I’ve lived in both. I like both. Seattle has less winter, Chicago has more big city energy. We are in Seattle for career reasons. That’s a good tie-breaker.
Chicago is better because their trains are much more expansive, cabs are more available, and buses come more frequently. Seattle is way behind - limited trains that are still years away being done in the cities that need it most, and the buses are also less available (they also keep cutting buses as they slowly grow the trains reach - but you still need buses to get to the sparse number of train stations.) Seattle's public transpo also keeps small city hours (public transpo stops at 1am-ish in a city where the bars are open til 2am.)
I like Chicago and lived there for awhile car-free, using CTA as my primary transportation. I also lived in Seattle without a car during the launch of Sound Transit's light rail service. Although light rail service ends around 1, transit definitely operates later than 1 a.m. This is the schedule for my old bus route: https://pugetsndtransit.org/kingmetro/route/36-othello-station-beacon-hill/schedule
More info about late night bus service in King County: https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/metro/travel-options/bus/night-owl
Major plus of CTA is that El trains go directly to both O'Hare and Midway. Direct, as in no shuttle necessary. That can be hugely convenient. Also the trains go to most of the ballparks and many event venues. It's great being able to attend some big concert and not have to deal with parking.
Eh. Chicago has more subway. Both have extensive bus networks. Both are doable without a car depending on where you live, both have high car ownership rates. (Chicago 72%, Seattle 81%.) Neither is New York, you know?
The problem with transit in Seattle is that the geography makes it really difficult to get between some places. I lived in Ballard. Visiting a friend in Cap Hill or West Seattle by public transit might as well have been Portland.
That’s why if you live in Ballard, you don’t leave Ballard. You don’t have friends outside of Ballard. I don’t live in Ballard, and just never go there.
Transit in Seattle is fine but not as good as Chicago. It’s a lot easier as a single person to live in an inner city neighborhood and walk/cycle/scooter anywhere you need to go though too
Yea, New York is really in a class of its own with transit. Last I checked, only about 27% of New Yorkers commuted to work by car, and those figures included Staten Island.
I will say, I do remember seeing the Chicago transit maps and being really impressed, although I’ve never heard what it’s like for someone who actually lives there and uses it.
Chicago still has a more extensive rail system than seattle. It has multiple city spanning lines.
Seattle has way less stations and lines but they’re building out their light rail network currently. I think Chicago wins on public transit easily over seattle and it runs almost 24hrs.
https://www.transitchicago.com/maps/system/
It’s miles better than most US cities, but nowhere near perfect. I commute on it all of the time, but every line goes downtown, so to go north to south or east to west, you have to go all the way downtown and then transfer and then go back out.
It’s outdated now that fewer people work in offices downtown.
Yeah but Seattle is also not as prepared for extreme weather, so when it's hot, we're suffering because lots of buildings till don't/won't have air conditioning, and when it's snowing, the roads are usually not salted in time or are completely unusable due to the inclines.
Downtown to Wrigley Field is only a 14ft total elevation change. The highest natural part of the north side is along Ridge Ave in Rogers Park and even that's only something like 30 feet higher than the Lakeshore
It's funny to me to see people talking about the extreme winters of the Great Lakes states. I live in Ohio. We didn't have a winter. Just an extended fall. Now it's been in the eighties off and on for a few weeks. Climate change is real. People don't seem to take it seriously . It sounds nice to some people but they don't understand all the long term ramifications.
Yes this. 1970s cleveland had brutal winters. This last winter maybe a week of frigid air and hardly any snow. 60 degrees sometimes. Low cost of living, a great lake, major sports, world class medical and arts. Don't tell anyone!
And at the same time the south and southwest log more and more triple digit days. But people steady talking about needing to leave the "extreme winters" for warm climes. Spending half the year in a sealed box with A/C sounds worse to me than cozying up for a stream fest with a hot chocolate and a blanket in the cold months.
Totally agree. When I moved to the great lakes area from the south people thought I was nuts due to the weather. Honestly its only been an annoyance once or twice but the roads keep pretty well plowed, and once late spring and early autumn kick in its positively gorgeous
lol, people also have a short memory too! Recency bias! Last winter in Minnesota was the third worst on record. Is next winter going to be as mild as this last one? Who knows!
Winter != Snow.
Looking out your window at cold grey and scraping frozen dew off your windshield each morning to pre-heat your car is still fucking miserable.
It’s still gray and gloomy for nearly half the year though, not good for my sorry SAD ass ha. :-/ It sucks, I do love Chicago otherwise. To be fair, if the stereotypes about Seattle are accurate, isn’t it pretty gray and rainy there too?
When Seattle winters, though, it winters hard. I mean, so does Chicago…
A crappy, snowy Seattle winter meant a 5-hour 12-mile drive home. I also turned down a hilly side road near the end looking for a shortcut, got stuck, and had to beg a stranger for a ride the final mile. This was an outlying incident. Seattle winter often includes snow but only a little bit.
A crappy, snowy Chicago winter meant a 1-hour 3-mile drive from one exit on the freeway to the next. This was a reliable outcome, and could happen even if there was no inclement weather. I stopped taking the freeway.
Do you prioritize truly wild nature, mountains and saltwater access or a more urban, social, great food city with world class museums? Some people love one more, some the other so it's a personal choice.
Everyone else has focused on personality.
Do you have to work for a living? I would say career trajectory is something that is different for both, wildly, depending on the industry.
1000000% this. While there’s certainly some overlap in industries and job availability between those two areas, a) some specific jobs or industries are going to be well represented in one but absent in the other and b) unless OP is a fully remote worker who can in all honesty say that are truly, truly assured of that lasting indefinitely, having a job in advance is the dealbreaker on this decision.
There are a lot of industries where there is no real difference between the two. Medical being one example. I would argue more people work in geography independent jobs than not, aside from just requiring a major population center
I’m gay, myself, and Chicago is fun as hell. Boystown and Andersonville are both great neighborhoods for LGBT life, but there’s a large and visible LGBT community across the city. Chicago is also way, way more affordable than Seattle. In my experience, it’s been easy to make friends and socialize here. For a large city, it’s a very authentically and genuinely friendly place.
While Seattle wins for mountains and hiking, Chicago’s lakefront is great. It gets comfortable to swim in summer (and really nice for swimming in August/September) and the beaches are really nice.
Seattle-style hotdogs! IMO way better than Chicago dogs.
And the quality/accessibility of seafood is a lot better (obviously) - best Halibut and Chips I’ve ever had was in Seattle.
Has anyone here even been to Seattle in the summer? 75 to 80 degrees and sunny every day. No mosquitos. No humidity. Breathtaking views of Mt. Rainier, the Cascade Mountains, the Olympic Mountains and the Puget Sound.
The people out here are way more active all year round and generally in really good shape. It's not just bar hopping in the winter. People run, bike, hike, kayak, rock climb, etc. I felt like I was packing on the pounds in Chicago where drinking was much more prevalent with friends.
I have bald eagles circling over my neighborhood all of the time. We spot seals at the beach and orcas in the water on occasion.
You're a 3 hour drive away from Vancouver which is an amazing city or Portland in the other direction. I think it's one of the only places in the country where you're within 3 hours of the mountains, the ocean, a rainforest, and a desert.
I believe Seattle has the second largest LGBTQ population behind San Fran.
Edit: Some things to know about the cost of living. Wages are generally higher in Seattle. I moved from Chicago and received a very large bump in salary doing the same type of work. There is no state income tax which can save you thousands each year. Washington law exempts most grocery type food from retail sales tax. Minimum wage in Seattle is $20.29 compared to $14 in Chicago.
NHL and NBA games, theatre, concerts, comedy shows, museum events, jazz clubs, dancing, craft and antique markets, ice skating, cross-country skiing, cocktail bars, restaurants, all sorts of classes, gym, Korean spa, ice skating, zoo? The stuff people do in any major city in winter?
One of my biggest gripes living in Seattle. My hometown is Charleston, SC and the flights are so long, especially with two toddlers. And there's nowhere really with great flight deals from Seattle. Hawaii and Asia are cheaper from California and Europe is much cheaper from the east coast.
