Chicago Crime VS. Houston Crime
|
Crime in Chicago by Year |
||||||||
|
Type |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
|
Murders |
641 |
627 |
665 |
648 |
598 |
448 |
446 |
467 |
|
per 100,000 |
22.9 |
21.7 |
23.0 |
22.4 |
20.7 |
15.6 |
15.6 |
16.4 |
|
Rapes |
2,469 |
2,237 |
1,976 |
1,963 |
1,799 |
1,757 |
1,618 |
1,524 |
|
per 100,000 |
88.2 |
77.2 |
68.2 |
67.8 |
62.3 |
61.2 |
56.5 |
53.6 |
|
Robberies |
20,210 |
19,449 |
18,473 |
18,532 |
17,302 |
15,965 |
15,961 |
15,860 |
|
per 100,000 |
722.0 |
671.6 |
637.9 |
639.9 |
599.5 |
556.4 |
557.6 |
558.0 |
|
Assaults |
28,027 |
26,660 |
25,571 |
24,842 |
19,784 |
18,820 |
17,934 |
17,441 |
|
per 100,000 |
1001.3 |
920.6 |
883.0 |
857.8 |
685.5 |
656.0 |
626.6 |
613.6 |
|
Burglaries |
30,122 |
28,401 |
26,026 |
25,552 |
25,064 |
24,542 |
25,298 |
24,125 |
|
per 100,000 |
1076.2 |
980.7 |
898.7 |
882.3 |
868.4 |
855.4 |
883.9 |
848.7 |
|
Thefts |
112,454 |
105,728 |
98,544 |
96,380 |
96,779 |
94,651 |
83,235 |
83,518 |
|
per 100,000 |
4017.6 |
3650.8 |
3402.7 |
3328.0 |
3353.1 |
3299.0 |
2908.0 |
2938.2 |
|
Auto thefts |
36,075 |
35,570 |
27,571 |
25,245 |
22,779 |
22,788 |
22,491 |
21,823 |
|
per 100,000 |
1288.8 |
1228.2 |
952.0 |
871.7 |
789.2 |
794.3 |
785.8 |
767.7 |
|
Arson |
1,267 |
1,106 |
1,006 |
1,022 |
947 |
772 |
683 |
716 |
|
per 100,000 |
45.3 |
38.2 |
34.7 |
35.3 |
32.8 |
26.9 |
23.9 |
25.2 |
|
City-data.com crime index (higher means more crime, U.S. average = 323.2) |
872.4 |
803.6 |
743.6 |
727.1 |
666.3 |
633.7 |
610.0 |
604.2 |
|
Crime in Houston by Year |
||||||||
|
Type |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
|
Murders |
241 |
230 |
267 |
256 |
278 |
272 |
334 |
377 |
|
per 100,000 |
13.3 |
12.0 |
13.4 |
12.5 |
13.6 |
13.3 |
16.3 |
18.2 |
|
Rapes |
748 |
813 |
945 |
892 |
768 |
908 |
872 |
854 |
|
per 100,000 |
41.3 |
42.3 |
47.3 |
43.7 |
37.6 |
44.4 |
42.6 |
41.2 |
|
Robberies |
8,350 |
8,256 |
9,921 |
11,212 |
10,985 |
10,182 |
11,128 |
11,371 |
|
per 100,000 |
460.7 |
429.9 |
496.6 |
549.5 |
538.2 |
498.3 |
544.0 |
548.3 |
|
Assaults |
12,178 |
12,192 |
12,286 |
12,598 |
11,957 |
12,065 |
11,653 |
11,648 |
|
per 100,000 |
672.0 |
634.9 |
614.9 |
617.4 |
585.8 |
590.4 |
569.6 |
561.7 |
|
Burglaries |
24,744 |
23,254 |
25,108 |
26,905 |
26,522 |
27,110 |
27,541 |
26,869 |
|
per 100,000 |
1365.4 |
1210.9 |
1256.7 |
1318.5 |
1299.4 |
1326.7 |
1346.3 |
1295.7 |
|
Thefts |
66,068 |
67,102 |
69,371 |
73,445 |
72,032 |
74,752 |
72,476 |
73,091 |
|
per 100,000 |
3645.6 |
3494.3 |
3472.1 |
3599.2 |
3529.1 |
3658.1 |
3542.8 |
3524.6 |
|
Auto thefts |
19,445 |
19,864 |
24,089 |
23,939 |
21,451 |
21,563 |
20,408 |
21,093 |
|
per 100,000 |
1073.0 |
1034.4 |
1205.7 |
1173.1 |
1051.0 |
1055.2 |
997.6 |
1017.2 |
|
Arson |
1,735 |
1,642 |
1,758 |
1,696 |
1,553 |
1,255 |
1,262 |
1,121 |
|
per 100,000 |
95.7 |
85.5 |
88.0 |
83.1 |
76.1 |
61.4 |
61.7 |
54.1 |
|
City-data.com crime index (higher means more crime, U.S. average = 323.2) |
