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No offense, but this whole "you need a car to live in [insert Sunbelt city]" hyperbole has gotten out of hand here. No one needs a car, and there is adequate bus service in Dallas. This includes the UTD area, I believe. Tons of people do well enough, relying on the bus. I've done it myself in Houston.
Being able to walk to a grocery store is as simple as living close to a grocery store; even in the cheap, suburban neighborhoods.
Ummm, are you seriously comparing an OK bus service with multiple heavy rail systems with over 400 stations combined, many running 24 hours a day, plus a larger bus service. There is a difference between living easy w/o a car and not having a car but getting by.
BTW, Chicago is not in a decline, you guys down in Terxas must be watching too much of that Faux News.
Total BS. The Dallas suburbs have woeful public transportation, when they have it AT ALL. Arlington is the largest city in the U.S. entirely WITHOUT public transportation. Not a single bus or train. UTD is in Richardson, where, while there is, at least, some bus service, trust me, it is not great. Certainly not 24/7 like in Chicago
This is a problem that I have been upset about all the time, but I don't see how that applies to UT Dallas. Why would he be going to Arlington if he's in Richardson?
Ummm, are you seriously comparing an OK bus service with multiple heavy rail systems with over 400 stations combined, many running 24 hours a day, plus a larger bus service. There is a difference between living easy w/o a car and not having a car but getting by.
BTW, Chicago is not in a decline, you guys down in Terxas must be watching too much of that Faux News.
I don't think Nairobi was trying to say Dallas is equal to Chicago. The point was made that a car is a requirement in Dallas, and that's not true. It is harder to get by without a car, but several people do it and make great use of the buses and trains. I mean, how do all the people who can't afford vehicles get around in Dallas? How do they get to work? It's pretty annoying when people bring up the same assumptions about Sunbelt cities all the time.
Also about Fox News: a LOT of Texans despise that channel. Seeing that Dallas County went blue in 2012, chances are they aren't following too much of what is said on that joke of a TV channel. Chicago is not on the decline, but it is in a lot of trouble.
Ummm, are you seriously comparing an OK bus service with multiple heavy rail systems with over 400 stations combined, many running 24 hours a day, plus a larger bus service. There is a difference between living easy w/o a car and not having a car but getting by.
BTW, Chicago is not in a decline, you guys down in Terxas must be watching too much of that Faux News.
Well, first off I despise Fox News and so do most people I know in Dallas.
Second, it seems like there are a lot of people relying on stereotypes of Dallas (including homeinatx). I would love to ask you guys, have you spent time around the campus of UTD? Have seen the student body? Its extremely diverse and international. Heck, the business school was named after a member of Indian parliment. So obviously, people from other countries come all the time. There is a lot of on campus housing and bus service to/from UTD is very extensive to other parts of Dallas and Richardson.
Im not saying Dallas is Chicago, but seriously, lay off the stereotypes. Stereotyping cities and people just makes the person in question look stupid.
Weather - Chicago. Give me harsh winters over Satan's 6 month sauna any day of the week. Pollen from 3 major regions of the US create some of the worst allergy issues.
Rent - the same, but the apmts and flats in Chicago have more character and are more enjoyable than the cookie cutter complexes of Dallas
Topography - Chicago
Affordability - slight edge Chicago. electric bills in Texas get really high. You have to drive everywhere and gas is expensive.
Walkability - Chicago. You won't need a car. The nightlife is better, there is more to do. In Dallas, you will have a difficult time navigating the city without a car.
IIT over UTD.
I agree that Chicago is better for the OP than Dallas, but I disagree about affordability. Dallas is far cheaper than Chicago. Also, the weather during the school season (fall, winter, spring) is far better than Dallas. Chances are the OP will go back home during the summer.
That being said, IIT is far better than UTD. Now if it was SMU it would be more of a contest.
3.5 months plus 2 months with your underestimation = 5.5 months which is basically 6. The first time I went to Dallas, it was 104 and humid like mad in early May. Let's just say that half the year is very hot, and some of us don't like hot weather. A summer in Chicago is clearly nowhere near as hot as one in Dallas, especially if you live near the lake. In Milwaukee (for example), it's often 10-15 degrees cooler at my house near Lake Michigan than it is in the suburb I work in 20 miles inland. A comparison of average summer highs:
May:
Dallas - 83 (5 days 90 or hotter)
Chicago - 70 (1 day 90 or hotter)
June:
Dallas - 92 (20 days 90 or hotter)
Chicago - 80 (4 days 90 or hotter)
July:
Dallas - 97 (28 days 90 or hotter)
Chicago - 84 (6 days 90 or hotter)
August:
Dallas - 96 (26 days 90 or hotter)
Chicago - 82 (4 days 90 or hotter)
September:
Dallas - 88 (14 days 90 or hotter)
Chicago - 75 (2 days 90 or hotter)
Let's face it - everyone's different, but in general, Chicago has more pleasant summers, and Dallas more pleasant winters. Call it a tie, unless you enjoy the sauna or freezebox.
Let's do the winter lows comparison now should we?
So visiting Dallas during an early season heatwave is your only experience there? I've experienced 108 degrees in San Francisco in October, does that mean San Francisco is hot 6 months of the year? No, it's actually cool in the summer but they do get occasional heatwaves.
If you were here this spring, you'd know that we had cool weather until mid May (60's and 70's from March until May, I'm not lying). In fact, I didn't use the A/C until about mid May, which is probably about the same time you'd start using it in Chicago.
