Is Milwaukee a mini Chicago?

[JerichoHW]

You got a love the fact MKE and CHI are neighbors.

[tollfree]

People in Chicago are significantly more outgoing and accepting of those from other states/parts of the world.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Alt Dach

No culture in Mpls??? If culture can be defined as classical music and theatre(which are usually considered main elements) Twin Cities have more than Chi. and Milw. combined.Bar and lounges are anti-culture.

Ummm, No. Not even close. Chicago blows Minneapolis out of the water a hundred times over for culture. The Art Institute alone has more notable works than you could find in the rest of the Midwest combined. The CSO is actually now, for the first time in history, considered better than the New York Philharmonic because of the high profile conductor they just imported from Italy and the high-level talent they are incubating. Theater? Have you been to downtown Chicago to see the Theater District? We've got so many large theaters it's unbelievable, and they're always selling out. And the smaller underground theater scene in Chicago is second only to New York in the U.S.

Nice try, though.

I actually prefer Milwaukee to Minneapolis. I think the Twin Cities are extremely overrated by Minnesotans, even though the area is largely overlooked by the rest of the world.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by EnjoyEP

They don't have it in their insular nature to move anywhere that drastically, but Chicago is certainly close enough and a good enough cultural compromise that they heed their "look at me, I am going to the Big Time" oats by "moving to Chicago". Of course, these same folks have a non-scientific but very educated guestimate of a 97% return rate to Wisconsin once they start having children.

That's a bit condescending. I moved to Chicago from Milwaukee for career reasons and because I prefered the lifestyle of larger cities after living in New York and Paris. It was New York or Chicago for me, and I got a better job opportunity in Chicago and was still able to visit my family without hopping on a plane. And there was a girl involved...

I work with several ex-Milwaukeeans, and I don't see much of a return rate at all. The net migration is definitely in Chicago's direction, and a lot of that is just plain economics. And there are enough Wisconsinites in Chicago to make football season tolerable for a die-hard Packer fan like me

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

That's a bit condescending. I moved to Chicago from Milwaukee for career reasons and because I prefered the lifestyle of larger cities after living in New York and Paris. It was New York or Chicago for me, and I got a better job opportunity in Chicago and was still able to visit my family without hopping on a plane. And there was a girl involved...

Well, I think it would condescending if I directed my comments as a blanket comment towards *all* that make the move from MKE to CHI. I didn't...so no condescension was intended at all - but I stand by my assertion that a very significant number of those - especially in the twenties-thirties age category - that make the move do so because they get to feel like they are "leaving little Milwaukee for a huge city" but still get to retain the insularity of essentially being a hop down I-94.

Surely I understand why folks would desire to live in CHI-town...Milwaukeeans included of course. Your situation sounds very sound. But I just think that sometimes people here that have grandiose talk about leaving "little Milwaukee" behind for a huge city in actuality would only really consider Chicago, and would never even think to consider other very large cities around the US - they are trying to look like they are being un-insular, but in fact, are still be quite.

[bennydabull77]

Not saying this is my opinion, but for many Milwaukeeans I've met through the years, Chicago is enjoyed to visit , even frequently by some, or they commute there for work by Amtrak train, maybe car. But for most I have ever met, Chicago also seems too much...too vast..and too congested..viewed as overload...a pain in the ass in absorbing time, money, and not getting all that much better of an experience unless you simply visit, then leave..not as easy for living in and getting around even with the El trains. It is however the biggest and most thriving city in the midwest and ultimately world class on many levels. The things that Milwaukeeans might be envious of, but can still taste in a 90 minute commute are: higher paying jobs, world class shopping, supertall skyscrapers, and more food options...although Milwaukee does a better job of diverse foods than any city its size. Vastly improved foodie scene in recent years! More population are heading to live in Flatseyville than vice versa..lol. But there are plenty of transplants from Chicago area in Wisconsin and many are not seniors. Maybe more than ever,since over 200,000 people left Chicago and Cook County (many for their own suburbs) according to the new census. And if Milwaukee is offering the arts and ammenities...why not? Although there are alot of old people in Milwaukee's suburbs, there are hot neighborhoods up and coming in MKE. As for CHI, it always does well to be world class, however many are pushed out and I have heard more than a few complain that Chicago nickel and dimes you to death, and that to enjoy that big city life, you ain't gonna 8 and skate. You are a professional, working 60 hours a week (with a ton of perks though and a vibrant quality of life..at least when its not winter) and the amount of stress the new Chicago lifestyle puts on people...lets simply say..if Chicago is more laid back than NYC..Milwaukee is far more small town feeling yet with plenty of culture and ammenities that even some visitors from Chicago are surprised by at times.

[John241]

Originally Posted by bennydabull77

Not saying this is my opinion, but for many Milwaukeeans I've met through the years, Chicago is enjoyed to visit , even frequently by some, or they commute there for work by Amtrak train, maybe car. But for most I have ever met, Chicago also seems too much...too vast..and too congested..viewed as overload...a pain in the ass in absorbing time, money, and not getting all that much better of an experience unless you simply visit, then leave..not as easy for living in and getting around even with the El trains. It is however the biggest and most thriving city in the midwest and ultimately world class on many levels. The things that Milwaukeeans might be envious of, but can still taste in a 90 minute commute are: higher paying jobs, world class shopping, supertall skyscrapers, and more food options...although Milwaukee does a better job of diverse foods than any city its size. Vastly improved foodie scene in recent years! More population are heading to live in Flatseyville than vice versa..lol. But there are plenty of transplants from Chicago area in Wisconsin and many are not seniors. Maybe more than ever,since over 200,000 people left Chicago and Cook County (many for their own suburbs) according to the new census. And if Milwaukee is offering the arts and ammenities...why not? Although there are alot of old people in Milwaukee's suburbs, there are hot neighborhoods up and coming in MKE. As for CHI, it always does well to be world class, however many are pushed out and I have heard more than a few complain that Chicago nickel and dimes you to death, and that to enjoy that big city life, you ain't gonna 8 and skate. You are a professional, working 60 hours a week (with a ton of perks though and a vibrant quality of life..at least when its not winter) and the amount of stress the new Chicago lifestyle puts on people...lets simply say..if Chicago is more laid back than NYC..Milwaukee is far more small town feeling yet with plenty of culture and ammenities that even some visitors from Chicago are surprised by at times.

Excellent post; I feel most people would agree if they viewed this discussion without bias.

I liken your comparison to buying a new car. Most of us are extremely excited at the thought and idea of driving something newer and nicer than we have been using...after we get that car and receive the bill in the mail (and/or or the dent in our pocketbook) the excitement quickly wears down and we realize that it's still just a means of getting from A to B.

This is much like the thought of moving to a "big city". Quite exciting but once you get there, you realize there are always going to be drawbacks and the hype quickly fizzles into normalcy. Ultimately, it might provide "more" just like the newer car, but in the end you realize happiness can be achieved with either car or with either city. Additional "benefits" always come at a cost or with a trade.

Sorry for the rambling