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The only thing I like more about Chicago is it's suburbs. They are on a dense, flat grid. When you look on Google satellite view the Philly area looks puny compared to Chicago Land, which appears at first to be bigger than New York. In Philly there is a clear and drastic drop off in density once you get outside of the city and the suburbs are built spread out but close enough where new dense neighborhoods can't really fit. In Chicago Land the buffer zone is a lot more ambiguous where you cant really tell where the city ends and the suburbs start.
This is precisely what makes the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania side suburbs the top 3 in the nation. Philadelphia is a legacy transit city, and the suburbs were built along train lines and feature many quaint walkable towns and villages from which older beautiful tree lined suburbs are located with much character and natural beauty. Many of the suburbs just miles from the city, feel as if you are living the countryside. It is not a generic concrete jungle, yet an area filled with true natural beauty and an abundance of beautiful old stone architecture with a very colonial/English feel.
It is actually incredible.
Last edited by rowhomecity; 11-20-2019 at 09:13 AM..
I really am not interested in living in either Pittsburgh or Philly, but I love Chicago.
If Illinois didn't have so many financial problems... there's a good chance cities like Peoria, Springfield, and Bloomington would all be booming right now. I say this because, well, just look at all the college towns/mid sized cities in the surrounding states; Columbia, MO, Madison, WI, Lafayette, IN, Iowa City...... they're all growing in population at a consistent rate. It's kind of unfortunate that just being in the same state as Chicago, these smaller/mid sized cities are being neglected for growth. It's sort of the same problem many cities in upstate NY are facing.
Now with the biggest Starbucks in the World, and Weed legal (Jan. 2020) is game over + add still yet affordable homes with good paying jobs is American Dream
Seriously on of 6 in the world concept Roastery Reserve Stores that roast ll their own beans in a multiple storied setting with even alcoholic brews in its different layers.
Chicago > Philadelphia + Pittsburgh currently in terms of both population and GDP.
I think during the 2020's we'll see that gap diminish, though, as both Chicago AND Philadelphia are noticeably improving on both fronts while Pittsburgh is stagnant to slightly improving.
I could easily see by 2030:
Chicago = Philadelphia + Pittsburgh.
As far as the rest of the states are concerned?
Pennsylvania has more medium-sized (population ~500,000ish) MSA's (Lancaster, Harrisburg, Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, York) than Illinois (Rockford, Peoria, and then....????!!!)
Chicago > Philadelphia + Pittsburgh currently in terms of both population and GDP.
I think during the 2020's we'll see that gap diminish, though, as both Chicago AND Philadelphia are noticeably improving on both fronts while Pittsburgh is stagnant to slightly improving.
I could easily see by 2030:
Chicago = Philadelphia + Pittsburgh.
As far as the rest of the states are concerned?
Pennsylvania has more medium-sized (population ~500,000ish) MSA's (Lancaster, Harrisburg, Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, York) than Illinois (Rockford, Peoria, and then....????!!!)
I doubt Chicago will diminish and Philadelphia improve like that. Chicago is booming downtown, and the politics of today will die off and change. When I was in Philly this past summer, there was no way the skyscraper construction of Chicago was even approached by Philliy's; Chicago's O'Hare will have completed its $8.5 billion expansion by then, on top of a 45 billion infrastructure improvement to the state of Illinois whose funding has passed and is now in the works. Legalization of marijuana is an added financial boost.
I guess we are all homers in our own way on these polls; but you are talking only 10 years, and Philly has a long way to go to even come close to Chicago from what I saw this summer.
Who knows what will happen in the future but they’re both okay places to me. I like Chicago it’s a nice city and I always have fun there. Illinois, there’s nothing there that interests me but I haven’t been everywhere in the state. Pennsylvania, I like the cities and it’s beautiful state, the areas outside Philly and Pittsburgh are especially scenic and historical.
I like Chicago it’s a nice city and I always have fun there. Illinois, there’s nothing there that interests me but I haven’t been everywhere in the state.
For the most part, you're not missing much. There are some scenic parts of Illinois in the southern tip and the western edge, but nothing that would make your average PA resident take notice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Justabystander
I doubt Chicago will diminish and Philadelphia improve like that. Chicago is booming downtown, and the politics of today will die off and change.
LOL. Anyone who thinks endemic corruption will just die off and change gets the governance they deserve. Such as you see today in Chicago.
Downtown may be booming but families are bailing, CPS enrollment is in perpetual decline, people are still leaving the distressed neighborhoods as fast as they can scrape together the means to do so, and some of the outer neighborhoods that used to be stable are now hanging by a thread. It's becoming a California-style "haves and have-nots" city.
Here's a handy illustration of the ongoing hollowing out of Chicago's middle class:
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