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Old 06-15-2009, 02:49 PM
 
Location: Omaha, NE
148 posts, read 385,502 times
Reputation: 74

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Anyone on here that grew up or lived in Omaha and now lives in the Chicago area? Looking for your advice on if moving to Chicago is worth leaving Omaha as I am looking for a CHANGE!

I will be in Chicago the first week of July to experience for myself, but just curious of others opinions. Every thread I have read turns into an argument so maybe that is not a good sign??
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Old 06-15-2009, 02:54 PM
 
Location: Tower Grove East, St. Louis, MO
12,063 posts, read 31,547,169 times
Reputation: 3799
What do you like about Omaha? What do you dislike about Omaha?
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Old 06-15-2009, 03:25 PM
 
7,330 posts, read 15,350,703 times
Reputation: 3800
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aenej4 View Post
I will be in Chicago the first week of July to experience for myself, but just curious of others opinions. Every thread I have read turns into an argument so maybe that is not a good sign??
It's not indicative of Chicago as a whole. It's far more indicative of the nature of internet message boards as being the realm of trolls, sticklers, and other such "nattering nabobs of negativism" to borrow the most ham-fisted phrase that Safire ever crafted and Agnew ever spoke.

As for how Omaha compares to Chicago, I have nothing to add. I've never been to Omaha. It might be better to talk about what you're looking for and not looking for in a city, I think.
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Old 06-15-2009, 03:25 PM
 
Location: Omaha, NE
148 posts, read 385,502 times
Reputation: 74
Likes:
The Zoo
College World Series (going on now)
The fact that it's in the Midwest
Housing is fairly priced

Dislikes:
Nothing fun to do or see
Downtown is the only place to really see/do anything and growing up here, you've seen/done it all
You can see all of downtown in one day
Would like somewhat of a diverse community without going out of my way to find it-I like to learn about different cultures. I guess here you have to go to museums or search for an area of diversity to find this out.
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Old 06-15-2009, 03:28 PM
 
7,330 posts, read 15,350,703 times
Reputation: 3800
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aenej4 View Post
Likes:
The Zoo (Chicago has a free zoo downtown and a nicer zoo in the burbs)
College World Series (going on now) (Cubs and Sox make this a serious baseball town)
The fact that it's in the Midwest (Ditto here)
Housing is fairly priced (Let's define "fairly". Chicago is more expensive than Omaha, but not completely outlandish)

Furthermore, you can avoid all/most of your dislikes in Chicago. I think Chicago may be a fit.
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Old 06-15-2009, 04:00 PM
 
21 posts, read 67,149 times
Reputation: 19
Default Chicago!

I grew up in a small city in Illinois and moved to Chicago after college, and lived there for 12 years before moving on. I loved living in Chicago. It is an experience I am glad I had.
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Old 06-15-2009, 04:40 PM
 
Location: West Columbia, SC
393 posts, read 1,214,501 times
Reputation: 111
It really depends. Chicago has certain similarities to the smaller Midwestern cities that you would notice if you are really looking for a complete change; it's flat, laid out in a grid, and had many of the same industries (meatpacking) and emphasis on railroads. There is little difference in the climate or vegetation from Omaha. The ethnic background--and interest in knowing about people's ethnic backgrounds--is much the same.

Of course, Chicago has lots more going on, lots of cultural opportunities and so forth. This should not be considered a criticism of Chicago.

If you want to have a non-Midwestern experience, there are other cities in the US you could try:

Washington, DC (and suburbs) has a very diverse ethnic makeup, with Vietnamese, Persians, Ethiopians and El Salvadorans spicing things up. There are a lot of younger people there, and that engenders cultural and social opportunities. The weather is warmer year-round. Also it has the most important thing; lots of jobs.

Seattle is as about as different as one can get in terrain, climate and vegetation, and is a culturally vibrant city. Yes, it's considered passe to move to Seattle, but who cares?

Phoenix is the Chicago of the desert--lots of people from Chicago have moved there, and it is laid out in a grid, and there is even a Peoria nearby. Its main difference from Chicago is the climate and vegetation. Still, it might be fun, except that the job market there is shrinking.
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Old 06-15-2009, 05:00 PM
 
7,330 posts, read 15,350,703 times
Reputation: 3800
Quote:
Originally Posted by Intergalactic View Post

Phoenix is the Chicago of the desert--lots of people from Chicago have moved there, and it is laid out in a grid, and there is even a Peoria nearby. Its main difference from Chicago is the climate and vegetation. Still, it might be fun, except that the job market there is shrinking.
A good friend of mine moved to Chicago from Phoenix, and he would DEFINITELY disagree with this, noting that Phoenix has lousy public transportation, excessive sprawl, conservative politics, etc.

Still, as the OP listed Omaha's presence in the Midwest as a plus, we can assume he/she likes the Midwest just fine, so it's a non-issue.
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Old 06-15-2009, 05:09 PM
 
Location: Chicago
4,688 posts, read 10,084,140 times
Reputation: 3207
Quote:
Originally Posted by Intergalactic View Post

Phoenix is the Chicago of the desert--lots of people from Chicago have moved there, and it is laid out in a grid, and there is even a Peoria nearby. Its main difference from Chicago is the climate and vegetation. Still, it might be fun, except that the job market there is shrinking.
I'd say the biggest difference, outside of the weather, is that Phoenix has been built like a giant Schaumburg while Chicago was built out enough before the age of the automobile, strip mall, and surface lot. So if you're looking for a pleasant urban neighborhood lifestyle, Chicago has plenty of those to offer.

I wouldn't worry about the bickering that goes on in here. Seems like the past few months, particularly, a handful of people have sought to make it that way on as many threads as possible, but I wouldn't translate what you see on a message board with how people actually interact in everyday life.

Like Carolina said, based on what you said your wants are, I'd say Chicago could satisfy them. There's definitely plenty to check out during the week you'll spend here in July to decide if this is the place for you. Ethnic neighborhoods, lots of great (and some not so great) neighborhood street fests, tons going on in July. You should have a great time.
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Old 06-15-2009, 06:22 PM
 
4,857 posts, read 7,587,145 times
Reputation: 6394
I used to live in Omaha and love Chicago, Chicago is not exactly a "change". New Orleans or Miami or Santa Fe would be a change.
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