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Late 20s male, looking to move from NY. Prefer roommates in trendy area. Single, love sports and music and the outdoors. Liberal. Love diversity. I have lived in a ****ty 4 season climate my whole life and hate snow and cold but also dont like rain either (I realize neither are good for that). Not sure which I despise more but these are the only two options. As noted earlier, music scene is big, and bars too as im not a club person, but it doesnt matter whether its super late last call. Sports and dating scene are big as well.
Well, Chicago and Seattle are both awesome cities so you really can’t make a wrong decision here. Neither one of these cities seem to have the weather you like, but the great thing is that both of these cities more than make up for their bad weather with all of the amazing things they offer.
Climate: Seattle, unless you absolutely can’t stand overcast. Seattle’s climate doesn’t get as cold or as hot as Chicago’s. I’ve never really felt uncomfortable in Seattle, which is certainly not the case in Chicago.
Bar Scene: Chicago. Seattle is a good bar city, but Chicago just has a larger variety of bars and more of everything.
Dating Scene: Honestly, not sure. Both cities seem like great places to date.
Sports Scene: Chicago, it’s a legendary sports town. Seattle is a pretty good sports town though, it does have the best soccer fans in the US.
Music Scene: Chicago. The music scene there right now is probably the best aside from NYC and LA, especially if you’re into less mainstream stuff. I also love Chicago's music venues, it has some of the best small venues in the country. Seattle has a great music scene, one of the best in the country, but it doesn't have the variety in genres that Chicago's has.
Food Scene: Chicago. Seattle has fantastic food, but Chicago not only has more ethnic variety, but it also has a much more creative/innovative scene. Chicago is one of the few cities that creates trends in food, whereas Seattle is one of the quickest to follow the trends.
Transit: Chicago. Seattle’s bus system works better than Chicago’s due to it having less traffic and dedicated bus lanes, but Chicago has the L which Seattle has no answer for.
Outdoors: Seattle. There really is no comparison here. Chicago has Lake Michigan, and then some pretty hills and lakes in Wisconsin and Michigan. Seattle is just a short drive to some of the most beautiful hills, mountains, forests, and coastlines in the country. Chicago is a better beach city, though.
Vibe: Seattle. While both cities have a great vibe, Seattle’s is a bit less tense.
Crime: Seattle. Though, crime in Chicago is pretty contained in certain areas and the safe area of Chicago is larger and more populous than Seattle itself so I’m not sure how much weight I’d put into crime when moving somewhere, especially in big cities.
Cost: Chicago, it benefits from being a huge city. If you’re willing to live in some of the further out yet still safe neighborhoods of Chicago, you can get some really cheap rents. But if you’re planning on living in downtown, upscale posh neighborhoods, the cool hipster neighborhoods, or the yuppie neighborhoods of either city, you’re not going to notice much of a difference in costs.
Taxes: Seattle. Chicago has brutal taxes, I think the highest sales tax in the country. I believe income tax and property taxes are higher there too.
Economy: Seattle. It has a healthier, more robust economy. Chicago’s economy is still struggling its way out of the recession.
Cleanliness: Seattle, though Chicago is insanely clean for such a large city. Neither are cities I’d ever call dirty.
People: Chicago. People in both cities are cool, but Chicagoans are a bit more outgoing. I find Seattleites to be a bit more reserved, and the “Seattle Freeze” exists to a certain extent.
Diversity: Chicago, it’s extremely diverse. Seattle is continuing to become a diverse city, but it’s not at Chicago’s level yet. Chicago not only has more new immigrants, but it also has a lot more longstanding and established ethnic communities throughout the city.
Proximity to Other Cities: Tie. Seattle is close to both Portland and Vancouver, both of which I like more than any of the cities near Chicago. But, Chicago is just a few hours drive from a lot more cities and it's a short flight away from most major cities. Seattle is a fairly lengthy flight away from most major US cities.
Climate - Seattle. It rains a lot, but it has MUCH warmer winters (still with chances of snow) than Chicago. Summers are sunny with a dry heat-really only 75F during the day with sea breezes and upper 50sF at night. Chicago remains warm at night and very hot, humid and rainy during the day with bugs.
Bar scene - Chicago
Dating scene - Chicago
Sports scene - Chicago
Music scene - Tie
Food scene - Tie. Seattle has wonderful Asian food, Chicago has great European and American food, and probably great things of other places too.
