Must choose between Philly, Chicago, and Long Beach CA (living, state, better)
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I'm 24 years old and have to relocate for work. I have grown up in New England my entire life and have lived in Fort Lauderdale for 2 years before moving to Providence, RI where I have lived the past 2 years.
I moved to Florida temporarily for college because I hated the winters here in RI. I'm a big drinker/partier. I love lounges, craft beer, and bourbon bars but I also like to get crazy at night clubs and big festivals. I completely loved Fort Lauderdale but if there was one thing that I didnt like about it is how spread out everything is in SoFla. I think the people here in New England are higher quality yet they are narrow minded. I find I fit in more with the open minded party people in Fort Lauderdale/Miami yet I feel many of them are literally stupid.
Now that you have some info about me, here are the cities I can relocate to along with my subjective thoughts based on what I've read here at city-data:
Chicago
+ World class city with tons to do
+ Amazing nightlife and bar scene
+ Lots of festivals and people who like to party
+ Dense urban core which I love
+ Relatively inexpensive for what it is
- Middle of nowhere
- ****ty weather like Boston for half the year, but without the beautiful surrounding lands
I have no idea where it is "happening" in Chicago, but I would be working at the University of Chicago Medical Center in Hyde Park on the south side, so I would be living close to there. I have a big interest in Chicago but the location within the city will play a big part of this decision.
Philadelphia
+ Close to family in Boston which is huge
+ A little bit better weather
+ On the coast
+ Dense, growing downtown area
+ Great location
- Nothing is really "pulling me" to Philly. Seems a lot like Boston.
The upside to the Philly choice is that I would be working at the Hospital of U Penn which is very close to downtown, so I would probably live in center city. Maybe I would be happier living in the hustle and bustle of downtown Philly rather than the outskirts of Chicago?
Long Beach, CA
+ Great Weather
+ Close to lots of stuff in LA including beaches and mountains
- Gangs
- Pollution from the port and offshore oil rigs
- Extremely expensive
- Overrun with latino foreigners???
- Huge time zone difference between me and family
- Long, expensive flights to visit family
At first, this sounded like paradise, because in my mind it seemed most similar to Florida. Weather is very important to me as I get depressed if its colder than 55*F, but there are so many things turning me off to Long Beach. I hate gangs and aggressive minorities. In FL, the minorities seem somewhat intimidated by you. Plus, Long Beach is expensive.
I know it's pretty rare for people to have experience with all three cities, but can anyone help me at all to make a decision?
Philly is a lot like Boston maybe a tad more eclectic
Chciago may offer the most in these choices but cold like Boston (Philly cold too a little less so)
Long Beach is pretty cool too and warmer
On Philly a great bar scene as well, less so on lounges though they exist
If weather is your choice, LB
close to work and good night life would say Philly (though others more familair with Chicago and the location could probably direct you to places where you could take the subway and live in a great area with a limited commute)
If you want to live close to work and vibrant scene I think you need to do a little more digging on Chicago but the city itself offers a ton on many fronts (just the worst weather likely)
Good luck and in all honesty all three offer a good bit so I would think with any you could make a good choice and feel good about it
I'm 24 years old and have to relocate for work. I have grown up in New England my entire life and have lived in Fort Lauderdale for 2 years before moving to Providence, RI where I have lived the past 2 years.
I moved to Florida temporarily for college because I hated the winters here in RI. I'm a big drinker/partier. I love lounges, craft beer, and bourbon bars but I also like to get crazy at night clubs and big festivals. I completely loved Fort Lauderdale but if there was one thing that I didnt like about it is how spread out everything is in SoFla. I think the people here in New England are higher quality yet they are narrow minded. I find I fit in more with the open minded party people in Fort Lauderdale/Miami yet I feel many of them are literally stupid.
Now that you have some info about me, here are the cities I can relocate to along with my subjective thoughts based on what I've read here at city-data:
Chicago
+ World class city with tons to do
+ Amazing nightlife and bar scene
+ Lots of festivals and people who like to party
+ Dense urban core which I love
+ Relatively inexpensive for what it is
- Middle of nowhere
- ****ty weather like Boston for half the year, but without the beautiful surrounding lands
I have no idea where it is "happening" in Chicago, but I would be working at the University of Chicago Medical Center in Hyde Park on the south side, so I would be living close to there. I have a big interest in Chicago but the location within the city will play a big part of this decision.
Philadelphia
+ Close to family in Boston which is huge
+ A little bit better weather
+ On the coast
+ Dense, growing downtown area
+ Great location
- Nothing is really "pulling me" to Philly. Seems a lot like Boston.
The upside to the Philly choice is that I would be working at the Hospital of U Penn which is very close to downtown, so I would probably live in center city. Maybe I would be happier living in the hustle and bustle of downtown Philly rather than the outskirts of Chicago?
Long Beach, CA
+ Great Weather
+ Close to lots of stuff in LA including beaches and mountains
- Gangs
- Pollution from the port and offshore oil rigs
- Extremely expensive
- Overrun with latino foreigners???
- Huge time zone difference between me and family
- Long, expensive flights to visit family
At first, this sounded like paradise, because in my mind it seemed most similar to Florida. Weather is very important to me as I get depressed if its colder than 55*F, but there are so many things turning me off to Long Beach. I hate gangs and aggressive minorities. In FL, the minorities seem somewhat intimidated by you. Plus, Long Beach is expensive.
