LA vs Chicago. which is considered more desirable without factoring in cost of living? (comparison, bigger)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My thoughts exactly. I say this as a Midwesterner who loves Chicago and has family there, so I am very familiar with the city. It all comes down to personal preference, but overall, I think LA has more appeal to more people. Weather, outdoors, entertainment, etc. LA is likely more appealing to the masses.
Yep. That being said, I would love to live in Chicago or the midwest one day.
I love the leafy green suburbs of Chicago....Winnetka, Lake Forest, and Highland Park are a few of my favorites.
So the theme here is that old is good and new is bland and boring. Naperville of course has a historic core. But is the rest of Naperville really that bland and boring?
I bet you many of these historic suburbs were once considered architecturally ugly when they were new. When the Eiffel Tower was new, it was considered a giant iron monstrosity and an eyesore. Just wait for a hundred years more, and Naperville will be cherished as a historical masterpiece.
So the theme here is that old is good and new is bland and boring. Naperville of course has a historic core. But is the rest of Naperville really that bland and boring?
I bet you many of these historic suburbs were once considered architecturally ugly when they were new. When the Eiffel Tower was new, it was considered a giant iron monstrosity and an eyesore. Just wait for a hundred years more, and Naperville will be cherished as a historical masterpiece.
I love Naperville...never did I say I didn't. I especially love the Riverwalk downtown, and the downtown is pretty amazing for a city its size.
I love Naperville...never did I say I didn't. I especially love the Riverwalk downtown, and the downtown is pretty amazing for a city its size.
Would you choose Naperville or Irvine? Naperville has the River walk but Irvine has hiking and mountain biking trails within city limits. The largest shopping center in Irvine is open air and is designed after a Moorish palace, the Alhambra, in Spain. And Irvine is home to a state university.
Kind of hard to get an actual flowing river in dry SoCal, though, where any Creek will be heavily diverted for agricultural and urban purposes, and not replenished due to the meager rainfall.
Would you choose Naperville or Irvine? Naperville has the River walk but Irvine has mountain biking trails within city limits. The largest shopping center in Irvine is open air and is designed after a Moorish palace, the Alhambra, in Spain. And Irvine is home to a state university.
I would, as I love the Midwest. I can't discount COL, even though we're asked to. QOL would be better in Naperville, IMO.
It's an outer postwar suburb of Toronto that is basically like Irvine in layout, density, and Chinese population, but on steroids. It makes Irvine look like a very white suburb. And it has a couple bus rapid transit lines going through the city. And of course, it's close to a Great Lake and has that Great Lakes city vibe. And of course, Toronto is often compared to Chicago. Toronto has the GO train, which stops in Markham and is basically their version of Metra. Also a hugely ridden commuter rail system.
I lived in Orange County, and traveled extensively around the LA sphere.
I'd rather live in Chicago at 25, than downtown LA at 25. I'd rather live in Pasadena or Newport at 25, than Naperville at 25. Chicago is city centric, LA just isn't. So post-college through 30, because I am a city person, I enjoyed living in Chicago far, far, far more than living in Newport. Uber dense pockets of people, excitement, action. Bars and restaraunts as far as the eye can see. Walk to the beach, walk to the park, walk to my gym. Contrary to that, had I lived in Naperville at 25, I would have longed for Newport or Pasadena.
But the two metros are so dissimilar, that I literally don't know how to compare them. They aren't just different cities, they are different worlds.
Greater LA has Santa Monica, South Pasadena, Manhattan Beach, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo, Culver City, Beverly Hills, Arcadia... The list goes on, and on, and on. Nobody should dismiss LA for any one reason- It has everything, and more.
Chicagoland suburbs are far quieter, more "mature", more idyllic in a traditional Americana, even Western European kind of way. That is, high connectivity to the city, walkable format, main streets, brick, stucco, stone. Greater LA matches the density, but almost doesn't adhere or abide by traditional Western civilization kind of norms. It is it's own beast, and was largely developed post WWII with a more progressive, new-age look and feel. There are traditional streets and residential architecture, but there are far more ranches, split levels, and modernist style builds throughout the MSA.
Having spent most of my time in Chicago, and on the East Coast, I like the look and feel of Chicagoland more. I don't know if the aesthetic in LA will ever, for me, match the aesthetic of Chicagoland (even more so the East Coast). And to take it a step further, I'm not sure Chicago will ever match the aesthetic of some areas on the East Coast. Separate conversation for a separate thread.
I've had opportunities to settle where I want. I chose Chicago and the East Coast over the Bay, LA, and Seattle. Ultimately, I like it more. But I'm not blind to the notion that I am not the norm, and haven't been the norm in decades. COL aside, the critical masses will pick California over anywhere not named NYC.And I'm certainly not blind to the idea that, on paper, one beats the other.. GDP, population, beaches, weather. But, that's not moving the needle for me.
Drop a street view in Winnetka, and drop a street view in Beverly Hills or Redondo. You either like one look and feel, or the other. It's really that simple.
Last edited by mwj119; 10-23-2020 at 01:27 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
