Washington D.C. vs. Chicago based on guidelines (living, best, cost)
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Family of five -- two adults and three daughters.
1. Which city has the quickest, most affordable public transportation?
2. Which city has the largest amount/variety of activities for our daughters to do?
3. Which city has better public schools?
4. Which city is safest?
5. Which city has higher salaries?
6. Which city has lower cost of living?
7. Which city has the best variety of restaurants?
8. Better weekend getaways? (DC is on the East Coast, lots of fun vacations there. Chicago is in the Midwest -- from what I've heard not much to do in that region?)
9. Pros and cons for living in Lincoln Park, Chicago
10. Pros and cons for living in Georgetown, DC
1. Which city has the quickest, most affordable public transportation?
Either.
I've lived in both, transit scheduling feels easier in Washington D.C. than Chicago but you wouldn't really be able to tell honestly, unless you just had a lot of spare time on your hands. Chicago has lines that run much later though, don't know if this is important to you or not, but if you need to be out at night, try getting a place somewhere near that line.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cg4567
2. Which city has the largest amount/variety of activities for our daughters to do?
Either.
One is the national capital of this country you live in, goes without saying it has a lot of amenities to showcase for that, definitely family friendly things. The other town is the third largest city in the country, obviously nothing about Chicago is as important as being the national capital to a country, but Chicago has organically constructed state-of-the-art parks, cultural institutions (which would be family friendly), the arts, performances and acts, theater, and music scene that few cities could match. So again, either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cg4567
3. Which city has better public schools?
In the actual city? Neither. Go private in the city. In the suburbs? Either. Couldn't imagine how one top caliber metropolitan area with high concentrations of good public schools in the suburbs bests another one with nearly the same credentials. Also goes without saying, if you're serious about really good public schools for K-12, then be prepared to pay the premium for it, as true anywhere, good school areas are more costly and expensive and this largely remains very true in both the DMV and Chicagoland too. If schools are really your priority and dictate where you desire to live, then its conceivable that you'll be dropping upwards of the same range of money in either the DMV or Chicagoland. That makes the cost of living comparison negligibe for the most part.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cg4567
4. Which city is safest?
Neither is "safer" than the other, so look for a neighborhood in a part of town where you wont be mugged, looted, beat-up, raped, or killed. That would be in your best interests. I suggest looking up crime-heat maps and looking through neighborhoods that have relatively no-crime or significantly less crime and going from there. Process of elimination until you find the right fits in either city (or both cities).
Quote:
Originally Posted by cg4567
5. Which city has higher salaries?
Washington, D.C.
Although this depends on your field, a field more in demand in Chicago, where a larger concentration and specialized workforce for a certain industry is would pay more than Washington D.C. but if you're asking "just in general" then the only answer is Washington, D.C. (if you're not lying that is).
Quote:
Originally Posted by cg4567
6. Which city has lower cost of living?
Chicago by far. At every level, whether you buy or rent, whether its a house or condo.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cg4567
7. Which city has the best variety of restaurants?
Depends. Its 2015 and the only way to appropriately answer this question is:
If you're Nigerian, Ethiopian, Kenyan, Somalese, El Salvadoran, Korean, among other groups then the answer is Washington D.C. since it has a superior breadth of offerings for these entire groups than Chicago. If you happen to be of a Polish, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Vietnamese, among other backgrounds and/or ethnicity then it goes without saying that the food of your preference and comfort zone is more abundant in Chicago.
If you happen to be an American, either White or Black, with little to no desire in "ethnic eats" then go with Chicago, as it has a more pronounced local foodie scene (Chicago is the epicenter of "Chicago Cuisine and all that entails).
If you're an American with a staunch interest in different variations of multi-ethnic eats, then either city works for you. Both are some of the only 9-10 international/diverse/cosmopolitan cities in the country. Chicago's food scene is more renown, it's on another level compared to Washington D.C. on the local cuisine level. When you factor in ethnic eats, they are even, more or less, like mentioned for certain groups you would be wise to prefer Washington, and for others, Chicago. For other groups that both are strong in (Chinese, Indian, some Caribbeans, so on) it would probably be a wash.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cg4567
9. Pros and cons for living in Lincoln Park, Chicago
Quote:
Originally Posted by cg4567
10. Pros and cons for living in Georgetown, DC
When you look at the comparitive pros and cons of both area, they come out to about the same level for your family in their offerings, their strengths, and their respective drawbacks.