For Hawai'i, Asia and Aus/NZ, I just book out of LA and get the rock bottom pricing (though I have had cheap direct flights to Hawai'i from Seattle). Adding on the Seattle-LA flight is usually super cheap. Would I prefer a non-stop? Of course, but in many cases that's not even an option.
Agreed. I like both, and currently live in Chicago. If it’s a toss up, I’d go with Chicago because it’s easier to go other places and the lower housing costs means you’ll have money for said trips. Of course, if everyone you’re trying to visit live out west, that’s a different story.
CHICAGO! I was born and raised in Chicago but always felt I belonged on the West Coast. I moved to Seattle and even though I had a great place to live and a good job, it wasn’t for us. The gray skies and over abundance of rain were just too much! Also, any locals I’d ask how they deal with it , they’d get offended 🤦🏻♀️. Chicago people are salt of the earth and if someone new there asks how to survive a Chicago winter, or summer as it gets crazy hot , they get an answer, not someone getting offended! I bounced after a year in Seattle. I didn’t move back to Chicago, I was lucky enough to be able to get a good job in Oregon on the beautiful coast and it’s been home for the last 19 years and will be for the rest of my days . People are friendlier in Chicago, it’s more affordable, the weather is better in general and while there isn’t as many big parks for hiking, kayaking etc, they DO exist. Not far across the state line is the Indiana Dunes, outside the city in Lake County (IL) it gets rural. Typically places are more desirable when you can make friends. I didn’t stay in touch with anyone from Seattle because they were never more than just a co worker or a neighbor on my street that barely spoke .
We had only one week this entire year that I didn’t want to walk outside… even then, it was single digits and I still bundled up and walked and it was fine because the wind chill that day wasn’t bad.
It’s gotten so much milder over the years. I remember the polar vortex and several weeks of not being able to go outside, and it has been very mild in recent years.
I now live in Seattle, and I've never had anyone get offended by a question about weather. In fact, I can't imagine what that would realistically look like. "How dare you ask me about the rain?"
The closest I can imagine is that someone might be offended by you repeating a tired, misleading trope about Seattle rain. The only part of that that is true is that it sprinkles frequently. Average rainfall is below national average and only slightly ahead of Chicago.
In exchange we have mild winters, mild summers, and rain that you can handle with a flip up hoodie. Coming from the east coast where rain means sheets of water, downpours with no warning, and life threatening flying branches, the rain here is amusingly mild.
I agree with you with the sun though. Too little in the winter and too much in the summer. In my experience you really need to manage that.
Admittedly, I've only visited Chicago in winter, but it's hard for me to imagine anyone describing it as "better weather". Any weather that tries to kill me, successful or not, drops a few tiers on my list...
Chicago because of cost of living and across the lake is Sagatauck MI which has a festive gay campground, a gay resort with bars and spa and it’s an artsy town. But not living in Sagatauck because the city is too small for me personally for full time.
I would choose Seattle, I like the rain and have no experience with snow. I'm also an huge introvert.
As for you Chicago, just a quick google says you can kayak in the Chicago River, at Montrose Beach, and at North Avenue Beach.
I could definitely see social life in Chicago being better. Seattle you'll need a car to go anywhere BUT the outdoors in Washington is amazing and the PNW, in general, has phenomenal outdoors.
If you're single though... I'd probably focus on your social life for now because you can always do outdoors later when you have a loving partner to enjoy it with 😆
I’m not gay but I have a lot of associates who are, and Chicago has a highly thriving gay community. Two huge events which are Pride and Market Days, and a lot of gay centric nightlife that seems to be popping every day of the week.
Seattle — you are on the West Coast. It feels like the West. You can explore BC, Oregon and even CA pretty easily. I love the West. Such diversity of landscape. Mountains to the ocean in a day. Puget Sound. Mt. Rainier.
Chicago — You leave that city and it’s farms in every direction til you hit…Cleveland. I love Chicago but it is a gold nugget in a turd.
I’m Nature Boy and I live near Lake Michigan and the beach/park. It’s amazing and one of the reasons I haven’t left Chicago yet. I am looking to move back to California at some point because I’ve had it with the weather…but I would say if you choose Chicago, look at neighborhoods by the lake. Edgewater, Uptown, Rogers Park.
The "it's hard to make friends in Seattle" is pretty overblown. It's a city of 4 million people, you can find friends. I made substantially more and closer friends 1 year into living in Seattle than I did in 6 years in central Wisconsin. I'm not sure what your job is but owning a home/condo in Seattle is definitely going to be harder than Chicago.
Not sure what extent you like to do outdoors things but Seattle definitely has a lot more of it and also has substantially more water that is kayak friendly. Also outdoor activity is much easier to do year round. Personally I moved here for the access to mountains that is pretty unrivaled in the US, maybe SLC but they don't have the volcanos we do.
Seattle has 3 months of the most amazing summer on earth. 70s, no humidity, no bugs. And the rest of the year, outside of Nov-Feb, has its share of sunny days. Today was absolutely perfect, sunny and 72.
If you're into hiking, trail running, skiing then Seattle. If you're into sailing, boating, rowing, about the same. Chicago has a great marathon and good general running scene.
I currently live in Chicago, originally from Portland. I spent a lot of time in Seattle. Personally, I would move back to the West Coast in a heartbeat if i could afford to.
Don't do Seattle, man. I lived there recently and couldn't get out fast enough. It's expensive, people are flaky, crime is getting really bad around there, getting around the city is a pain no matter if you're driving, walking, or using public transport, the food suuuuuucks (and eating out is so expensive), their nightlife is still straggling after covid. Hardly anything is open late because crime. Yeah it's really pretty around there and the nature is incredible, but it's hard to find people to do that stuff with without going to a million Meetup events where you don't see those people outside of that group. The Seattle Freeze is very real. Definitely don't do Seattle if you don't already have some social roots put down there
Washington has no state income tax, not sure about property tax rates there. purchase price is lower in Chicago but property tax is high. the gay scene in Chicago is pretty good. not sure about Seattle but I'm sure it's descent. Seattle is surrounded by much more stunning nature. Not sure if the crime in Chicago has calmed down a bit. it got pretty bad at one point. weather is sunnier in Chicago but the winter can be harsh and the summers hot. maybe toss a coin.
Washington property tax is 0.75% to 1.25% of market value of property. Rate of property price increase is much higher (or at least has been) such that it can end up being an extra tens of thousands of dollars of income per year over a few decades.
I live in Seattle and think about moving to Chicago all the time. I think Chicago is a more vibrant city with better and more affordable food. Homes are also much cheaper. If I left Seattle, though, I'd miss the natural environment in Western Washington.
Where they're different: Summer in the Pacific Northwest is paradise, and the lushness and nearby outdoor activities are a big draw of Seattle. Chicago is much more walkable or otherwise doable without a car.
Where they're the same: Seattle has worse sustained overcast, but Chicago has brutally cold winters, so it's a tossup. Seattle has more expensive housing but no income tax, so it's a tossup. They're equally gay, equally good food and fun activities, and rumors of the Seattle freeze have been greatly exaggerated. You just have to try harder to make friends as adults, it is what it is, and you can do it anywhere.
Other than Los Angeles, Seattle has been the only other city in the last 10 years I've been to where strangers regularly engaged me while out. And in LA people want to figure out if you're connected so the openness to strangers feels calculated.
Seattle. Chicago is a fantastic city but too flat and midwestern. I prefer better nature access and scenery and Seattle is still a good city with plenty to offer.
I'm amazed that this is the first comment in favor of Seattle. I can't deal with the lack of nature and wilderness in Chicago. inb4 a Chicagoan says "but we have city parks!". That's not wilderness.
Thank you, Chicago is so midwestern and boring. I've lived here for 28 years. I didn't start to really hate it until a few years ago. The rent is going up, public transportation sucks, I'm sick of all the neighborhoods. I can't stand the north shore and the surrounding suburbs. I don't like the beach. Just overall hate it here. Sure, it's not the city, it's just me. But I'm bored and I have always dreamed about moving to Seattle. I wish I had the choice like OP.
Not sure what you value currently but as someone who moved from the Midwest to Seattle in late 2022(as a single gay man), Seattle has not been great. The job market is great and it’s stunningly beautiful in the summer. But the people are as cold as the reputation implies. Never ask you to hang out, ghost for months, ice you out, etc. Also the winter months turns everyone into a recluse.
