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Winters can be brutal from Mid December through April -- though like Spade mentioned -- it's been warmer than usual the last couple. Houston's summers are brutal from Late April till September -- very humid. Atlanta is probably your best bet when it comes to weather overall compared to these two.
All 3 have great shopping. You really can't go wrong either of them
All 3 have pretty good nightlife in varieties (as Spade pointed out)
Parks - Not really sure about Atlanta, but Houston has some good parks to go jogging around. Chicago has the lakefront.
Professional Sports - All 3 have basketball and football teams. But Chicago has the edge over both in the overall sports scene. I'd say it's even for football in all 3 Falcons, Texans, and Bears are all big in their respective cities. Basketball's a little different -- Chicago beats out both in that regard.
Food- This is a little more subjective. You'll find a lot of people say Chicago has the 2nd or 3rd best food scene in the country but it really depends on what kind of food you like -- obviously Pizza, Italian Beef, and Hot Dogs are a big thing here, but there's also a lot more to the food scene than just those. Houston has great food too since it's very diverse. Same goes with Atlanta.
Museums - All 3 have great museum districts. The Art Institute of Chicago is pretty well known. Atlanta has the Museum of Art and the Georgia Aquarium. Houston has the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Natural Science.
Safety - With Houston, it's generally safe. Of course you have your spots in and around the city where there's more crime than less but for the most part it's safe. I think Atlanta and Houston are pretty similar in this regard. As for Chicago, most of the crime is concentrated in the south and west parts of the city. Not all of the south is bad and not all of the west is bad. If you live on the north side, most areas are generally safe.
Hope this helps. Good luck on your move.
Thanks for the info and it really did help! So the winters in Chicago are getting better?
I personally think Chicago is a much better city if you want an urban environment. You can walk everywhere, don't need a car, and public transportation is quite good. I grew up in Missouri and it is easy enough to get back there.
Yeah Chicago isn't that far from Missouri at all. I find it crazy that a city like Chicago could be so close to the small city I was raised in. My town's population is about 2,ooo with no type of attractions and Chicago's so close..It's craxzy but amazing.... Since you from Missouri how different are the winters in Chicago from Missouri?
Thanks for the info it was very helpful! Where do most of the young professionals live in Atlanta? Someone suggested Vinings to me. I watched a video of Midtown and it looks very very beautiful at night time! My salary is going to be around 66k; which one of those places you names would be in my range with young professionals there also?
$66k is enough to live anywhere. Nice apartments run $1,000+ in Atlanta generally. In Midtown, the new highrise apartments run $1,400, but there are cheaper options.
Midtown is probably the best place in Atlanta if you want a typical city environment that's safe and pleasant, and close to amenities such as museums, parks, and public transit. But there are lots of neighborhoods to choose from: Decatur, Inman Park, Virginia Highland, Candler Park...the list goes on. They all have a little different flavor but are full of young people.
The only thing you'll definitely want to avoid is living in the far-our suburbs. I'd say one of the worst flaws of Atlanta is the lack of stuff for young people in the burbs. They're pretty much uniformly family oriented. Any young people you meet will be like..."Oh, you live way out there?"
Thanks for the info and it really did help! So the winters in Chicago are getting better?
Well, they aren't as long as people make them out to be (at least not the worst of winter), but they're also unusual the past couple of years. If length is what you're worried about, I think you'd be fine. Oct-Dec isn't very bad. Frigid conditions are usually Jan-March and then April is usually when it gets warm (this year however it didn't -- while last year it was warm by March). So it's a little unpredictable. 7 months is what I'd put it as for an average, not 9.
If I choose Chicago I not really worried about the winter to much, because here in Missouri let me tell you the weather is ridiculous especially in the winter time. I'm just worried about the 9 months of coldness I heard that's in Chicago. I just wouldn't want it ti be cold that long.
It's basically December-February sometimes early March when Chicago can get brutal. Just like in Houston it's Mid-May to Mid-September sometimes late September. But most of the year, Chicago and Houston is very pleasant. Houston wins for winter temps and Chicago wins for summer temps.
