CHI vs AUSTIN vs SANFRAN for mid-20's single female (specifics) (living, best)
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Hi everyone,
New to this board and thinking of finding a city to settle down in--I know chicago vs. austin vs. san francisco has been covered to some extent in other posts but I'm looking for which on is the best for a mid-20's single female and some other specifics:
Which city do you think is..
1)best for dating, going out club/bar scene, more single men
2)easiest for meeting new people (especially for someone who is more on the shy side but likes outdoor activities, into the arts, sometimes into club/bar scene)
3)has the friendliest/happiest population
4)decent job market
Basically looking for a place with a good amount of culture, art, nightlife, friendly people and easier to integrate with, great food and shopping, and decent job market and weather--and best for a young single female just looking to have fun, meet people and settle down. I know this sounds like a perfect place, but just looking for a close fit. I've lived in Chicago and do love it here--it fills most of my criteria for nightlife, art, food,shopping... but the weather is killing me and while people are friendly, they don't seem as laid-back as the ones I've met in Texas. I'm considering san francisco or austin if they can offer more for a young single female. Hope this post wasn't too long and thanks for any help!
I've lived in both Chicago and San Francisco and have spent a decent amount of time in Austin, so I'll try and take a stab at this.
With your preferences, I would rule out Chicago right away if the weather is a big issue. In my opinion, Chicago narrowly edges out SF as far as nightlife, the arts, food, and shopping goes, but SF's nightlife, arts, food, and shopping are still very impressive and since the Chicago weather seems to be effecting to you negatively, SF and its year-round pleasant weather is much more suited for you. Austin has the best job market by far as it hasn't taken as bad of a hit as SF and Chicago have, and the Austin area's growth blows SF and Chicago out of the water. Cost of living in Austin is much lower than Chicago, and much much lower than SF as well, so that is something to think about as well. Although Austin is not on the same level as Chicago and SF when it comes to culture, nightlife, arts, and food, I think the city still offers enough to more than satisfy most people's day to day cultural, social, artistic, and culinary needs. Shopping in Austin is adequate but not the best, but you'll find almost anything that SF and Chicago have in either Dallas or Houston which is close enough to make the occasional drive to. Austin seems to have the most friendly people of the three cities and definitely has the most laid-back vibe, and with its youthful atmosphere, is an easy place to meet friends and potential dates. Austin has a nice energy to it, thanks to the college campus, that makes it a great place for shy people to break out of their shells and meet people. Austin also has pretty nice weather, and lots to do outdoors. The salaries in many fields are right on par with the salaries in Chicago and SF, so coupled with a low cost of living, might be a great place for a twentysomething year old. So yea, overall, I'd say Austin would be the best fit for you. Hope this was helpful!
It's all really personal preference. I would pick Chicago, then SF... I would be unhappy in Austin. That is just me though...I like both the grittier and upscale aspects of these cities which can sometimes come off as either cold or snobby at first glance.
I agree with poster above your criteria would probably be better suited for Austin, b/c you don't have any particular needs that Chicago and SF are places it can fill over Austin, which are certainly many, but for your list not so much.
It has already been established here that California has insane unemployment, and is not urbane on the level of Chicago. Might as well make this thread about Austin and SF. Because chicago blows these cities away for single female in her mid 20's.
It has already been established here that California has insane unemployment, and is not urbane on the level of Chicago. Might as well make this thread about Austin and SF. Because chicago blows these cities away for single female in her mid 20's.
maybe if your from iowa or ohio....but get real SF is the second densest city in the country.... chicago is farmland as far as im concerned
The Bay Area has almost the same GDP with like 3 million less people! chic is just too "blue collar" and "meat and potatoes" for my taste or any 20 year old!! ..again have fun in your "sports town" ...drinking your "beer at bars" with "cute cubs fans"
I would say SF is the overall best of the three and fits all your criteria nicely, plus it throws in much milder weather. Unfortunately, SF will also be the most expensive option by a good margin though you can get by pretty well in the East Bay.
Let's be honest - Do you have sufficient funds? Have you finished college? Where are you from? What kind of city are you used to? What do you mean by 'settling down'?
Judging from your list (and the fact that you haven't specified the kind of profession you want to go into), it sounds like you have no idea what you want to do/be in live yet.
With that said, Austin is an excellent city for some soul searching. Chicago and SF are excellent cities for when you 'graduate' from Austin.
maybe if your from iowa or ohio....but get real SF is the second densest city in the country.... chicago is farmland as far as im concerned
The Bay Area has almost the same GDP with like 3 million less people! chic is just too "blue collar" and "meat and potatoes" for my taste or any 20 year old!! ..again have fun in your "sports town" ...drinking your "beer at bars" with "cute cubs fans"
In my opinion, Chicago and Austin are the best here in a virtual tie
SF does not interest me for anything other than an occasional visit. The only things I find interesting in SF are the natural things away from people like nearby Muir beach.
maybe if your from iowa or ohio....but get real SF is the second densest city in the country.... chicago is farmland as far as im concerned
The Bay Area has almost the same GDP with like 3 million less people! chic is just too "blue collar" and "meat and potatoes" for my taste or any 20 year old!! ..again have fun in your "sports town" ...drinking your "beer at bars" with "cute cubs fans"
you are insane... lol, sf area is much closer farmland much more so than chicagoland and built into nature much more so, this is actually a PERK and the reason many people pick it over say nyc or chi, b/c they also have wine and more fresh produce, go over the golden gate and you are seeing cows in marin, of course there are also mansions up in the hills.
neither are "cowland" though in the cities...
chicago has areas that are denser for larger areas than SF, SF has a few official hoods that are denser such as chinatown, they are both dense though, no question about it... sf certainly has dense areas but it is much smaller than chicago. it only gets that stat because of the population where they cut off city limits.
have you actually been to either city?
ps if u want to get real and start throwing out "gdp" of "entire metro areas"... how about looking at something that measures multiple angles of business such as the mc worldwide centers of commerce index, chicago ranked 5th in the world in the last one and 4th in 2007.., behind london, new york city, and tokyo...sf is down at 28.
if you think it is biased or something or I am just "pulling it out of nowhere", mastercard started in SF...
nice try though!
Last edited by grapico; 12-26-2009 at 01:22 PM..
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..again have fun in your "sports town" ...drinking your "beer at bars" with "cute cubs fans"
