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Milwaukee is a beautiful city, with some great northern suburbs. These suburbs have great schools (great schools). I would steer clear of public schools in Milwaukee, although there are some good ones. The city has had some glowing articles written about it in the last couple of years...by The New York Times, National Geographic, and there was another one that I can't remember, lol. If you can, go there, and see for yourself. The city's downtown is on Lake Michigan, just like Chicago. It's pretty stunning, actually. Also, a straight shot to Chicago, if you would be interested, and it's pretty much completely developed in between the two cities, with their suburbs meeting. There are 7 Amtrak round trips per day between Milwaukee and Chicago, if you would choose not to drive.
People like to sell it short, but I wouldn't listen to another person's bias. There is crime, as there is in any large city, but if you know where not to go, you shouldn't have any problems.
Milwaukee is a beautiful city, with some great northern suburbs. These suburbs have great schools (great schools). I would steer clear of public schools in Milwaukee, although there are some good ones. The city has had some glowing articles written about it in the last couple of years...by The New York Times, National Geographic, and there was another one that I can't remember, lol. If you can, go there, and see for yourself. The city's downtown is on Lake Michigan, just like Chicago. It's pretty stunning, actually. Also, a straight shot to Chicago, if you would be interested, and it's pretty much completely developed in between the two cities, with their suburbs meeting. There are 7 Amtrak round trips per day between Milwaukee and Chicago, if you would choose not to drive.
People like to sell it short, but I wouldn't listen to another person's bias. There is crime, as there is in any large city, but if you know where not to go, you shouldn't have any problems.
I’m going to sound like a naysayer grouch. But there are articles and polls and publications that give kudos to many of the cities on the list. The “rebirth” or “revitalization” story that exists around many of the industrial northern cities is everywhere. Not that it doesn’t hold any merit, but it seems like the rule rather than the exception.
That gripe aside, everything you say is true. Whitefish Bay, as an example, is a very nice town only miles north of Milwaukee. The bonus is that it’s situated on Lake Michigan, as opposed to other cities that are landlocked. The districts in Milwaukees top tier suburbs are also very strong.
I know some people feel very strongly about the city of Milwaukee, and it’s “a smaller Chicago” reputation. I, for one, think it’s perfectly average. Third Ward - And I know how offensive this will be - is just another neighborhood in the grand scheme of American cities. One that could easily be found just about anywhere. And the downtown/core of Milwaukee is, again, not dissimilar to me than any other on this list. I don’t think the city sells itself, like people from Milwaukee think it does.
But, it’s a nice place to live. Very affordable. Access to Door County, Madison, and Chicago helps. It’s a more desirable location, to me, than St. Louis.
I'd select Philadelphia first, followed by Boston, second.
Both metros offer high degrees of cosmopolitan, diverse living, with excellent options for schools.
Philadelphia, in my opinion, is the biggest bargain city in the country, for the amenities you get in return--huge city, super diverse, close to the ocean, close to the mountains, milder winter than the midwest or further northeast, fast access by train to NYC, DC, or Boston, and just a great quality of life/bang for your buck.
Boston is a bit pricier, but if you want to spend more, it offers even more than the Philly region, in my opinion.
Out of your listed cities, I would rank them like this--best to least best:
1 Philadelphia
2 Boston
3 Pittsburgh
4 Phoenix
5 Milwaukee
6 St Louis
7 Madison
8 Iowa City
Boston is a bit pricier, but if you want to spend more, it offers even more than the Philly region, in my opinion.
De gustibus non disputandum est, but I'd say that in many aspects (arts and culture, recreation, overall QoL, shopping [when you take in the region in Philadelphia's case],...) the two cities are peers.
That even extends to outdoor activities, with the caveat that northern New England has better skiing than the Poconos. And while you can find beaches within Boston's city limits, the ones an hour away from Philadelphia in New Jersey are IMO better than those New England has to offer, even on Cape Cod.
The three areas where I'd say significant differences remain are:
Cost of living, as has already and often been remarked upon.
