Best City for Mid-20s

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by things and stuff

You can rule Chicago out due to rental costs, traffic, lack of big time hiking, and how unrealistic it would be for them to have horses to ride within 30-45 minutes.

The only part of this which you said is true about "big time hiking." Everything else you mentioned tells me you don't know much about Chicago at all.

1) Rental prices. You can find studios under $800/month in decent/good areas of Chicago and you can find 2 bedroom places for under $1600/month. I can always tell 100% who is not familiar with the rental prices by this alone. Let's look at some examples in good areas:

Studios ($800/mo max)
* Studio in Lincoln Square/North Center | $700 | 4307 N Lincoln Ave APT 3E, Chicago, IL 60618 is For Rent - Zillow
* Studio in Lakeview East | $750 - $800 | 505 W Belmont Ave - Chicago - IL 60657 - Zillow
* Studio in North Center | $800 | 4024 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60613 is For Rent - Zillow

2 Bedrooms ($1600/mo max)
* Chinatown | $1250 | 239 W 18th St APT 5D, Chicago, IL 60616 is For Rent - Zillow
* Noble Square | $1600 | 2242 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622 is For Rent - Zillow
* Lincoln Park | $1550 | 607 W Wrightwood Ave APT 802, Chicago, IL 60614 is For Rent - Zillow
* Lakeview | $1565 | W Oakdale Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 is For Rent - Zillow


In fact, for the 2 bedrooms, the city is littered with 2 bedroom places for $1600/month max:
Apartments for Rent - 1087 Rentals - Zillow


The common misconception is what you just spouted off. I know the rental prices in Chicago and most people who think that you have to pay $1500/month for a 1 bedroom don't know much of anything about the city. Outside of the downtown area and a few small areas, the prices drop a lot, especially for 2+ bedroom places.

2) The commute completely depends on where you are working and where you're living. It's simply false to put a blanket statement on that like you just did. Every single apartment I just posted above is within a 30 minute train ride, even during rush hour, to the heart of the central business district (The Loop) downtown. A few of them like Chinatown or Noble Square are around 10 minutes or less. My commute each morning is no more than 20 minutes, and that includes a half mile walk from the train station to my office after riding for 3 stops.

Chicago has the largest public transit system by far over all of them and there are more dense and more walkable areas than any of those places listed.


3) Horses. Where is this notion of "no horseback riding" near Chicago? I have personally taken horse riding lessons at a farm in Chicago Heights which is a 30 minute drive south of downtown. All of the following are in the metro area. Notice how there are 315 results:

Horse Boarding in Chicago Illinois


4) Hiking - yes, compared to the PNW, then of course it's not nearly as good. There is hiking in the area though such as at Starved Rock. PNW is definitely better for this, but there are numerous areas to hike in the area.



It's clear your view of Chicago and the Chicago area is not necessarily close to reality. If I didn't think the OP could afford Chicago, I wouldn't have mentioned it. She can find stuff for $800/month whether it's a studio or with other people, and she can find it in safe parts of town with a lot to do.

[YIMBY]

Seattle, Minneapolis, or Denver