Dallas about 4 months of perfect weather (March/April/October/November), 2 months of warm but nice weather (May/September), 3 months of hot weather (June/July/August), 1 month of cool weather (December), and 2 months of cold weather (January/February).
Chicago is 2 months of hot weather (July/August), 4 months of perfect weather (May/June/September/October), 2 months of cool weather (April/November), 4 months of cold weather (December/January/February/March).
Overall you could say Dallas has about 7 months of nice weather (comfortably cool to comfortably warm) and Chicago has about 6 months of nice weather (comfortably cool to comfortably warm). Dallas has 5 months of either hot or cold weather and Chicago has 6 months of hot or cold weather. Dallas wins.
Well, first off I despise Fox News and so do most people I know in Dallas.
Second, it seems like there are a lot of people relying on stereotypes of Dallas (including homeinatx). I would love to ask you guys, have you spent time around the campus of UTD? Have seen the student body? Its extremely diverse and international. Heck, the business school was named after a member of Indian parliment. So obviously, people from other countries come all the time. There is a lot of on campus housing and bus service to/from UTD is very extensive to other parts of Dallas and Richardson.
Im not saying Dallas is Chicago, but seriously, lay off the stereotypes. Stereotyping cities and people just makes the person in question look stupid.
How am I relying on stereotypes? I have made factual statements, and marked my opinions as opinions. Nairobi claims adequate bus service in the Dallas area when some municipalities have NO public transportation at all, and seems to think that UTD is in Dallas when it is in Richardson. You call bus service from UTD to Dallas and Richardson "very extensive." Maybe for north Texas but for places with reliable public transportation - it is a complete joke. The city of Dallas maintains a bus fleet of 642 buses. Chicago has over 1800, and you really want to compare DART to the CTA. There is an EL stop at IIT. You can be in the loop in 10 minutes 24/7. Good luck getting to or from UTD to downtown Dallas on the bus, particularly at night, and UTD is not remotely walkable to the nearest DART station.
I have been an international student. UTD is diverse. So is IIT. In terms of getting around without a car, which is how most international students - many of whom will come from countries where they drive on the other side of the road - will get around, there is NO comparison. Chicago is exponentially more user-friendly than Dallas/Richardson. I know both places well. Try hailing a cab from the street on Campbell road in Richardson, you could be standing there for days. These are facts. How are they stereotypes?
Dallas, like nearly all other big cities in the US, votes democrat and Richardson is the most liberal of the Dallas northern suburbs but it abuts Collin county, one of the most conservative counties in the US.
It is what it is. It is entirely possible to make these comparisons without resorting to stereotypes, which cut both ways. No way is Chicago a city in decline either. It is not just Texas that is being stereotyped on this thread. And I have not stereotyped either place.
Let's do the winter lows comparison now should we?
So visiting Dallas during an early season heatwave is your only experience there? I've experienced 108 degrees in San Francisco in October, does that mean San Francisco is hot 6 months of the year? No, it's actually cool in the summer but they do get occasional heatwaves.
If you were here this spring, you'd know that we had cool weather until mid May (60's and 70's from March until May, I'm not lying). In fact, I didn't use the A/C until about mid May, which is probably about the same time you'd start using it in Chicago.
Dallas about 4 months of perfect weather (March/April/October/November), 2 months of warm but nice weather (May/September), 3 months of hot weather (June/July/August), 1 month of cool weather (December), and 2 months of cold weather (January/February).
Chicago is 2 months of hot weather (July/August), 4 months of perfect weather (May/June/September/October), 2 months of cool weather (April/November), 4 months of cold weather (December/January/February/March).
Overall you could say Dallas has about 7 months of nice weather (comfortably cool to comfortably warm) and Chicago has about 6 months of nice weather (comfortably cool to comfortably warm). Dallas has 5 months of either hot or cold weather and Chicago has 6 months of hot or cold weather. Dallas wins.
Oh lord by a month? Anyway, Chicago just had one of the nicest winters. Mostly in the 50's.
Let's do the winter lows comparison now should we?
So visiting Dallas during an early season heatwave is your only experience there? I've experienced 108 degrees in San Francisco in October, does that mean San Francisco is hot 6 months of the year? No, it's actually cool in the summer but they do get occasional heatwaves.
If you were here this spring, you'd know that we had cool weather until mid May (60's and 70's from March until May, I'm not lying). In fact, I didn't use the A/C until about mid May, which is probably about the same time you'd start using it in Chicago.
Dallas about 4 months of perfect weather (March/April/October/November), 2 months of warm but nice weather (May/September), 3 months of hot weather (June/July/August), 1 month of cool weather (December), and 2 months of cold weather (January/February).
Chicago is 2 months of hot weather (July/August), 4 months of perfect weather (May/June/September/October), 2 months of cool weather (April/November), 4 months of cold weather (December/January/February/March).
Overall you could say Dallas has about 7 months of nice weather (comfortably cool to comfortably warm) and Chicago has about 6 months of nice weather (comfortably cool to comfortably warm). Dallas has 5 months of either hot or cold weather and Chicago has 6 months of hot or cold weather. Dallas wins.
I was comparing summers, like my direct quote indicated, not winters. The poster claimed the summers in the two cities are basically the same, and they are not. I clearly stated that winters in Dallas are more mild than winters in Chicago, and summers in Chicago are more mild than winters in Dallas (again, in response to the poster who said summers were the same - they are very different, and I used the numbers to show how different).
The first time I visited Dallas (back in high school) it was in the 100s in May; I've been back many, many times since then. I've stayed at least a week several times. Unfortunately for me, most were in the spring and summer, when it was brutal. I definitely would have enjoyed a milder winter stay.
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