I've lived in Chicago for the past couple years and really like it. Chicago is cold in the winter, but that's not a reason to move to milwaukee or houston instead. I do field work and have spent a lot more time outside in the winter than other Chicagoans. You should get a coat and scarf. Maybe some gloves too. I wouldn't take the advice of people who haven't lived in one of the cities you're interested in... there's more to Chicago than winter temps.
Chicago is one of the biggest and most exciting cities in the U.S., but is downright cheap compared to cities in it's class.
I've lived in Chicago for the past couple years and really like it. Chicago is cold in the winter, but that's not a reason to move to milwaukee or houston instead. I do field work and have spent a lot more time outside in the winter than other Chicagoans. You should get a coat and scarf. Maybe some gloves too. I wouldn't take the advice of people who haven't lived in one of the cities you're interested in... there's more to Chicago than winter temps.
Chicago is one of the biggest and most exciting cities in the U.S., but is downright cheap compared to cities in it's class.
I havent lived in Chicago, but I've been there a lot. Milwaukee too. Under all kinds of weather situations, and as someone who has dealt with NYC weather for 8 years I'm no stranger to the cold. From what I gather, this dude Brian is not acclimated to cold weather at all. let alone chi or milwaukee.
I agree both of those cities are great when the weather is nice. Chicago is one of my favorite places on earth...in the summer. Compared to New York, I really like the big-city vibe without the pretentious fashion and aggressive attitudes. It's also the only city where I've been able to DJ 5 straight nights in a row. Milwaukee is fun and there's a ton of great music, old dive bars, weird thrifts and places to pick up rando americana. The radio there is my favorite.
I've never been off island during the winter but I'm thinking I can (hopefully) tough it out.
Planning on moving from Hawaii because job opportunities are very limited here, pay is like 20-30% below average, and cost of living is high. I've lived here all my life and can't justify staying much longer for the above reasons. My girl is a nurse and pretty much anywhere else in the country will pay much more and having lower living expenses (relative to wages).
I've never been off island during the winter but I'm thinking I can (hopefully) tough it out.
Planning on moving from Hawaii because job opportunities are very limited here, pay is like 20-30% below average, and cost of living is high. I've lived here all my life and can't justify staying much longer for the above reasons. My girl is a nurse and pretty much anywhere else in the country will pay much more and having lower living expenses (relative to wages).
Dude, if you're coming from Hawaii you don't want to live in Milwaukee, or Houston. Trust me. You'll go through some major cultural shock. Chicago isn't bad. You might have to buy sweaters, and winter gear, but it ain't siberia and the city keeps going. Yeah, you won't be able to play frisbee in the park year round, but winters are very endurable. Plus the food is great.
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
Brian- my girlfriend and a bunch of her friends moved here from LA. They all liked Chicago.
While I strongly encourage you to move here, I wouldn't move here in the middle of the winter. It's just a bad idea. I moved here a couples years ago in December. My new job was a complete disappointment and I seriously considered moving back to Missouri to finish my thesis and start over with the job search.
good luck brian in whatever you choose. i can see how getting a new look is appealing to you, as much as i can assume Hawaii to be very nice, i can see why its probably not the only place you wanna live your whole life.
with that said, the list of cities you throw out are some oddballs with respect to ranking/selecting the best
that said, i can't speak on Milwaukee, but i've spent a good amount of time in Houston and also spent some time in Chicago. the best i can say, is that if you are looking for the very urban/neighborhoodie/mass transit vibe, then Chicago is the pick i would select. I had found the city is pretty convenient with respect to getting around, and the city vibe really makes it feel like a decent metropolis. no surprise why its referred to as the second city.
as for the cold, my mom lived there for 2 years at age 50+ with no car and never found it to be something should couldn't deal with. so basically if you are there for a short time and can't deal, than my mom is better than you.
H-Town is fresh. Simple as that. Its big, sprawl is a factor, and depending on where you live, you could either love it or hate it. As said earlier, if you live in the loop, H-Town is actually much more convenient and there is a lot more culture than many give it credit for. Houston medical centers are pretty well known as being some of the best in the country (so your girl would probably get some good connections). Basically, each time i go back to Houston i like it more and more. Me and my girl talk about moving back there (her fam is from there) and when i finally get sick of NYC i probably will.
It's definitely one of those cities that if people don't show you the things that make it so great, you'll likely never find them. Yes, you're going to need a car/like cycling and the Summers are tougher than Hades but the folks that live here are top notch and most importantly to strutters, there's records here like no other place on earth. There's no zoning which is both a blessing and a curse but undoubtedly gives Houston some character unlike other cities. You'll find local bars next to little old houses that are next to monstrosity-like condos.
Let me know if you end up here, the first round is on me.
i dont know what its like to live there but houston is one of the nicest cities ive been to. i mean, as far as people being polite and sincere. as opposed to pretty much every other big city in america.
brian, no matter where you move to on the mainland, you will likely be shellshocked. i knew island dudes that moved to san francisco and were all like "too many haole" and the bay area is like 50% asian. katonkulous!
brian, no matter where you move to on the mainland, you will likely be shellshocked. i knew island dudes that moved to san francisco and were all like "too many haole" and the bay area is like 50% asian. katonkulous!
Shig comes with the trill-ness.
Climate is a legit reason to think about where to live but I wouldn't let it be foremost on your list. Chicago might have shitty winters but it's a bigger and denser city. I think that's the move right there.
On the other hand, my dudes from Houston swear it has 100% legit Chinese food (unlike, I would assume, Milwaukee and probably Chicago too). I'd put that in the H-town column.
i cant say im an expert on chinese cuisine but chicago has one of the country's largest chinatowns, right behind NY & SF iirc? their website claims that the number of ppl living & working in chicago's chinatown is larger than in new yorks, even though its smaller geographically
Chinatown isn't where good Chinese food is anyway. You gotta follow the money, in other words, where the suburban Chinese population pools, i.e. Flushing, the San Gabriel Valley, San Mateo, etc. I don't know if Chicago is supposed to have good Chinese food or not but Ive never heard anyone from the area boast about it.
