Which city seems more attractive as a place to live: Chicago or Portland (OR)?

[toughguy]

Originally Posted by Libertine

Okay enough with the Chicago bashing. I've never been to Portland, so I'm not going to comment on Portland although it seems like a very nice town.

Chicago is a city. The only place in the US that is anywhere near as much of a city (the good and the bad) is New York. There's nearly 3 million people here and over 10 million in the region.

Pros to the city:
-The downtown is UNBELIEVABLE (only Hong Kong and NYC have urban cores like Chicago does)
-The food here is AMAZING (whether its the whole-in-the-wall dining in every single neighborhood in the city or the posh $200 a plate meals near Michigan Avenue or the experimental cooking methods going on in the Fulton Market District, oh yeah, and then there's the Taste of Chicago)
-The shopping is FIRST CLASS (New York and LA have us beat, but only them, and we've got unique and goofy boutiques in many neighborhoods)
-The ethnic diversity is TREMENDOUS (Rogers Park, Edgewater, Uptown, and Albany Park are some of the most diverse- and most populated- neighborhoods in the entire country)
-The educational institutions here are PLENTIFUL (U of Chicago, Northwestern, Loyola, UIC, Depaul those are the big ones and there are many, many more)
-The neighborhoods here are PHENOMENAL (from high ends areas like the Gold Coast or Lincoln Park to funky areas like Andersonville or Wicker Park to ethnic enclaves like Pilsen or the Ukrainian Village)
-The museums are WORLD RENOWN (The Art Institute, Museum of Science and Industry, Field's Museum, Shedd's Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Museum of Contemporary Art, National Museum of Mexican Art, and Chicago History Museum)
-Cost of living is NEAR PERFECT (for a city with as much to offer as Chicago, the cost of living should be significantly, significantly higher than what it actually is...you can buy a beautiful 2 bd condo in a very popular neighborhood with every amenity you'd need nearby for 250k)
-The lakefront is STUNNING (google search images for North Avenue or Oak Street beach; and summer in Chicago is more fun than any other city I could think of...throwing around the frisbee at the beach, riding your bike along the lake, softball leagues in a neighborhood park, baseball games under the lights at Wrigley or US Cellular, the neighborhood festivals are EVERYWHERE, and every 'hood has its own popular street(s) with outdoor cafes that go on block after block)
-The theater and music here is SOMETHING SPECIAL (only Broadway has better theater; if you like popular music, every band or artist swings through Chicago and if you prefer local music, there are so many underground music venues to really experience avant-garde music)
-The architecture is LIKE NO OTHER (every major architect in the past 150 years has one of their signature buildings in this city)
-The location, for the Midwest at least, is PRETTY NICE (Milwaukee is an hour and half away, Madison is 2 hours, and the western coast of Michigan, which is something everyone should see, is 1-4 hours away)
-The people here are AWESOME (for such a big city, people in Chicago are some of the nicest urban dwellers, just ask New Yorkers or Los Angelenos)

Cons to Chicago:
-The winter sucks, this is true, but the rest of the year has great weather (okay so the first week of August is usually pretty humid, and that's why we spend it in partying for 3 days outside at Lollapalooza)
-The transit can be slow sometimes, but it'll take you almost anywhere you need to get in the city
-There are bad/rough neighborhoods here, but for every bad neighborhood, there's 2 good ones (that is a true statement for all you Chicago critics who stereotype the entire south and west sides or give out statistics to generalize about an entire city; for example, go to 26th Street or La Villita, which is in one of the "rough" areas of Chicago and you will experience something as close to authentic Mexican culture as you will find in the US)

I'm sure Portland is a great town and you'd probably really enjoy living there, but it's not CHICAGO, nothing is.

(and yes I should be hired as a Chicago spokesman)

There are many cities that rival or surpass Chicago's urban core - Tokyo (and its not even close), Paris, London, Sao Paolo, Shanghai, Jakarta, Seoul, Madrid....need I go on?

[Libertine]

I guess I should clarify. I meant something more along the lines of a Central Business District and was referencing the number of skyscrapers in a dense downtown area as being a criteria for judging the modern city's urban core.

[coldwine]

Originally Posted by toughguy

There are many cities that rival or surpass Chicago's urban core - Tokyo (and its not even close), Paris, London, Sao Paolo, Shanghai, Jakarta, Seoul, Madrid....need I go on?

I'm sorry, are we discussing those cities? No. We're comparing Chicago to Portland.

And for the record, having lived in many of the cities you mentioned, I'm utterly baffled by inclusion of Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Seoul, Madrid, London or Jakarta. They certainly do not have the urban core Chicago does, although only a fool would argue that this means they do not have one at all.

[Grammy Linna]

IMO, it doesn't matter what anyone says, you have to go to both places and see what feels right to you. I lived in Portland/Salem area and will always love the Pacific Northwest and the people. Friendly, laid back, love nature but I got terribly depressed with the overcase days. Lived in St Joseph, MI and visited Chicago. It was too busy for me. Could not stand the wind or the cold. Ended up retiring in Florida to be close to 3 out of 4 kids. Love the winters, hate the summer humidity.
I think you can find good food where ever you go and I would not live in a place just for the food. Some people have to live where they can find work and do not get to choose. How lucky you are to get to choose where you live.