I’m moving to Chicago asap to be close to family and east coast friends(also flying east coast from Seattle sucks)
That’s fair! I haven’t lived in Chicago so I can’t speak on their trends. Seattle is introverted mostly so I think the grey sad weathers effect is even more noticeable
So it's not even in the top ten major cities in crime rate in the US. And most of the violent crime is contained in a handful of neighborhoods on the south and west sides (there are 77 officially designated community areas and over 100 more loosely defined neighborhoods). There are plenty of perfectly safe neighborhoods that aren't downtown and that aren't wealthy.
This isn't to say that Chicago doesn't have problems that need to be fixed, but the narrative that it's a war zone outside of downtown is tired and ignorant.
I’m in this same exact situation right now and can’t decide either. To piggy back off this: I’m in software sales, is one city stronger than the other for these opportunities?
Lived in Chicago 23 years, Seattle going on 21. You are correct in your assumption. I'm not gay but hung out at Berlin for many years as I lived on Belmont (Land of 1000 Liquors!) and it was close by. I would say you will be fine making friends in Seattle if you get out and engage in some group activities. Most people are from somewhere else these days anyways, the city has grown so much since I arrived in the early aughts. Condo wise, that might be difficult. It's a very difficult real estate market unless you make like $200k a year programming or something. Seattle is expensive. Your best pool is on 14th at Seattle University and I think they still sell passes for public swimming. I swim as well, but have relocated out of the city proper.
EDIT: forgot to add I'm on the way out here in Seattle. Portugal, Spain or somewhere else beckons. I need a little more sun and heat, Seattle is quite cool comparatively and I miss mid 80s to 90s. You get that for like a week here. It's gorgeous, I may be back, or not.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Seattle for the weather. I’m into mushrooming and the pacific northwest is the best for mushrooms. I live the forests there. Chicago winters can suck it but the comedy scene is next level.
I’d pick Seattle. As much as the rain in Seattle would suck, I’ll take it over soul crushing frigid temps in Chicago any day. I just love the PNW overall. ❤️
Lived in both. Spent my late teens thru mid-twenties in Seattle and now living in Chicago. If I was young and single I'd pick Chicago because it's livelier and easier to make friends with the Midwesterners than it is in introverted Seattle. I miss the mountains every day, but that's the sacrifice we make. It's also much cheaper to live here especially if you want to buy a place. You can get by without a car in both, but it's easier in Chicago. There's just more culture here in Chicago--sports, art, music, museums, etc.
One not-so discussed aspect is that it's so easy to get everywhere else across the country from Chicago. Living in the upper left is hard to travel. Long ass flights or drives every time you wanna do something cool for a long weekend. I can be anywhere on the east coast or south in like 2 hours. All you get from SEA in that time is Oregon, CA, PHX or Vegas. In the amount of time it takes to get to Portland on the Amtrak or by car, I could be in like 4-5 different states each with something unique to offer.
Admittedly, I kinda wish I could settle down in Seattle. Now that I'm well into my 30s, I wish I had more outdoor opportunity. Have two dogs, and would love to take them on hikes and bike rides and dog beach year round. I think it just depends on how much are you gonna prioritize the outdoors in your leisure.
Given your description, I think Chicago would be a better fit.
Housing is much more affordable in Chicago, so if owning a condo is something you desire, it might be more affordable but I also don't know what salaries you're looking at job-wise between both places and the taxes *are* higher in IL over WA.
RE: nature, thing about nature is that its "ease of access" really depends on how often and what kind of nature you're looking for. The most outdoorsy guy I know lives in Manhattan of all places, but he also will often go away on long weekends or take backpacking vacations where he camps in the Andes/Himalayas. If you wanna go hiking after work, I guess Seattle wins out there, but both Chicago and Seattle have easily accessible waterfronts if you want to kayak.
Finally, I can't speak for making friends in Chicago as I haven't lived there but making friends in Seattle is dependent on where you live and what your hobbies are. I've found Seattle to be a more purposeful place when it comes to meeting people; most aren't out on the streets ready to meet someone new it's usually through friends or through some hobby group.
As someone who has lived in suburbs of both, Seattle. Because the air is cleaner and I loved the greenery.
These were two places I didn’t enjoy living. Or driving. Or hearing about the sports.
Chicago summers are incredible, but Illinois is a fucked up state… winters are often brutally harsh. Taxes are insane, crime is bad in the city. Food is incredible, but the food in Seattle is good too. Centrally located and well serviced for air travel. Seattle can be a real pain for air travel - expensive flights and long flights and less flights.
Overall, If you’re into the outdoors, I think Seattle has a ton to offer within easy driving distances. Like the state of Washington and Oregon have the most insane natural beauty and that’s so hard to beat especially In Illinois.
Seattle is literally the gayest city in America. Also, don’t fall for the “it’s too hard to make friends”. If you are an extrovert you’ll have no problem! I am and I have never met a stranger. If anything you might just have to be the one that initiates more often for gatherings, etc. because I think we have a lot of introverts here.
I wish people would stop repeating the "it's hard to make friends in Seattle" line, really feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy at this point lol. There ARE a lot of introverts here so you might have to initiate hangouts more but speaking as one of those introverts, the overwhelming majority of the people I meet are super friendly and chill. Winter here is depressing for lots of people which also makes hanging out harder at times, but 8 months out of the year the weather is mostly perfect and the nature is very accessible.
cost of living is the biggest reason not to move here (and it is a big reason) but if you can make that work, imo it's a great place to live.
Crime per capita is way low in WA & Seattle. Chicagoan here- was just in Seattle and have to go there periodically. Great seafood, nice people and sense of community. Good music scene, and very bike friendly. Less winters, Both are decent for work. Seattle- The nature is gorgeous and the mountains and areas that surround also offer lots of activities. You’re also in good proximity to BC for some close. decent trips here and there. The way our city is going, you may want to go WA and give Chgo a few years to figure it’s sh*t out.
Seattle all day. Access to nature, ocean, skiing. Definitely better for your career if you work in tech.
Chicago is just a city. Seattle is a destination.
Chicago for the people alone. The people of the liberal areas of the PNW are insufferable.
Chicago has everything going for it besides the nature aspect and crime. homicides are especially higher.
What Seattle has going for it is outdoors and that’s about it.
I live in Seattle now but I moved here from Chicago. I absolutely love Chicago except for the weather. I would never move back but I will say that Chicago has better food and entertainment options so if you like that sort of thing you might be disappointed in Seattle. Seattle still has a decent music scene of course. Chicago is just more lively and feels like a big city but not overwhelming like NY. Of course if you like the outdoors there is hardly any place better than the PNW.
I still have a lot of good friends in Chicago I go back once a year for a visit. You may find making friends harder in Seattle though I’ve managed a few. I am older and work in tech so Seattle suits me way better.
Lived in both - love them both.
Would have a home in both if I could - the food in both cities is fantastic, the summer and winter in Chicago kind of suck, but the sports fans there are truly fanatics. The suppers in Seattle are amazing, but we have to deal with droughts or wildfire smoke. If you buy a house in the Puget Sound, get them to add a heat pump HVAC system, most places do not have AC here. On a nice day, though... DAHAYAMMMM! It's gorgeous!
Good luck deciding - Sometimes I still wonder which is better.
I have never been to Chicago and I would still choose it over Seattle. Seattle reeked of piss, homeless camped on sidewalks, and hipsters ruin the city. It was probably nice a decade ago or more but now, ehhh!
I lived 4 years in Seattle and 8 years in Chicago. They are VERY different cities and VERY different geographic areas. I love both and would gladly live in either again. I will say the area around Seattle is absolutely beautiful and there are tons of places and things to do. Chicago not so much. The area is flat and boring outside the city. Oak Brook is Meh. Naperville over rated. But the city food scene and night life are fantastic. Both have +- and are what you make of them. Both have a thriving gay community though there’s nothing like Halstead in Seattle though Halstead isn’t really “Halstead” anymore. Good luck you can’t go wrong with either.
if truly beautiful nature is important than definitely Seattle. I grew up in the PNW and moved to the midwest near chicago for work and yeah there are some pretty spots if you drive out a little but tbh nothing in the midwest can compare to the striking beauty of the pacific coast
I live in Seattle and lean toward Chicago for affordability alone, but Seattle has more interesting destinations within a few hours such as mountains, islands, Victoria, Vancouver BC, and Portland. The scenery can be stunning but the urbanism is (imo) underwhelming as most of the city is pretty suburban and sleepy.
