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So I've been debating on a major change in my life for a while; relocating to another city/state. For a while I had been anticipating a move to Pittsburgh,PA, I even visited Pittsburgh this past summer. I will admit that I did love Pittsburgh and one of the reasons I was looking to relocate there was because I am planning on going to graduate school at some point in my life. While I did love Pittsburgh, I have been thinking recently about Chicago and Philadelphia. For some reason, I've always been attracted to major urban areas. To be fair though, the list of cities I've thought about moving to has shrunk significantly and its down to three finalists; Chicago, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. At one point, Atlanta, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington D.C were on the list, but I have since taken them off mostly due to the fact of the very high cost of living in most of these cities, although Atlanta doesn't have too high of a cost of living, I decided against it after I decided I had enough of heat and humidity. I am aware that the cost of living in Chicago is fairly high, however I have noticed that it is significantly cheaper than NYC, SF, and DC.
So here's a little bit about myself. I have lived in Louisville,KY my whole life. I am in my late 20s, graduated from Indiana University, double majoring in Political Science and Sociology. I consider myself to be progressive/very liberal, basically along the lines of Sanders or Warren, however I am tolerant of the political viewpoints of others as I come from a family that is evenly split when it comes to politics. I basically learned to see things from both sides and I honestly think other people have a right to whatever political views that they have just as I do. I currently have two jobs, but my main job is in the hospitality industry. I have two cats and I am an animal lover. I am single yet I identify as bi sexual. I also love Halloween and everything associated with that time of year, so if anyone could inform me on how Halloween is celebrated in your city and surrounding areas, that would be awesome! I love history as well and I could get lost in museums all day. I love photography and I take pictures on the side as a hobby.
There are things I like about Louisville, but I've never really felt at home here. I've never felt like I have been able to fit in here and I simply desire something more. I've also grown tired of the very cliquish nature of Louisville and how a lot of people here perceive Louisville as the greatest city on the planet and act like it has more to offer than other cities. As previously mentioned, I've always been attracted to bigger cities. Mostly due to the fact that larger cities tend to offer more in terms of high culture and diversity. Another thing I am looking for is a city with a decent public transit system as I am unfortunately unable to drive due to a movement disorder. Louisville unfortunately lacks a decent public transit system and I don't see this changing anytime soon. Any advice would be helpful and please feel free to shoot me a question.
Ha, are we choosing where to live based on Halloween parties now!?! If it's that significant you can save up and travel to the best spot for that week.
OP, don't mean to offend, I just thought that was funny. You've got some cool options and they definitely makes sense given your preferences. Pittsburgh is one of the best cities of its size and for a time I was pretty obsessed with it. Philly and Chicago are by far the best major urban centers on a budget. I've traveled to Philly a few times and did a lot of research on it as I very nearly began investing in the real estate market there. But Chicago is really the only one of these three that I know well, having lived there in the past and having actually invested in the market there over Philly. Based on everything you wrote there's no reason why Chicago doesn't fit well.
So I've been debating on a major change in my life for a while; relocating to another city/state. For a while I had been anticipating a move to Pittsburgh,PA, I even visited Pittsburgh this past summer. I will admit that I did love Pittsburgh and one of the reasons I was looking to relocate there was because I am planning on going to graduate school at some point in my life. While I did love Pittsburgh, I have been thinking recently about Chicago and Philadelphia. For some reason, I've always been attracted to major urban areas. To be fair though, the list of cities I've thought about moving to has shrunk significantly and its down to three finalists; Chicago, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. At one point, Atlanta, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington D.C were on the list, but I have since taken them off mostly due to the fact of the very high cost of living in most of these cities, although Atlanta doesn't have too high of a cost of living, I decided against it after I decided I had enough of heat and humidity. I am aware that the cost of living in Chicago is fairly high, however I have noticed that it is significantly cheaper than NYC, SF, and DC.
So here's a little bit about myself. I have lived in Louisville,KY my whole life. I am in my late 20s, graduated from Indiana University, double majoring in Political Science and Sociology. I consider myself to be progressive/very liberal, basically along the lines of Sanders or Warren, however I am tolerant of the political viewpoints of others as I come from a family that is evenly split when it comes to politics. I basically learned to see things from both sides and I honestly think other people have a right to whatever political views that they have just as I do. I currently have two jobs, but my main job is in the hospitality industry. I have two cats and I am an animal lover. I am single yet I identify as bi sexual. I also love Halloween and everything associated with that time of year, so if anyone could inform me on how Halloween is celebrated in your city and surrounding areas, that would be awesome! I love history as well and I could get lost in museums all day. I love photography and I take pictures on the side as a hobby.
There are things I like about Louisville, but I've never really felt at home here. I've never felt like I have been able to fit in here and I simply desire something more. I've also grown tired of the very cliquish nature of Louisville and how a lot of people here perceive Louisville as the greatest city on the planet and act like it has more to offer than other cities. As previously mentioned, I've always been attracted to bigger cities. Mostly due to the fact that larger cities tend to offer more in terms of high culture and diversity. Another thing I am looking for is a city with a decent public transit system as I am unfortunately unable to drive due to a movement disorder. Louisville unfortunately lacks a decent public transit system and I don't see this changing anytime soon. Any advice would be helpful and please feel free to shoot me a question.
Which city is your new job located in? That should answer your question.
Ha, are we choosing where to live based on Halloween parties now!?! If it's that significant you can save up and travel to the best spot for that week.
OP, don't mean to offend, I just thought that was funny. You've got some cool options and they definitely makes sense given your preferences. Pittsburgh is one of the best cities of its size and for a time I was pretty obsessed with it. Philly and Chicago are by far the best major urban centers on a budget. I've traveled to Philly a few times and did a lot of research on it as I very nearly began investing in the real estate market there. But Chicago is really the only one of these three that I know well, having lived there in the past and having actually invested in the market there over Philly. Based on everything you wrote there's no reason why Chicago doesn't fit well.
I want to make it clear that I’m not basing my move over what city goes all out for Halloween, it was something I was curious about. Especially since I have a blog as a side hustle( not part of my two jobs, just a side hustle) where I discuss horror movies, haunted houses, etc. So that had a little bit as to why I asked lol. Halloween isn’t a top 3 factor as to where I will move to, but it is something I do like to know how each city celebrates it.
Which city is your new job located in? That should answer your question.
I haven’t gotten a new job, I work in the hotel industry. The hotel industry is a great industry to work in if you plan to move around the country as its somewhat easy to transfer to another hotel in another city.
I'm not quite sure about some of the criteria (like Halloween), but you can't go wrong with either Chicago or Philadelphia. Both are filled with museums, good food, history, culture, etc.
Pittsburgh is a nice city, but quite different and smaller than the other two.
Move to Chicago and experience the "big city life."
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are also incredible, lower cost cities too though, and they significantly dwarf Louisville. I hear great things about Louisville and it is growing well, but it is definitely a regional city, and feels that way. I can appreciate the desire to move.
However, Chicago will give you that "mega city" vibe, and that true cosmopolitan world city experience (Philadelphia is not super far behind though--and getting better).
You are in the early prime of your life, so go for it! You won't regret the decision to grow yourself further and have such a grand new experience.
Location: Pittsburgh (via Chicago, via Pittsburgh)
3,887 posts, read 5,529,295 times
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Chicago if you want big city, Pittsburgh if you don’t. I’ve lived in both and love both.
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