659.5 |
621.1 |
659.8 |
678.5 |
652.2 |
653.3 |
659.6 |
659.2 |
| :Houston |  4.3% |
| Texas: |  4.4% |
| Chicago: | 5.7% |
| Illinois: | 4.8% |
Knytstalker's Weblog 
HURRAY!! YOU HAVE YOUR OWN BLOG!!
Does this mean you’re going to scrape my fiction blog and re-post here? 😉
I’m so happy you have one! Good luck keeping it active and interesting! Vanessa will help you I’m sure.
Welcome!
Of course I’ll help!
Already have, a little. 😉
Hugs to you dear lil sis. 😀 So glad to see you here now!
Yeah me!!! To think, all things I have to complain about and I bitch about Chicago first! LOL
Darc ~ Scrape, scrape. 🙂 Hope you like the homage to you in my name. I’m not done setting everything up. I’m going to be stealing your wife later to help me more because I of course have to reference who I’m stalking and his love. Love ya!
Fal ~ You rock and I love you!
We love you too, Stalky McBlogger! 😀
It seems that Houston beats Chicago in murders, burglary, arsons, and auto thefts.
Houston also seems neck and neck with Chicago in Robberies.
Point is, Houston still has a higher crime rate index than Chicago. What does crime say about a city anyway? Just because Houston has more crime doesn’t mean it sucks as a city.
I tend to like a true gritty urban experience, with vibrant busy streets during the day and night, and so far, Chicago and New York (and maybe San Francisco and Boston) are the only cities that seemed to do that for me. Houston may be a better city to buy a home, but it has a long way to go to match up to New Yokr and Chicago’s vibrancy.
I went Austin, Texas and LOVED it. That’s the city in Texas I want to live in. Everybody in Austin and Dallas HATES Houston. Why is that?
Okay Frank. You didn’t read what I wrote apparently. There is a whopping difference of 1.8 per 100k people. A difference that only occurred AFTER Katrina came. Look at the numbers BEFORE Katrina and then get back to me. I hate to repeat myself but I will again. As I stated in my post: eventually, it will get back to the average which is about 5 below what it is now, and about 7 less than Chicago’s average.
I know A LOT of people who live in Dallas and Austin and other cities around Houston. The only Houston hating I’ve ever run into was sports related and that was all in good fun. Again, I find it interesting that you don’t live in Texas but EVERYONE hates Houston. Sounds like bullshit to me.
I’m also wondering if you ever left Sixth Street while you were in Austin because most of Austin is full of old people and hippies who want to do nothing more than sit around and hit the bong. The only thing gritty and urban about Austin is the drunk moron college students who usually do nothing more than make fools of themselves. And most of them aren’t from Texas anyway.
I’m willing to concede that Chicago may have a better night life than Houston but that’s only 1 aspect whereas I listed several.