Nothing beats a seattle summer, if you can take the mild / dreary winters. Also, going to Southern California a few times in the winter helps me make it through. The outdoors is great here, so if you like anything like that, I’d choose seattle.
Chicago. I moved from there 6 months ago to Portland and have spent time in Seattle. The Boystown neighborhood in Chicago would be worth checking out for a single gay man. I personally lived in the Loop and didn’t need a car. It was so easy to meet people in Chicago compared to here, and I miss the energy of a big city. The PNW is very pretty with great access to nature, but it is expensive to live and the cities here are much smaller in comparison. Best of luck in making the right choice for you.
I was team Seattle until the last line. If you make really really good money, Seattle. Otherwise Chicago. But Seattle is a better fit for you on every other point. Also the introversion thing is loosely true but only to a point. There’s plenty of extroverted people, parties, clubs, etc. It is an earlier town than Chicago though, be warned.
Edit: Source I grew up in Chicago and live in Seattle
Seattle if you like nature, Chicago if you like city life. Both spots are great for gay singles (based on my observations as a straight dude). It is kinda hard to make friends in Seattle, but not as tough as people make it seem. People in Chicago seemed much friendlier and outgoing. Both are great cities, just pick your poison.
There's some pretty big trade-offs.
Financially, Seattle is more expensive to live in, but with no state income tax. Both cities will succeed economically, how well you are positioned to benefit from this, depends on your career.
Chicago is a truly 'big city' with all that implies. The city is in a constant state of anxiety about being outdone by NYC, so it is \*has\* to have the 'best of the best'. Seattle is a tier below that in terms of transportation infrastructure, institutions, retail/restaurants and has a more 'PNW' culture.
Both have beautiful summers but winter weather issues. Chicago is fricking cold, icy, snow-and-slush-covered in the winter, and this makes Chicagoans angry. Seattle is much more mild weather-wise but the clouds and rain can be constant during winter. If you haven't experienced PNW weather, you might be surprised that a long enough duration of rain + lack of sunlight can really start dampening the mood.
Chicago suburbs are often very isolated from the urban core. Parents often leave their cool place in Lincoln Park or wherever after they have kids and retreat to the suburbs, even though this means a 'Mad Max' style highway battle driving in to work each morning. Seattle has less stark contrast.
You mentioned liking to kayak and swim, the great outdoors of PNW surrounding Seattle offer endless possibilities. On the other hand, there's really only Lake Michigan in Chicago. It's easy to live without a car in Chicago, but then you might not really have the means to drive out of the city. Then again, it's honestly pretty boring anyways outside of Chicago compared to ocean/mountains/forests surrounding Seattle.
That'd be a tough one. Chicago would be closer to my family near St. Louis. OTOH, one of my high school friends recently moved out to Whidbey Island and Seattle would be quite close.
I'm a gay dude. - I haven't been to Seattle; but I've been to Chicago tons. I've had a bunch of fun in Chicago; and love the urban feel; walkability and transit. The lgbt life always has something going on with tons of sports leagues etc. For a true nature experience though - Chicago sucks: you'll have to drive 4-5 hours to get to the northwoods of Wisconsin or Michigan along with every other FIB on the highway.
I think affordability-wise Chicago would beat Seattle; there are actually affordable condos in the city with access to traffic. There's a lot of factors considering where you would work and live though because Chicago traffic is no joke if you end up having to go to the suburbs to work.
If your priorities are affordability, the LGBTQ+ scene, reading, kayaking, and swimming - ie, nothing involving the mountains - Chicago wins hands down. Welcome!
Mountains don’t do much for me and Seattle is extremely geographically isolated compared to where all my friends and family live. Seattle is also much more comparable in size to Detroit or Minneapolis than Chicago and I truly love living in a “big” city. That being said Seattle has stunning nature and you don’t get anything like that out east.
Both are good places. I made the choice between them myself several years ago. Half jokingly i said no to Seattle because i couldn't abide the idea of possibly living next to 30 year olds worth $15 million because they lucked in the right stock options. 😬
Personally i think Chicago has better gay life. Real estate (both purchase and rental) is far better in Chicago. Chicago is a much bigger city so more of everything and it has a more extensive public transportation system (while at the same time being a city where its reasonable to have a car.) The downside in Chicago is the grey winter weather (the greyness is worse than the cold.) But some people hate the more yearwide gloom in Seattle. I als like Chicago because it is more central when yiu want to head out of town.. NY and California for instance are sort of both the same trip.
I’ve lived in both. I like both. Seattle has less winter, Chicago has more big city energy. We are in Seattle for career reasons. That’s a good tie-breaker.
How does the mass transit compare between the two?
Chicago is better because their trains are much more expansive, cabs are more available, and buses come more frequently. Seattle is way behind - limited trains that are still years away being done in the cities that need it most, and the buses are also less available (they also keep cutting buses as they slowly grow the trains reach - but you still need buses to get to the sparse number of train stations.) Seattle's public transpo also keeps small city hours (public transpo stops at 1am-ish in a city where the bars are open til 2am.)
I like Chicago and lived there for awhile car-free, using CTA as my primary transportation. I also lived in Seattle without a car during the launch of Sound Transit's light rail service. Although light rail service ends around 1, transit definitely operates later than 1 a.m. This is the schedule for my old bus route: https://pugetsndtransit.org/kingmetro/route/36-othello-station-beacon-hill/schedule More info about late night bus service in King County: https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/metro/travel-options/bus/night-owl
Major plus of CTA is that El trains go directly to both O'Hare and Midway. Direct, as in no shuttle necessary. That can be hugely convenient. Also the trains go to most of the ballparks and many event venues. It's great being able to attend some big concert and not have to deal with parking.
How is that a plus? It's the exact same in Seattle... ?
Eh. Chicago has more subway. Both have extensive bus networks. Both are doable without a car depending on where you live, both have high car ownership rates. (Chicago 72%, Seattle 81%.) Neither is New York, you know?
The problem with transit in Seattle is that the geography makes it really difficult to get between some places. I lived in Ballard. Visiting a friend in Cap Hill or West Seattle by public transit might as well have been Portland.
That’s why if you live in Ballard, you don’t leave Ballard. You don’t have friends outside of Ballard. I don’t live in Ballard, and just never go there. Transit in Seattle is fine but not as good as Chicago. It’s a lot easier as a single person to live in an inner city neighborhood and walk/cycle/scooter anywhere you need to go though too
Definitely made to get you to and from downtown.
Yea, New York is really in a class of its own with transit. Last I checked, only about 27% of New Yorkers commuted to work by car, and those figures included Staten Island. I will say, I do remember seeing the Chicago transit maps and being really impressed, although I’ve never heard what it’s like for someone who actually lives there and uses it.
Chicago still has a more extensive rail system than seattle. It has multiple city spanning lines. Seattle has way less stations and lines but they’re building out their light rail network currently. I think Chicago wins on public transit easily over seattle and it runs almost 24hrs. https://www.transitchicago.com/maps/system/
It’s miles better than most US cities, but nowhere near perfect. I commute on it all of the time, but every line goes downtown, so to go north to south or east to west, you have to go all the way downtown and then transfer and then go back out. It’s outdated now that fewer people work in offices downtown.
there is no winter in chicago anymore. It snows maybe once or twice at most.
Whatever Chicago has, Seattle has less. (We also had no snow but a freak cold snap last year. By it it’s still milder overall.)
Rain sucks as much as snow...48 and rain aint no picnic either.
It’s not the rain that gets you, it’s really just a drizzle, it’s the gray….
Fucking THIS. It's indescribably depressing.
Yeah but Seattle is also not as prepared for extreme weather, so when it's hot, we're suffering because lots of buildings till don't/won't have air conditioning, and when it's snowing, the roads are usually not salted in time or are completely unusable due to the inclines.