I know it's pretty rare for people to have experience with all three cities, but can anyone help me at all to make a decision?
Gangs won't be a problem in most of Long Beach. Honestly I think Long Beach is probably the "safest" choice (i.e. lowest crime rate) of the three. If you are wary of Latino foreigners simply because they are Latino (despite the fact the crime rate has plummeted as their population exploded in SoCal) than LA is not the right choice for you, almost every neighborhood has a sizable Latino population.
Gangs won't be a problem in most of Long Beach. Honestly I think Long Beach is probably the "safest" choice (i.e. lowest crime rate) of the three. If you are wary of Latino foreigners simply because they are Latino (despite the fact the crime rate has plummeted as their population exploded in SoCal) than LA is not the right choice for you, almost every neighborhood has a sizable Latino population.
I'm not so much worried about the crime, I just want to be surrounded by people who I can connect with a relate to. If I feel like a foreigner where I go, then I think it will make the experience much more lonely than it will already be, considering I have no friends or family in any of these cities.
I'm not so much worried about the crime, I just want to be surrounded by people who I can connect with a relate to. If I feel like a foreigner where I go, then I think it will make the experience much more lonely than it will already be, considering I have no friends or family in any of these cities.
I understand that - Long Beach is very diverse, most neighborhoods have a pretty even split of Black - Hispanic - Whites and a few neighborhoods also have a large proportion of Asians. Seems like Long Beach is the outlier of the three cities as it is across the country.
Also, I could be wrong, but is Long Beach that much of a party city? Seems like a place that would have a lot of bars and lounges but not a lot of clubs and that kind of nightlife. I think the clubs are either south in OC or north in Hollywood.
There are parts of Long Beach that are fantastic -- our friends live in Belmont Shore and it's a great part of town. It's very diverse with a mix of everyone. 2nd Street is a lot of fun. In general, the farther North you go in LB, the "worse" it gets for crime.
I don't have experience living in the other cities so I can't comment but if you think LB is all polluted, crime-ridden, and filled with Latinos, it's not.
P.S. it's not that expensive to fly back East since JetBlue has a hub in Long Beach...
There are parts of Long Beach that are fantastic -- our friends live in Belmont Shore and it's a great part of town. It's very diverse with a mix of everyone. 2nd Street is a lot of fun. In general, the farther North you go in LB, the "worse" it gets for crime.
I don't have experience living in the other cities so I can't comment but if you think LB is all polluted, crime-ridden, and filled with Latinos, it's not.
P.S. it's not that expensive to fly back East since JetBlue has a hub in Long Beach...
Went to a party in Belmont Shore (near the end of that peninsula) last weekend - very nice reminded me of Manhattan Beach
Philadelphia will be the most like Boston... which may not be something you are interested in.
However, Philadelphia differs from Boston in that it is grittier around the edges, has better nightlife, better museums, a slightly larger downtown and better food. Philadelphia has a great location (close to all things). The similarity to Boston may turn you off though.
Chicago is more similar to Manhattan and will give you a Manhattan feel. It's poor location (not close to much) could turn you off though. The city right on Lake Michigan is beautiful though.
Los Angeles area (specifically Long Beach), will be the most different from Boston. It has a great location close to LA and the ocean, but the great distance from family and friends may be a turn off for you.
All have positives and negatives... but it comes down to what you prefer. Being close to family and in a new but similar city (Philly)? Being in a Manhattan like city (Chicago)? Or being in the most different and new city far away from family (Long Beach)?
Other factors could be public transit. In Philadelphia and Chicago you will not need a car... in Long Beach you will. Philadelphia will be the least expensive... Long Beach will be the most expensive and Chicago in between.
There are a lot of factors to weight into the decision.. and all are great choices. It's just a matter of what you prefer... and no one on this forum can make up your mind for you.
Crime is essentially a moot point. Chicago, Philadelphia and LA metros ALL have crime areas.. Avoid them and you will be fine. Long Beach is no different... practically all major cities or metros have crime areas, don't let that affect your decision or opinion on an area. Long Beach may have crime areas, but there are other areas which are beautiful.
Went to a party in Belmont Shore (near the end of that peninsula) last weekend - very nice reminded me of Manhattan Beach
I'm sure its very nice near the peninsula, but how expensive is it? Not everyone can live in such cool places especially around LA. Do you know if I would be able to afford it as a single man making $60k a year, taking into account other expenses? Does that area have a good nightlife and a healthy population of young singles, or is it mostly families?
I'm sure its very nice near the peninsula, but how expensive is it? Not everyone can live in such cool places especially around LA. Do you know if I would be able to afford it as a single man making $60k a year, taking into account other expenses? Does that area have a good nightlife and a healthy population of young singles, or is it mostly families?
You should just do a google search on Belmont Shore rentals if you are interested. I can tell you it has a good nightlife scene (especially along 2nd Street), with a great mix of families and singles. The Shore area can trend younger with some Long Beach State students renting in the area.
For coastal Southern California, it is probably one of the most "affordable" locations (however, that's in comparison to other coastal SoCal cities, not in comparison to Chicago or Philly).
And I have to agree with Summersm343:
Quote:
Crime is essentially a moot point. Chicago, Philadelphia and LA metros ALL have crime areas.. Avoid them and you will be fine. Long Beach is no different... practically all major cities or metros have crime areas, don't let that affect your decision or opinion on an area. Long Beach may have crime areas, but there are other areas which are beautiful.
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