Also, you have yet to describe how any of those cities you mentioned is better than Houston, you’ve only stated what you LIKE. I also find it interesting that you didn’t include Las Vegas, Miami, L.A. or New Orleans in the gritty happening cities list. New Orleans is WAY more urban and gritty than Chicago could ever hope to be.
Frank –
I’m having trouble understanding how you think that one good thing is better than several good things. You’ve given one example. Take one of hers away, and she still leads you by a wide margin. Surely you base your decisions on more than one factor.
Let’s suppose I happen to like fishing the way you like your urban experience. Would that make Boca Raton, FL (the self-proclaimed sport fishing capital of the world) the best city? Maybe for fishing. I wouldn’t want to live there.
It seems you are willing to argue simply for the sake of argument. It also sounds like your big priority right now is not getting a DUI. That’s fine. We’ve all been there. Eventually you will have some kids; at least if you’re having any measure of success at your gritty urban experience you will. Do you really want your daughter in a Girls Gone Wild video?
You may enjoy the nightlife, but I don’t think most people would consider a city full of drunk college kids a nice place to live. They would simply consider it a nice place to party.
You also keep referring to the crime rates, when you really shouldn’t. I don’t think you have a full understanding of what these numbers suggest. I think you may have focused on one number, and attempted to present an argument based on that one number which wasn’t a very significant difference to begin with.
I like to run numbers for fun. Using pre-Katrina data, Chicago is much worse than Houston in terms of crime index. Even including the Katrina Data, I averaged out both cities crime index over the 8 year period and boy are you WAYYYY WRONG!!! Over the given 8 year period, Chicago’s crime index averaged 707.6125. Over the same period, including New Orleans’ criminals, Houston averaged only 655.4. That’s considerably lower in total crime index. Compound that with the lead in violent crime and Chicago is leaps and bounds over Houston in terms of crime index.
I must agree that Houston will return to its average crime index before Katrina. Data for the time after Katrina is somewhat misleading because of the gigantic influx of criminals from New Orleans. Have you seen their crime before and after Katrina? It’s no wonder that Houston has a little higher crime rate than could typically be expected – at least for now. This is only a temporary condition. You should steer away from the crime stats altogether. The data does not support your argument in any way.
You really shouldn’t assume anything about a place you’ve never been either. How arrogant, and gullible. I try not to let other people dictate how I feel about something. I like to experience it for myself and for my own opinion.
It might not be as great as Chicago’s, but Houston does have a descent nightlife. That’s why a lot of professional athletes, that don’t play for Texas teams, have homes there. Austin’s 6th street is more famous because everything is right there pretty much on the street, and bands like ZZ Top were discovered there. Incidentally, they all (ZZ Top)live in Houston. The truth is that Austin, as a capital city tends to be, is pretty small and laid-back. They prefer to keep things as quite as they can. The hills surrounding downtown are full of retired people with a lot of money. Check the land prices compared to the surrounding area. The people you were partying with probably all either lived in dorms, or came from San Marcos, which is home to the “party” school in Texas, and only 30 minutes away. Those people probably weren’t FROM Austin. Houston has more clubs that cover the whole city, which is literally like 50 miles from end to end. You don’t have to be in one specific area to find a club. Wherever you are, there’s a club complex nearby. I also don’t remember ever having to stop the party. I pretty much partied until the sun came up. Then we went to the beach. Is there a beach in Chicago? I mean, a beach beach; not just a lake. I didn’t remember seeing one.
Having been both places, I can’t say that I particularly care much for Houston, but I like it a lot more than Chicago. Although, I did meet Ron Jeremy there.
I guess meeting Ron Jeremy in Chicago and meeting Charles Barkley (Sir Charles)in Houston kind of illustrates the differences between the two cities.
Overall, I’d have to agree that Houston is a better city than Chicago.
Let’s have a mayor fight to decide. Wait, unfair advantage to Houston. Couldn’t resist.
