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My husband is considering job opportunities in the DC area, LA area, and Chicago. We currently live in DC metro area (Silver Spring), and have been here for 1 1/2 years. I'd like to hear some pros and cons to living in all three. I love DC, and think it's a great place to raise a family, but we're trying to be as open as possible to these other possibilities. Please share with me what you find to be the pros/cons to each of these cities, and compare them against each other. We have young children (ages 8, 6, 2, and a baby due in May). We would live in the suburbs and he would commute to downtown in LA & Chicago, and to Falls Church in DC area. Thanks for your input!
Ok, here's my input. The DC area is the best based on jobs, schools, housing, and the metro area as a whole is pretty safe. But it seems like you're wanting to do something a little adventurous and move elsewhere. Personally, I've always wanted to try out LA and I may in the next few years. That being said, I do not have kids and finding good schools is something difficult to do in LA. Commuting to downtown LA will be a b**** I won't sugarcoat it, and especially from the outskirts of town. You could look in northern Orange County, the hills, Santa Monica, anywhere within a couple miles of the ocean, and the southern part of the San Fernando Valley. I'm basing this on a lot of the research I've done. I can't say a whole lot about Chicago.
So much depends on the situation…it's easier to answer specific questions than to just claim which city is best for a family.
is the job in falls church walkable from the metro? From a commuting standpoint chances are that Chicago would be the easiest, unless he can take the metro to work in falls church. Money will probably go farthest in Chicago and it's really got everything to offer except for warm weather 9 months out of the year. For the best weather, it's LA by a long shot.
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