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We currently live in Schaumburg, Illionois (45 mins west of Chicago).
Due to a work opportunity, we may be moving to one of the two areas listed above.
We moved here from Australia about 3.5 years ago, and apart for travel to St Louis, Wisconnsin and Indianna, haven't really travelled that much further yet.
Young married couple with a 10 year old daughter and 2 pet dogs, so a suburban type of life is preferred, including a house, not an apartment.
So with that in mind, what are the pluses and minuses of the two areas when compared to Chicago?
I'm not 100% sure of the actual cities yet, but work will be within a 20 mile area of the airports, so not exactly in the cities, moreso within an hour.
You can't really compare a state to a city. The climate is different here in jersey. Diversity i would say is the same , although its more European here. Transportation wise , NJ is way better , we have the largest statewide Rail and Bus network. We have beaches , but so does LA. Food form what i heard in LA is fake compared to here in Jersey. Schools are the best in the US. Crime is low and the quality of life is better.
NJ for the job opportunities- You have NYC, Jersey City, Newark and so on in the NE corridor. Philly/Trenton to the south west
LA is no slouch, someone else can speak on LA's behalf.
Anyone who values intellectual, diverse, walkable, green-minded living should be choosing New Jersey. Otherwise you're nothing but an auto-dependent, limosine liberal, stepford wife (welcome to LA).
You can't really compare a state to a city. The climate is different here in jersey. Diversity i would say is the same , although its more European here. Transportation wise , NJ is way better , we have the largest statewide Rail and Bus network. We have beaches , but so does LA. Food form what i heard in LA is fake compared to here in Jersey. Schools are the best in the US. Crime is low and the quality of life is better.
what the heck does that even mean? "fake" food in LA? are you kidding me? what a ridiculous statement.
so i guess all those super delicious + authentic tacos made by recently-arrived mexican immigrants in LA are "fake"? not to mention all the other great ethnic foods in the LA region like vietnamese, korean, japanese, cambodian, guatemalan, salvadoran, thai, ethiopian, persian, armenian, regional chinese, and so forth - all of which blow away their counterparts in the nyc/nj area in taste and authenticity.
for the record, los angeles is considered by many food lovers (including myself) to be one of the top eating cities/regions in the nation. nj is a fine eating area too, of course, with different strengths and weaknesses than LA (largely due to different demographics). i've eaten plenty of food in both areas, across a wide spectrum of cuisines and price points, and believe me, they're both wonderful food regions.
i'm really sorry to jump on you for this b/c i know you're a nice guy, but PLEASE stick your strengths, which is giving info about nj. just as we don't like when some people unfairly hate on nj based on stereotypes, false assumptions, or "what they heard", you shouldn't do the same to other areas.
We currently live in Schaumburg, Illionois (45 mins west of Chicago).
Due to a work opportunity, we may be moving to one of the two areas listed above.
We moved here from Australia about 3.5 years ago, and apart for travel to St Louis, Wisconnsin and Indianna, haven't really travelled that much further yet.
Young married couple with a 10 year old daughter and 2 pet dogs, so a suburban type of life is preferred, including a house, not an apartment.
So with that in mind, what are the pluses and minuses of the two areas when compared to Chicago?
I'm not 100% sure of the actual cities yet, but work will be within a 20 mile area of the airports, so not exactly in the cities, moreso within an hour.
before i say anything else, i'd like to strongly urge you to repost your query in both the los angeles and new jersey forums. despite its name, the city vs. city forum isn't really the right place to get honest feedback about the pros and cons of two different cities/regions. that's because the city vs. city forum is a complete battlezone where this site's various city fanboys (i.e. the chicago homers, the nyc homers, the atlanta homers, the houston homers, etc.) come out in full force to brag about their city, often employing hyperbole and willful ignorance to get their point across. there are also plenty of haters (sometimes the same people) who will shamelessly trash someone else's beloved city/region out of ignorance, unwarranted belief in stereotypes, or pure spite.
we've already seen your thread get derailed by petty bickering, and that's really not fair to you. your question is a good one and deserves a serious, thoughtful response, so why don't you post there instead?
for the record, i really don't think you can go wrong with either los angeles or new jersey (i assume north jersey, just outside of nyc, but please correct me if i'm wrong). but because i'm very tired and am unable to focus right now, i can't really go into too much detail. plus, i don't know exactly what you're looking for.
when you repost in the appropriate forums, can you add more information to help us answer your query?
-which airports would you be living 20 miles from? LAX and newark airport?
-it would be extremely helpful if you can find out the exact cities where the office would be located.
-would both of you be commuting to the same workplace?
-are good public schools important, or would you be interested in private schools?
-what is the maximum commute time (door-to-door) that you're willing to make? are you willing to take mass transit? both regions are notorious for having some of the longest average commutes in the nation, so it's important to live in close proximity to work if possible.
-what is your maximum housing budget? will you be renting or buying your house?
-even though you want to have a suburban lifestyle, would you like to be in very close proximity to each region's cultural/recreational centers? or would you be ok with living in a more distant suburb?
-what types of things do you like to do? are you outdoorsy (hiking/biking/beach/lakes/skiing)? do you like theater/plays/museums? is dining out important to you?
-do you have any climate preferences? los angeles and new jersey are polar opposites when it comes to climate.
-is there anything about life in suburban chicago that you want to replicate no matter where you live? anything that you want to avoid in your new home?
i love both areas and can list plenty of pros and cons for both. just repost your query with more detailed info and i'll try to give you a better answer later on.
what the heck does that even mean? "fake" food in LA? are you kidding me? what a ridiculous statement.
so i guess all those super delicious + authentic tacos made by recently-arrived mexican immigrants in LA are "fake"? not to mention all the other great ethnic foods in the LA region like vietnamese, korean, japanese, cambodian, guatemalan, salvadoran, thai, ethiopian, persian, armenian, regional chinese, and so forth - all of which blow away their counterparts in the nyc/nj area in taste and authenticity.
for the record, los angeles is considered by many food lovers (including myself) to be one of the top eating cities/regions in the nation. nj is a fine eating area too, of course, with different strengths and weaknesses than LA (largely due to different demographics). i've eaten plenty of food in both areas, across a wide spectrum of cuisines and price points, and believe me, they're both wonderful food regions.
i'm really sorry to jump on you for this b/c i know you're a nice guy, but PLEASE stick your strengths, which is giving info about nj. just as we don't like when some people unfairly hate on nj based on stereotypes, false assumptions, or "what they heard", you shouldn't do the same to other areas.
I heard there European foods are faker or not as authentic as there Midwestern and Northeastern Counterparts..
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