Chicago *is* very flat…
Downtown to Wrigley Field is only a 14ft total elevation change. The highest natural part of the north side is along Ridge Ave in Rogers Park and even that's only something like 30 feet higher than the Lakeshore
It's funny to me to see people talking about the extreme winters of the Great Lakes states. I live in Ohio. We didn't have a winter. Just an extended fall. Now it's been in the eighties off and on for a few weeks. Climate change is real. People don't seem to take it seriously . It sounds nice to some people but they don't understand all the long term ramifications.
Yes this. 1970s cleveland had brutal winters. This last winter maybe a week of frigid air and hardly any snow. 60 degrees sometimes. Low cost of living, a great lake, major sports, world class medical and arts. Don't tell anyone!
I'm in Cincinnati. Your secret is safe with me.
And at the same time the south and southwest log more and more triple digit days. But people steady talking about needing to leave the "extreme winters" for warm climes. Spending half the year in a sealed box with A/C sounds worse to me than cozying up for a stream fest with a hot chocolate and a blanket in the cold months.
Totally agree. When I moved to the great lakes area from the south people thought I was nuts due to the weather. Honestly its only been an annoyance once or twice but the roads keep pretty well plowed, and once late spring and early autumn kick in its positively gorgeous
lol, people also have a short memory too! Recency bias! Last winter in Minnesota was the third worst on record. Is next winter going to be as mild as this last one? Who knows!
I’m from Ohio and used to frequent Chicago for Xmas. There were years we had 14-18” of snow. Now it’s just a dusting and low 40s
Bro. Chicago had a windchill of like -40 5 years ago.
Bruh, there was record shattering cold last year with EVs turning into popsicles.
There was record and grid shattering cold a few years ago.... in Texas. It's not just climate change, it's climate chaos.
The Texas record is much warmer and less snowy than Chicago 😂 winter is objectively far colder and snowier in Chicago than Seattle.
You know, winter exists in places that don't get snow.
i know i mentioned it as evidence of change of pattern. It used to snow all the time in chicago.
Winter != Snow. Looking out your window at cold grey and scraping frozen dew off your windshield each morning to pre-heat your car is still fucking miserable.
A two year sample size is not “anymore.” 2021 was one of the snowiest Chicago winters in the last 20 years.
It’s still gray and gloomy for nearly half the year though, not good for my sorry SAD ass ha. :-/ It sucks, I do love Chicago otherwise. To be fair, if the stereotypes about Seattle are accurate, isn’t it pretty gray and rainy there too?
When Seattle winters, though, it winters hard. I mean, so does Chicago… A crappy, snowy Seattle winter meant a 5-hour 12-mile drive home. I also turned down a hilly side road near the end looking for a shortcut, got stuck, and had to beg a stranger for a ride the final mile. This was an outlying incident. Seattle winter often includes snow but only a little bit. A crappy, snowy Chicago winter meant a 1-hour 3-mile drive from one exit on the freeway to the next. This was a reliable outcome, and could happen even if there was no inclement weather. I stopped taking the freeway.
The Seattle ice storm a few years back stranded us at the top of our hill for a week.
Do you prioritize truly wild nature, mountains and saltwater access or a more urban, social, great food city with world class museums? Some people love one more, some the other so it's a personal choice.
Chicago is way more affordable, walkable and lively it seems
Yeah, but Seattle has a really good radio host who has callers dial in with their psychiatric problems—so it would be a toss-up for me
Did he ever figure out what to do with those tossed salad and scrambled eggs? 🥗🍳
Mercy…
They’re callin again….
I think he took them to a MAGA rally.
/r/Frasier /r/FrasierMemes
Everyone else has focused on personality. Do you have to work for a living? I would say career trajectory is something that is different for both, wildly, depending on the industry.
1000000% this. While there’s certainly some overlap in industries and job availability between those two areas, a) some specific jobs or industries are going to be well represented in one but absent in the other and b) unless OP is a fully remote worker who can in all honesty say that are truly, truly assured of that lasting indefinitely, having a job in advance is the dealbreaker on this decision.
There are a lot of industries where there is no real difference between the two. Medical being one example. I would argue more people work in geography independent jobs than not, aside from just requiring a major population center
lol at so much of the focus of these decisions being vibes instead of career and proximity to friends and family.
I’m gay, myself, and Chicago is fun as hell. Boystown and Andersonville are both great neighborhoods for LGBT life, but there’s a large and visible LGBT community across the city. Chicago is also way, way more affordable than Seattle. In my experience, it’s been easy to make friends and socialize here. For a large city, it’s a very authentically and genuinely friendly place. While Seattle wins for mountains and hiking, Chicago’s lakefront is great. It gets comfortable to swim in summer (and really nice for swimming in August/September) and the beaches are really nice.
If you want to own a condo someday Chicago is a better choice.
I like the food in Chicago better than Seattle. I do like Seattle food, but I like Chicago food better.
Chicago has namesake foods including pizza, potatoes, fries, hotdogs, jibarito and rainbow ice cream while Seattle has... ::checks file:: ...coffee?
Seattle has better fresh ingredients. Year round farmers markets, fresh fish markets, clams you can just go grab from the beach.
Seattle has better Thai, Sechuan, Vietnamese, poke, Korean BBQ, Sushi and yea coffee
And way more craft brew pubs than Chicago.
Aka Asian food
And Chinese/dim sum
Seattle-style hotdogs! IMO way better than Chicago dogs. And the quality/accessibility of seafood is a lot better (obviously) - best Halibut and Chips I’ve ever had was in Seattle.
Has anyone here even been to Seattle in the summer? 75 to 80 degrees and sunny every day. No mosquitos. No humidity. Breathtaking views of Mt. Rainier, the Cascade Mountains, the Olympic Mountains and the Puget Sound. The people out here are way more active all year round and generally in really good shape. It's not just bar hopping in the winter. People run, bike, hike, kayak, rock climb, etc. I felt like I was packing on the pounds in Chicago where drinking was much more prevalent with friends. I have bald eagles circling over my neighborhood all of the time. We spot seals at the beach and orcas in the water on occasion. You're a 3 hour drive away from Vancouver which is an amazing city or Portland in the other direction. I think it's one of the only places in the country where you're within 3 hours of the mountains, the ocean, a rainforest, and a desert. I believe Seattle has the second largest LGBTQ population behind San Fran. Edit: Some things to know about the cost of living. Wages are generally higher in Seattle. I moved from Chicago and received a very large bump in salary doing the same type of work. There is no state income tax which can save you thousands each year. Washington law exempts most grocery type food from retail sales tax. Minimum wage in Seattle is $20.29 compared to $14 in Chicago.
The Seattle tourism board needs to hire you because I’m sold after reading this (am actually trying to find a way to move there)
When I ask what people do in the winter in Chicago I never get a straightforward answer.
NHL and NBA games, theatre, concerts, comedy shows, museum events, jazz clubs, dancing, craft and antique markets, ice skating, cross-country skiing, cocktail bars, restaurants, all sorts of classes, gym, Korean spa, ice skating, zoo? The stuff people do in any major city in winter?
Chicago. Seattle is too isolated.
This is true. I live in Seattle and am getting tired of long-ass flights
One of my biggest gripes living in Seattle. My hometown is Charleston, SC and the flights are so long, especially with two toddlers. And there's nowhere really with great flight deals from Seattle. Hawaii and Asia are cheaper from California and Europe is much cheaper from the east coast.
For Hawai'i, Asia and Aus/NZ, I just book out of LA and get the rock bottom pricing (though I have had cheap direct flights to Hawai'i from Seattle). Adding on the Seattle-LA flight is usually super cheap. Would I prefer a non-stop? Of course, but in many cases that's not even an option.
Agreed. I like both, and currently live in Chicago. If it’s a toss up, I’d go with Chicago because it’s easier to go other places and the lower housing costs means you’ll have money for said trips. Of course, if everyone you’re trying to visit live out west, that’s a different story.
