what down south city would be most similar to chicago?? (Naperville: for sale, buy)

[LakeShoreSoxGo]

Honey Boo Boo is darn near an accurate portrayal of any venture into Walmart.

[glass_of_merlot]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

You really won't find anything like Great Lakes-area cities in the South, just like you won't find anything like Miami, Atlanta, or Charlotte in the North.

The closest would probably be river cities like New Orleans or Memphis, but even that is a stretch.

I don't think you're going to find crime rates to be much better in the South, in general, and you're going to find HUMID heat, not dry heat. (I, too, cracked up at the idea of Houston being dry.) The Southwest is where you'll find the dry heat.

I lived in Memphis for 4 years. Personally I think they are light years apart. But New Orleans might be similar.

[Chicagoist123]

Originally Posted by glass_of_merlot

I lived in Memphis for 4 years. Personally I think they are light years apart. But New Orleans might be similar.

I just went to New Orleans a little less than a month ago. I don't think Chicago and New Orleans are similar at all, but they certainly are very 'urban cities' which makes New Orleans the most similar to Chicago imo in the south. Outside of that fact that they are both very 'urban' cities, there is nothing really too comparable, maybe other than they are very flat, but that is it.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by glass_of_merlot

I lived in Memphis for 4 years. Personally I think they are light years apart. But New Orleans might be similar.

Yeah, like I said, it's a stretch. I was thinking in terms of them being older cities (by North American standards) that came to prominence with manufacturing, shipping, etc., and the demographics and culture that went along with that. It's vague, but it's a similarity that I see between the Mississippi River cities and the Great Lakes cities that I don't see in, say, Atlanta, Miami, or Charlotte.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by Chicagoist123

'urban' cities

As opposed to rural cities? Kidding, but this is a funny term, since cities are urban by definition. I think what you're talking about are metro areas that have a more dense core, as opposed to those that are more sprawling. If so, that ties in with my last post about these all being older cities, as opposed to cities that experienced their major growth in the automobile age, which tend to be less dense and therefore (I guess) less "urban" in feel.

But again, I know these are loose similarities. There's really nothing like Chicago in the South, and nothing like New Orleans anywhere.

[lizziebeth]

Originally Posted by DoneWithDallas

If you don't want dry you need to steer clear of west texas. Lubbock, midland, Odessa, Amarillo but these towns aren't what you're looking for. Born and raised in Dallas I hate Houston. Theres very nice suburbs of Houston though. We have our super humid days and some that aren't so bad but it can get very humid. It's not just Chicago that has crime, it's everywhere. Chicago just has that stigma. Look what happened in Connecticut, in an area that was essentially crime less.

The south is not like it is in movies and books. Maybe in parts of Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia but don't expect everyone to be this way. Southern gentlemen do exist but they're going to be a rarity in the city. I can't say they don't exist because that's where I found my boyfriend but he's from a small West Texas town that is like the movies. To me Dallas has a bit of an attitude as does Houston, I find the people nicer in Chicago. As a woman, regardless of color, Chicago is not a bad city for a single female. It can be bad for anyone who's in the wrong place at the wrong time but as a white female I'm extremely comfortable in Chicago. I'm home alone a lot because my boyfriend travels a lot back to Texas for work and I'm fine taking my dogs out alone at night.

What she said and...

I moved here from Dallas just after Thanksgiving. Did it on my own because I work from home so can live anywhere. Wanted to live where I could walk places and not feel like I have to drive everywhere. I also wanted a city with true neighborhoods. Settled in West Lakeview/Roscoe Village and love it! Lived in Dallas most of my life so obviously liked it enough. Not a fan of Houston -- yes, while Dallas does have it's humid days, it's no Houston. There are some people in Dallas with an attitude but I always heard from others that they find Dallas-Fort Worth friendly except on the roads.

Most of the cities in the south are much newer compared to Chicago as at least one other person pointed out. Very spread out with a car required. Just set up differently and took advantage of the undeveloped land. Nothing wrong with that. I've been to most if not all of the major cities in the south. I moved to Chicago because I couldn't find something like Chicago down south and this city is ideal at least for me.

Good luck!

[chicagocubs]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Crime is out of hand in some neighborhoods, but otherwise most of the City is quite safe.

Nothing in the south is similar to Chicago.

I live in the south. I AGREE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[flamadiddle]

As mentioned, there's nothing comparable to Chicago in the South. I currently live in Atlanta and there's no comparison. The only thing keeping me from going back to Chicago is the weather and even that is becoming less of an obstacle.

[chicagocubs]

Originally Posted by flamadiddle

As mentioned, there's nothing comparable to Chicago in the South. I currently live in Atlanta and there's no comparison. The only thing keeping me from going back to Chicago is the weather and even that is becoming less of an obstacle.

yeahhh...if I could land a job that would let me work from home so that I didn't have to deal with the winters....I would be there!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Charlotte, NC is just not cutting it any more!)

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by chicagocubs

yeahhh...if I could land a job that would let me work from home so that I didn't have to deal with the winters....I would be there!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Charlotte, NC is just not cutting it any more!)

That is surprising, I always thought Charlotte was quite the pleasant city, though not my most favorite city in North Carolina.