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Native Chicagoan (grew up there), lived in DC for six years. I *much* prefer the Chicago climate.
DC's summers are horrifically humid and hot. Chicago winters are cold, yes, but they're much easier for me to handle because I can bundle up, put on a sweater, down coat, hat and gloves, etc., and I'm totally comfortable being outside.
If you think this is horrifically humid and hot, I take it you haven't traveled much south of, say, DC. And I don't see how having to wear 3+ layers of clothes and cover every square inch of your body in wool in winter is exactly "comfortable"...but okay. To each his own.
At the end of the day, the human body is simply not designed to live in climates like Chicago.
It's a pity the world's best cities are located in lousy climates. Oh well!
Chicago has nothing unique to offer and the location sucks. It is basically a NYC copy cat. Only it falls short of the real NYC.
DC is at least unique. DC also has better weather and a better location. DC is also more important.
Chicago has a lot more to offer than DC. Better public transportation, it's a better sports town, it's incredibly walkable, it has seasons, a lake front, a skyline, it has a central location, it's a music town, it has culture, it has better food, it has friendlier people, and most importantly- it has a more diverse economy. Chicago has been growing, while DC's growth has been flat.
As soon as congress turned off the spigots, people got up and moved on. As they should.
Chicago has a lot more to offer than DC. Better public transportation, it's a better sports town, it's incredibly walkable, it has seasons, a lake front, a skyline, it has a central location, it's a music town, it has culture, it has better food, it has friendlier people, and most importantly- it has a more diverse economy. Chicago has been growing, while DC's growth has been flat.
As soon as congress turned off the spigots, people got up and moved on. As they should.
Incorrect.
DC is still growing. DC is more important than Chicago. DC has a better location than Chicago.
Everything else on the list.. culture, food, music, etc. DC also has.
DC is better than Chicago, even if Chicago is bigger. Just like a smart car is better than a horse.. even if a horse is bigger.
I would also say without question, DC areas economy, especially it's knowledge economy is stronger than Chicago. Do not confuse growth, with the strength of the economy, the difference is DC never crashed as hard as Chicago during the great recession, and recovered far earlier. It slowed down economically, but it slowed down from a position of relative strength. Chicago only started recovering recently. If I would like to once again bring up, the DC area has far more college graduates, people who completed graduate school, and a far higher median income than Chicago. I should also note, and this from experience, it is far easier to get a professional job in DC if you went to college, and those jobs pay significantly better in most cases. The number of applicants per job openings is also far higher in Chicago, and this is not a good thing, in DC its close to 1:1 even during the recession, in Chicago it's ratio was far higher until very recently. That's the point Chicago may be growing faster now, but DC's slower growth may be in part to do with the fact it's so far ahead of much of the country for so long. DC has always been slower growth and a bit more counter cyclical, but it is a great place to move if you want a professional career. It doesn't have huge boom/bust cycles, and that is the attraction to the area, it's stable and the job market is strong.
While Chicago may be a cheaper city to live in, which makes it decent if you are working class, it is not nearly as good as DC if you are a college educated professional. If you have a graduate degree, it's not even close, DC is worlds better.
DC attracts the best and brightest, and really only lags behind SF/SV in terms of Area Median Income (and not by much). The economy has far better fundamentals from the start and does not experience the economic extremes Chicago does. Recessions hit Chicago far harder, and recovery is far longer. DC usually has soft landings, and then recovers quickly.
So please spare me the Chicago has a better economy bit. It doesn't.
Again nobody is fleeing DC by a long shot. It's still growing, and we are gaining higher quality residents, those with college and graduate degrees. The few residents we are losing are low quality, those with a high school education or less.
That's why saying there is major flight is completely off base, slower growth, maybe, but I fail to see that as a bad thing. Boom-bust is for the rest of the country, and those busts are terrible. The business cycle is cruel, and Chicago you learn quickly just how cruel it is. But in terms of population growth, it's still fairly steady in DC, and it's unlikely to abate.
That's the thing, the areas with the strongest economies and the most economic stability, tend to be those with a large number of college graduates. DC is a leader in this regard. Chicago is not, and they were hurt badly by the GR, much more so than the DC area, which quickly recovered.
DC is a national capital and seat of government. Chicago is a major commercial hub and the trade/financial nexus of the Midwest. Different strokes for different folks, and all that jive.
1. Most 20 something people live together to save money. If this was true, most 30 something people would leave too, because they carry their student loan and CC debt with them to early 30's (unless your rich daddy paid for everything, you bastard).
2. Metro don't suck. I had few issues with the Redline (well, that crash back when), but usually, it's not bad. It's clean compare to NYC subway, or.. well, that's really it, isn't it. Boston's still trying to make their metro after 20 freaking years.
4. Black people don't hate other races. What I've noticed is that each race hate their own race first, then wonder why they can't communicate with other races, and interpret that as "hate". They probably just hate you, because you don't come off as a nice person? (I mean, strictly based on how you come off initially that is)
*sigh* there's always delusional people who think like this, i think they are willfully rebellious against blatant reality
DC is for people who cant make it in the private sector so the government offers them an over paid position with their degree in Art History and tax payers wind up paying the government salaries anyhow.
And to say DC is the most intellectual lets just say that I hope you're excluding the current presidency and congress.
DC is a national capital and seat of government. Chicago is a major commercial hub and the trade/financial nexus of the Midwest. Different strokes for different folks, and all that jive.
Agreed. Two different type of cities. I will say Chicago is the more urban city. DC winters are better than Chicago but Chicago summers are better than DC.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
8,129 posts, read 7,572,838 times
Reputation: 5786
Quote:
Originally Posted by frostopsy
Chicago has a lot more to offer than DC. Better public transportation, it's a better sports town, it's incredibly walkable, it has seasons, a lake front, a skyline, it has a central location, it's a music town, it has culture, it has better food, it has friendlier people, and most importantly- it has a more diverse economy. Chicago has been growing, while DC's growth has been flat.
As soon as congress turned off the spigots, people got up and moved on. As they should.
Almost every sentence in this statement was false. Smh
DC is for people who cant make it in the private sector so the government offers them an over paid position with their degree in Art History and tax payers wind up paying the government salaries anyhow.
So you refused your government salary when you were in the Army?
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