Just formulate what is important to you and go from there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cg4567
8. Better weekend getaways? (DC is on the East Coast, lots of fun vacations there. Chicago is in the Midwest -- from what I've heard not much to do in that region?)
Chicago is 120 miles from the Driftless Area, which unlike Chicagoland is not as flat as a pancake and actually quite hilly and scenic. Its also the same distance from Madison, which is a spectacular town for its size with a very impressive drink scene, food scene, and progressive scene (in every regard). That's in addition to it being a very festive city with a memorable Halloween and Mardi Gras celebration. Milwaukee is closer, about 85 miles up the road from Chicago. In a lot of ways you'll find it to be more similar to Chicago, similar orientation on Lake Michigan, similar core development and positioning of rivers (Chicago River and Milwaukee River) that bisect the Downtown core regions. Similarly built up in cultural institutions and city parks along the lakefront, similarly styled marinas, so on and so forth. On top of that you can make a 3-4 hour drive along Lake Michigan into the northwestern portions of Michigan, with the bluffs and elevation, the scenery on the shores of Lake Michigan in this area are dramatic and scenic. Excellent for family vacations on the weekends.
The city of Chicago and its suburbs operate several beaches on Lake Michigan. The Indiana Dunes are the best getaway types from the urban center of the city and the ones in North Side (right north of the Loop/Downtown) are incredible urban beaches, with relatively quick access to any and all city amenities needed.
Washington, D.C. is right by Shenandoah National Forest, which is spectacular and something Chicago has no answer for in such immediately close-by area. The elevations and sheer number of things you can do here recreationally (hiking, driving, camping, so on) dwarf the offerings near Chicago. The first "beach" close to Washington, D.C. is actually Chesapeake Beach, Maryland which is about 35 miles east of the center of District of Columbia. The actual town of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland is quite hilly, very nicely elevated in some parts and the beaches are okay, not the best waters, but they aren't bad either. The best beaches in the area are on the Delmarva Peninsula, particularly Ocean City, Maryland and Maryland's eastern shores in general or just southeast of the DMV area towards the Tidewater Region of Virginia (about 120 miles southeast). Either way, whether its mountains or beaches, Washington D.C. and the DMV have you set to expound on these features.
Again, for for Chicago you are a bit more limited. Yes, you technically have the hills for recreation 120 miles away and you technically have ample beaches along Lake Michigan but there is a difference in style. It goes without saying, if you are someone like me, that enjoys ferries, seeing dolphins jump in the water near your boat/vessel, marine life, avian life (lots of neat species of birds live along coasts, even more-so on coasts where it stays warmer year-round (so south of the DMV would be a great start)), and so on then the DMV/Washington D.C. area maybe of more interest to you.
The Chesapeake Bay is the biggest source of fish in the United States for seafood, more fish is caught for consumption there than anywhere else in the country, Boston's harbour and Houston's Galveston Bay are second and third after that. So the area, particularly and prominently Baltimore, have ample seafood offerings and they're quite delicious if you asked me for a review, generally.
However if you don't care for marine life and tiny tidbits as such and don't care whether your fish is caught and prepared in the area or caught-prepared-then transported to the area, then Chicago works magnificently well for you too.
Oh, as for proximity to other cities, very close-by to Washington D.C. are Richmond, Norfolk/Hampton Roads, and Baltimore. All adequate places to visit and you'll take in culture, architecture, and history that no where else could replicate. Again, for things family friendly. A bit further up the road is New York, the best city in the United States of America with the most to offer anyone, and 240 miles further north of there is Boston and New England. Boston is a nice city, plenty to offer, lots to see and do (family friendly of course), and New England is quite scenic, particularly along the Maine coast.
