I chose based on my personality type and social needs. I'm an INTP so I needed a good intellectual milieu that I could interact with (which meant having good universities nearby), but I also wanted to be among people who were friendly and accepting of outsiders (non-cliquish). It was a toss-up between Boston and Chicago, and I chose Chicago.

Boston would have been a good choice except I hear it's really hard to make friends there, but once you've broken through, friendships can be deep. Many people don't break through though.

Chicago people on the other hand are much friendlier, but it doesn't go beyond the surface friendliness. One doesn't typically get invited to dinners, so one has to make a conscious effort to reach out. I did, and have managed to get connected.

For me, two things in life were most important:

- Meaningful work

- Edifying relationships

So my choice of location was calculated to maximize the probability of achieving these goals.

Factors that were not important for me were cost-of-living, personal space, suburban-level safety, nature, schools (I don't have kids). I recognize that these are important to others and contribute to achieving their goals in their lives. I think most people have similar aspirations to mine in terms of finding meaning, but my path is just slightly different.