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Every couple of years, husband brings up moving to the US. Partly career opportunities and partly because his Grandparents were from Michigan and his Dad was born there but grew up in Montreal.
Areas we've been considering: Seattle, Portland, Chicago and Boston.
Areas off the table: San Fran, Phoenix, Miami and New York. A couple just because I don't want to live there after traveling there and the other two because they wouldn't be helpful career wise.
We don't like year round heat. Need a large city. And pretty liberal would be nice. We have kids, so good schools are a consideration.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Anything wrong with the four cities we're currently considering. I've only been to Boston (during winter) and I liked it but wasn't there very long. I only know what I've read about the other cities. Nothing settled yet. But it would be easier to make a decision if we at least had a specific city in mind.
IMO any of the cities are good. All liberal and nice cities. Chicago is similar to Toronto actually, but with NYC, DC, and maybe a tiny bit of Boston all mixed together.
I've lived in all of those cities (or surrounding towns within driving distance), so I'll put in my 2c worth. These are just my opinions, of course. I type fast so I hope this doesn't get too long.
If you're going out west, be sure you don't mind misty rainy dreary days. Seattle traffic I hear now is a nightmare, but it has extraordinary scenery, much more impressive than Portland. It's expensive. Portland is okay, pretty enough, but out of the two I'd say for sure Seattle. Winters can be cold and raw because they're very damp. I wasn't a fan of winters there. The climate of these two cities is very much alike.
Chicago is the city I've spent most of my years. It's also not cheap. But the city is beautiful, clean, and vibrant in a way unlike Seattle or Portland. Of course, getting to the city is another story. Traffic is unbearable, but they do have a great metro system. The museums are something you will not find in Seattle or Portland. Chicago is fabulous.
Boston is so filled with history. I think it's a beautiful city. It's almost my favorite out of all places you've mentioned. From the Boston area, you can travel up the coast of Maine, into Vermont, New Hampshire White Mountains, where you'll find little villages so full of New England charm that you'll want to stay. Love New England. Felt like home.
I do remember thinking when I lived in Portland and Seattle how everything there seemed so "new," in the architecture of the city buildings, compared to Chicago or Boston, and also the whole feeling lacked a sense of history in comparison.
In Portland, they had a yearly "wagon train arrival" ceremony replicating the arrival of the pioneers. It was in Oregon City I think, a suburb of Portland. That just seemed so odd for me at the time, maybe because I wasn't a native and didn't have the appreciation of it. Also, travel back to the midwest was a long flight. Didn't like being so far away from Chicago.
Right now I'm in NC, and only here because of work. Soon as I can, I'm heading back north. Considering near Chicago, Maine, NH, or near to these places, but would not go back to the PNW.
IMO any of the cities are good. All liberal and nice cities. Chicago is similar to Toronto actually, but with NYC, DC, and maybe a tiny bit of Boston all mixed together.
Are you concerned at all about budget?
DC and NYC would be a stretch for us and would probably involve long commutes. We would need to decide whether to sell our house or rent it out. Depends on which city we go to. We don't have any debts and Toronto's pretty expensive. The cities on our list don't look like their COL is so different from ours. If anything, head hunters give the impression we'd be looking at husband making more money over there. But then, I'm not sure about the whole healthcare thing would be.
I've lived in all of those cities (or surrounding towns within driving distance), so I'll put in my 2c worth. These are just my opinions, of course. I type fast so I hope this doesn't get too long.
If you're going out west, be sure you don't mind misty rainy dreary days. Seattle traffic I hear now is a nightmare, but it has extraordinary scenery, much more impressive than Portland. It's expensive. Portland is okay, pretty enough, but out of the two I'd say for sure Seattle. Winters can be cold and raw because they're very damp. I wasn't a fan of winters there. The climate of these two cities is very much alike.
Chicago is the city I've spent most of my years. It's also not cheap. But the city is beautiful, clean, and vibrant in a way unlike Seattle or Portland. Of course, getting to the city is another story. Traffic is unbearable, but they do have a great metro system. The museums are something you will not find in Seattle or Portland. Chicago is fabulous.
Boston is so filled with history. I think it's a beautiful city. It's almost my favorite out of all places you've mentioned. From the Boston area, you can travel up the coast of Maine, into Vermont, New Hampshire White Mountains, where you'll find little villages so full of New England charm that you'll want to stay. Love New England. Felt like home.
I do remember thinking when I lived in Portland and Seattle how everything there seemed so "new," in the architecture of the city buildings, compared to Chicago or Boston, and also the whole feeling lacked a sense of history in comparison.
In Portland, they had a yearly "wagon train arrival" ceremony replicating the arrival of the pioneers. It was in Oregon City I think, a suburb of Portland. That just seemed so odd for me at the time, maybe because I wasn't a native and didn't have the appreciation of it. Also, travel back to the midwest was a long flight. Didn't like being so far away from Chicago.
Right now I'm in NC, and only here because of work. Soon as I can, I'm heading back north. Considering near Chicago, Maine, NH, or near to these places, but would not go back to the PNW.
best of luck,
toodie
Thanks, good thoughts to consider. I agree on the architecture in Boston. I grew up in Europe. Boston felt a little more homey than Toronto. Not that Toronto doesn't have old buildings, but Boston was established earlier.
DC and NYC would be a stretch for us and would probably involve long commutes. We would need to decide whether to sell our house or rent it out. Depends on which city we go to. We don't have any debts and Toronto's pretty expensive. The cities on our list don't look like their COL is so different from ours. If anything, head hunters give the impression we'd be looking at husband making more money over there. But then, I'm not sure about the whole healthcare thing would be.
I think you completely misunderstood my post. Read it again. I was talking about the cities **CHICAGO** is like.
I don't know anything about Philadelphia. I'm still looking up Denver. You wanna save me a little time and describe Philadelphia for me please?
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