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View Poll Results: Most livable big, urban city?
NYC 7 4.93%
LA 11 7.75%
San Francisco 7 4.93%
Boston 24 16.90%
Philadelphia 29 20.42%
Chicago 44 30.99%
DC 20 14.08%
Voters: 142. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 12-12-2020, 06:07 AM
 
Location: Flyover part of Virginia
4,218 posts, read 2,460,826 times
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Criteria for 'livable'-

Cost of living
Purchasing power (wages compared to COL)
Traffic
Pollution
Crime
Weather
Quality of housing
People
Public transportation
Misc livability factors
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Old 12-12-2020, 06:52 AM
 
Location: On the Waterfront
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I'd go Chicago, Philly, Boston, DC, LA.

The first two criteria knock NYC and SF down a bit.
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Old 12-12-2020, 07:01 AM
 
14,029 posts, read 15,041,009 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigCity76 View Post
I'd go Chicago, Philly, Boston, DC, LA.

The first two criteria knock NYC and SF down a bit.
Do they though? I think the earnings/housing ratio is pretty close in Boston and New York.

I actually think it’s the worst in Los Angeles.
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Old 12-12-2020, 07:30 AM
 
Location: On the Waterfront
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Quote:
Originally Posted by btownboss4 View Post
Do they though? I think the earnings/housing ratio is pretty close in Boston and New York.

I actually think it’s the worst in Los Angeles.
If we're talking city proper than I would think it would go SF, NYC, LA, then Boston in terms of earnings/ housing ratio. If we expand it to the Metro than I would guess SF, LA, NYC, Boston. Could be off though.
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Old 12-12-2020, 07:54 AM
 
Location: Chicago, IL
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COL knocks NYC, SF, and Boston out of the running for many.
I'd go with Philly as probably the best value, followed closely by Chicago if you are looking for a true urban city experience.

LA is also very livable in the sense that there are so many surrounding cities that are nice and can be affordable, and though you may not technically be in "LA," you practically are given how vast the metro area is. So if you like warmer weather and more access to nature, LA is a good pick.
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Old 12-12-2020, 08:43 AM
 
Location: Baltimore
21,650 posts, read 12,808,075 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Taggerung View Post
Criteria for 'livable'-

Cost of living
Purchasing power (wages compared to COL)
Traffic
Pollution
Crime
Weather
Quality of housing
People
Public transportation
Misc livability factors
Cost of living Chicago

Purchasing power (wages compared to COL) Philly

Traffic IDK

Pollution SF

Crime NYC

Weather LA

Quality of housing Chicago

People Philly

Public transportation NYC

Misc livability factors Boston
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Old 12-12-2020, 08:47 AM
 
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
27,606 posts, read 14,619,501 times
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Chicago of this list with Philadelphia a close 2nd, big drop to 3rd place for DC (it's that much more expensive)
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Old 12-12-2020, 08:52 AM
 
Location: Bergen County, New Jersey
12,169 posts, read 8,032,304 times
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Cost of living: Philadelphia>Chicago>DC>LA>Boston>NYC>SF
Purchasing power (wages compared to COL) Philadelphia>Chicago>DC>Boston>NY>LA>SF
Traffic: PHL>DC>SF>NY>Bos>LA
Pollution: Boston>DC>Phl>NY>LA>SF
Crime: Boston>New York>SF>LA>DC>Phl>Chicago (Mix of City Prop/Metro)
Weather: Subjective. I guess most people go SF>LA>DC>Phl>NY>Bos>Chi
Quality of housing: DC>Chicago>PHL>Boston>LA>NYC>SF
People
Public transportation: DC>Chicago>Boston>SF>NYC>PHL (Reliability)
Misc livability factors: Boston for Day Trips, Park/Rec, Education, Healthcare. New York for food scene, arts and diversity. LA for variable things to do, weather n summer, vibes. SF for landscape, tech scene and winter weather. Philadelphia for taxes, properties and livability. DC and Chicago also have really stong positives and are strong in every category (Bar Crime)

Personally, for Quality of Life it would go for me:

1. DC
2. Boston
3. Chicago

4. Philadelphia
5. New York
6. LA

7. SF
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Old 12-12-2020, 08:52 AM
 
Location: Baltimore
21,650 posts, read 12,808,075 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigCity76 View Post
If we're talking city proper than I would think it would go SF, NYC, LA, then Boston in terms of earnings/ housing ratio. If we expand it to the Metro than I would guess SF, LA, NYC, Boston. Could be off though.
People earn 10k more per year per household in Boston than NYC and its ever so slightly cheaper on average. It s probably ahead of LA and NYC there. Especially if you're including urban cities that touch Boston but arent the City of Boston (Lynn Quincy etc)
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Old 12-12-2020, 08:55 AM
 
Location: Bergen County, New Jersey
12,169 posts, read 8,032,304 times
Reputation: 10144
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigCity76 View Post
If we're talking city proper than I would think it would go SF, NYC, LA, then Boston in terms of earnings/ housing ratio. If we expand it to the Metro than I would guess SF, LA, NYC, Boston. Could be off though.
Boston wages are higher and COL is lower than NYC. Also the quality of amenities (Parks accessibility, etc) are higher in Boston. So what exactly makes NYC higher? Also whhy is SF and LA at the top of your list and not DC or Phil? Even Chicago.
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