On the other hand, my dudes from Houston swear it has 100% legit Chinese food (unlike, I would assume, Milwaukee and probably Chicago too). I'd put that in the H-town column.
I can swear by this. Houston has the 3rd highest Vietnamese population in the US. Funny that the only food anyone has mentioned in Houston has been TexMex, which is pretty much solely patronized by suburban Whites. It's indicative of where you guys were staying and who you were hanging with.
I doubt that any of these people shitting on Houston know even a tenth of what really goes on in this city. Meh.
thanks guys. still sorting shit through but all this information has been helpful.
as far as shellshock goes, i want to say that i'll be all good because i'll be working so much but then again i'll probably be moving without having much time or any at all to check out places in advance so yeah...
Comments
Chicago is one of the biggest and most exciting cities in the U.S., but is downright cheap compared to cities in it's class.
I agree both of those cities are great when the weather is nice. Chicago is one of my favorite places on earth...in the summer. Compared to New York, I really like the big-city vibe without the pretentious fashion and aggressive attitudes. It's also the only city where I've been able to DJ 5 straight nights in a row. Milwaukee is fun and there's a ton of great music, old dive bars, weird thrifts and places to pick up rando americana. The radio there is my favorite.
Planning on moving from Hawaii because job opportunities are very limited here, pay is like 20-30% below average, and cost of living is high. I've lived here all my life and can't justify staying much longer for the above reasons. My girl is a nurse and pretty much anywhere else in the country will pay much more and having lower living expenses (relative to wages).
Dude, if you're coming from Hawaii you don't want to live in Milwaukee, or Houston. Trust me. You'll go through some major cultural shock. Chicago isn't bad. You might have to buy sweaters, and winter gear, but it ain't siberia and the city keeps going. Yeah, you won't be able to play frisbee in the park year round, but winters are very endurable. Plus the food is great.
I would take Chicago cold over Houston swamp ass any day of the week.
One of our partners is from Houston and he drove two blocks from our office to the restaurant we all met at after work.
While I strongly encourage you to move here, I wouldn't move here in the middle of the winter. It's just a bad idea. I moved here a couples years ago in December. My new job was a complete disappointment and I seriously considered moving back to Missouri to finish my thesis and start over with the job search.
with that said, the list of cities you throw out are some oddballs with respect to ranking/selecting the best
that said, i can't speak on Milwaukee, but i've spent a good amount of time in Houston and also spent some time in Chicago. the best i can say, is that if you are looking for the very urban/neighborhoodie/mass transit vibe, then Chicago is the pick i would select. I had found the city is pretty convenient with respect to getting around, and the city vibe really makes it feel like a decent metropolis. no surprise why its referred to as the second city.
as for the cold, my mom lived there for 2 years at age 50+ with no car and never found it to be something should couldn't deal with. so basically if you are there for a short time and can't deal, than my mom is better than you.
H-Town is fresh. Simple as that. Its big, sprawl is a factor, and depending on where you live, you could either love it or hate it. As said earlier, if you live in the loop, H-Town is actually much more convenient and there is a lot more culture than many give it credit for. Houston medical centers are pretty well known as being some of the best in the country (so your girl would probably get some good connections). Basically, each time i go back to Houston i like it more and more. Me and my girl talk about moving back there (her fam is from there) and when i finally get sick of NYC i probably will.
as for Milwaukee
It's definitely one of those cities that if people don't show you the things that make it so great, you'll likely never find them. Yes, you're going to need a car/like cycling and the Summers are tougher than Hades but the folks that live here are top notch and most importantly to strutters, there's records here like no other place on earth. There's no zoning which is both a blessing and a curse but undoubtedly gives Houston some character unlike other cities. You'll find local bars next to little old houses that are next to monstrosity-like condos.
Let me know if you end up here, the first round is on me.
Uh, this is, of course, personal preference. But....
-Big ass belt buckles.
-Ironed Wrangler jeans.
-cowboy boots.
-more than 1 country music station.
-cowboy hats.
-grown ass people getting way too in to high school football.
-Texas Chainsaw Massacre....duh.
Come on' it in Texas, I mean what more can be said........partna!
This is the state that gave us Bush and the Von Erics
I mean, don't get me wrong, if that floats you're boat, more power to ya, but visiting is about all I could do.
i dont know what its like to live there but houston is one of the nicest cities ive been to. i mean, as far as people being polite and sincere. as opposed to pretty much every other big city in america.
brian, no matter where you move to on the mainland, you will likely be shellshocked. i knew island dudes that moved to san francisco and were all like "too many haole" and the bay area is like 50% asian. katonkulous!
Texas has 3 of the Top Ten most diverse cities in the U.S.
Population
1960 Texas = 9.5M Illinois = 10M Wisconsin = 3.9M
2010 Texas = 25M Illinois = 12.8M Wisconsin = 5.6M
People have voted with their feet for the last 50 years.
FBTOTVWTFLJ
Shig comes with the trill-ness.
Climate is a legit reason to think about where to live but I wouldn't let it be foremost on your list. Chicago might have shitty winters but it's a bigger and denser city. I think that's the move right there.
On the other hand, my dudes from Houston swear it has 100% legit Chinese food (unlike, I would assume, Milwaukee and probably Chicago too). I'd put that in the H-town column.
And a one in Brooklyn too.
as far as shellshock goes, i want to say that i'll be all good because i'll be working so much but then again i'll probably be moving without having much time or any at all to check out places in advance so yeah...