Is LA a better city than Chicago to live in? (Los Angeles: houses, school)

[tollfree]

LA is a lot bigger, and it's just a much cooler (not the weather) place.

The thing I don't like about Chicago is just how regional it is, for still being international. I lived there 2 years and it seemed like EVERYONE who wasn't either a recent immigrant/immigrant from years ago was either from Chicagoland originally or a surrounding state.

It's actually rare to meet people from faraway states in Chicago, unless they were transferred their for business.

LA is a place people move to generally because they want to, Chicago, because they have to. Usually work/family reasons.

Also, the overall vibe is much edgier in LA, this is either good or bad depending how you look at it.

[prairiestate]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

Yes, but Chicago/Chicagolands diversity tends to be more concentrated in certain areas and enclaves. For a major metro area of its size, there are fairly large swaths, that have an overwhelming white working class Catholic Irish-Polish vibe. In greater LA diversity seems to be distributed virtually everwhere.

Actually, that's really not true anymore for Chicago. In particular, Hispanics have heavily moved into those Catholic-Irish-Polish neighborhoods, approaching a majority in many of them. DuPage County used to be known only for affluent white Republicans, and it now has two towns that are majority Hispanic, and several others with a significant minority of Hispanics. A large portion of west Cook County is majority Hispanic, as are satellite cities like Aurora, Elgin and Waukegan and far flung suburbs like Round Lake.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by prairiestate

Actually, that's really not true anymore for Chicago. In particular, Hispanics have heavily moved into those Catholic-Irish-Polish neighborhoods, approaching a majority in many of them. DuPage County used to be known only for affluent white Republicans, and it now has two towns that are majority Hispanic, and several others with a significant minority of Hispanics. A large portion of west Cook County is majority Hispanic, as are satellite cities like Aurora, Elgin and Waukegan and far flung suburbs like Round Lake.

But thats also just a nationwide trend too. Even many smaller midwestern cities have seen a huge influx in hipspanics in recent years. Conservative reputation Grand Rapids for example is now 15% hispanic. Minneapolis is 10%.

Obviously Chicagos hispanic population is huge, but growth in hispanic population has been nationwide. Chicago has many things that it does better than anywhere else, but it terms of hispanic culture, there is nothing like the southwest tier of the country with the deep heritage and the more established middle class.

[Tex?Il?]

But whatever, I'm really not going to argue. I have gotten used to pro Chicago arguments that try to make Chicago look like the absolute perfect balance thus catapulting it to the top.

"We have more immigrants and diversity in Chicagoland, even in my boring, anywhere suburbs so I guess that makes us more cosmopolitan and worldly than anyone else in between the coasts, and even some cities on the coast, OH, but California! No there its too much! They're taking over there! I guess were just the perfect balance!"

[git45]

LA definately wins, but its not that simple of a victory.

Chicago isn't covered in a hideous brown bubble: it certainly has that going for it. Its Architecture doesn't make me want to stick a spoon in my eye. Also while LA's metro has SO much to offer, more than Chicago obviously, getting to those places you have to drive all over and LA doesn't win points for consistency in neighborhoods. Its a huge archipelago of brilliant diamonds in an even bigger sea of feces, more or less. Its like a Christmas that may or may not happen for me, living in LA: I cross my fingers when I wake up in the morning and peer out the window in hope that I can see across the basin, because when I do, its the most beautiful view I've ever seen. Most of the time, I am not so lucky. You'll get about 3 miles of visibility and it fades into a hazy wall that looks like someone smudged a camera lense with vaseline and peanut butter (I know what Marine Layer is...this is NOT marine layer). At night the light pollution makes the smog layer pop out in the dark and you can see exactly where it ends the the upper atmosphere begins. One has to ask, is it really worth being safe from inclement weather when you have to deal with this? I love LA, but this is something I'd be okay moving to the midwest to get away from. What's the point of those beautiful SG mountains if I can only see them clearly 1/2 of the time?? Obviously LA outpaces Chicago in many depts, that's why LA is the second city, but that doesn't mean don't I spend fair amount of time driving though neighborhoods in LA saying to myself "JESUS, were you guys even trying?? I think Chicago is a woefully underrated city, but LA is LA. Its in a league with New York and should only compared with such. Its an amazing place its been amazing watching it dramatically transform from the hellscape it was 20 years ago.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by RonnieJonez

Also, the overall vibe is much edgier in LA

Compared to Chicago?! People move to L.A. to leave the stressed-out, Type A life behind.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

Compared to Chicago?!

