Does Chicago "feel" Midwestern? (Erie, Hudson: middle-class, 2014, rent)

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Yep, I know what you're saying and agree to an extent. Minneapolis to me is the 2nd best city in the midwest. It's smaller in size than Detroit, Indianapolis, etc but IMO offers more than any of them. There's a diversity in some areas of establishments there you don't necessarily find as easily in other parts of the midwest outside of Chicago. It's a good city, though smaller than many people realize. There's really only two cities in the midwest I'd live in - one is Chicago of course and the other is Minneapolis. Not interested in any other parts of the midwest for living at all. Already done it and spent considerable amounts of time in tons of different towns/cities.

Actually Minneapolis is quite a bit larger than Indianapolis. Minneapolis Metro is about 3.4 million where Indianapolis metro is just crossing the 2 million metro mark. Indy is more on the level of Columbus, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Cincinnati size wise.

[reppin_the_847]

Originally Posted by marothisu

I was talking about a nice lounge - I never mentioned anything about microbreweries or really anything else. Ethnic food would easily draw more buzz in a lot of cities (though I was impressed with Madison's offerings last time I was there). I don't know where you got that from. Brewpubs are super common all over the midwest in states like Wisconsin and Michigan in the smallest of towns. Anybody should know that, but it was never even stated. It's like you're putting up a straw man. However, if I opened an extremely nice cocktail lounge in Indianapolis where you'd have to get dressed up and could get denied entry based on your attire, I guarantee it would draw a lot more "this is different" type of buzz than if opening in Chicago. It's kind of interesting to hear people think that people in Indianapolis would just think of it as something they have all over the place.

LOL, I think I see what you're getting at and it's definitely true. The other Midwestern cities & metro areas are generally a lot more casual than Chicago. Chicago, like NYC, Miami, etc. is a city where you sometimes have to watch your dress code going into these nightlife venues. The bouncers are far more strict (and douchier) about what you're wearing & who gets into the venue. Maybe in Detroit or St. Louis in ghetto areas they need to pat you down or enforce no hoodies, white tees, etc. But usually the more affluent mixed venues in these areas are quite a bit more lax compared to say the scene in Chicago's River North or Gold Coast areas.

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by Chicago South Sider

Like I said, size is the only difference between Chicago and other Midwestern cities. Chicago is not a smaller New York. It does not look or feel anything like New York, or any other East Coast city. Compared to New York, Chicago is still living in the Jim Crow era. You don't have to go to the coasts to find the level of diversity that you do in Chicago. You can go to someplace like Houston.

Size is the only difference huh? So Indianapolis is like a smaller Chicago? Or Detroit is like a smaller and poorer Chicago? Sorry, I'm getting the idea that you haven't traveled around the Midwest very much.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by ColdAilment

Actually Minneapolis is quite a bit larger than Indianapolis. Minneapolis Metro is about 3.4 million where Indianapolis metro is just crossing the 2 million metro mark. Indy is more on the level of Columbus, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Cincinnati size wise.

I'm talking about the city obviously - not the metro area. Indianapolis the city is over twice the size of Minneapolis the city.

[raleightransplant]

Originally Posted by Chicago South Sider

Like I said, size is the only difference between Chicago and other Midwestern cities. Chicago is not a smaller New York. It does not look or feel anything like New York, or any other East Coast city. Compared to New York, Chicago is still living in the Jim Crow era. You don't have to go to the coasts to find the level of diversity that you do in Chicago. You can go to someplace like Houston.

Nah I beg to differ. Chicago is not some 'large Milwaukee' lol. Aside from the fact that they share Lake Michigan shoreline. Where is Milwaukee's diversity, Little India, Chinatown, mass transit, architecture, world class shopping, art, restaurant scene, and general pace of life? I have been through Milwaukee before and could *never* ever compare it to a place like Chicago. On the flip side I was just in NY and absolutely could compare it in many ways. Hell my girl friend does all the time. She has family there still, lived there and MUCH prefers Chicago. I love NY, and could see living there for sure. But IMO coming from Chicago it's nothing wildly different. I'd look at something far different if I were ever to leave Chicago.

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by marothisu

I'm talking about the city obviously - not the metro area. Indianapolis the city is over twice the size of Minneapolis the city.

