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This is a question for those people who live between two cities (not in the same metro area) that are close together. In other words, it is for people who have easy access to the two, close enough to both that one would expect you to access both.
Since I'm talking about cities being in two different metro areas, I am eliminating:
Bay Area (SF/Oak/SJ)
Twin Cities (Mpls/StP.....and, heck, there is nothing between the two; they touch)
Metroplex (Dal/FW)
I am including two that are so close they border on being one metro area but they are not quite like the 3 above so they deserve to be part of the conversation:
Baltimore/Washington
And I'm zeroing in on the following (although other examples may be found):
• New York, Boston
• New York, Philadelphia
• Philadelphia, Baltimore
• Chicago, Milwaukee
• Tampa, Orlando
• Los Angeles, San Diego
• San Francisco, Sacramento
Questions:
• In what ways do you use both cities?
• What are you more inclined to do in one than the other?
• Which of the two are you more oriented to? Is anyone out there oriented equally to both?
• In what way do the two cities compliment each other by their different offerings?
• Anything else relevant to living between two major cities
Kenosha, WI is technically closer to the center of Milwaukee than Chicago but is increasingly being more and more influenced by Chicago and will soon be swallowed up by Chicagoland. It takes up to Racine to be in Milwaukee's sphere of influence.
Dayton, OH is close to both Columbus and Cincinnati though is tied much closer to Cincinnati.
If I remember correctly, Youngstown has more ties with Pittsburgh than it does Cleveland.
Edit: I just noticed you're in Chicago. Sorry, you already knew all of that .
Monroe MI is right about halfway between Detroit and Toledo. The general rule in Monroe has been if you are north of the River Raisin, you tend to have more of a Detroit orientation. If you are south of the river, you tend to have more of a Toledo orientation. Monroe gets both Detroit and Toledo tv and radio over the air, and the cable system offers both Detroit and Toledo tv stations. Southern Monroe County is pure Toledo suburbs, and northern Monroe County contains some degree of Detroit exurb. Obviously, Detroit is a larger city and offers some things Toledo doesn't. In those situations people in Monroe defer to Detroit.
Monroe MI is right about halfway between Detroit and Toledo. The general rule in Monroe has been if you are north of the River Raisin, you tend to have more of a Detroit orientation. If you are south of the river, you tend to have more of a Toledo orientation. Monroe gets both Detroit and Toledo tv and radio over the air, and the cable system offers both Detroit and Toledo tv stations. Southern Monroe County is pure Toledo suburbs, and northern Monroe County contains some degree of Detroit exurb. Obviously, Detroit is a larger city and offers some things Toledo doesn't. In those situations people in Monroe defer to Detroit.
I was actually considering responding for Toledo. I grew up in one of it's suburbs and we leaned more on Detroit than Cleveland. The difference being a mere 20 miles. It also seemed to be in the unique position of being closer to Ann Arbor than Columbus so there was a pretty even split of Michigan and Ohio State fans. I spent considerably more time on Michigan's campus growing up despite my parents being Buckeye alumni.
• In what ways do you use both cities? -- Live in New York, family in Philadelphia, and frequently travel between the two for work and client meetings.
• What are you more inclined to do in one than the other? -- Philadelphia, go for drinks with friends. New York, shop and spend money.
• Which of the two are you more oriented to? Is anyone out there oriented equally to both? --New York
• In what way do the two cities compliment each other by their different offerings? -- They are both the best two cities in the country and offering unique experiences in every neighborhoods. Philadelphia is very historic and colonial, New York is constant hustle and bustle.
• Anything else relevant to living between two major cities -- I think living between two cities like New York and Philadelphia, you are exposed to so much culture, history and excitement.
New York and Philadelphia are by far the most interconnected large cities in the country. I know DC and Baltimore are closer, but New York and Philadelphia are larger and have grown up together for 300+ years and have overlapped for centuries.
Interesting, Baltimore is very close to Philadelphia, but I feel that Philadelphia is more connected to DC than Baltimore these days.
I live in Providence. 45 mins from Boston. (I work about 15 mins away from Boston. I can see downtown from my school) I'm in town often. I'm about 2 hrs from NYC. Easy access by train, bus or car. NYC is usually a weekend thing, whereas Boston is an anytime thing.
...Dayton, OH is close to both Columbus and Cincinnati though is tied much closer to Cincinnati...
Agreed. The residential/commercial growth between Dayton and Cincinnati is so prevalent that the two cities may soon become one CSA, and possibly, later on, one MSA. The stretch of I-75 from Warsaw, KY to Tipp City, OH is often referred to as CIN-DAY. This tie-in between the two cities is easily visible in recent nighttime satellite photographs, such as the 2012 pix below:
We have friends who live just west of Tampa, in Lakeland, FL. They LOVE it! It's right in between Tampa and Orlando, with access to all of the unique recreational assets both metros have to offer.
Since you mentioned Los Angeles and San Diego, I'm about midway between the two in terms of travel time (closer to Los Angeles in distance, though). And the truth is that I very rarely go to either because the area in between where I live is so developed that there is little I can't get close to home. It's not like there is a city, then a wasteland, then eventually another city.
The larger international airport is in Los Angeles, so when we have guests coming from overseas, they land there and sometimes we have to pick them up. I will also occasionally fly out of LAX if I get a really great deal on airfare, but normally I use and strongly prefer the Orange County airport (John Wayne).
There are a few attractions which will draw me to San Diego (the Zoo/Safari Park for one), or to the LA area (Long Beach aquarium, museums, Six Flags). But that is only once every year or two, otherwise I have everything I need & want here.
For example, the only sporting events I am interested in are baseball and hockey, and we have them both in OC, along with tons of world-class shopping, beautiful beaches, and a good performing arts center. I wouldn't go to either LA or San Diego for any of those.
And frankly, the traffic has become such a hassle that most OC people I know avoid going to either city unless it is a pretty special event. I HAVE gotten to downtown LA in an hour and downtown San Diego in about 75 minutes, but nowadays you have to know just when to leave and/or get lucky, or those travel times aren't happening.
I live in Providence. 45 mins from Boston. (I work about 15 mins away from Boston. I can see downtown from my school) I'm in town often. I'm about 2 hrs from NYC. Easy access by train, bus or car. NYC is usually a weekend thing, whereas Boston is an anytime thing.
Interesting post. I was actually thinking of this from the perspective of someone who used to live between Boston and Providence. In spite of Boston being bigger, Providence arguably had the larger sphere of influence in my area simple due to accessibility. Providence is and always has been easier to get in/out of. So working, hospitals, big shopping, nightlife, etc. was mostly Providence growing up. Boston was for bigger one-off things (like a Sox game, big hospital event, field trip, etc.). So we were in Massachusetts, part of Metro Boston, but actually more aligned with Providence.
I live in Somerville now (I walk to the T and can see the skyline from my deck), but still make an effort to go to Providence as much as possible. I was there two weeks ago for my birthday weekend (Drinks at LongLive Beer Works, dinner at Red Fin Crudo, bar hopping after, and spent the night at the Biltmore) and I'll be there tomorrow night for an event.
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