what down south city would be most similar to chicago??

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by 55degrees

There are definitely certain advantages to Southern cities, but I don't know about the natural forested areas. I'm more impressed by the amount of forest preserves in Cook County than in Houston. Yes, Chicago's big forest preserves are in the burbs, but Houston is pretty suburban around Memorial Park (and much of the city) even though it's not technically in a suburb. Plus Chicago has the lake front for nature as well. I tried to google the acres of land devoted in Cook County versus Houston (or Harris County), but my Houston search kept showing me entries for Chicago lol. I guess "forest preserve" is an Illinois term...?

True. But I'm thinking more in terms of "where do the transplanted single people in their 20s and 30s live" you know, I was a late bloomer, and am at the peak of my social life/dating at 32, and I OFTEN sort of use this in place of "urban", and in Chicagoland, you don't have that demographic in the same places where there is nature. Because the attraction of Chicago is the truly urban environment, so transplanted single young adults want to live in the urban core.

But since Houston, Dallas, and Atlantas core areas are not as urban, and more suburban you do have parks with natural forest, prairies, etc. (with raccoons and other wildlife) more of less in the same areas where you have nightlife districts and other opportunities to socialize.

Thats the difference I think. But I live in LA now, where you have funky, eclectic, urban neighborhoods with hiking trails in wild parks close by. (IE: Silverlake and Los Feliz by Griffith Park, or Venice and Santa Monica close to Santa Monica mtns.)

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by Peter1948

Appalachian? Sorry, but you are just dead wrong here. If you have been to Louisville, it hasn't been in awhile Also, your choice of the word Appalachia is just way off both geographically and culturally. Maybe you can apply that word to Lexington, a smaller city to east, but that is even a stretch. Cincinnati Appalachian? Post that on the Ohio boards and see what they say

And how is Memphis cosmopolitan compared to Louisville? Note that Louisville is actually bigger than NOLA (although we know NOLA packs probably the most vibrancy and nightlife of any city its size in the US)...

41 Memphis, TN-MS-AR MSA 1,325,605 1,316,100 +0.72%
42 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN MSA 1,294,849 1,283,566 +0.88% Louisville/Jefferson County–Elizabethtown–Scottsburg, KY-IN CSA
43 Oklahoma City, OK MSA 1,278,053 1,252,987 +2.00% Oklahoma City-Shawnee, OK CSA
44 Richmond, VA MSA 1,269,380 1,258,251 +0.88%
45 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT MSA 1,213,255 1,212,381 +0.07% Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT CSA
46 New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA MSA 1,191,089 1,167,764 +2.00% N

If you don't understand:

1) How one might say Kentucky has an Appalachian vibe,
or
2) The difference between how big a city is and how cosmopolitan it is,

then I'm afraid I can't help you.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis

I love Buckhead for Atlanta. Not for Chicago. I've lived in Oak Park, Hyde Park and Lake View. All of them smashes Buckhead IMO. Between Metra, CTA L and Bus, and Pacebus you can't beat Chicago public transit options.

The south just lacks energy. I would tell the OP that as a single woman, she is in the best place. The south is where you go when you want to retire or if you are married with a spouse in tow and/or children. If you are young and want a vibrant, cosmopolitan lifestyle with varied social opportunities, do not move below the Mason-Dixon line lol.

I was walking around Midtown last week at night and there were no people on the streets and a few cars. In Buckhead the only time you see a lot of people is when there's a traffic jam, people hitting up the few bars that are left. and people are sitting in their cars or at Lenox Mall. Other than that, you don't see people walking about in Buckhead either.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

True. But I'm thinking more in terms of "where do the transplanted single people in their 20s and 30s live" you know

Austin over Houston/Dallas/Atlanta, by far.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

If you don't understand:

1) How one might say Kentucky has an Appalachian vibe,
or
2) The difference between how big a city is and how cosmopolitan it is,

then I'm afraid I can't help you.

But....KY (especially eastern KY, the part you correctly identified as Appalachian) and Louisville are diametrically different. It's like saying Chicago is similar to Carbondale because hey, they are both "Illinois."

[urbanlife78]

I would suggest the cities along the west coast over any city in the South.

[Warsie]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

I've been to Houston a few times and hated it, but wow you make it sound absolutely awful.

It -is- subtropical. There are Palm Trees on the Texas coast not too from from Houston. That is what the Koppen Classification describes it as.