I don't know anyone who ever seriously compares city sizes...as the population of the city is completely irrelevant to what the city offers. Indianapolis is also larger than San Francisco in population but doesn't hold a torch to anything that San Francisco has.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by Chicago South Sider

Like I said, size is the only difference between Chicago and other Midwestern cities. Chicago is not a smaller New York. It does not look or feel anything like New York, or any other East Coast city. Compared to New York, Chicago is still living in the Jim Crow era. You don't have to go to the coasts to find the level of diversity that you do in Chicago. You can go to someplace like Houston.

I disagree with this entirely. I grew up in a small city outside of NYC. Chicago has a vibrant Indian community, a vibrant Chinese community and a vibrant Mexican community. None of the other midwestern cities has anything like this. My dd lives in a suburb of Boston - commuter rail gets her into the city quickly and easily. Chicago has a similar commuter rail from its suburbs into the city. Most of the other midwest cities have very limited commuter rail. The Chicago *el* is quite similar to Boston's MTA as well.

Black people in Chicago are not limited in terms of where they can live, but there is a messy situation where no one wants to move into the segregated areas of the south and west side because of the gang violence. That's not really Jim Crow, but simple self-preservation.

Houston, btw, is a hot mess because it is not walkable and has very little public transit. Traffic is terrible. There is no zoning so you have HOAs that control what you can do with your property instead. Houston is diverse and its diversity is spread out so there are not many ethnic communities as such. I do like the neighborhood (suburb, not city) we live in partly because it is diverse and people get along with each other, but I don't especially like the fact that we have a gestapo HOA telling us what we can do - no solar panels, for example.

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by nana053

I disagree with this entirely. I grew up in a small city outside of NYC. Chicago has a vibrant Indian community, a vibrant Chinese community and a vibrant Mexican community. None of the other midwestern cities has anything like this. My dd lives in a suburb of Boston - commuter rail gets her into the city quickly and easily. Chicago has a similar commuter rail from its suburbs into the city. Most of the other midwest cities have very limited commuter rail. The Chicago *el* is quite similar to Boston's MTA as well.

Black people in Chicago are not limited in terms of where they can live, but there is a messy situation where no one wants to move into the segregated areas of the south and west side because of the gang violence. That's not really Jim Crow, but simple self-preservation.

Houston, btw, is a hot mess because it is not walkable and has very little public transit. Traffic is terrible. There is no zoning so you have HOAs that control what you can do with your property instead. Houston is diverse and its diversity is spread out so there are not many ethnic communities as such. I do like the neighborhood (suburb, not city) we live in partly because it is diverse and people get along with each other, but I don't especially like the fact that we have a gestapo HOA telling us what we can do - no solar panels, for example.

I spent just under a year living in a Chicago suburb with a HOA, it drove me bonkers. Neighbors are reporting neighbors for the smallest and most trivial of things, someone had reported that I stuffed my trash in their trash can, another time someone had reported that a car was not entirely in my parking lot. I will never live in another HOA subdivision again if I can avoid it.

I've never been to Houston, but what you say about it is the most honest and general consensus that people usually report on it who have lived there. Traffic in Houston might actually be worse than Chicago traffic, from the stories I hear. Having never lived or driven through there I can't say exactly what the causes are, but I don't believe Houston has anything similar to the Metra which connects the suburbs to the cities, that takes a huge burden off of commuter congestion on the interstates. Chicago's freeway system is fairly well designed with I-94 going through the heart of downtown and I-294 bypassing the city's most outter suburbs, the express lane is also very helpful during peak rush hour. I'm not sure if Houston has an express lane, though if they don't I'd say they could benefit greatly from it.

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by Chicago South Sider

The only thing that sets Chicago apart from other Midwestern cities is its' size. Chicago is a giant Milwaukee, not a smaller version of New York.

I've Chicago described as being a pretentious Milwaukee...

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by ColdAilment

I don't know anyone who ever seriously compares city sizes...as the population of the city is completely irrelevant to what the city offers. Indianapolis is also larger than San Francisco in population but doesn't hold a torch to anything that San Francisco has.

Contrary to popular belief, most normal people do. Not to mention that if you're familiar with any of these areas, especially Minneapolis, you'd know that the suburbs there are pretty different than an area like Uptown in Minneapolis Comparing Eagan to Uptown in Minneapolis? LOL! Sorry, but in reality most people when saying "Indianapolis" are talking about the city, not Carmel.