Dining: while Boston's restaurant scene is definitely better than it was when I was in college there, Philadelphia's is noticeably livelier, more diverse, and stronger overall. BTW, the "livelier" part applies to nightlife as well.
Biomedicine: This is one of Philadelphia's great strengths, but Boston laps it all around. Since you are considering a career in medicine, this may be a trump card for Boston that cancels out all the other factors. If you're making $600k a year, you should be able to handle even Boston's higher cost of living. But as everyone, including me, has said, if you want the most bang for your buck, then Philly's biomedical scene is strong enough for you to choose it instead.
I’m going to sound like a naysayer grouch. But there are articles and polls and publications that give kudos to many of the cities on the list. The “rebirth” or “revitalization” story that exists around many of the industrial northern cities is everywhere. Not that it doesn’t hold any merit, but it seems like the rule rather than the exception.
That gripe aside, everything you say is true. Whitefish Bay, as an example, is a very nice town only miles north of Milwaukee. The bonus is that it’s situated on Lake Michigan, as opposed to other cities that are landlocked. The districts in Milwaukees top tier suburbs are also very strong.
I know some people feel very strongly about the city of Milwaukee, and it’s “a smaller Chicago” reputation. I, for one, think it’s perfectly average. Third Ward - And I know how offensive this will be - is just another neighborhood in the grand scheme of American cities. One that could easily be found just about anywhere. And the downtown/core of Milwaukee is, again, not dissimilar to me than any other on this list. I don’t think the city sells itself, like people from Milwaukee think it does.
But, it’s a nice place to live. Very affordable. Access to Door County, Madison, and Chicago helps. It’s a more desirable location, to me, than St. Louis.
Milwaukee is not really a "smaller Chicago." More like a smaller, blue-collar Minneapolis.
De gustibus non disputandum est, but I'd say that in many aspects (arts and culture, recreation, overall QoL, shopping [when you take in the region in Philadelphia's case],...) the two cities are peers.
That even extends to outdoor activities, with the caveat that northern New England has better skiing than the Poconos. And while you can find beaches within Boston's city limits, the ones an hour away from Philadelphia in New Jersey are IMO better than those New England has to offer, even on Cape Cod.
The three areas where I'd say significant differences remain are:
Cost of living, as has already and often been remarked upon.
Dining: while Boston's restaurant scene is definitely better than it was when I was in college there, Philadelphia's is noticeably livelier, more diverse, and stronger overall. BTW, the "livelier" part applies to nightlife as well.
Biomedicine: This is one of Philadelphia's great strengths, but Boston laps it all around. Since you are considering a career in medicine, this may be a trump card for Boston that cancels out all the other factors. If you're making $600k a year, you should be able to handle even Boston's higher cost of living. But as everyone, including me, has said, if you want the most bang for your buck, then Philly's biomedical scene is strong enough for you to choose it instead.
While I do think there are unique advantages of living near or on Coastal Massachusetts, and having access to VT/NH/ME for the outdoor enthusiast…
The rest is absolutely true.
MarketStEl, as a Kansas City/MO native, I’d assume you are familiar with Clayton. What Philadelphia suburb would you recommend the OP dig into for post-residency? That is, close proximity the the metros medical hubs/city, good schools, walkability. Ardmore?
While I do think there are unique advantages of living near or on Coastal Massachusetts, and having access to VT/NH/ME for the outdoor enthusiast…
Being right on the coast in the city is different, but I'm going push back on the notion that being 4hrs from Burlington and being 6 1/2hrs is that big of a difference. You are only going to do that a few times a season anyway even if you are really into skiing. Acadia is easily one of my favorite places, but really how much more often are people going up from Boston to the National Park? It's all a half days drive in any case. IMO the Jersey Shore also offers more variety up and down than the beaches within an hour or two of Boston.
I’m not sure I agree, with its position on Lake Michigan and proximity to Chicago.
If I were to make a comparison further out, I think it’s most like Cleveland.
I've lived in both Milwaukee and Chicago, and there are similarities. Cleveland's downtown doesn't enjoy the beautiful lakefront downtown like Milwaukee does. I haven't been everywhere, but I think it might be unique to Milwaukee and Chicago.
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