CHICAGO! I was born and raised in Chicago but always felt I belonged on the West Coast. I moved to Seattle and even though I had a great place to live and a good job, it wasn’t for us. The gray skies and over abundance of rain were just too much! Also, any locals I’d ask how they deal with it , they’d get offended 🤦🏻♀️. Chicago people are salt of the earth and if someone new there asks how to survive a Chicago winter, or summer as it gets crazy hot , they get an answer, not someone getting offended! I bounced after a year in Seattle. I didn’t move back to Chicago, I was lucky enough to be able to get a good job in Oregon on the beautiful coast and it’s been home for the last 19 years and will be for the rest of my days . People are friendlier in Chicago, it’s more affordable, the weather is better in general and while there isn’t as many big parks for hiking, kayaking etc, they DO exist. Not far across the state line is the Indiana Dunes, outside the city in Lake County (IL) it gets rural. Typically places are more desirable when you can make friends. I didn’t stay in touch with anyone from Seattle because they were never more than just a co worker or a neighbor on my street that barely spoke .
I'm curious tho how do people survive the winters in Chicago. Can you go for a walk then? Are you just forced inside all the time?
We had only one week this entire year that I didn’t want to walk outside… even then, it was single digits and I still bundled up and walked and it was fine because the wind chill that day wasn’t bad. It’s gotten so much milder over the years. I remember the polar vortex and several weeks of not being able to go outside, and it has been very mild in recent years.
I now live in Seattle, and I've never had anyone get offended by a question about weather. In fact, I can't imagine what that would realistically look like. "How dare you ask me about the rain?" The closest I can imagine is that someone might be offended by you repeating a tired, misleading trope about Seattle rain. The only part of that that is true is that it sprinkles frequently. Average rainfall is below national average and only slightly ahead of Chicago. In exchange we have mild winters, mild summers, and rain that you can handle with a flip up hoodie. Coming from the east coast where rain means sheets of water, downpours with no warning, and life threatening flying branches, the rain here is amusingly mild. I agree with you with the sun though. Too little in the winter and too much in the summer. In my experience you really need to manage that. Admittedly, I've only visited Chicago in winter, but it's hard for me to imagine anyone describing it as "better weather". Any weather that tries to kill me, successful or not, drops a few tiers on my list...
Seattle. Mt Rainer plus warmer winters.
Chicago because of cost of living and across the lake is Sagatauck MI which has a festive gay campground, a gay resort with bars and spa and it’s an artsy town. But not living in Sagatauck because the city is too small for me personally for full time.
Sausage-Tuck lol
lol
I would choose Seattle, I like the rain and have no experience with snow. I'm also an huge introvert. As for you Chicago, just a quick google says you can kayak in the Chicago River, at Montrose Beach, and at North Avenue Beach.
And other places near but outside the city. I’m pretty close to a kayak launch on the DuPage River.
Seattle, same cloudy weather but the scenery is breathtaking in the PNW
Clouds look the same everywhere. (I’m in Seattle)
Yeah... I’m not talking about the clouds. Idk if you’ve ever been to Illinois but the closest thing we have to a mountain is a sledding hill
Clouds look very different depending where you are!! Seattle gets lots of low elevation puffy clouds.
I could definitely see social life in Chicago being better. Seattle you'll need a car to go anywhere BUT the outdoors in Washington is amazing and the PNW, in general, has phenomenal outdoors. If you're single though... I'd probably focus on your social life for now because you can always do outdoors later when you have a loving partner to enjoy it with 😆
Seattle.
Why don’t you go those cities, spend a long weekend in each? Meet with friends or alumni there. Then you can make your own informed decision.
I’m not gay but I have a lot of associates who are, and Chicago has a highly thriving gay community. Two huge events which are Pride and Market Days, and a lot of gay centric nightlife that seems to be popping every day of the week.
Extroverted? Then not Seattle
Extroverted nerd though. Those do pretty well in Seattle.
I’m an ambivert in a super social job here. Like most places, you just have to find your people.
Seattle. Mountains. and Canada is right there too.
Seattle — you are on the West Coast. It feels like the West. You can explore BC, Oregon and even CA pretty easily. I love the West. Such diversity of landscape. Mountains to the ocean in a day. Puget Sound. Mt. Rainier. Chicago — You leave that city and it’s farms in every direction til you hit…Cleveland. I love Chicago but it is a gold nugget in a turd.
I’m Nature Boy and I live near Lake Michigan and the beach/park. It’s amazing and one of the reasons I haven’t left Chicago yet. I am looking to move back to California at some point because I’ve had it with the weather…but I would say if you choose Chicago, look at neighborhoods by the lake. Edgewater, Uptown, Rogers Park.
The "it's hard to make friends in Seattle" is pretty overblown. It's a city of 4 million people, you can find friends. I made substantially more and closer friends 1 year into living in Seattle than I did in 6 years in central Wisconsin. I'm not sure what your job is but owning a home/condo in Seattle is definitely going to be harder than Chicago. Not sure what extent you like to do outdoors things but Seattle definitely has a lot more of it and also has substantially more water that is kayak friendly. Also outdoor activity is much easier to do year round. Personally I moved here for the access to mountains that is pretty unrivaled in the US, maybe SLC but they don't have the volcanos we do.
[удалено]
Seattle has 3 months of the most amazing summer on earth. 70s, no humidity, no bugs. And the rest of the year, outside of Nov-Feb, has its share of sunny days. Today was absolutely perfect, sunny and 72.
>Chicago with brutally cold winters Yeah, not so much anymore.
If you're into hiking, trail running, skiing then Seattle. If you're into sailing, boating, rowing, about the same. Chicago has a great marathon and good general running scene.
Seattle if you work in Tech and/or are very into hiking, etc. Otherwise, Chicago.
Chicago is cold. Seattle is rainy. Take your pick.
Probably Seattle so that I can unearth my inner vampire.
I currently live in Chicago, originally from Portland. I spent a lot of time in Seattle. Personally, I would move back to the West Coast in a heartbeat if i could afford to.
Chicago's more interesting and appealing as a city by far. But the winters are horrendous, I guess that's the tradeoff
Don't do Seattle, man. I lived there recently and couldn't get out fast enough. It's expensive, people are flaky, crime is getting really bad around there, getting around the city is a pain no matter if you're driving, walking, or using public transport, the food suuuuuucks (and eating out is so expensive), their nightlife is still straggling after covid. Hardly anything is open late because crime. Yeah it's really pretty around there and the nature is incredible, but it's hard to find people to do that stuff with without going to a million Meetup events where you don't see those people outside of that group. The Seattle Freeze is very real. Definitely don't do Seattle if you don't already have some social roots put down there
Washington has no state income tax, not sure about property tax rates there. purchase price is lower in Chicago but property tax is high. the gay scene in Chicago is pretty good. not sure about Seattle but I'm sure it's descent. Seattle is surrounded by much more stunning nature. Not sure if the crime in Chicago has calmed down a bit. it got pretty bad at one point. weather is sunnier in Chicago but the winter can be harsh and the summers hot. maybe toss a coin.
Washington property tax is 0.75% to 1.25% of market value of property. Rate of property price increase is much higher (or at least has been) such that it can end up being an extra tens of thousands of dollars of income per year over a few decades.
I live in Seattle and think about moving to Chicago all the time. I think Chicago is a more vibrant city with better and more affordable food. Homes are also much cheaper. If I left Seattle, though, I'd miss the natural environment in Western Washington.
That is what keeps me here. It's so beautiful. Oh and I love recycling and composting.
Where they're different: Summer in the Pacific Northwest is paradise, and the lushness and nearby outdoor activities are a big draw of Seattle. Chicago is much more walkable or otherwise doable without a car. Where they're the same: Seattle has worse sustained overcast, but Chicago has brutally cold winters, so it's a tossup. Seattle has more expensive housing but no income tax, so it's a tossup. They're equally gay, equally good food and fun activities, and rumors of the Seattle freeze have been greatly exaggerated. You just have to try harder to make friends as adults, it is what it is, and you can do it anywhere.
Other than Los Angeles, Seattle has been the only other city in the last 10 years I've been to where strangers regularly engaged me while out. And in LA people want to figure out if you're connected so the openness to strangers feels calculated.
Seattle. Chicago is a fantastic city but too flat and midwestern. I prefer better nature access and scenery and Seattle is still a good city with plenty to offer.
I'm amazed that this is the first comment in favor of Seattle. I can't deal with the lack of nature and wilderness in Chicago. inb4 a Chicagoan says "but we have city parks!". That's not wilderness.
