Chicago vs. Philadelphia (best, crime rate, pros, raise)

[Easy Pick]

Chicago. Easy Pick.

[LINative]

Chicago

This was not easy and I actually feel kind of guilty for not picking nearby Philadelphia! I love Philly, its history, its "feeling" and I even love Pennsylvania as a whole.

Still to be honest how could I not vote for the Second City with its skyline, museums, waterfront, downtown etc. Very few cities can compete with Chicago. Philadelphia seems to be on a heartwarming upswing but still has a ways to go to catch Chicago.

[MassVt]

...the voting is going as I expected.

Others may differ, but the choice is...Chicago.

[AC/PHILLY/NJ/NYC]

If I was forced to move out of the New York City metro area, these would be the two cities fighting it out for me to move into. I think Philly and Chicago offer a lot to residents that enjoy urban areas. I would never say anything to put down Chicago, but I would have to give the slight edge to Philly. The only reason is because Philly gives access to New York City, D.C., Baltimore and Atlantic City.

[PITTSTON2SARASOTA]

Philadelphia gets the slight edge because of it's historical significance(capital of original 13 colonies) and proximity to other large cities and the nearby Pocono Mountains for recreational opportunities available year round.

[TheProf]

Both are great cities in their own right -- strong, though very different, downtowns; the finest arts, higher education, architecture, public transit, etc... I'm a big fan of both cities. However, I'd give Chicago the nudge. While Philly is strong, historic (even a little European in its intimacy, narrow streets and quaintness), and is right on the Northeast corridor (and a short Amtrak ride away) from NYC, Washington, Boston, etc., it simply is permeated by a very bad attitude - both in terms of how its citizenry, as a group, behave, as well as the city's self image of itself... The mentality of Philly stinks. And it is manifested in how the city takes care of itself: it has the worst trash problem, per capita, of any city I've seen (I say per capita because, yes, New York on some levels is just as bad, but we're talking a city of 8 million vs. 1.4 mil). The city, even parts of its downtown area, seem in constant disrepair and trash, excessive weeds and graffiti stretch out to the supposedly nicer areas, like Mt. Airy, Roxborogh ad the Greater Northeast.

Chicago isn't perfect either (for example, the El is falling on very hard times, though much of this is due to the lack of state funding), but Chi-town, unlike Philly, has tremendous pride. Sure some trash exists in all big cities, but much less in Chicago than in most older, industrial cities, and certainly waaaay less than Philadelphia. Chicago also feels less pretentious than Philly with it's old line/main line blue bloods vs the working class mentality. Again, while Chicago is more racially polarized than Philly, there is more of that flat, down-to-earth Midwestern "everyman" feeling in Chicago than Philly, which often feels uptight.

... just my take for what it's worth.

[Colts]

No question. Philadelphia by a mile.

I always love visiting my family because I can take a tour of the city while I'm there. Better architecture, better food, better weather, proximity to other big cities, history, etc.

Also, I think people stereotype Chicago as being open and friendly and Philadelphia as being obnoxious and rude, as from my experiences the complete opposite seems to be true, like a 180 degree difference for both cities. Each time I've visited Philadelphia, the locals were always nice, and--here's the kicker--they aren't condescending towards people not from their city, unlike Chicagoans.

[cityboi757]

Killadelphia is my pick.

[nycricanpapi]

Originally Posted by cityboi757

Killadelphia is my pick.

LOL are you trying to be funny?

[cityboi757]

ha no I'm so serious. it's like my second home.. germantown ave.