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Hey, projectmaximus, this was a really cool idea - and now I know why you kept posting pairs of cities that simply didn't stand a chance against Chicago....
...which I see I put in the Final Four and the final.
And I think that says something about the "tournament players" — we who picked — too.
Yes, there are some general tendencies that emerge among the entire body of "Where Would You Rather Live?" players here. As you noted, places that have some degree of urbanity and walkability about them tend to get picked over those that lack one or both of these, and affordability definitely matters.
I always liked it when C24L would chime in, for his choices always boiled down to: "cuz it's in Texas", and if neither city was in Texas, "cuz it's in the South." If neither city was in the South, then the more southerly one won, and if both were but neither was in Texas, the one in the state with lower taxes won.
I think that even though the rest of us have our preferences too — I'm one of the outliers in picking cities with four distinct seasons over those with more temperate or consistently warm climes — most of us aren't as Manichean in choosing cities.
As most of the superstar cities are expensive, it's probably no surprise that they were quickly eliminated. Chicago and Philadelphia are the most affordable of the nation's 10 biggest cities. But if you want to get right down to it, there's really no place like Chicago anywhere else between the Appalachians and the Sierra Nevadas/Cascades, while one can approximate much of what Philadelphia has to offer (save the birthplace-of-the-country stuff) in any one of several large cities.
And speaking of size, I think that if we were to sort cities in that game into S, M, L and XL, with the floors for each being (metro populations) 100,000, 500,000, 2 million and 5 million, we would find a marked preference for M and L over S or XL. And if we put the two biggest metros - LA and NYC - in a top tier called XXL (10m+), it seems no one on C-D really wants to live in those, which makes me wonder where the 13 million Angelenos and 18 million New Yorkers all come from. Chicago is just a hair away from entering the XXL ranks, but the troubles of its home state probably hold it back.
I always put the words "disgustingly sunny" ahead of "San Diego," but I really would like to visit that city someday. It really is a worthy city for Philadelphia to get knocked off by.
All creditability was lost when San Diego lost to Charlotte in the Final Four. In all seriousness, good job putting this together.
I'd personally vote for San Diego though due to the beach (Ocean Beach, Coronado, and La Jolla in particular), better climate, MLB, better park and museums, walkable downtown, Little Italy, Old Town, Mexican food, SeaWorld, zoo, as well as relative proximity to a superstar city while being far enough away for its impact to not be a factor in everyday living. But some folks like the humidity, the lack of the marine layer, NASCAR, NBA, NFL (now that the Chargers moved), BBQ, fried chicken, flora/fauna, financial industry for work, and most importantly, affordability of Charlotte over San Diego, so it isn't surprising that it could secure an "upset".
All creditability was lost when San Diego lost to Charlotte in the Final Four. In all seriousness, good job putting this together.
Haha, well I just hard-core judged that person.
Charlotte is an incredibly mediocre city given its size. Great to raise a family though!
Also lots of momentum and investment making it more vibrant. Haven't been there in a year though.
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