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Agreed. Chicago is definitely a tale of two cities. What we are losing is mostly middle to lower class. Half the city is becoming more like SF the other half a little more like Detroit.
That description sounds AWFUL! A definite negative for IL!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Turnerbro
Plano is a top 10 suburb in the country IMP. I'd say it beats anything in Chicago.
My only beef with Plano is that it's mostly married bible thumpers. However, I used to work out there and after living here in Toilet City, it makes Plano look fantastic!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maintainschaos
Meh, I call it a wash for the most part: for every Plano there's a Naperville (often also rated one of the most desirable suburbs in the country), for every Highland Park there's, well, Highland Park. I'd rather be in a boring suburb close to Chicago than a boring suburb close to Dallas, if it were me. You'll find lots of white collar jobs in abundance in either location.
In my opinion, I couple of the stand-out Chicago suburbs that Dallas doesn't have an answer to: Evanston and Oak Park.
Thanks for this comment. Just got off the phone with my cousin who lives in Lincolnshire (used to be in Wrigleyville) and he suggested Evanston. (He also suggested not returning to IL if I don't have to!) Also the place of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Oooh mob history!
Quote:
Originally Posted by frimpter928
Chicago also has some relatively 'urban' suburbs too outside of Evanston an OP like Berwyn, Skokie or Cicero (although not the greatest suburb) that you feel like you are living in the city, yet you are in a suburb.
Thanks for the comment. I'm willing to give Evanston a peek, but Cicero wouldn't appreciate this honky moving into their hood. My Sicilian grandparents used to live there many years ago. Sorry, but Berwyn is gross. Saw a punk band there about ten years ago and it seemed podunk and not my scene. I want upscale suburbs.
That description sounds AWFUL! A definite negative for IL!
My only beef with Plano is that it's mostly married bible thumpers. However, I used to work out there and after living here in Toilet City, it makes Plano look fantastic!
Thanks for this comment. Just got off the phone with my cousin who lives in Lincolnshire (used to be in Wrigleyville) and he suggested Evanston. (He also suggested not returning to IL if I don't have to!) Also the place of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Oooh mob history!
Thanks for the comment. I'm willing to give Evanston a peek, but Cicero wouldn't appreciate this honky moving into their hood. My Sicilian grandparents used to live there many years ago. Sorry, but Berwyn is gross. Saw a punk band there about ten years ago and it seemed podunk and not my scene. I want upscale suburbs.
Evanston (and the burbs on the north shore) are definitely more upscale.
I'm super excited to be moving to Evanston. It's just over the border of the city to the north and is where Northwestern is - so it feels somewhat like a college town on the lake, however as people mentioned, still has an urban feel and has lots of transit options to downtown.
But again, anywhere in the north/northwest suburbs along a Metra line will get you upscale living with quick access to the city.
That description sounds AWFUL! A definite negative for IL!
My only beef with Plano is that it's mostly married bible thumpers. However, I used to work out there and after living here in Toilet City, it makes Plano look fantastic!
Thanks for this comment. Just got off the phone with my cousin who lives in Lincolnshire (used to be in Wrigleyville) and he suggested Evanston. (He also suggested not returning to IL if I don't have to!) Also the place of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Oooh mob history!
Thanks for the comment. I'm willing to give Evanston a peek, but Cicero wouldn't appreciate this honky moving into their hood. My Sicilian grandparents used to live there many years ago. Sorry, but Berwyn is gross. Saw a punk band there about ten years ago and it seemed podunk and not my scene. I want upscale suburbs.
When I said half the city (specifically the northside) is becoming like SF I didn't mean literally, but moreso it's becoming wealthier, more white collar and much more expensive. But with that it's bringing A TON of cultural amenities to the city. It's still affordable compared to peers, but getting more expensive. Also the northside is about the same size of SF both physically and in population I would say. So while things on the southside, with the exception of a few neighborhoods, are decaying, the northside is pretty much a city in all it's own in size, offering and cultural amenities.
When Chicago gets to get as expensive as SF, gets as many homeless people living in the city as SF does, then I can agree that it will be awful. But Chicago is far from ever getting to that scale.
When I said half the city (specifically the northside) is becoming like SF I didn't mean literally, but moreso it's becoming wealthier, more white collar and much more expensive. But with that it's bringing A TON of cultural amenities to the city. It's still affordable compared to peers, but getting more expensive. Also the northside is about the same size of SF both physically and in population I would say. So while things on the southside, with the exception of a few neighborhoods, are decaying, the northside is pretty much a city in all it's own in size, offering and cultural amenities.
When Chicago gets to get as expensive as SF, gets as many homeless people living in the city as SF does, then I can agree that it will be awful. But Chicago is far from ever getting to that scale.
When you said SF I heard: poop in the streets, massive homeless and insane liberalism so far left it would break my neck. Nothing about SF is good in my opinion, which is why I'm considering the midwest.
When you said SF I heard: poop in the streets, massive homeless and insane liberalism so far left it would break my neck. Nothing about SF is good in my opinion, which is why I'm considering the midwest.
We really don't have that in Chicago. human poop on the streets, maybe once I have seen it in my 30 years living here. We have more homeless than before, but not at a massive scale AT ALL. Chicago is liberal, but's it's not that intense.