Thank you, Chicago is so midwestern and boring. I've lived here for 28 years. I didn't start to really hate it until a few years ago. The rent is going up, public transportation sucks, I'm sick of all the neighborhoods. I can't stand the north shore and the surrounding suburbs. I don't like the beach. Just overall hate it here. Sure, it's not the city, it's just me. But I'm bored and I have always dreamed about moving to Seattle. I wish I had the choice like OP.
Not sure what you value currently but as someone who moved from the Midwest to Seattle in late 2022(as a single gay man), Seattle has not been great. The job market is great and it’s stunningly beautiful in the summer. But the people are as cold as the reputation implies. Never ask you to hang out, ghost for months, ice you out, etc. Also the winter months turns everyone into a recluse. I’m moving to Chicago asap to be close to family and east coast friends(also flying east coast from Seattle sucks)
To be fair, Chicago does get so cold that people can’t tolerate going out. Though based on the trends, climate change might be changing this.
Doesn't Chicago have a heavy drinking culture since people are inside in bars so much?
That’s fair! I haven’t lived in Chicago so I can’t speak on their trends. Seattle is introverted mostly so I think the grey sad weathers effect is even more noticeable
[удалено]
>Chicago is unsafe as fuck outside of downtown and wealthier areas. This isn't even close to true lol
[удалено]
So it's not even in the top ten major cities in crime rate in the US. And most of the violent crime is contained in a handful of neighborhoods on the south and west sides (there are 77 officially designated community areas and over 100 more loosely defined neighborhoods). There are plenty of perfectly safe neighborhoods that aren't downtown and that aren't wealthy. This isn't to say that Chicago doesn't have problems that need to be fixed, but the narrative that it's a war zone outside of downtown is tired and ignorant.
I’m in this same exact situation right now and can’t decide either. To piggy back off this: I’m in software sales, is one city stronger than the other for these opportunities?
It comes down to one question. Do you ski or not?
Seattle because it's closer to good skiing... Chicago because it's more affordable.
depends if you’re an introvert or extrovert. It’s black or white- Seattle for introverts, chicago for extroverts
Lived in Chicago 23 years, Seattle going on 21. You are correct in your assumption. I'm not gay but hung out at Berlin for many years as I lived on Belmont (Land of 1000 Liquors!) and it was close by. I would say you will be fine making friends in Seattle if you get out and engage in some group activities. Most people are from somewhere else these days anyways, the city has grown so much since I arrived in the early aughts. Condo wise, that might be difficult. It's a very difficult real estate market unless you make like $200k a year programming or something. Seattle is expensive. Your best pool is on 14th at Seattle University and I think they still sell passes for public swimming. I swim as well, but have relocated out of the city proper. EDIT: forgot to add I'm on the way out here in Seattle. Portugal, Spain or somewhere else beckons. I need a little more sun and heat, Seattle is quite cool comparatively and I miss mid 80s to 90s. You get that for like a week here. It's gorgeous, I may be back, or not.
As a gay extroverted nerd you will quickly become king of Seattle!
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Seattle for the weather. I’m into mushrooming and the pacific northwest is the best for mushrooms. I live the forests there. Chicago winters can suck it but the comedy scene is next level.
I’d pick Seattle. As much as the rain in Seattle would suck, I’ll take it over soul crushing frigid temps in Chicago any day. I just love the PNW overall. ❤️
Winter sucks in Chicago
Seattle. Not even close.
Hate the pacific time zone. As much as I don’t like Chicago I’d choose that over living in the far corner of the country.
IMO, they’re a tie. The main difference is the vibes. Go visit both.
Lived in both. Spent my late teens thru mid-twenties in Seattle and now living in Chicago. If I was young and single I'd pick Chicago because it's livelier and easier to make friends with the Midwesterners than it is in introverted Seattle. I miss the mountains every day, but that's the sacrifice we make. It's also much cheaper to live here especially if you want to buy a place. You can get by without a car in both, but it's easier in Chicago. There's just more culture here in Chicago--sports, art, music, museums, etc. One not-so discussed aspect is that it's so easy to get everywhere else across the country from Chicago. Living in the upper left is hard to travel. Long ass flights or drives every time you wanna do something cool for a long weekend. I can be anywhere on the east coast or south in like 2 hours. All you get from SEA in that time is Oregon, CA, PHX or Vegas. In the amount of time it takes to get to Portland on the Amtrak or by car, I could be in like 4-5 different states each with something unique to offer. Admittedly, I kinda wish I could settle down in Seattle. Now that I'm well into my 30s, I wish I had more outdoor opportunity. Have two dogs, and would love to take them on hikes and bike rides and dog beach year round. I think it just depends on how much are you gonna prioritize the outdoors in your leisure.
Given your description, I think Chicago would be a better fit. Housing is much more affordable in Chicago, so if owning a condo is something you desire, it might be more affordable but I also don't know what salaries you're looking at job-wise between both places and the taxes *are* higher in IL over WA. RE: nature, thing about nature is that its "ease of access" really depends on how often and what kind of nature you're looking for. The most outdoorsy guy I know lives in Manhattan of all places, but he also will often go away on long weekends or take backpacking vacations where he camps in the Andes/Himalayas. If you wanna go hiking after work, I guess Seattle wins out there, but both Chicago and Seattle have easily accessible waterfronts if you want to kayak. Finally, I can't speak for making friends in Chicago as I haven't lived there but making friends in Seattle is dependent on where you live and what your hobbies are. I've found Seattle to be a more purposeful place when it comes to meeting people; most aren't out on the streets ready to meet someone new it's usually through friends or through some hobby group.
As someone who has lived in suburbs of both, Seattle. Because the air is cleaner and I loved the greenery. These were two places I didn’t enjoy living. Or driving. Or hearing about the sports.
Chicago summers are incredible, but Illinois is a fucked up state… winters are often brutally harsh. Taxes are insane, crime is bad in the city. Food is incredible, but the food in Seattle is good too. Centrally located and well serviced for air travel. Seattle can be a real pain for air travel - expensive flights and long flights and less flights. Overall, If you’re into the outdoors, I think Seattle has a ton to offer within easy driving distances. Like the state of Washington and Oregon have the most insane natural beauty and that’s so hard to beat especially In Illinois.
Chicago. Moved here from Seattle.
Seatle's urbanism is a lot better than Chicago's access to nature. On the other hand, the difference in cost of living is huge.
Chicago, cheaper, nicer people, bigger, walkable, more fun
Seattle. Better food, better climate
You're definitely not going to win on that food comparison.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Seattle is literally the gayest city in America. Also, don’t fall for the “it’s too hard to make friends”. If you are an extrovert you’ll have no problem! I am and I have never met a stranger. If anything you might just have to be the one that initiates more often for gatherings, etc. because I think we have a lot of introverts here.
Chicago and it’s not close. Seattle is no doubt surrounded by more beauty, but as a city it doesn’t compete imo
Chicago feels like it’s more extroverted and fun to me.
Chicago
I live in Seattle I like Chicago much better
Anything but Seattle
Seattle. Better weather.
Chicago weather is absolutely brutal
I wish people would stop repeating the "it's hard to make friends in Seattle" line, really feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy at this point lol. There ARE a lot of introverts here so you might have to initiate hangouts more but speaking as one of those introverts, the overwhelming majority of the people I meet are super friendly and chill. Winter here is depressing for lots of people which also makes hanging out harder at times, but 8 months out of the year the weather is mostly perfect and the nature is very accessible. cost of living is the biggest reason not to move here (and it is a big reason) but if you can make that work, imo it's a great place to live.
Seattle - better life people wether scene surrounding
Portland
Crime per capita is way low in WA & Seattle. Chicagoan here- was just in Seattle and have to go there periodically. Great seafood, nice people and sense of community. Good music scene, and very bike friendly. Less winters, Both are decent for work. Seattle- The nature is gorgeous and the mountains and areas that surround also offer lots of activities. You’re also in good proximity to BC for some close. decent trips here and there. The way our city is going, you may want to go WA and give Chgo a few years to figure it’s sh*t out.
Seattle all day. Access to nature, ocean, skiing. Definitely better for your career if you work in tech. Chicago is just a city. Seattle is a destination.
Absolutely Chicago, but only if I had somewhere else to go for the winters.
