Where would you rather live Chicago or Los Angeles

[Charles]

Originally Posted by AliveandWell

Chicago has more of a city environment.

So?

And, if everything else is equal, weather is the trump card. Both cities probably have everything anyone would want or not want, but CA has the weather so you might as well get everything you want and have it all year in nice weather.

[AliveandWell]

It seems to me that the only thing people ever talk about is the weather in LA. But of course, this is the LA forum so the residents are going to defend it at all costs. Well I'm not one of those people. I've been here long enough to know how this city has changed and some will say it has changed for the worse. How can we say LA and Chicago are equal?

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by AliveandWell

It seems to me that the only thing people ever talk about is the weather in LA. But of course, this is the LA forum so the residents are going to defend it at all costs.

It's the Los Angeles forum, where people from out of town are envious and resentful and want to take a swipe at the low hanging fruit.

Originally Posted by AliveandWell

Well I'm not one of those people. I've been here long enough to know how this city has changed and some will say it has changed for the worse. How can we say LA and Chicago are equal?

What makes you think that any two cities are equal? Maybe Minneapolis and St. Paul, the so called "twin cities." I don't know, I haven't been there. If there's any two equal cities then maybe they are them. (Apologies to grammar, probably not grammatically correct.)

I don't understand all this "my city is better than your city" stuff. I said before, Los Angeles has better weather and people love it. Chicago has wintry weather and people love that too. Both cities have great attributes and both cities have serious liabilities. Neither is better. I said before, they're just different. If you like one of them more than the other then why don't you just vote with your feet and go there?

I nominate this topic to get moved to C-D's "City vs. City" forum, where of course it will die out from lack of interest.

[Bluefly]

Originally Posted by pbergen

that's what i meant by extreme, i.e. what you and i consider a "normal" winter in chicago, nyc, and other northern locales.



i'm glad you finally concede that.



i don't think any reasonable person would claim that "everybody" hates winter. but i also don't think it's a "myth" to claim that a lot more people prefer the typical winter conditions of the sunbelt, including southern california, over the typical winter conditions of the northern areas of this country.



i do think of all those people. and i'd still bet that a lot more of them endure those winters because they have to instead of genuinely enjoying and looking forward to them.



vacation spots are a different story than actually living full-time in a harsh climate. lots of people who hate cold, snowy winter conditions (incl. myself) love to go on short trips for skiing and snowboarding. doesn't mean i want to be in those conditions all winter long.

you simply cannot compare a short recreational trip vs. months on end of bitter cold, lack of sunshine, and snowy/icy conditions.

also, what about the millions of people who live in harsh winter climates such as north dakota - flat areas that do not possess the topography/outdoor winter recreational opportunities of places like colorado? while i'm sure there are some who may genuinely enjoy those winters, i'd be very surprised if they're anything more than a small minority.

harsh conditions are bad enough, but it's worse in areas where those conditions last for a long period of time and outdoor activities aren't really available.



so...your limited winter experiences in LA trump the overall winter weather trends for the region? winters in socal are usually sunny and mild with occasional rain (some years get a fairly decent amount, and some are super dry), your personal experiences notwithstanding. no one ever claimed that socal weather is perfect 100% of the time, but the key is that it's much more consistently nice than almost anywhere else in the country.

if i told you that the one time i was in fargo, it was 65, sunny, and very pleasant during the dead of winter, would that sole experience carry more weight than the overall winter weather trends for the area? of course not.

and again, winter days are longer in socal than chicago and other northern locales due to its lower latitude, with the reverse true during the summer.

1. I never conceded anything. You falsely accused me of a position I never took.

2. The point people in LA constantly try to make is that happiness equals flipflops. But look at the list of the happiest countries in the world, ranked in descending order:

Denmark
Finland
Norway
Sweden
Netherlands
Costa Rica
New Zealand
Canada
Israel
Australia
Switzerland

Notice a large presence of a fluffy white material in a number of those countries? (and not that fluffy white material - Colombia didn't make the list)

3. You've made the same point 3 dissertations ago, so there's not much point in responding. I get it and I'm happy for you, but you all claimed that 2% and, separately, 1 in 1,000 (1/10%) like seasons, yet have not provided any evidence to support your claims.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by AliveandWell

How can we say LA and Chicago are equal?

What to you suppose the ratio is of people moving from Chicago to LA to people moving from LA to Chicago? It's probably 69:1.

[chitown85]

Originally Posted by Charles

What to you suppose the ratio is of people moving from Chicago to LA to people moving from LA to Chicago? It's probably 69:1.

Easily if not higher. So many Chicagoans have relocated to LA over the years. A lot of people in LA either moved from Chicago, parents moved from Chicago, etc.

You guys even have Portillos out there now, the greatest hot dog place ever from Chicago.

[pbergen]

Originally Posted by Bluefly

1. I never conceded anything.

here's what you said in a recent post:

Originally Posted by Bluefly

I'm not saying winter would win out in a massive poll

after earlier saying this:

Originally Posted by Bluefly

People live happily in winter climates all over the world - Skandinavia to Asia to New York - and you'll realize quickly if you ever spend time in a winter climate that most enjoy it and don't think much about it.

that sounds like a contradiction to me.

2. The point people in LA constantly try to make is that happiness equals flipflops.

i don't think anyone on this thread argued that LA's pleasant weather automatically equates to happiness. but no matter how you slice it, the great weather is a big part of the region's quality of life. it doesn't solve money woes or help you get a job or make the gangbangers go away, but it has to be discussed when talking about socal's attributes...that's all people are saying.

if you're going to make a controversial statement about the typical winter conditions of the north being no big deal or even enjoyable in an attempt to boost your own region, you're going to have to expect a response.

that's the only reason i bothered to chime in - because you were disingenuous in your original post. it's a familiar tactic by people who want to diss LA: downplay or even try to belittle the #1 thing that is consistently trumpeted as a major positive about socal.

But look at the list of the happiest countries in the world, ranked in descending order:

Denmark
Finland
Norway
Sweden
Netherlands
Costa Rica
New Zealand
Canada
Israel
Australia
Switzerland

Notice a large presence of a fluffy white material in a number of those countries? (and not that fluffy white material - Colombia didn't make the list)

another disingenous statement. are you seriously trying to argue that the cold winters of some of the countries above are a major factor in the population's relative happiness?

the ranking above is based on factors like social equality, health care, and so forth. i highly doubt that the citizens of the colder nations on that list would rate the winter weather as one of their top attributes.

similarly, no one is claiming that the weather alone makes LA or socal in general a paradise. it can be a paradise for some, and weather certainly is a factor for those who feel that way, but there are many other things that determine a high quality of life.

You've made the same point 3 dissertations ago, so there's not much point in responding. I get it and I'm happy for you, but you all claimed that 2% and, separately, 1 in 1,000 (1/10%) like seasons, yet have not provided any evidence to support your claims.

like i said in the previous thread, if you really want to discuss chicago vs. LA, go ahead and create a thread on the city vs. city forum, where it belongs. there are already a gazillion threads on the topic in city vs. city, so what's one more?

better yet, ask the LA forum's moderator, uptown urbanist, to move this one over to city vs. city. i have no doubt that you'll find plenty of people to back you up on that forum, what with all the LA haters on CD.

[linicx]

Personally if this was a thread between Chicago and California, I would certainly vote for SoCal. I lived in both cities and I like to visit both, but to live in either today? Not one chance. If I was forced to make a choice it would be Chicago area simply because the COL is lower and it is a lot easier to "git outta town" on one of the 10 major arteries that move traffic into, out of, and around the city. .