbers. If you want to find places that are similar to Chicago's burbs, youll end up paying just as much, if not more. Sure other cities might have a few burbs that kind of echo places like Geneva, but theyre in such small numbers. Here I can list off 50+ burbs (which is more than some cities have alone!!!!!) that are unique and fun to visit. Cant say the same for 95% of the rest of this country.