Good grades, slow loading speed

[JakeMM]

I'm now undecided between the hosting company of the first website I mentioned (http://www.threepennythieves.com), which is hosted in Chicago - but who also offer hosting in another country, Amsterdam, 246 miles away from where I live (as the crow flies).

And the hosting of the second website I posted (http://www.fm-esports.org), who can host my website in the same country, 45 miles away from where I live (as the crow flies).

How much of a difference will this added distance make to my website speed?

Will other aspects, such as how their servers are setup, have more of an effect on the speed times?

I'm leaning more towards the hosting company of http://www.threepennythieves.com due to how good their support has been, but would value your opinion on the speed side of things.

Thanks Jake