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I just moved from Chicago to Raleigh in January... it has been a huge adjustment. We lived downtown (River North)!
We just moved from Old Town and currently live close to downtown Raleigh (Five Points). Here's my opinion:
As mentioned, Chicago is to Raleigh as Apples are to Oranges, BUT . . .
The thing left unmentioned in most of these comparisons is the "vibe" of the big city. When you get down to it, very few of us utilize the enormous resources of a city like Chicago, e.g. how many times did you go to the symphony (once); how many visits did you make to the Field Museum, Art Institute, Navy Pier (once, once, once); how many times did you go to Ravinia (once); or to the Chicago Botanic Gardens (twice), the Garfield Conservatory (once) or the Brookfield Zoo (none). Did you go to Wrigley (yes, many times)?
While it's true that Raleigh has few of these things, and what it does have can't compare to the grand institutions found in a "world class" city like Chicago, most folks don't visit those things much anyway.
What Raleigh IS missing, however, is the vibe.
Living in Old Town, we could be on Michigan Ave in two train stops and a 10 minute walk. We could shop amongst throngs of people in the midst of all the glamour that is Michigan avenue as opposed to the more staid experience at one of Raleigh's malls (or anywhere else for that matter).
You'll never get that "busy," something's always going on feeling in Raleigh, and most people here don't want that feeling. In my opinion, some of that is a bit of a "don't know what you're missing" phenomenon, while others truly enjoy the laid back pace, and organized layout of a "new" city like Raleigh. Afterall, Crabtree Valley and North Hills have nearly everything that Chicago has but it comes in a packaged mall as opposed to being strewn randomly throughout the city.
In the end, even though I miss the green market (we too, were disappointed with the farmer's market here, too sterile and big), and the hundreds of little restaurants and unique neighborhoods, and the lakefront, it's the vibe that I miss the most.
My wife and I found it absolutely comical that every time we traveled out of town and met someone else from Chicago, they had no idea what we meant by "Old Town."
Most people from "Chicago" live in the burbs, and with the exception of Evanston and Oak Park, I don't see much point to living in any of Chicago's burbs, particularly the western and southern suburbs. Traffic is terrible and you're out of the loop (literally and figuratively).
The point to Chicago is:
1. The lakefront
2. The lakefront
3. The lakefront
. . . and you don't get much lakefront in Naperville.
There's a reason it's called the third coast. Who cares how cold it is, the lakefront is the best public waterfront in a major US city. I'll miss running there May-November . . .
But, if you want a house, with a yard, then you have to move to the suburbs . . . and if you're going to live in the suburbs, you ought to live in Raleigh, where the weather's nicer, and the suburbs are about the same .
Thank you all for the input! My wife and I are early 30s, and we feel that we've fallen in to a sort of gap here in the Triangle. You have the college (or just post-college) scene here, and you have a very strong presence of 40+ folks with children, the large house, etc. We don't have kids and feel almost a little out of place socially. Not saying a little younger scene doesn't exist here (we're in our 30s now so we're not that young)---it's just harder to get linked in. Meeting friends has been harder than expected over the years, and it's certainly not for lack of effort.
I just think it's very easy for people to bubble themselves off here socially. Live in a nice city or suburb, go to work, go home, etc. Add to that the fact that the cities and towns here aren't always unified (I don't think we have a big fireworks display where people in the region gather downtown for example). Some people don't even consider Chapel Hill and Raleigh in the same metro. Despite Chicago being more inconvenient due to it's size, I have a feeling that the larger environment forces people to interact more which I see as a healthy thing.
My wife skews more suburban than me, so the Triangle has been a relatively happy place for us over the years. I love the mountains and the beach, so NC is wonderful...I think easy access to Wisconsin and Michigan will fill the nature thing if we decide on Chicago. I personally love great restaurants, sporting events, dislike driving, etc., so I think the big city would suit me well. Are there any close-in suburbs to Chicago where one would be able to find a decent rent with access to transit to the city for a job? I've heard north burbs are nice (and west burbs ok to a lesser extent). We bought a place down here, but would be looking to rent in Chicago.