Transit - Chicago
Outdoors - Seattle. Chicago is flat and more urbanized, which can be a good thing, but not for the outdoors. Chicago has warm lake water for swimming in summer, but that's it. Seattle has mountains for skiing or hiking, and beautiful temperate rainforests.
Vibe - Seattle, more relaxed but still very happening and educated, not materialistic like some other relaxed cities (LA or Miami)
Crime - Seattle is safer than Chicago.
Cost - Tie
Taxes - Seattle
Economy - Seattle
Cleanliness - Seattle
People - Tie. Both areas seem to have nice people.
Diversity -Chicago
I would say that Seattle is more livable and more to your liking. It's urban, but also has the great outdoors at its fingertips, with great food, nice and educated people, and milder weather than Chicago. It is also safer and cleaner. Chicago does have certain advantages for sure, but it's probably a better place for you to spend your spring break every now and then than to live in the long term. Good luck whatever you choose.
For the record, I have been to both, but obviously havent lived in either. Im newer to Seattle than Chicago. Its such a tough choice but I love them both.
I think they have the two best summers in the US.
I will note that im a diehard hockey fan, and Seattle has no NHL team, while Chicago has the Blackhawks, whom I enjoy watching (although not my favorite team). Thats the biggest X in my opinion for Seattle. I hope they do get an NHL team.
Last edited by ChicagoorSeattle; 09-03-2013 at 10:51 PM..
Shouldn't be. Yeah moving in general is a tough decision but there are harder decisions out there that you'll encounter.
Anyhow, I'm not generally a fan of completing the criteria, it's a lifestyle choice, subjectivity. However I will say that you should give Seattle a go. It'll be something new for you to experience, entirely different than anything in New York (state).
Chicago isn't as grey or wet as Seattle (or it maybe, don't really know Seattle's precipitation) but in Chicago you will have a few days of snow to expect and you'll have plenty of rain each year. I think it's wise to say in this regard that Seattle's climate will be more benign, however more unpredictable at the same time, especially for someone from the Northeast.
Left it up to me, I'd take Chicago all the way as my choice, not even worth thinking about for me. However for you and objectively speaking, I think Seattle will suffice as the slightly more appropriate choice.
Believe it or not Seattle and Chicago see on AVERAGE the same amount of Precipitation. The difference is most of what falls in Seattle is during the late fall and winter while in Chicago it is Summer BUT it does not rain every day in Chicago either in any season. Quick hitting thunderstorms with very heavy rain is how Chicago gets it's summer rain and thus not the constant all day etc rains. As mentioned Chicago still sees more snow. Only time Seattle may see a snowier winter ( yes it has happened on more then a few occasions ) is when we have a La' Nina and the PDO is negative. Personally i would much prefer a summer in Seattle vs Chicago though. On the flip side though i am not sure how well i could handle which basically amounts to months of clouds, rains and or drizzle and fog in the winter. And yeah the temps may be a bit warmer but still feels just as miserable when it is in the 30s/40s and damp outside. Ofcourse being by the lake in winter when the wind is blowing off of it ( not as common as some think ) is no picnic either. The Michigan side of Lake Michigan is who usually gets most of it's winds, snow, and clouds in winter. Both can get hot ( Seattles alltime record high is 103 vs 104 at Chicago ) But typically Chicago is hotter and alot more humid in the summer. On the flip side the coldest temp ever in Seattle is 0 while in Chicago it is -27 below zero. Definitely colder winters in Chicago. I would much rather spend a winter in Chicago and Summer in Seattle.
Climate - Seattle. Much more pleasant summers and winters much more mild.
Bar scene - Chicago
Dating scene - Chicago
Sports scene - Chicago
Music scene - Seattle
Food scene - Seattle has healthier food
Transit - Chicago
Outdoors - Seattle
Vibe - Seattle
Crime -Seattle
Cost - Chicago
Taxes -Seattle
Economy -Seattle
Cleanliness -Seattle
People - Seattle
Diversity - Chicago
There's a reason why Seattle's population is growing and Chicago's is decreasing. Seattle is a much nicer city.
Food you give to Seattle?! Music as well? Lets not get crazy here.
Also you obviously don't know why population decreased in Chicago, nothing to do with desirability. It's the poor that are leaving in drovs because the city is gentrifying. That's the reason.
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