If I choose Chicago I not really worried about the winter to much, because here in Missouri let me tell you the weather is ridiculous especially in the winter time. I'm just worried about the 9 months of coldness I heard that's in Chicago. I just wouldn't want it ti be cold that long.
9 months of coldness? Average highs are 70 or above from the middle of May through the beginning of October. Usually summer and fall are the best, with winter sucking and spring just being annoying.
March and April aren't going to be BRUTAL and it normally won't snow, it's just the temperature swings and the cold snaps down into the 30's and 40's that get people really annoyed and ready for summer. It can be anywhere from 30 degrees to 80 degrees during this time period. It can be 65 and sunny the first week of April, and then rainy and 40 degrees for the weekend and all you hear people talking about is the 40 degrees over the weekend. It makes it seem like it's much worse than reality because people only point out the crappy times.
I think middle December through the end of February are the worst and are WINTER, then in March things start springboarding up very fast as far as temperatures. They're just not stable.
Now is very overrated. It snows maybe 5-7 times, and usually just a few inches. Even a 6" or 8" snowfall is quite rare.
1) Chicago doesn't have 9 months of coldness. It's more like 3-4 months and if you're unlucky, then 5.
2) My starting salary in Chicago was about the same as yours. I was able to get a 25th floor view in downtown with a 24 hour doorman and private gym, with numerous bus lines and a train line right near my door with a grocery store across the street, tons of bars, restaurants, shops etc all within short walking distance. My place is not luxury, but it's not bad by any stretch. I have a 1 bedroom place. I also live in one of the most expensive areas of the city and there's other "hot" neighborhoods that are definitely less expensive. My place is about $1350/month and if I went to an area like Lakeview (which is where Wrigley Field is), I could get a 1 bedroom for $1000-$1200/month there. If I had roommates, I know people who live not far from Wrigley Field for like $600/month in 4 bedroom apartments. My ex's place not far away, 2 bedroom, was $750/month for her share.
$66k/year is more than doable in all three cities. In some good areas of Chicago, you could actually get a 2 bedroom apartment for $1400-$1600/month (even less if you're lucky and know how to shop around) that has enough things to do and is within a 5-10 minute train ride of some HOT areas.
In terms of urban living, Chicago far and away has the best out of these three. By far the most/largest public transit out of the three. All three cities have great sports, food, etc. I'd put food, nightlife, and museums for Chicago at #1. The weather is of course the worst out of the three, although the summers are the most bearable if you don't like hot weather. It's in the 80s and 90s in Chicago, but yeah. Chicago also has over 30 beaches right in the city. Unfortunately, you can only use them for like 4 or so months of the year.
All three cities are good. I think it just comes down to what kind of lifestyle you want for yourself.
Thanks for the info it was very helpful! Where do most of the young professionals live in Atlanta? Someone suggested Vinings to me. I watched a video of Midtown and it looks very very beautiful at night time! My salary is going to be around 66k; which one of those places you names would be in my range with young professionals there also?
They live all over the Metro, however a high concentration resides in Midtown/Downtown. But it's several areas around Atl where young professionals live both inside the city and the burbs. Vinings is very nice; Check out the West Paces Ferry area. Mind me asking how old you are? I'm 31, a young prof living in Tucker. You salary shouldn't be a problem no where around here
9 months of coldness? Average highs are 70 or above from the middle of May through the beginning of October. Usually summer and fall are the best, with winter sucking and spring just being annoying.
March and April aren't going to be BRUTAL and it normally won't snow, it's just the temperature swings and the cold snaps down into the 30's and 40's that get people really annoyed and ready for summer. It can be anywhere from 30 degrees to 80 degrees during this time period. It can be 65 and sunny the first week of April, and then rainy and 40 degrees for the weekend and all you hear people talking about is the 40 degrees over the weekend. It makes it seem like it's much worse than reality because people only point out the crappy times.
I think middle December through the end of February are the worst and are WINTER, then in March things start springboarding up very fast as far as temperatures. They're just not stable.
Now is very overrated. It snows maybe 5-7 times, and usually just a few inches. Even a 6" or 8" snowfall is quite rare.
Thanks for clearing that up I was just going of what people have told. Also me being from the Mid-West these temps don't seem to bad at all.
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