Anyway, you’re going to have to grow up someday, or end up in jail. Maybe then you’ll realize what aspects are truly important in choosing where to live. Yes, having a great nightlife available is important. However, it certainly shouldn’t be the main reason for choosing a place to live. There are a lot of other factors to consider which, for some reason, you’ve chosen to ignore. Until you realize that, try not to crash into anyone. There are families living in your party zone.
The murder rate in Chicago–no surprise nothing I haven’t said
chicago murder rage has got to be higher than “presumed” how many mob and gang killings are just “accidents.” ITs like Grand theft auto this year.–up 18 per cent
Franktown is a bitchass BTW
I gotta say J.R. I am a little miffed that he didn’t respond to what I or anyone else wrote. Maybe he just can’t argue with the facts. I will say I gave him an “you’re allright dude” comment because he wanted to put aside the fussin’ and fuedin’ for Gustav. BUT I still want him to respond to what was written back to him.
The Franktown–J.R. fued has been dragged across many blogs and posts. I will say, I appreciate him trying to defend Chicago–but the defense simply falls apart after a while.
Believe me, I’ve troded through Chicago as it was my job, literally. Day and night. After a while, the unfriendly women at the bars made me want to go to go South. Cincinnati was the South to me at first, no joke.
All the unique bars in Chicago and the “gritty” experience can be a huge plus for a lot of people. After a while, you get sick of the people so much, you want to run out of state. If we could fill Chicago with Texans or white Minnesota people, it would be the greatest city on earth. (And relocate it to Texas).
Okay, I’ll respond to the many things that people are saying here one more time.
Mrwakeupcall’s comments are actually correct. Just because Chicago is grittier, more urban, and meaner than Houston does not mean it’s a better city. But it IS a better city if those adjectives are what you look for in a city. If I wanted to live in a city just because it has more per-capita job growth, cheaper home subdivision prices (there are very few, if any, subdivisions in Chicago), and warm winters, Houston I guess would be a much better city than Chicago.
I still disagree with you about crime though. Who cares about an eight year average? Crime doesn’t live in the past! You sound like the Chicagoans everyone complains about! Use statistics to ignore the CURRENT problem! And Houston currently DOES have a huge crime problem, and I’m sure Hurricane Gustav and the rest of the others that may hit Orleans may not make that problem go away any time soon. Now, Chicago DOES have a huge crime problem as well, and I admit that, but at least I’m admitting my city DOES have a huge crime problem and that it’s corrupt! You guys act like you’re living in a utopia!
Now, other aspects I look for in a city are transportation (so I don’t need a car), cost of living, weather (I like my four seasons), culture, proximity to water, urbanity, etc. Chicago, New York, San Francisco and the rest of the East Coast cities are the only ones that do it to me. Those are the city that I truly consider world class, as well as most others. They have everything I need. While mass transit in Chicago could be improved when compared to New York’s, it gets me everywhere I need, and the city is perfect for walking and biking. The nightlife, without question, kills Houston’s (Houston’s nightlife is great, I HAVE BEEN THERE, and while I haven’t seen the entire city, I’ve been in the “it” sections. They’re cool, but not as good as New York’s, Chicago’s, or LA’s). I just couldn’t get by in Houston without a car, and while their mass transit is expanding, so is Chicago’s at the same time. The city approve the El to be expanded to new parts of the city, making the grid system faster than it is now.
When I went to Texas to visit Austin and Houston, Austin was just much more fun to me. I found easier access to music, film institutions, and bars. I found it much more walkable and prettier. I found it had a younger vibe, and much more single people!!! Austin’s the Texas city for me, it’s just much more fun for a young person!
Now, here’s where Houston beats Chicago:
a) WINTERS- that’s just a given. Chicago’s winters are brutal, and while Houston’s are chilly compared to LA and Miami, they’re quite comfortable and pleasant, and the first half of Spring is amazing.
b) Cost of living – Chicago’s cheap compared to many other cities, but Houston’s cheap compared to Chicago. Houston has a decent skyline and nice downtown– it would be cheap living in downtown Houston compared to Manhattan, Boston, or Chicago.
c) Raising a family – You can’t raise a family in Chicago or New York. It’s difficult, and both cities have corrupt school systems. Houston has a nice family friendly atmosphere, much less drunk people, older people, and better school systems, as well as a more “suburban” feel in many areas.
d) Friendliness – Chicago’s friendly in my opinion, but Houston’s in Texas, and Texas is the friendliest state in the country.