If you cant tell yet, I've lived in both areas and am quite familiar with what both have to offer. Probably more familiar with these two than the grand majority of City-Data. Both are urban and walkable cities with exquisite public transportation (for America anyways), Chicago is the much bigger and more urban city with the more iconic "big city" atmosphere but Washington D.C. is stylistically unique for the United States and there isn't anywhere else like it in the country. So you literally get to pick and choose from that, couldn't go wrong with either option though.
Also, I just noticed you asked what there is to do in the area for your daughters. I'm a dude personally, so I don't know what it is that teenage girls or younger girls do, since I'm not one, but I would imagine places to eat, places to "hang out," places to shop, and places to catch a movie or something would firmly be up there on their list of things they'd need and/or want in the area they live in.
If that's the case, then again, zero problems with either Chicago or Washington D.C. in that regard. They'll have every type of shopping destination, urban street-level, suburban mall, suburban outlets, whatever that a person could possibly need, its all there and accounted for.
If schools and amenities for your kids are important to you, try gathering a short list of neighborhoods in both the Chicagoland and DMV areas and go from there when narrowing them down.
Like I mentioned in my post earlier, these are absolutely two of the top 5 best cities in the country if you're kids have a broad range of interests, especially interests that are cultural, artistic, or cognitive. They're well taken care of, no worries.
I'm not going to tell you which one I think is better for you, I've lived in both and know you can enjoy both as can your entire family, if you pick the right spot in either. Unlike other City-Data posters, I also don't believe in being a factor in another (anonymous) person(s) life decision, so best of luck when choosing. Again, couldn't go wrong either way.
I just popped my head in to gather some insight of my own. All I can say is that Lincoln Park is a super cool neighborhood, but it has a lot of younger people, many of which are college students that go to DePaul. At the same time, there are plenty of families, so I'm not really sure if my two cents means much.
Honestly, based off Red John's input I would make your decision on weather. Chicago winters do suck tremendously
Well, are you a multimillionaire, senator or law firm partner or something? If not, then you can pretty much forget about living in Georgetown with your family. It isn't exactly the most affordable spot in DC.
Well, are you a multimillionaire, senator or law firm partner or something? If not, then you can pretty much forget about living in Georgetown with your family. It isn't exactly the most affordable spot in DC.
The same can be said for Lincoln Park!! It is a bit more affordable than Georgetown but not much!
I've lived in both, transit scheduling feels easier in Washington D.C. than Chicago but you wouldn't really be able to tell honestly, unless you just had a lot of spare time on your hands. Chicago has lines that run much later though, don't know if this is important to you or not, but if you need to be out at night, try getting a place somewhere near that line.
Either.
One is the national capital of this country you live in, goes without saying it has a lot of amenities to showcase for that, definitely family friendly things. The other town is the third largest city in the country, obviously nothing about Chicago is as important as being the national capital to a country, but Chicago has organically constructed state-of-the-art parks, cultural institutions (which would be family friendly), the arts, performances and acts, theater, and music scene that few cities could match. So again, either.
In the actual city? Neither. Go private in the city. In the suburbs? Either. Couldn't imagine how one top caliber metropolitan area with high concentrations of good public schools in the suburbs bests another one with nearly the same credentials. Also goes without saying, if you're serious about really good public schools for K-12, then be prepared to pay the premium for it, as true anywhere, good school areas are more costly and expensive and this largely remains very true in both the DMV and Chicagoland too. If schools are really your priority and dictate where you desire to live, then its conceivable that you'll be dropping upwards of the same range of money in either the DMV or Chicagoland. That makes the cost of living comparison negligibe for the most part.
Neither is "safer" than the other, so look for a neighborhood in a part of town where you wont be mugged, looted, beat-up, raped, or killed. That would be in your best interests. I suggest looking up crime-heat maps and looking through neighborhoods that have relatively no-crime or significantly less crime and going from there. Process of elimination until you find the right fits in either city (or both cities).
Washington, D.C.
Although this depends on your field, a field more in demand in Chicago, where a larger concentration and specialized workforce for a certain industry is would pay more than Washington D.C. but if you're asking "just in general" then the only answer is Washington, D.C. (if you're not lying that is).
Chicago by far. At every level, whether you buy or rent, whether its a house or condo.
