Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I currently live in MN and I am just sick of this city now. Oppurtunities are few and far in between and the city is passive. The single scene is non-existent and so I have finally decided to take the plunge and move. I want a city that has a metropolitan feel with diverse people from all ethcities, income level and political spectrum. So can you guys help me rate DC, Boston, NY, Philly, Seattle, Phoenix based on the criteria below? Some explanation will be helpful too. Thanks.
Weather?
Single Scene?
Nightlife(social lounges as opposed to clubs)?
Jobs?
Friendliness?
Parks?
Activities(Museums, theaters, sports, events etc)?
Lakes/Waterfront?
Driving?
Diversity/culture?
I currently live in MN and I am just sick of this city now. Oppurtunities are few and far in between and the city is passive. The single scene is non-existent and so I have finally decided to take the plunge and move. I want a city that has a metropolitan feel with diverse people from all ethcities, income level and political spectrum. So can you guys help me rate DC, Boston, NY, Philly, Seattle, Phoenix based on the criteria below? Some explanation will be helpful too. Thanks.
Weather?
Single Scene?
Nightlife(social lounges as opposed to clubs)?
Jobs?
Friendliness?
Parks?
Activities(Museums, theaters, sports, events etc)?
Lakes/Waterfront?
Driving?
Diversity/culture?
I currently live in MN and I am just sick of this city now. Oppurtunities are few and far in between and the city is passive. The single scene is non-existent and so I have finally decided to take the plunge and move. I want a city that has a metropolitan feel with diverse people from all ethcities, income level and political spectrum. So can you guys help me rate DC, Boston, NY, Philly, Seattle, Phoenix based on the criteria below? Some explanation will be helpful too. Thanks.
Weather?
Single Scene?
Nightlife(social lounges as opposed to clubs)?
Jobs?
Friendliness?
Parks?
Activities(Museums, theaters, sports, events etc)?
Lakes/Waterfront?
Driving?
Diversity/culture?
I currently live in MN and I am just sick of this city now. Oppurtunities are few and far in between and the city is passive. The single scene is non-existent and so I have finally decided to take the plunge and move. I want a city that has a metropolitan feel with diverse people from all ethcities, income level and political spectrum. So can you guys help me rate DC, Boston, NY, Philly, Seattle, Phoenix based on the criteria below? Some explanation will be helpful too. Thanks.
Weather?
Single Scene?
Nightlife(social lounges as opposed to clubs)?
Jobs?
Friendliness?
Parks?
Activities(Museums, theaters, sports, events etc)?
Lakes/Waterfront?
Driving?
Diversity/culture?
I currently live in MN and I am just sick of this city now. Oppurtunities are few and far in between and the city is passive. The single scene for a guy is non-existent and so I have finally decided to take the plunge and move. I want a city that has a metropolitan feel with diverse people from all ethcities, income level and political spectrum. So can you guys help me rate DC, Boston, NY, Philly, Seattle, Phoenix based on the criteria below? Some explanation will be helpful too. Thanks.
Weather?
Single Scene?
Nightlife(social lounges as opposed to clubs)?
Jobs?
Friendliness?
Parks?
Activities(Museums, theaters, sports, events etc)?
Lakes/Waterfront?
Driving?
Diversity/culture?
I currently live in MN and I am just sick of this city now. Oppurtunities are few and far in between and the city is passive. The single scene is non-existent ( I am 30 yrs old male) and so I have finally decided to take the plunge and move. I want a city that has a metropolitan feel with diverse people from all ethcities, income level and political spectrum. So can you guys help me rate DC, Boston, NY, Philly, Seattle, Phoenix based on the criteria below? Some explanation will be helpful too. Thanks.
Weather?
Single Scene?
Nightlife(social lounges as opposed to clubs)?
Jobs?
Friendliness?
Parks?
Activities(Museums, theaters, sports, events etc)?
Lakes/Waterfront?
Driving?
Diversity/culture?
I currently live in MN and I am just sick of this city now. Oppurtunities are few and far in between and the city is passive. The single scene is non-existent ( I am 30 yrs old male) and so I have finally decided to take the plunge and move. I want a city that has a metropolitan feel with diverse people from all ethcities, income level and political spectrum. So can you guys help me rate DC, Boston, NY, Philly, Seattle, Phoenix, Chicago based on the criteria below? Some explanation will be helpful too. Thanks.