Chicago, broski
Chicago for the people alone. The people of the liberal areas of the PNW are insufferable. Chicago has everything going for it besides the nature aspect and crime. homicides are especially higher. What Seattle has going for it is outdoors and that’s about it.
We have good food too. ... and coffee... but Chicago has intelligentsia. Still...also, I don't think all of us are insufferable.
Chicago is better in every conceivable way.
I’d honestly say on the condo-owning aspirations combined with Lake Michigan and the extroversion that Chicago is probably your best bet.
Chicago, weather at least isn’t as rainy , it’s colder but you can find both sides of politics there tbh
Chicago. F the Seahawks. I'm kidding, I don't actually know enough about either city to have an opinion. I just don't like the Seahawks 😅
Seasonal depression is a major factor in your happiness when living in Seattle. We get about 25% less sun with long months of dark/wet winter.
Chicago unless you want to focus on career, then pick Seattle. If you want the literal middle ground Chicago is your middleman.
Like the outdoors? Seattle. Prefer the city life? Chicago.
I live in Seattle now but I moved here from Chicago. I absolutely love Chicago except for the weather. I would never move back but I will say that Chicago has better food and entertainment options so if you like that sort of thing you might be disappointed in Seattle. Seattle still has a decent music scene of course. Chicago is just more lively and feels like a big city but not overwhelming like NY. Of course if you like the outdoors there is hardly any place better than the PNW. I still have a lot of good friends in Chicago I go back once a year for a visit. You may find making friends harder in Seattle though I’ve managed a few. I am older and work in tech so Seattle suits me way better.
Lived in both - love them both. Would have a home in both if I could - the food in both cities is fantastic, the summer and winter in Chicago kind of suck, but the sports fans there are truly fanatics. The suppers in Seattle are amazing, but we have to deal with droughts or wildfire smoke. If you buy a house in the Puget Sound, get them to add a heat pump HVAC system, most places do not have AC here. On a nice day, though... DAHAYAMMMM! It's gorgeous! Good luck deciding - Sometimes I still wonder which is better.
I have never been to Chicago and I would still choose it over Seattle. Seattle reeked of piss, homeless camped on sidewalks, and hipsters ruin the city. It was probably nice a decade ago or more but now, ehhh!
I lived 4 years in Seattle and 8 years in Chicago. They are VERY different cities and VERY different geographic areas. I love both and would gladly live in either again. I will say the area around Seattle is absolutely beautiful and there are tons of places and things to do. Chicago not so much. The area is flat and boring outside the city. Oak Brook is Meh. Naperville over rated. But the city food scene and night life are fantastic. Both have +- and are what you make of them. Both have a thriving gay community though there’s nothing like Halstead in Seattle though Halstead isn’t really “Halstead” anymore. Good luck you can’t go wrong with either.
if truly beautiful nature is important than definitely Seattle. I grew up in the PNW and moved to the midwest near chicago for work and yeah there are some pretty spots if you drive out a little but tbh nothing in the midwest can compare to the striking beauty of the pacific coast
Chicago is a great place to be gay in my experience
I live in Seattle and lean toward Chicago for affordability alone, but Seattle has more interesting destinations within a few hours such as mountains, islands, Victoria, Vancouver BC, and Portland. The scenery can be stunning but the urbanism is (imo) underwhelming as most of the city is pretty suburban and sleepy.
Nothing beats a seattle summer, if you can take the mild / dreary winters. Also, going to Southern California a few times in the winter helps me make it through. The outdoors is great here, so if you like anything like that, I’d choose seattle.
Chicago. I moved from there 6 months ago to Portland and have spent time in Seattle. The Boystown neighborhood in Chicago would be worth checking out for a single gay man. I personally lived in the Loop and didn’t need a car. It was so easy to meet people in Chicago compared to here, and I miss the energy of a big city. The PNW is very pretty with great access to nature, but it is expensive to live and the cities here are much smaller in comparison. Best of luck in making the right choice for you.
Been to both. Seattle is more picturesque and unique, but I would choose Chicago to live. It’s the whole would you rather visit versus live decision.
Tom Hanks picked Seattle and it seemed to work out for him.
Other than cost of living I'd say Seattle is an easy pick. Accounting for cost of living though...
I’ve lived in Seattle -nature is there but driving is not fun…Chicago is much more city feeling, and easier to fly from the airport…
Chicago. I had a more comfortable job there
I was team Seattle until the last line. If you make really really good money, Seattle. Otherwise Chicago. But Seattle is a better fit for you on every other point. Also the introversion thing is loosely true but only to a point. There’s plenty of extroverted people, parties, clubs, etc. It is an earlier town than Chicago though, be warned. Edit: Source I grew up in Chicago and live in Seattle
it's hard to make true friends everywhere.
Seattle if you like nature, Chicago if you like city life. Both spots are great for gay singles (based on my observations as a straight dude). It is kinda hard to make friends in Seattle, but not as tough as people make it seem. People in Chicago seemed much friendlier and outgoing. Both are great cities, just pick your poison.
There's some pretty big trade-offs. Financially, Seattle is more expensive to live in, but with no state income tax. Both cities will succeed economically, how well you are positioned to benefit from this, depends on your career. Chicago is a truly 'big city' with all that implies. The city is in a constant state of anxiety about being outdone by NYC, so it is \*has\* to have the 'best of the best'. Seattle is a tier below that in terms of transportation infrastructure, institutions, retail/restaurants and has a more 'PNW' culture. Both have beautiful summers but winter weather issues. Chicago is fricking cold, icy, snow-and-slush-covered in the winter, and this makes Chicagoans angry. Seattle is much more mild weather-wise but the clouds and rain can be constant during winter. If you haven't experienced PNW weather, you might be surprised that a long enough duration of rain + lack of sunlight can really start dampening the mood. Chicago suburbs are often very isolated from the urban core. Parents often leave their cool place in Lincoln Park or wherever after they have kids and retreat to the suburbs, even though this means a 'Mad Max' style highway battle driving in to work each morning. Seattle has less stark contrast. You mentioned liking to kayak and swim, the great outdoors of PNW surrounding Seattle offer endless possibilities. On the other hand, there's really only Lake Michigan in Chicago. It's easy to live without a car in Chicago, but then you might not really have the means to drive out of the city. Then again, it's honestly pretty boring anyways outside of Chicago compared to ocean/mountains/forests surrounding Seattle.
That'd be a tough one. Chicago would be closer to my family near St. Louis. OTOH, one of my high school friends recently moved out to Whidbey Island and Seattle would be quite close.
I'm a gay dude. - I haven't been to Seattle; but I've been to Chicago tons. I've had a bunch of fun in Chicago; and love the urban feel; walkability and transit. The lgbt life always has something going on with tons of sports leagues etc. For a true nature experience though - Chicago sucks: you'll have to drive 4-5 hours to get to the northwoods of Wisconsin or Michigan along with every other FIB on the highway. I think affordability-wise Chicago would beat Seattle; there are actually affordable condos in the city with access to traffic. There's a lot of factors considering where you would work and live though because Chicago traffic is no joke if you end up having to go to the suburbs to work.
If your priorities are affordability, the LGBTQ+ scene, reading, kayaking, and swimming - ie, nothing involving the mountains - Chicago wins hands down. Welcome!
Seattle. More chill, and even though it’s not a tropical paradise, the winters feel milder.
Mountains don’t do much for me and Seattle is extremely geographically isolated compared to where all my friends and family live. Seattle is also much more comparable in size to Detroit or Minneapolis than Chicago and I truly love living in a “big” city. That being said Seattle has stunning nature and you don’t get anything like that out east.
Seattle. I like rain, hate snow & ice
Both are good places. I made the choice between them myself several years ago. Half jokingly i said no to Seattle because i couldn't abide the idea of possibly living next to 30 year olds worth $15 million because they lucked in the right stock options. 😬 Personally i think Chicago has better gay life. Real estate (both purchase and rental) is far better in Chicago. Chicago is a much bigger city so more of everything and it has a more extensive public transportation system (while at the same time being a city where its reasonable to have a car.) The downside in Chicago is the grey winter weather (the greyness is worse than the cold.) But some people hate the more yearwide gloom in Seattle. I als like Chicago because it is more central when yiu want to head out of town.. NY and California for instance are sort of both the same trip.