Depends. Its 2015 and the only way to appropriately answer this question is:
If you're Nigerian, Ethiopian, Kenyan, Somalese, El Salvadoran, Korean, among other groups then the answer is Washington D.C. since it has a superior breadth of offerings for these entire groups than Chicago. If you happen to be of a Polish, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Vietnamese, among other backgrounds and/or ethnicity then it goes without saying that the food of your preference and comfort zone is more abundant in Chicago.
If you happen to be an American, either White or Black, with little to no desire in "ethnic eats" then go with Chicago, as it has a more pronounced local foodie scene (Chicago is the epicenter of "Chicago Cuisine and all that entails).
If you're an American with a staunch interest in different variations of multi-ethnic eats, then either city works for you. Both are some of the only 9-10 international/diverse/cosmopolitan cities in the country. Chicago's food scene is more renown, it's on another level compared to Washington D.C. on the local cuisine level. When you factor in ethnic eats, they are even, more or less, like mentioned for certain groups you would be wise to prefer Washington, and for others, Chicago. For other groups that both are strong in (Chinese, Indian, some Caribbeans, so on) it would probably be a wash.
When you look at the comparitive pros and cons of both area, they come out to about the same level for your family in their offerings, their strengths, and their respective drawbacks.
Just formulate what is important to you and go from there.
Chicago is 120 miles from the Driftless Area, which unlike Chicagoland is not as flat as a pancake and actually quite hilly and scenic. Its also the same distance from Madison, which is a spectacular town for its size with a very impressive drink scene, food scene, and progressive scene (in every regard). That's in addition to it being a very festive city with a memorable Halloween and Mardi Gras celebration. Milwaukee is closer, about 85 miles up the road from Chicago. In a lot of ways you'll find it to be more similar to Chicago, similar orientation on Lake Michigan, similar core development and positioning of rivers (Chicago River and Milwaukee River) that bisect the Downtown core regions. Similarly built up in cultural institutions and city parks along the lakefront, similarly styled marinas, so on and so forth. On top of that you can make a 3-4 hour drive along Lake Michigan into the northwestern portions of Michigan, with the bluffs and elevation, the scenery on the shores of Lake Michigan in this area are dramatic and scenic. Excellent for family vacations on the weekends.
The city of Chicago and its suburbs operate several beaches on Lake Michigan. The Indiana Dunes are the best getaway types from the urban center of the city and the ones in North Side (right north of the Loop/Downtown) are incredible urban beaches, with relatively quick access to any and all city amenities needed.
Washington, D.C. is right by Shenandoah National Forest, which is spectacular and something Chicago has no answer for in such immediately close-by area. The elevations and sheer number of things you can do here recreationally (hiking, driving, camping, so on) dwarf the offerings near Chicago. The first "beach" close to Washington, D.C. is actually Chesapeake Beach, Maryland which is about 35 miles east of the center of District of Columbia. The actual town of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland is quite hilly, very nicely elevated in some parts and the beaches are okay, not the best waters, but they aren't bad either. The best beaches in the area are on the Delmarva Peninsula, particularly Ocean City, Maryland and Maryland's eastern shores in general or just southeast of the DMV area towards the Tidewater Region of Virginia (about 120 miles southeast). Either way, whether its mountains or beaches, Washington D.C. and the DMV have you set to expound on these features.
Again, for for Chicago you are a bit more limited. Yes, you technically have the hills for recreation 120 miles away and you technically have ample beaches along Lake Michigan but there is a difference in style. It goes without saying, if you are someone like me, that enjoys ferries, seeing dolphins jump in the water near your boat/vessel, marine life, avian life (lots of neat species of birds live along coasts, even more-so on coasts where it stays warmer year-round (so south of the DMV would be a great start)), and so on then the DMV/Washington D.C. area maybe of more interest to you.
The Chesapeake Bay is the biggest source of fish in the United States for seafood, more fish is caught for consumption there than anywhere else in the country, Boston's harbour and Houston's Galveston Bay are second and third after that. So the area, particularly and prominently Baltimore, have ample seafood offerings and they're quite delicious if you asked me for a review, generally.