Houston’s a good city, but it’s just not for a young party boy like me. I like a 24/7 party, lively vibe, and when I visited Houston, it just didn’t do it for me. Austin seemed much better in that department. I know that’s not for what many people look for in a city. Houston I think is the perfect medium between a big urban city and a quiet suburb. It has it’s share of areas that are vibrant, but it has many more quiet, suburban, nice places than Chicago and New York has.
Now, are you all happy that I complimented Houston???
Franktown:
Now, other aspects I look for in a city are transportation (so I don’t need a car)…
Yikes, you’re in trouble there. Is there ANY source of information lists transporation in Shitcago as good?
… cost of living …
You’re screwed here, too, bud. One of the more expensive places to live, above the national average in almost everything.
… weather (I like my four seasons) …
Then what’re you doing here? There ARE four seasons, IF you count the 20 minutes of autumn and the 40 minutes of spring. Then there’s 8 months of miserable cold and 4 months of sweltering heat with life-threatening humidity. This year’s been a glorious one, but it’s an EXCEPTION, not the rule.
… culture …
You’ll have to define this; a “bar scene” isn’t culture, and honestly, which major city DOESN’T have museums and some sort of theater?
… proximity to water …
Well … Houston sits on a body of water … you might’ve heard of it … it’s called “The Gulf of Mexico”. It’s slightly LARGER than the body of water upon which Shitcago dumps itself.
… urbanity, etc. …
How are you defining this? Every major city (and yes, I’ve been to quite a few of them) has “urbanity”. That’s why they’re “urban” areas, vs. “rural” or “suburban” areas. What does this mean, exactly?
Chicago, New York, San Francisco and the rest of the East Coast cities are the only ones that do it to me. Those are the city that I truly consider world class, as well as most others.
Okay, this doesn’t even make sense. You consider the listed cities (i.e., NY, SF and “the rest of the East Coast cities” as world class? Because I don’t know anyone that considers Baltimore world class. Or Bridgeport, CT. But they’re East Coast cities. So … ? Houston’s certainly more “world class” (and again, I’d encourage definition of terms here) than plenty of East Coast cities. Just an observation.
They have everything I need. While mass transit in Chicago could be improved when compared to New York’s, it gets me everywhere I need, and the city is perfect for walking and biking.
The city is perfect for walking and biking … except for when it’s 90+ degrees outside with 90% humidity for a heat index of 110. (I made that number up. Did you like it? I’m not a meteorologist, and make no claims of that nature.) Or when it’s 6 degrees outside with a wind chill of 8 below zero. My point being it’s perfect for walking during the 3 months when it’s unbearably hot (for most people here), but not so much during the 9 months when it’s unpleasantly cool, let’s say. That’s a pretty narrow window of “perfect”, isn’t it?
I just couldn’t get by in Houston without a car, and while their mass transit is expanding, so is Chicago’s at the same time.
This is an interesting point. Falcon says the exact opposite is happening … that Daley is closing CTA lines and routes DESPITE the $153MM grant from the Federal government to help improve things. Metra’s going to REMOVE BATHROOMS (HALF of them!) from their trains to accommodate their ridership because they can’t afford more cars … which they need. And meanwhile, Daley’s “solution” to the congestion problem was to raise prices (DOUBLING THEM, actually) on meters and garages to discourage people from driving into the city — WHERE THEY WORK — and choked off every other method of getting into and out of the city. Now … does that sound smart to you? Expansive and forward thinking? Be honest now.
The city approve the El to be expanded to new parts of the city, making the grid system faster than it is now.