I moved to Clemmons last summer after 4 1/2 years in Chicago. I love the mild winters here and the slower pace. It is also beautiful although too hot for my taste in the summer. There are so many great aspects to both places. There is so much going on in Chicago. If you move to the burbs and never go into the city, you will really be missing out. Downtown Chicago is clean, relatively safe and full of activities. The lake is spectacular and there are parks everywhere. When the weather is nice, everyone is outside. There are many lovely areas in the city and suburbs. Although it is flatter, it still is quite scenic. The area is very big on parks and "green space". The suburbs are made up of small towns instead of suburban sprawl which makes for a nice hometown feel. Traffic can be bad but lots of the things you need on a daily basis are close by. The schools are exceptional in most areas. There is lots of diversity even in the suburbs which is something I liked about living there. There seems to be alot less emphasis on racial issues.
With all of that said, I love it here and think it is a great place to raise a child. The schools are acceptable and there is less of a high-pressure atmosphere. The people are friendly and welcoming. We had a Christmas party for 50 neighbors after being here only 5 months. I did not find our neighborhood in the western suburbs to be nearly as friendly.
It was a great experience to live in such an exciting city and I hope you like it if you go there!
Just another quick note after reading the other comments. I lived in Naperville and really enjoyed it. I am a city-lover but my husband's job was there. Maybe we were unusual but we took the train into the city several times a month to do things on the weekends. If you can't afford to live in the city, the burbs are a great alternative. The northern suburbs are very nice and established (some are very blue-blood) while the Naperville area is newer but quaint. Traffic can be an issue but there are trade-offs everywhere. The Naperville downtown area is beautiful with the riverwalk and many nice restaurants.
By the way, I know where Old Town is because I took advantage of the train system and wasn't afraid to go into the city and explore. Not all suburbanites are "out of the loop".
I definitely know Old Town I've lived on the near west side (Laflin and Jackson), in Lakeview, Hyde Park, and finally downtown (Columbus and South Water) just before moving here.
Living downtown was surprisingly great. I never thought I'd enjoy being in a high-rise building, but it had its perks. Our building was brand spanking new and had a gym, a large indoor pool/hottub, grills out on a lovely terrace, and was connected to Lakeshore Athletic Club (and everything else) via the pedway. I could walk underground from my building to the train in the winter and not even need a coat. Plus, we had covered underground parking. Living downtown made me feel like Grant/Millennium Park was my own backyard. It was just spectacular being able to walk out my front door and be at the Jazz Festival or summer movies in the park in less than 5 minutes. You could see the weekly fireworks at Navy Pier from my living room window. Oh boy.... I'm getting a serious case of nostalgia now.
Actually, I had a reverse commute from downtown to Evanston for work. Many of my coworkers rented in Evanston (the first suburb to the north of the city--also lakefront) and liked it very much. You're just a quick ride on the El into the city, or you could take the Metra as well. My door-to-door commute from downtown Chicago to the NWU campus area was about 35-40 minutes on the CTA. When I lived in Lakeview, I often rode my bike to work. That took about 25-30 minutes--but required a shower afterwards! I would definitely have considered living/renting in Evanston. It's a very nice community and its proximity to the city can't be beat.
While it's true that Raleigh has few of these things, and what it does have can't compare to the grand institutions found in a "world class" city like Chicago, most folks don't visit those things much anyway.
This is very true. We never lived in the city--my husband and I were in Bloomington which was a 2 hour drive. We would drive up for the day on the weekends, hit some museums or just walk around then get dinner. But I went to HS about an hour south of downtown and my mom's family was from the south side. So I grew up going to the city a lot to visit family. Anyway, when my husband I were looking to leave central IL we talked briefly about Chicago but the cost of housing was too high, whether it was in the city itself or in the suburbs. Also, we wondered how much we would really utilize all the fantastic things the city has to offer. We had a 9 month old at the time and knew that our days of being able to go to shows & restaurants at the drop of a hat were over.