To be honest, I think both offer pretty vanilla suburbs. Strip malls, major roads, glorified strip mall downtowns, select neighborhoods with mcmansions and nicely manicured lawns.
There are a handful of suburbs in Chicago that probably separate themselves from the pack for architecture and history, most of which fall along the lake in the North Shore. Evanston, Willmette, Winnetka, etc. The other, as mentioned in this thread, would be Oak Park to the west, and then a few like La Grange and Hinsdale.
OP mentioned Lincolnshire.. Pretty faceless suburb that represents a good portion of the Chicagolands outer ring.
EDIT: I know you have zero interest in other states as mentioned in your post, but I would take a long hard look at MA. The states economy is thriving, medical is second to none, and it hosts some of the countries nicest suburbs. Towns like Wellesley, Cambridge, Newton, Brookline, Winchester, Needham, Arlington, Hingham, Marblehead, Lexington, Milton, Andover, Concord, Somerville all come to mind.. IMO, they collectively blow away any Chicago/Dallas set you put out there.
To be honest, I think both offer pretty vanilla suburbs. Strip malls, major roads, glorified strip mall downtowns, select neighborhoods with mcmansions and nicely manicured lawns.
There are a handful of suburbs in Chicago that probably separate themselves from the pack for architecture and history, most of which fall along the lake in the North Shore. Evanston, Willmette, Winnetka, etc. The other, as mentioned in this thread, would be Oak Park to the west, and then a few like La Grange and Hinsdale.
OP mentioned Lincolnshire.. Pretty faceless suburb that represents a good portion of the Chicagolands outer ring.
EDIT: I know you have zero interest in other states as mentioned in your post, but I would take a long hard look at MA. The states economy is thriving, medical is second to none, and it hosts some of the countries nicest suburbs. Towns like Wellesley, Cambridge, Newton, Brookline, Winchester, Needham, Arlington, Hingham, Marblehead, Lexington, Milton, Andover, Concord, Somerville all come to mind.. IMO, they collectively blow away any Chicago/Dallas set you put out there.
A lot of Chicago suburbs have legit small downtowns...they aren't cookie cutter. These communities have been established for years.
A lot of Chicago suburbs have legit small downtowns...they aren't cookie cutter. These communities have been established for years.
I'm not going to wage war against all of the Chicagoland suburbs- There are some beauties. But as someone from Chicago, I think there are more tasteful suburbs, both by comparison and by way of raw numbers, in other parts of the country. It's an aesthetic and delivery as much as anything. Long Grove used to have a stretch that would fit the bill- Now it's a rundown stretch of "historic" buildings that barely serve any purpose at all.
But for every Long Grove, there's an Elmhurst, a Deerfield, an Arlington Heights, a Naperville. I just don't find them as attractive with the yellow brick and stone, flat state roads filled with Walgreens, Burger Kings, and run down gas stations. I think that applies to a lot of the housing stock in the suburbs, too. 60's and 70's Ranches and split levels fill the "middle class" suburbs as far as the eye can see. A lack of zoning coupled with the era in which these suburbs boomed. A grey winter day in a town like Morton Grove always felt that much..greyer..
It doesn't make them bad places to live. This is merely my superficial reason why I prefer other MSAs. The other reasons include "things to do" and "things to see". It's a catch 22, as it's the lack of natural local offerings that makes Chicago the true heart beat of the entire region IMO.
I'm not going to wage war against all of the Chicagoland suburbs- There are some beauties. But as someone from Chicago, I think there are more tasteful suburbs, both by comparison and by way of raw numbers, in other parts of the country. It's an aesthetic and delivery as much as anything. Long Grove used to have a stretch that would fit the bill- Now it's a rundown stretch of "historic" buildings that barely serve any purpose at all.
But for every Long Grove, there's an Elmhurst, a Deerfield, an Arlington Heights, a Naperville. I just don't find them as attractive with the yellow brick and stone, flat state roads filled with Walgreens, Burger Kings, and run down gas stations. I think that applies to a lot of the housing stock in the suburbs, too. 60's and 70's Ranches and split levels fill the "middle class" suburbs as far as the eye can see. A lack of zoning coupled with the era in which these suburbs boomed. A grey winter day in a town like Morton Grove always felt that much..greyer..
It doesn't make them bad places to live. This is merely my superficial reason why I prefer other MSAs. The other reasons include "things to do" and "things to see". It's a catch 22, as it's the lack of natural local offerings that makes Chicago the true heart beat of the entire region IMO.
Naperville is a pretty nice place to live, and their downtown and riverwalk are pretty amazing, as well. For a "suburb", I like it.
Evanston (and the burbs on the north shore) are definitely more upscale.
I'm super excited to be moving to Evanston. It's just over the border of the city to the north and is where Northwestern is - so it feels somewhat like a college town on the lake, however as people mentioned, still has an urban feel and has lots of transit options to downtown.
But again, anywhere in the north/northwest suburbs along a Metra line will get you upscale living with quick access to the city.
and well you should be. Public transit offerings are probably the best of any Chicagoland suburb with Oak Park being second (these two cities are very much alike). Evanston has 3 metra stations within it and a whole series of stops on the CTA's purple (Northwestern's color) line which runs express trains downtown.
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