Well, this would be good news; but you failed to mention the lines they’ve CLOSED as well … which outnumber the lines OPENED. I think Falcon has this information on her blog, doesn’t she?
You know, Franktown … I thought you and MrWakeUpCall put together a really nice, articulate set of arguments. Bravo to both of you. You represent Chicago well. You’re wrong, but you’re wrong very well. 😉 (J/K).
If I’m wrong about any of the points above, please provide substantive (i.e., links and such) data so I can edjamacate myself. 🙂 Thanks!
I’m done butting in, too. I just wanted to swat the hornet’s nest and keep the activity up.
I’m sorry I have ignored this post. Please forgive me but I’m dealing with something bigger; bad cops.
Anyway, JR I want to take you out for some real Texas beer so if you’re ever in Houston hit me up and I’ll introduce you to Shiner Bock!
Frank. I could go back and forth with you all day about this and site where you are misinformed but I won’t. I’m just going to say let’s just agree to disagree, for now. Even if you are wrong.:)
Darc, man I love you. Thanks for taking up the torch for me.
MRwakeupcall I love you the best. And you know what I think about what your wrote. 😀
Well, that’s great that Houston is by the Gulf, but that’s exactly what it is. By it! There were some excellent small lakes close to the city, but I had to drive an hour out to Galveston to actually see the Ocean. In Chicago, it’s almost everywhere in the city. North side, downtown, and most of the South side. And Chicago makes great use of it, with nice public beaches. On weekends during the summer, it’s like Spring Break 2 with tons of parties going on on the beach. And to get there, I only had to walk 10 minutes, rather than drive an hour and worry about parking!
And who is anyone to complain about stifling humidity during the summers in a Chicago vs. Houston debate? Chicago’s summers are a hell of a lot more comfortable than Houston’s! Hell, I was in Houston during the summer, and it was 101 degrees with 100% humidity for 5 straight days. That didn’t stop me from going out, but it sure was hell compared to 90 degrees and 80% humidity like Chicago.
And all while you all complain about Chicago… just remember Houston’s ten times worse in most aspects (except for having everything to do with raising a family… I’ll just live in the Chicago ‘burbs for that).
Oh, and Houston’s Theatre district downtown IS nice. Bayou Place is something to be marveled at, as well as the Alley Theatre. There were great Broadway productions there, but Chicago had the same thing, AS WELL as hundreds of off broadway productions in venues all over the city.
Wikipedia Theatre in Chicago and look at the list of companies. It beats out Houston’s, and while Houston has the second largest theatre seats in a concentrated downtown area, it doesn’t have as many theatres city wide as Chicago.
I just don’t get the idea where Houstonians now think they’re on Chicago’s level when it comes to just about everything. Soon they’ll think they’re on LA’s level, and start claiming they have they’re own “Hollywood”! And all the meanwhile, I’m not saying Houston as a city sucks, I’m saying that Chicago is a much better city for me, and that if you think it sucks, you probably were the one who gave people dirty looks and acted like an asshole.
Have you heard of the cops in Houston who give out tickets for driving two miles over the speeding limit? It happened to me! And how about the insane parking and the roughing up of the thousands of panhandlers that were around the city? Every problem Chicago has is present in Houston.
Okay, Frank. You have presented a descent argument. I like that. I just wanted to see what you had. I actually don’t care much for Houston. I am from California and I feel naked without a mountain to walk on, and trees to look at. I love the “alpine” experience. Houston just doesn’t have that. Hell, there isn’t a mountain of any merit anywhere in Texas. I just kind of got stuck here in Houston and haven’t had a chance to escape yet. I’ve tried living in other places, but Houston is where I find it easiest to not only make a living, but actually have a little success doing it. It’s also where I met my beautiful bride, who incidentally LOVES Houston. For that reason alone, I can’t hate the place.