Not that you still can't go places with kids (and we always have), but we figured that even though Raleigh isn't nearly as exciting as Chicago there would still be plenty of stuff for us to do. We still go to concerts, musicals & nice restaurants here in Raleigh. They may not be world class like Chicago (and Joe Jackson's current tour isn't coming here--waaah), but they are still good and its enough for us right now. When our kids are grown & we're rich (ha!) I'd love to have an apartment in the city so we could visit whenever we wanted to. :-)
I just realized that I never really answered the op's question or concerns. Chicago is a BEAUTIFUL city and I would absolutely live there if it came down to it. Like somebody else said, the people are generally friendly there, Lake Michigan is stunning and is really more like an ocean than a lake. Lots and lots of cultural events--the city's ethnic festivals are so much fun. The size of the city is not so overwhelming as New York. You can take the train in from the suburbs and get around quite easily to most anything you want to do there. Most things are pretty centrally located and the "El" and bus services are fantastic. Its also safe downtown. I've been there alone walking around and I've never felt scared or threatened. Just follow common sense like you would anywhere else.
Wisconsin is very pretty if you're wanting more 'nature'. IL is FLAT and boring for the most part once you're outside of the city. I love the hills here in Raleigh and I was so happy to leave flat cornfields behind me. BUT, I have found that I really miss the sky at times out there. I love being able to see the sun go all the way down on the horizon and the cloud formations, especially during storms, are vastly different than here in Raleigh. I miss those as well.
Chicago is the one northern city that I would not hesitate to move to if my husband's job dictated it.
Are there any close-in suburbs to Chicago where one would be able to find a decent rent with access to transit to the city for a job? I've heard north burbs are nice (and west burbs ok to a lesser extent). We bought a place down here, but would be looking to rent in Chicago.
You'll get better luck asking this question in the Chicago forum, but . . .
Evanston and Oak Park are the two "best" suburbs in my opinion.
This is because both are old, well established cities that could stand alone if Chicago wasn't right next door. This is particularly true of Evanston. For example, Evanston has their own New Year's Eve waterfront fireworks display and pre-fireworks extravaganza and it attracts a LOT of people. In fact, some people in the city go to Evanston for their event!
Evanston also has a nice mix of cool restaurants and shopping, owing in part to the university, and in part to the affluence. You could go further north and get really fancy, e.g. Lake Forest, Kenilworth, et cetera, but while those suburbs are nice looking, there's nothing going on.
Evanston abuts the city, and you can easily get into town on the train, or via Lake Shore Drive after a short hop on Sheridan. It's a bit of a trek due to traffic but nothing like LA or anything.
The problem, of course, is cost. Much of the rental property in Evanston is apartment-oriented student housing. There are some gems, but you'll need to look hard, and it will cost you more to get something that's more house/"home" oriented than the apartment building type stuff that litters Craigslist advertisements.
I would start at Craigslist to get a feel for what the market will bear. I'm not sure what your budget is, nor what your space needs are, but anything nice will drive up price!
For what it's worth, I think that Raleigh will get more and more of an urban feel to it. The suburbs to the south of the city are really booming and 540 will ultimately make a true loop. This will (hopefully) have the effect of making Raleigh a centerpiece for all of these other towns and help to stimulate further downtown development. It's true that as it stands, there's almost some "competition" between the three triangle cities to see who can be the leader, so there's no true dominant place as opposed to most cities.
By the way, I know where Old Town is because I took advantage of the train system and wasn't afraid to go into the city and explore. Not all suburbanites are "out of the loop".
I'm impressed!
I apologize if my comment sounded condescending but the truth is, you are definitely unique, as most folks don't bother taking the train from the far west suburbs like Naperville.
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One other thing . . .
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I would definitely have considered living/renting in Evanston. It's a very nice community and its proximity to the city can't be beat.
