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Chicago's great but it gets big demerits for violent crime and lack of elevation. I lived in D.C. and found the city's architecture appealing. Why did you find it "ugly"?
Why is "lack of elevation" a bad thing? A relatively flat city is ideal for getting around, especially by foot or bike.
Why is "lack of elevation" a bad thing? A relatively flat city is ideal for getting around, especially by foot or bike.
Because people tend to like views. I'm a Houston native and prefer a town with the opportunity for some views. L.A. is flat in many places but also has some areas where one to climb, drive up for some great vistas.
Raleigh - It's my hometown and I like it enough. It's just a bit too laid back for me. It seems like it's best for people over 40 and families.
Greenville, NC - Went to college here. It's great to live here if you are going to school, but otherwise it's really boring. Probably the lowest cost of living I've ever had. 1br apartments can be rented for under $500/mo.
Iowa City - A more upscale version of Greenville. Probably one of the nicest college towns in the country. The weather in winter sucks though.
Columbia, MO - Similar to Iowa City, but it seems to have a more diverse economy and many people live here who aren't affiliated with Mizzou. My favorite place I've ever lived.
Kansas City - A very unique city with a decent economy and a low cost of living. My main complain was how dumpy most of the city felt. Only about 20% of the city looked what I would consider nice.
Arlington, TX - A huge suburb with lots of hidden gem restaurants. Caters mostly towards working class and lower income people. Probably my least favorite place I've ever lived.
Chicago - Fantastic for a few years, but you get burned out eventually. The crime, the politics, and the weather really wear on you. It felt like the city was going in the wrong direction.
Fort Worth - Top 5 favorite places I've ever lived. Unique atmosphere with a pretty low cost of living. Low crime.
Because people tend to like views. I'm a Houston native and prefer a town with the opportunity for some views. L.A. is flat in many places but also has some areas where one to climb, drive up for some great vistas.
I find this type of thinking very shallow. The "view" has nothing to do with how livable a city is. It's living life like it's Instagram.
I'd much rather walk a mile flat than a mile up or down hill. I live in the city. I don't gaze at it to get to work or the store.
I find this type of thinking very shallow. The "view" has nothing to do with how livable a city is. It's living life like it's Instagram.
I'd much rather walk a mile flat than a mile up or down hill. I live in the city. I don't gaze at it to get to work or the store.
I agree. Views aren't integral to the definition of a place-Everyone has a view, even a lot of Prisons have views thru the bars. View preferences are diff for everyone, some people like long views of pastures or beach views or skyline views or small backyard views.
I find this type of thinking very shallow. The "view" has nothing to do with how livable a city is. It's living life like it's Instagram.
I'd much rather walk a mile flat than a mile up or down hill. I live in the city. I don't gaze at it to get to work or the store.
Actually views do matter to many. Nothing at all shallow. Its just like people who prefer to live on coastal areas because they like oceans. People don't always look at the ocean either but they like the idea of being able to view it occasionally.
Actually views do matter to many. Nothing at all shallow. Its just like people who prefer to live on coastal areas because they like oceans. People don't always look at the ocean either but they like the idea of being able to view it occasionally.
There are actually some really nice views in Chicago. Not Mulholland Drive in LA, but those who live here and live near the lake in a highrise get spectacular views of the lake. Just a different mindset. If you are familiar with LA and have seen places like Stanton, Norwalk and Reseda elevations are completely irrelevant.
There are actually some really nice views in Chicago. Not Mulholland Drive in LA, but those who live here and live near the lake in a highrise get spectacular views of the lake. Just a different mindset. If you are familiar with LA and have seen places like Stanton, Norwalk and Reseda elevations are completely irrelevant.
Anyone in a Hi-rise will typically have good views because Hi-rises are built for that purpose. When I speak of scenery, I speak of natural beauty. Chicago topography doesn't rival what a city like Seattle, Portland, Austin, and say Atlanta offers (heavily wooded, rolling hills and Stone Mountain). Great architecture like Chicago has enhances what otherwise would be bland. I think one can say that too about my hometown of Houston which is flat. That's not to say some places with elevation are always great. I've seen photos of San Diego from 100 years ago. It was all brown hills because of the lack of water in the area then.
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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In Miami…and just like flat NYC and Chicago (though adjacent to water) the high rises are my manmade mountains from ground level with, as you stated, good views from inside—difference being I can interact with people inside my “mountains”.
Quote:
Originally Posted by walker1962
Anyone in a Hi-rise will typically have good views because Hi-rises are built for that purpose. When I speak of scenery, I speak of natural beauty. Chicago topography doesn't rival what a city like Seattle, Portland, Austin, and say Atlanta offers (heavily wooded, rolling hills and Stone Mountain). Great architecture like Chicago has enhances what otherwise would be bland. I think one can say that too about my hometown of Houston which is flat. That's not to say some places with elevation are always great. I've seen photos of San Diego from 100 years ago. It was all brown hills because of the lack of water in the area then.
Last edited by elchevere; 06-18-2021 at 08:50 AM..
1. major corporate hub - #3 in the U.S. in Fortune 500 companies
2. best road system by far of any metros I've lived.
3. surprisingly watery with like 8 lakes of size within 60 miles
4. good but not great tree cover, modest elevation but real scenic when you think of west coast cities, Denver, but not pool table flat like Chicago Houston or Miami.
5. Unique in having two anchor towns (one over 1million residents, the other will be in 5 years). We kind of have two of everything. Biggest zoo in Texas in Dallas, Best zoo in Texas in Fort Worth. Two museum districts with different focus but again variety is good. Largest light rail line in the U.S and biggest rail system in the southern US.
6. great sports town in general though not Philly, Boston like but not lukewarm like Denver or Miami or Atl.
7. Given its central locale, its an easy day trip to Houston/Austin/ San Antonio or Oklahoma ,Arkansas
8. Air connectivity is second to none with both American and Southwest Airlines base here and being in the Central Time zone allows for nice flights of decent length to most anywhere in the continental U.S. at decent prices.
9. Very diverse, ranking in top 6 in country in recent news article. It not as Latin as Houston or as Euro as NYC but has a nice blend of people. I think DFW is top 3 for H1B visas and Toyota moved its North American HQs here 5 years ago.
10. Great shopping dining and better college area than Houston or D.C. with TCU, SMU, UNT, TWU and UT-Arlington in the area. Lots of SWAC, Big 12 and SEC alumni (Louisiana/Ark/Mizzou) call the area home too. Drawing those from west of the Rockies big time. We still get rain here.
11. Love the State Fair of Texas
12. Local education is mixed but there are no abysmal school districts. voters here seem want to fund learning initiatives.
Some of these are debatable and, in true Texas fashion, associating bigger/more with better. For instance, I'm unsure it matters that DART has the longest light rail system--boardings per mile is pretty dang low, which suggests it isn't particularly useful. <1,000 boardings per mile compared to Houston Metrorail's 2,500 per mile. Dallas Metro is the most populous region in the south, so it is unsurprising it has more rail miles. I'd still put in 3rd out of three amongst the major southern metros, after Atlanta and Miami.
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