Yes

People move to L.A. to leave the stressed-out, Type A life behind.

No

Especially no on that last one. Who comes to LA to leave behind a stressed out, Type A life behind?? Of all the reasons to come to LA, that would be 50,000th on the list.

Maybe back in 1900 that would have been true. When Chicago was over a million people, and LA was barely 100,000.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by git45

LA definately wins, but its not that simple of a victory.

Chicago isn't covered in a hideous brown bubble: it certainly has that going for it. Its Architecture doesn't make me want to stick a spoon in my eye. Also while LA's metro has SO much to offer, more than Chicago obviously, getting to those places you have to drive all over and LA doesn't win points for consistency in neighborhoods. Its a huge archipelago of brilliant diamonds in an even bigger sea of feces, more or less. Its like a Christmas that may or may not happen for me, living in LA: I cross my fingers when I wake up in the morning and peer out the window in hope that I can see across the basin, because when I do, its the most beautiful view I've ever seen. Most of the time, I am not so lucky. You'll get about 3 miles of visibility and it fades into a hazy wall that looks like someone smudged a camera lense with vaseline and peanut butter (I know what Marine Layer is...this is NOT marine layer). At night the light pollution makes the smog layer pop out in the dark and you can see exactly where it ends the the upper atmosphere begins. One has to ask, is it really worth being safe from inclement weather when you have to deal with this? I love LA, but this is something I'd be okay moving to the midwest to get away from. What's the point of those beautiful SG mountains if I can only see them clearly 1/2 of the time?? Obviously LA outpaces Chicago in many depts, that's why LA is the second city, but that doesn't mean don't I spend fair amount of time driving though neighborhoods in LA saying to myself "JESUS, were you guys even trying?? I think Chicago is a woefully underrated city, but LA is LA. Its in a league with New York and should only compared with such. Its an amazing place its been amazing watching it dramatically transform from the hellscape it was 20 years ago.

You definitely do have some points. Despite the fact that the air quality has remarkably improved, we are getting into that time of year in LA, where the smog is getting a little thick. Its worst in east LA.

And you definitely do have a point about it being an archipelago of brilliant diamonds in a sea of feces. (although I would have just gone with coal).

You are right about some neighborhoods being "are you guys even trying" Now that I have been here close around eight months now, I am understanding what you are saying.

But back home, when I speak to people who were born and raised south of the Stevenson, and hearing them open their mouth (and this is LOTS of people) I think, "geez, is this the same Chicago of cosmopolitan sophistication that I see downtown?

[Kobe25]

Poor chicago, it's really a great city but the beast that los angeles has become in such a short period of time is truly amazing not even new york has done more than L. A in the same time period
But chicago doomed itself by naming it the 2nd city lol
Overall the location & weather put chicago behind los angeles
But that's not a bad thing it's still a world class city

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

You definitely do have some points. Despite the fact that the air quality has remarkably improved, we are getting into that time of year in LA, where the smog is getting a little thick. Its worst in east LA.

And you definitely do have a point about it being an archipelago of brilliant diamonds in a sea of feces. (although I would have just gone with coal).

You are right about some neighborhoods being "are you guys even trying" Now that I have been here close around eight months now, I am understanding what you are saying.

But back home, when I speak to people who were born and raised south of the Stevenson, and hearing them open their mouth (and this is LOTS of people) I think, "geez, is this the same Chicago of cosmopolitan sophistication that I see downtown?

I'm curious to hear what neighborhoods you think that of.