I'm from the Chicago area (lived in the city & northern suburbs) & have also lived in central & SW Michigan. I have visited the NY Tri-State area many times for various purposes. A couple of my best friends live out there. In fact, I was just in Manhattan during Labor Day weekend. I have also been to Westchester County. I think what you are saying is surprisingly accurate, but here's the difference. In the Chicago area, a lot of those suburban sprawl areas outside of the city are actually solid job corridors (ie. Deerfield/Northbrook, Schaumburg, Oak Brook, etc.). The equivalent of that sprawl does exist in the NY Tri-State area, except it isn't in Westchester County north of White Plains as much as it is in places like suburban New Jersey & Long Island. I've heard the I-95 from Stamford, Connecticut into Manhattan (and vice versa) is pretty brutal as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mclairch
Commute time isn't everything  Basically NYC has every advantage that Chicago has and then some. Where we were living in Chicago, the housing costs are about the same as here in Westcherster but Chicago is a giant urban sprawl. We live in Northern Westchester and are able to feel like we're out in the woods/country, real roaming space and still be only and hour and change from midtown. To get that same feel in Chicago you'd have to move 2.5hrs away to Wisconsin. Seriously. And then in terms of my and my husband's careers, there are more opportunities here. So all in all, better here. Chicago is fabulous though. Don't get me wrong. Just saying we're glad we moved here. |
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