I just wanted to present an argument for you to think about, and see what you could come back with. Basically, you can’t base a decision on only one factor. I wanted you to present more. You did that. However, when I suggested that you stay away from the crime statistics, I was trying to help you. Any analyst will tell you that the larger the sample, the better the results. Even the current violent crime is worse in Chicago than Houston. That was my point. I was trying to illustrate that no matter how you slice the numbers, Chicago’s violent crime is worse… unless you only look at one number. I have my own theories about Houston crime versus Chicago crime, but that’s another discussion.
Also, statistics can usually be sliced and diced to fit whatever conclusion you need to reach. It’s just a matter of finding the right formula. That’s why I always look for other formulas when I am presented with any statistic. Every statistic you read was prepared by someone who got paid to prepare it. That begs the questions: who’s paying them to prepare it? What conclusion are they trying to reach? Why do they prefer one conclusion over another? Basically, if I wanted to prove that sticking hard-boiled eggs up your ass was good for you, all I’d have to do is pay some doctors to conduct a few studies which indicated that there was some medical benfit. See, 8 out of 10 patient’s poop comes out easier after stretching the butt-hole out with an egg. This causes less strain in the abdominal muscles. Therefore, sticking hard-boiled eggs up your ass is good for you. Have you seen the episode of South Park where they proved that “reverse eating” was good for you? I think they were trying to illustrate the same idea on fact-manipulation. Never trust a statistic for face value.
Here’s another one. Numerologists have proven that the 6 degrees of separation is true. Remember 6 gegrees to Kevin Bacon? Same thing. Anyway, using that fact, I could link you to Osama Bin Laden within 6 people. Therefore, you are linked to terrorism, and a threat to national security. Scary shit, statistics; harmful in the wrong hands.
What made me address your comment was the fact that you did nothing to support it. It reminded me of a little kid sticking his head into a room, calling someone a name, and running away. Mentioning that you had actually been to Houston would have been nice, and saved me some words. I wanted to hear what you thought were the best things about Chicago. I don’t care which city is better. It’s an opinion. I live in Houston, and that’s where I live for now. Do I like it? It’s alright. I’d choose it over Chicago, but that’s just my opinion. It doesn’t mean it’s better.
The problem here is that we are arguing an opinion. This is a problem that a lot of people get themselves into. I did it to provoke a response, which I did. Opinions can’t be argued. That is a fact. You can’t change someone’s opinion, no matter what you present. What we’ve all done here is to present our likes and dislikes, and possibly identified two locations where some of these conditions may, or may not, be present. None of us have proven, with any certainty at all, which is a “better” city. We each have our own opinions and will likely not change them due to the influence of another person. Only WE can change our opinions. Argument aborted.
Not to get sappy or anything, but I think we did manage to learn a bit about each other. Not only some of our likes and dislikes, but a little bit about our value-structures, and priorities. For some, family life is a very high priority. For others, it’s social environment. Depending on where one places a given condition on their priority list, anyplace could be better than anyplace else.
For me, I don’t care about much except being left the hell alone. I need to feel free, and I can’t really find that in any city. I can’t even find it in small towns. That’s why I’m going to live with the Bigfoot. Sorry, Honey, but you saw it coming. Goonie goo goo.
Dude, I can’t believe you didn’t mention the Bears. C’mon, Texans…Bears. That should have been an easy one. And this year, the Cubs too. Then, the Bulls. Do you have NHL? We don’t. The best tactic for argument is the “shit-sling”. Throw everything you can, and see what sticks. Sometimes the other person will get overwhelmed and focus on the wrong area; like crime statistics. See, by saying “violent” crime, I will always be able to say that Chicago is worse than Houston. You can come back with one specific crime, and negate that one area, but over-all, Chicago is more violent, even currently. Just because it’s measurable, doesn’t mean it’s helpful.
This argument between the citiies only supports my theory that our Federal Gevernment is screwing us all. It doesn’t matter which city or town you choose, everyone’s cops are corrupt. Everyone’s city officials make stupid decisions, and waste our tax dollars. Nobody gets to tell the government what to do, like it was supposed to be. The government tells we, the people, what to do. That’s universal.