Weather?
Single Scene?
Nightlife(social lounges as opposed to clubs)?
Jobs?
Friendliness?
Parks?
Activities(Museums, theaters, sports, events etc)?
Lakes/Waterfront?
Driving?
Diversity/culture?
I currently live in MN and I am just sick of this city now. Oppurtunities are few and far in between and the city is passive. The single scene is non-existent ( I am 30 yrs old male) and so I have finally decided to take the plunge and move. I want a city that has a metropolitan feel with diverse people from all ethcities, income level and political spectrum. So can you guys help me rate DC, Boston, NY, Philly, Seattle, Phoenix based on the criteria below? Some explanation will be helpful too. Thanks.
Weather?
Single Scene?
Nightlife(social lounges as opposed to clubs)?
Jobs?
Friendliness?
Parks?
Activities(Museums, theaters, sports, events etc)?
Lakes/Waterfront?
Driving?
Diversity/culture?
Last edited by FindingZen; 01-31-2008 at 11:01 AM..
Reason: cross posting is not allowed
I say Seattle-lots of young hipsters, good job market, friendly, west coast. It rains a lot and I hear the 5 is just murder. Boston and Philly are old crumbling cities that just don't offer what the west has.
As a former life-long resident I can testify that DC has a good amount of what you are looking for and has become a popular place for people of every demographic.
Weather: Just depends. We don't have the extreme cold like Chicago, but we aren't terribly hot like Phoenix. Seattle tends to be rainy, and foggy. But these kinds of weather work well for some people. NYC, Philly, and DC have mostly the same kind of weather year round.
Single scene: Singles are everywhere in DC. Some neighborhoods more than others. When I was younger I would have never considered DC to be a "hip", place, but in the last decade, from what I have seen, there has been a huge jump in the local scene in DC. Nightlife has grown with the popularity of DC.
Jobs: Plentiful! Finding a job in DC is easy to do as long as you have some formal type of education. The upper end job market tends to be very attractive there, but also VERY competetive.
Friendliness/Parks/Waterfront: Since our move to the west coast, we have found that people out here tend to be nicer, actually, maybe more laid back would be a better term. Like I said, the DC job market tends to be cut throat very every professional level. But DC is a large city, so you get a mix of everyone. As for parks, DC has a good amount and the ones we visited are very clean and well kept.
Activities: If you are history buff than DC will be heaven on earth. If you aren't then don't expect to much from the city, but you will still have a good amount of other activities. Compared to NYC it isn't anything special, but compared to MN it will probably suit you fine. Check the city web site to get more info.
Driving: Like any big city, it is going to be bad.
Diversity/Culture: To much to even start talking about. It is one of the most important cities in the world, so that speaks volumes about its residents.
The reason this is so hard to compare is because each of these cities are very different. Once you put NYC in any list, everything else really becomes secoundary. There isn't a city in this world that can really compare. I love DC. But you should really look into all those cities firsthand to help you make a adequate decision. Like I said, they are all to different.
I say Seattle-lots of young hipsters, good job market, friendly, west coast. It rains a lot and I hear the 5 is just murder. Boston and Philly are old crumbling cities that just don't offer what the west has.
That was a pretty oversimplified assessment, not to mention an unfair one.
I'd say there are pros and cons to all of the cities listed, but here's my assessment:
Jobs - The strongest job markets out of those cities are Seattle, New York, and DC. Philly and Boston have pretty sluggish job growth -- and Phoenix isn't a very attractive city for top-quality/paying jobs in general -- but I suspect even the other cities will exhibit that right now with the current state of the economy. My rank best to worst:
1.) New York
2.) Washington
3.) Seattle
4.) Boston
5.) Philly
6.) Phoenix
Driving - DC is easily the worst on this front. Traffic is an unfortunate aspect of living in any city, but some of those cities are definitely worse than others. Ranking best to worst:
1.) Phoenix
2.) Philadelphia
3.) Boston
4.) Seattle
5.) New York
6.) Washington
Culture/People - Culturally, those cities are pretty far apart. New York, Philly, and Boston have a very strong cultural sense but are not often the friendliest of cities. Washington is very transient and a mixture of cultures, Phoenix and Seattle are probably similar in the transient sense. New York is by far the most diverse out of all of them, followed with Washington and Philly. New York and Washington would give you the most cosmopolitan feel. My ranking of culture/people:
1.) New York
2.) Philadelphia (tie)
2.) Boston
3.) Washington (tie)
3.) Seattle
4.) Phoenix
Nightlife/Single Scene - New York would be the clear frontrunner here, but the rest have decent social scenes, with the singles scene probably being the best in New York, Washington, and Seattle but the nightlife scene being the best in New York, Boston or Philly at a tie, and then Washington and Seattle which balances things out. Phoenix I'm not so sure is competitive on either front.
