what down south city would be most similar to chicago?? (Jacksonville: university, tax)

[flamadiddle]

Originally Posted by urbanlife78

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

I've also spent some time in Charlotte and yes, it's a "pleasant" city, but it's not Chicago, not even close. Chicago has a history, vibe, character and soul unlike anything in the South. That doesn't mean cities like Charlotte are bad, they're just not anything like Chicago.
It's a hard thing to describe.

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by flamadiddle

I've also spent some time in Charlotte and yes, it's a "pleasant" city, but it's not Chicago, not even close. Chicago has a history, vibe, character and soul unlike anything in the South. That doesn't mean cities like Charlotte are bad, they're just not anything like Chicago.
It's a hard thing to describe.

Oh of course, there is no city in the south that could match Chicago with its history, vibe, and soul. But much of that has to do with how people migrated at the time and where the jobs were. There were more industrial jobs on the North and more consolidation of people, while the South at the time was more farm land and much more spread out of people. Heck if you look at any of the cities in the South back in the day and compare them to Chicago at the same time you will see a completely different sizes in population between the two which is where that look and feel of Chicago really comes from.

The only thing the South can hope for is to have their own Chicago like city explode with population and develop a present day urban city, but that will basically be Houston and it would basically be built around the car.

[bellhead]

Living in Savannah ga, I can't wait until my daughter is done with high school, the day she graduates will be the day a for sale sign goes up in the yard and I"m headed north again, cannot wait until that day.

Chicago, DC, or NYC... are my cities of choice.

[cali3448893]

Maybe Atlanta?

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by cali3448893

Maybe Atlanta?

Atlanta is not really much of a City. It's just massive sprawl. You HAVE to drive even in the city.

[linicx]

Everyone has there own perception of Chicago. There is no southern town like Chicago, just as there is none like Boston, NYC, SF, or LA. If you are not a dedicated Chicago sports fan, and if you don't have to own ocean/gulf/great lake property to be happy, you can find elements of Chicago in the south in unexpected places.

One of life's hardest lessons is understanding the cultural differences between Chicago and the south. During the Chicago work week you are more likely to find suits and ties than you are to find the western boots and string ties you see in the south. There is also a difference in wages and benefits and even medical care. None of the US World magazine top 25 hospitals are in the South. Only three are in Midwest: St. Louis, Cleveland, and Minnesota. The others are in the east and west coasts.

Chicago is also a very convenient city. If you cannot buy IT, eat IT, wear IT, find IT, or order IT, then IT is probably not available in the United States. Stores like Trader Joe's, Cosco, and Whole Foods are scattered. It is most likely one can find all three in cities like Atlanta or New Orleans.

Are willing to trade the lake, the wages, the instant gratification, the myriad of choices in services and transit, a fast paced liberal view for a slower paced and more conservative religious view? If you are, then you can find the history, the vibe, and tons of activities mixed with southern charm. It is a culture shock that most are not willing to gamble.

Midwestern states are very much alike whereas southern states are not-so-much. But they all have slavery, religion, KKK, and Civil War in common. It has been my experience that most cities are not what they seem at first glance. It is better to spend 4-5 days (more than once) and investigate the stores, the culture, and the general area before you pull up roots to start a new chapter in your life. You will learn very little on 4-lane highways or in PR spin in travel magazines.

[bellhead]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Atlanta is not really much of a City. It's just massive sprawl. You HAVE to drive even in the city.

About half of the people in Atlanta want it to be a major city the other half are happy with a massive sprawl, the biggest challenges Atlanta faces are it's infrastructure. Major infrastructure upgrades are required in order to keep growing and attracting companies and people, however the anti-tax forces are running the shop and will be for a while longer. Recently a 1% sales tax was defeated that was intended to raise money for mass transit and road expansion. One of the biggest benefactors would have been Marta the public transit system around Atlanta, the exburbs around Fulton County soundly defeated it even though it would have expanded mass transit to them. The other major issue facing Atlanta is a lack of a world class university, even though Ga. Tech is a great engineering school, that is about all it is, MIT is a great engineering school, but also has a great business and economics programs....

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by bellhead

About half of the people in Atlanta want it to be a major city the other half are happy with a massive sprawl, the biggest challenges Atlanta faces are it's infrastructure. Major infrastructure upgrades are required in order to keep growing and attracting companies and people, however the anti-tax forces are running the shop and will be for a while longer. Recently a 1% sales tax was defeated that was intended to raise money for mass transit and road expansion. One of the biggest benefactors would have been Marta the public transit system around Atlanta, the exburbs around Fulton County soundly defeated it even though it would have expanded mass transit to them. The other major issue facing Atlanta is a lack of a world class university, even though Ga. Tech is a great engineering school, that is about all it is, MIT is a great engineering school, but also has a great business and economics programs....

I am sure Atlanta has a lot of amazing things about it, I have friends that live there and love it, but it is definitely no Chicago. And I really don't think any modern city today that has seen its population growth in more recent years than 100 years ago will ever have a similar look and feel as Chicago unless we have a city that fully takes on the demand of creating a massive public transit system that could compete with Chicago or NYC.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by urbanlife78

That is surprising, I always thought Charlotte was quite the pleasant city

Des Moines and Wichita are pleasant. So is Naperville. "Pleasant" isn't what everyone looks for in a city.

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

Des Moines and Wichita are pleasant. So is Naperville. "Pleasant" isn't what everyone looks for in a city.

Of course not, I personally like living in much bigger cities that have a strong old urban core to it and a good public transportation system and rail system. There are very few cities and states that I would be willing to live in in this country and none of them are in the South.