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Seattle would be my first choice, I actually just saw the title of the thread and the list of 6 cities and automatically knew which one was #1 instantly (for me), Minneapolis not far behind as my #2 option among these. Seattle and Minneapolis are places that I could envision myself living in if living in America ever became a priority to me. They'd both be on that list of mine of places I would look into if I had to look into life in America. Very well rounded cities, well managed and run areas, with nearly all the same big city amenities as their larger contemporaries but in smaller quantities but, arguably, often in higher quality in a pound-for-pound basis. Nice and pretty modernesque cities with thriving economies and social conditions, great airport systems, well on their way on positive trajectories, and very nice surroundings (love wet, green, overcast, dark, isolated, densely forested, and watery). A good balance, these cities have a little piece of the "done it all syndrome" as in they have their own take on art, music, culture, cuisine, architecture, style, appeal, neighborhoods, economics, suburbs, infrastructure, and brand and it works for them rather well. That's why they are both very successful in adding more residents than many of the cities they either compete with or are much larger than them.
I used to live in Chicago during the 1990s and during that time period it was a great city (still is a great city, I suppose), also attributed to how little of the rest of the world I had experience with at the time as well as the fact that all cylinders were firing swimmingly well during that period for Chicago. Michael Jordan lifted what was then an also-ran franchise of a team prior to his arrival in 1983 and turned it into an NBA dynasty in the 1990s, going off for two separate three-peats, with the second three-peat being the rare occurrence in sports where the succeeding achievement was significantly superior to the preceding three-peat achievement. Needless to say, it was Jordan that established himself as the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all Time) and put Chicago basketball atop the food-chain for an entire decade and beyond. For someone like myself, Jordan's feats opened the avenues for what eventually became unconditional love for the sport of basketball. Something I've been really big on since then. Oprah Winfrey lifted her career to her all time apex in popularity and influence and became a beacon for all Americans on hard work, ethics, and entrepreneurship (Oprah was a true rags to riches story). She also served well as a role model for women and African Americans (and minorities in general) and in my lifetime, along with Barack Obama and Michael Jordan, has been among the three most influential Black Americans in America for that generation. All three of Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Michael Jordan found their most rewarding success or establishing the foothold of success in the case of Obama in Chicago. The city was growing for the first time since 1950, the metropolitan area was booming (added 1 million people that decade), job growth was phenomenal, the city's core was just starting a widespread surge into super elite status (today's Chicago's core has its former self from 20 years ago to thank for paving the way to much of the success it enjoys now), the city was gaining widespread recognition across the country for aggressive and successful city planning. In pop culture Chicago was close to nearing its all-time high apex. The metropolitan regions economy was the fourth largest on Earth in the 1990s. It was just an exciting time to live in Chicago (think how great it is to be in San Francisco Bay Area in the 2010s (today) and you'll easily understand how great it was to be in Chicago in the 1990s).
Today I am an (occasional) spectator to Chicago, with all recent experience being from the lens of a visitor and not a resident. I no longer like Chicago the way I did in the 1990s and my views on the city have greatly diminished (but still love the foodie scene there though). To me it is no longer the same fun or the same experience that it was and my preferences in cities have diverged in a different direction from Chicago entirely. I still hold Chicago in high regard in certain respects, for example, while I am not keen on the idea of ever envisioning life in Chicago again, I would give it consideration at least. I know Chicago, so the familiarity factor is there, and I know people in Chicago (which helps tremendously), and for its part it is a big city that offers nearly every amenity I would need. These factors help me think positively about Chicago, a city that I don't have an interest in living in, but would take into special consideration if the option were ever offered to me simply because of those aforementioned reasons. So in that sense, among this group of 6 cities, I would take Chicago third behind Seattle and Minneapolis, and that would conclude my list. These three would be the only ones I would take into consideration as living options among these six, I have no further interest as it relates to the remaining options otherwise.
However, will add this tidbit, compared to what I thought I knew of Cincinnati or expected from it, I was initially floored when I first got the chance to see it in person a few years ago. The actual product was significantly superior to the perceived product I had in mind prior to visiting. I also am bullish on Pittsburgh's transition into a Robotics hub and am excited about the regions (prospective) role in developing artificial intelligence technologies. I think Pittsburgh has the foundations of a successful economy moving it forward that will help it shed much of its former steel city stigma and leave that behind. I would not consider either Cincinnati or Pittsburgh as places to live since they don't meet my idea of "Western + with family/friends/familiarity" mold that I have for medium sized cities but I think they are solid cities that would work for a plethora of other people.
Last edited by Trafalgar Law; 07-18-2017 at 05:27 PM..
I picked Pittsburgh...never been there but it sounds nice - good size for me.
Philly and Chicago would probably be interesting but I think too hot/humid in summer.
I lived in Seattle for many years and it would have been my top pick several years ago but too many problems there now and it's lost what made it unique IMO.
Seattle has the best weather. Chicago and Philadelphia are more diverse. Philadelphia is in the best location. Seattle and Philadelphia offer more weekend trips/getaways at a closer distance.
Probably Philadelphia just for its proximity to NYC.
Pittsburgh would be my top choice out of these, with Philadelphia coming in second. Pittsburgh is a good size and fit for me, and it's the City of Bridges!! Philly is maybe bigger than I prefer, but it has great cuisine and it's super walkable!
opinions... everybody's got them and they don't always jibe with yours...
I've been to 2 cities on your list and I didn't love them. To much snow and rustbelt vibe for me, I would choose the Deep South or the Rockies or the Southwest Desert over all those 7.
If forced to pick one at gunpoint, I guess I'd take Seattle for a 1-year-tour-of-duty, but I'd be planning my escape as soon as my boots hit the soil.
Seattle because there's no income tax and it's doing the best economically and is probably the safest of the ones mentioned. But none are ideal. I prefer me a southern, warm city mid-sized city by the beach.
What cities fit that definition? And what's your definition of a mid-sized city? I'm like you, I prefer Southern, warm climate cities near a beach but it seems to me that no mid-sized cities fit that definition. You either get the major cities like Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Panama City, Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, Charleston etc. or you get small cities like Destin, Biloxi, Grand Isle etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IcomeInPeaceDolphLundgren
I live in Seattle and I think that Seattle is a nice city for the most part. However, I feel that Seattle is overrated. Seattle is especially overrated here on city data.
You wanna talk about overrated, let's talk about Austin, TX. Most overrated city in the nation. Seattle is great. At least recreational cannabis is legal and you have a pro baseball, football and soccer team. Austin has all that crap you mentioned in your other post, bad traffic, corporate takeover, loss of the small community feel and now feels like a huge, sprawled area but at least in Seattle you can smoke some to forget your troubles or go see an NFL or MLB game.
My city, Seattle, is an easy winner in this in my opinion. There are areas of Chicago and Philly that are nice but virtually all of Seattle is nice place that you wouldn't mind living (as long as you could afford it) in. Where we really crush all of these cities is the beauty of the area...no contest.
Chicago is my first choice, as it offers the most and it's quite affordable. Seattle might be my second-favorite city in the list, but the cost of living pushes it way down. I can't afford the lifestyle I've become accustomed to, in Seattle. I can buy a nicely renovated Center City row house for less than the price of a decent 1br Belltown or Capitol Hill condo. These things matter.
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