1.) New York
2.) Philly (tie)
2.) Boston
2.) Washington
2.) Seattle
3.) Phoenix
Parks/Recreation - Again, New York dominates, but you shouldn't forget the amazing amenities of things to do which I think the East Coast cities are tops for. Parks, museums, restaurants, etc, but Seattle is definitely a top competitor for the West Coast with more outdoorsy recreation. Phoenix again appears to be lacking in this department:
1.) New York
2.) Boston (tie)
2.) Washington
2.) Philadelphia
2.) Seattle
3.) Phoenix
Weather - This is probably one thing that gives Phoenix an edge, at least if you don't want snow or cold weather. The rest have their ups and downs. The mid-Atlantic climate is very similar in Washington, Philly, and New York, with New England Boston getting hit harder with Winter. Seattle is notoriously rainy.
1.) Phoenix
2.) Washington (tie)
2.) Philadelphia
2.) New York
3.) Boston
4.) Seattle
Of course, this is just my personal assessment, and although I tried to answer as objectively as possible, I'm sure others will certainly disagree, but I just wanted to make the point that each city will rank differently depending on what you're looking for.
Boston and Philly are old crumbling cities that just don't offer what the west has.
Good grief What a ridiculous statement.You just threw 2 of the top 5 downtowns in the usa under the bus. If it wasnt built after 1980 or it doesnt look like southern california apparently its not going to get leighlands approval.
And if city life isnt for everyone Boston and Philadlephia have their version of the west coast out in the suburbs. Lifestyle centers, 5 million dollar mcmansions and suburban sprawl abound. Boston and Philadlephia are 2 of the 5 wealthiest metros in the country, how can they not measure up?
Not to say Boston or Philly dont have problems but to paint Boston and Philly with the wide brush of crumbling? Wow.
West Coast aka the place that puts Boston + Philly to shame.
You are all too touchy. And please stop downgrading my rep simply because you disagree with me. A-You are not supposed to (its for advertising, swearing, flaming, etc)and B if you don't like my opinions, put me on your ignore list. I've lived on both coasts. The West is the place to be imo. Geesh...
Location: Originally Fayetteville, Arkansas/ now Seattle, Washington!
1,047 posts, read 3,947,333 times
Reputation: 382
Lol i love how rainrock tries to make the west coast look inferior to the east coast, by posting simple dumb picks for the west and skylines for the east. Thats just rediculous.
Seattle
Los Angeles
http://spider.ipac.caltech.edu/staff/ardila/Los-Angeles.jpg (broken link)
san diego
Beautiful....I'd like to see pictures of the East coast cities with beautiful mountains in the background of their awesome skylines....oh wait they can't do that. ;D Either set of cities can be excellent, but the newer more scenic west coast cities are by no means lesser.
Lol i love how rainrock tries to make the west coast look inferior to the east coast, by posting simple dumb picks for the west and skylines for the east. Thats just rediculous.
Just having a little fun with leighland"Boston and Philly are crumbling". I know the west coast has some pleasant suburban-like cities.Although arguably the only west coast city on a cultural level of Boston and Philly would be San Francisco.
Timelines dictated that the eastern cities would evolve differently from the west coast cities.That history of the eastern cities resulted in both positive and negative aspects. In retrospect if Philaldephia and Boston could have started developing in 1950(Seattle-LA) instead of 1750 they too would be more aesthically pleasing to the eye.
Last edited by rainrock; 02-03-2008 at 11:23 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What a ridiculous statement.You just threw 2 of the top 5 downtowns in the usa under the bus. If it wasnt built after 1980 or it doesnt look like southern california apparently its not going to get leighlands approval. 