However if you don't care for marine life and tiny tidbits as such and don't care whether your fish is caught and prepared in the area or caught-prepared-then transported to the area, then Chicago works magnificently well for you too.
Oh, as for proximity to other cities, very close-by to Washington D.C. are Richmond, Norfolk/Hampton Roads, and Baltimore. All adequate places to visit and you'll take in culture, architecture, and history that no where else could replicate. Again, for things family friendly. A bit further up the road is New York, the best city in the United States of America with the most to offer anyone, and 240 miles further north of there is Boston and New England. Boston is a nice city, plenty to offer, lots to see and do (family friendly of course), and New England is quite scenic, particularly along the Maine coast.
If you cant tell yet, I've lived in both areas and am quite familiar with what both have to offer. Probably more familiar with these two than the grand majority of City-Data. Both are urban and walkable cities with exquisite public transportation (for America anyways), Chicago is the much bigger and more urban city with the more iconic "big city" atmosphere but Washington D.C. is stylistically unique for the United States and there isn't anywhere else like it in the country. So you literally get to pick and choose from that, couldn't go wrong with either option though.
Washington DC has a ton of free attractions including what I consider to be the best museum in the world. Georgetown is really expensive and cost of living in general is much higher in DC, but then again so are the average wages. Like what an earlier poster said, the DC metro seems easier than Chicago's transit, but Chicago's transit seemed far more vast. Baltimore and Philadelphia are really nice getaways with historical significance if you are in to that kind of thing.
Family of five -- two adults and three daughters.
1. Which city has the quickest, most affordable public transportation?
2. Which city has the largest amount/variety of activities for our daughters to do?
3. Which city has better public schools?
4. Which city is safest?
5. Which city has higher salaries?
6. Which city has lower cost of living?
7. Which city has the best variety of restaurants?
8. Better weekend getaways? (DC is on the East Coast, lots of fun vacations there. Chicago is in the Midwest -- from what I've heard not much to do in that region?)
9. Pros and cons for living in Lincoln Park, Chicago
10. Pros and cons for living in Georgetown, DC
RedJohn gave lots of good details.
For me:
1) Pretty even. I think DC is faster and easier but Chicago's is cheaper and runs later
2) Probably DC, but again it's not like the other is lacking.
3) I honestly haven't researched schools YET but my hunch is DC.
4) DC perhaps but this should be more of a neighborhood factor than the overall city.
5) Probably DC but this obviously depends on industry.
6) Chicago...primarily in housing.
7) Umm, both have plenty of variety so it's really a wash. I think if you're asking for the better overall "foodie" scene it would be Chicago by a hair.
8) DC wins, but there's certainly plenty of getaways near Chicago.
9) Great vibrancy, easy access to L, nice theaters, pretty waterfront access, free zoo lol...I'm not sure about the cons.
10) Great vibrancy, also pretty waterfront...expensive, no metro station, hard to park.
1. Which city has the quickest, most affordable public transportation? - Both are great, but a very slight nod to Chicago. DC metro trains can get more expensive the further you travel, and Chicago runs a little more frequently. DC metro is a lot cleaner, nicer than El trains. Buses are a wash
2. Which city has the largest amount/variety of activities for our daughters to do? - Tie.
3. Which city has better public schools? - Tie. I think both are bad. However, i understand Lincoln Park has a very solid public High School system. Can't speak to Georgetown
4. Which city is safest? - Tie.
5. Which city has higher salaries? - DC.
6. Which city has lower cost of living? - Chicago due to affordable housing. You'll find a good amount of space for the family of 5.
7. Which city has the best variety of restaurants? - Chicago. Typically ranked in top 3 in US. DC has good ethnic eats, but i think it gets dwarfed by Chicago Mexican, Indian, Asian scene.
8. Better weekend getaways? (DC is on the East Coast, lots of fun vacations there. Chicago is in the Midwest -- from what I've heard not much to do in that region?) - DC.
9. Pros and cons for living in Lincoln Park, Chicago
10. Pros and cons for living in Georgetown, DC Both great neighborhoods and I would be fine living in either.
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