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[quote=Anonymous]I was raised in Chicago, lived in DC, and have since relocated back to Chicago. DCUM kicks NPN's ass every day of the week--great job, Jeff!

Chicago is much less expensive than DC. You will be stunned by what your money can get you in rent, and I recommend renting because property taxes are quite high in the city. Housing stock is varied and mostly brick. In some neighborhoods there will be all bungalows, many of which are deceivingly large (especially the yellow brick ones). Most of Lincoln Park is town homes or two and three flats. There are some apartment buildings but they are usually 6 or 8 flats. Most everything is 4 stories or less. There are many Victorians in Lakeview, these are sprinkled in with two story Germanic-style greystones and apartment buildings. The Victorians carry on north to Rogers Park, where they are scattered among bungalows and apartment buildings. There is new construction everywhere. High rises tend to border the lake or dominate Streeterville, the Loop, River North, etc.

Chicago is very walkable, and has more consistency of wonderful neighborhoods than DC. You could walk from the Loop straight north 40-50 blocks before you encounter any truly questionable neighborhoods. There is more crime, but honestly it is condensed in the southern and western portions of the city. Usually far more south or west than most people venture on a daily basis. You aren't really going to be walking along and find yourself on a "bad block" like in DC.

We may not have the Shenandoah mountains but we have Kettle Moraine. We don't have OBX but we have New Buffalo, Harbert, all the other towns on Lake Michigan as well as Green Lake, Lake Geneva and Door County. Our "beach vacations" are far more quaint and woodsy. Luckily, flights aren't all that expensive out of Chicago. I have seen $77 tickets to Denver for the past month, skiing anyone? Flights can be equally inexpensive to NYC and Miami.

Museums are expensive but if you go enough, you just join one... Or them all with a Chicago Pass! Memberships are not prohibitively expensive for most people and well worth it if consistently visiting museums is that important. There are also a ton of amazing parks all over the city and the zoo is free! I don't think Chicago lacks for outdoor recreational space, and while it may not be quite Rock Creek, there are forest preserves within a few miles of the city that DO rival Rock Creek.

The cold isn't THAT bad. It's been 35 degrees lately but it is manageable and we have had some days in the 40s, 50s, and even 60s sprinkled in. We haven't dipped below zero yet this year, and I don't think that we will.

The good Chicago publics are really great. Most are located in the closest downtown areas like Lincoln Park or Streeterville. The good privates are expensive but on average less than DC unless you are talking Lab/Parker/Latin. One thing that Chicago has that DC lacks is a large number of excellent (and affordable) Catholic schools. All over the city.

The people are far nicer. We have such great friends here and I don't feel like the friendships are fickle because most people seem to have very similar values.

I love the quality of life my family has in Chicago![/quote]

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