My thoughts of DFW after living in Chicago for 5 years (Houston: crime rate, homes)

[hiwot]

Originally Posted by NARFALICIOUS

LMAO. Chicago is perfectly safe. Doesn't sound like you've actually spent much time in the city.

wow you can't dig your hole any deeper. you're prob the only person on the planet that would consider chicago "safe"

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by NARFALICIOUS

My biggest 2 gripes with the area is that everything is far away, and that there aren't any natural/nature areas that are engaging, plus no good natural waterfront area that a big city should have.

Not every major city has a waterfront. By that reasoning, neither Dallas, nor Denver should be a "big city."

[lepoisson]

Originally Posted by SSWJMC

To each their own. Spent many years in both Dallas and in Chicago. Some of my closest friends live in DFW and I go back when I can but Chicago’s neighborhoods, it’s leafy streets, corner coffee shops and pubs and its downtown architecture and lakefront beat out Dallas for me every day of the week. Yes, there is a crime problem. My car was broken into twice in Dallas though, it’s everywhere if you are in the wrong place and wrong time.

I love Chicago as a city. I never got bored there and would always enjoy coming back home from a trip because I was coming back to such a cool city. But eventually city life wears you down and a lot of the frustrations begin to outweigh the positives of living there.

Funny enough, parts of downtown Dallas feel a lot more sketchy to me than most of downtown Chicago.

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Not every major city has a waterfront. By that reasoning, neither Dallas, nor Denver should be a "big city."

Most big cities across the world aren't anywhere near water. Just from what I can think of now, London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Madrid, Prague, Vienna, and Warsaw aren't near the coast.

Only in the US does a city have to be located on the water to be considered "cool".

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by NARFALICIOUS

LMAO. Chicago is perfectly safe. Doesn't sound like you've actually spent much time in the city.

Texans don't know anything of life outside of Texas. (Unless you were an ex-pat in the Energy industry. Europe assignments were coveted.)

The South Side of Chicago is a dangerous ghetto, but the North side of the city proper, along with the North and West suburbs have pockets much more affluent than the affluent parts of Texas.

Originally Posted by Sunbather

You can absolutely make no car life work here (as I basically did for 3 years), but it's only viable in a handful of specific neighborhoods.

Dallas won't bode well when electric cars are replaced by car bans and carless lifestyles. Most of the growth is low-density suburban sprawl in Collin County. I can't imagine the knee-jerk reaction against extending transit; lots of in-fighting by city governments on routing and NIMBYism on bus stops at subdivision entrances on the major thoroughfares.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

I love Chicago as a city. I never got bored there and would always enjoy coming back home from a trip because I was coming back to such a cool city. But eventually city life wears you down and a lot of the frustrations begin to outweigh the positives of living there.

Funny enough, parts of downtown Dallas feel a lot more sketchy to me than most of downtown Chicago.



Most big cities across the world aren't anywhere near water. Just from what I can think of now, London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Madrid, Prague, Vienna, and Warsaw aren't near the coast.

Only in the US does a city have to be located on the water to be considered "cool".

I think all of your example cities are very close to or on great rivers, just about all old world cites are. I love Dallas but the Trinity isn't the Thames, Seine or Old Danub and Rome is an easy cruise to the sea.

[NARFALICIOUS]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Not every major city has a waterfront. By that reasoning, neither Dallas, nor Denver should be a "big city."

Of course they're big cities.

But anyways, what I said isn't an attack on you or yours. Historically, cities build near water. I just prefer cities with a river, lake, ocean, etc. Either way, I'm here and it's fine.

Originally Posted by hiwot

wow you can't dig your hole any deeper. you're prob the only person on the planet that would consider chicago "safe"

You are incorrect.

[FreeVilley]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Not every major city has a waterfront. By that reasoning, neither Dallas, nor Denver should be a "big city."

Or Paris, France.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

Dallas won't bode well when electric cars are replaced by car bans and carless lifestyles. Most of the growth is low-density suburban sprawl in Collin County. I can't imagine the knee-jerk reaction against extending transit; lots of in-fighting by city governments on routing and NIMBYism on bus stops at subdivision entrances on the major thoroughfares.

If Dallas wouldn't fare well if cars are banned, why would Dallas (or the state of Texas) ban cars?

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

I know people whose catalytic converter were stolen in the fancy DFW suburbs that are regularly recommended, and my cousin's was stolen from a very fancy restaurant parking lot in Houston.

The single most ironic thing I have ever witnessed: In college, one of my roommates was irrational in his concern than someone would break into our house over Christmas break and steal his stuff. It was completely unfounded because we went to college in a pretty small town that was safe, and our house was in a good neighborhood. Anyway, he packed up everything he had of value and drove back home at the start of Christmas break. On his way home, he stayed the night at a friend's house in Highland Park. Overnight, someone broke into his truck and stole everything.

Script writers can't dream up irony like that.

[Xalistiq]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

Texans don't know anything of life outside of Texas. (Unless you were an ex-pat in the Energy industry. Europe assignments were coveted.)

The South Side of Chicago is a dangerous ghetto, but the North side of the city proper, along with the North and West suburbs have pockets much more affluent than the affluent parts of Texas.

Not true at all.

Chicago’s north side is now a cesspool of crime (shootings, high profile robberies, carjackings).

You clearly have missed all the recent stories about smash and grabs along the once beautiful Magnificent Mile, people being carjacked in the Gold Coast neighborhood, a River North bank teller being stabbed in the neck by a bum and dying a few months ago.

Chicago is very dangerous now, even the north side.

And it’s only a matter of time before the thuggery makes its way into the affluent North Shore. There was a carjacking attempt in Wilmette about a month ago. The perps were from Gary, IN.

When I was growing up in Wilmette, the thugs wouldn’t have dared go north of Evanston. Chicago is a victim of its poor and corrupt Democratic leadership, who are accommodative of and lenient on criminals.

And in before you call me a racist, I’m a black male.