San Francisco versus Los Angeles areas: pros and cons? (Oakland: living, gangs)

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by ZhugeLiang

No, it's not. I've lived in Northridge. It's just plain miserable down there.

Yeah I spent 3 days in the San Fernando Valley last month and I enjoyed my visit but it was VERY hot imo. Many people like that but its just not my cup'a tea.

Closer to the ocean is better

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

Yeah I spent 3 days in the San Fernando Valley last month and I enjoyed my visit but it was VERY hot imo. Many people like that but its just not my cup'a tea.

Closer to the ocean is better

San Gabriel Valley is just as bad if not worse.

[Lifeshadower]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

Yeah I spent 3 days in the San Fernando Valley last month and I enjoyed my visit but it was VERY hot imo. Many people like that but its just not my cup'a tea.

Closer to the ocean is better

The irony is that we aren't even that far from the ocean. Places like Woodland Hills and Sherman Oaks are even closer to the ocean than DTLA is, but due to geography, these are amongst the hottest areas in the City of LA.

I believe the statement "so close, yet so far" applies greatly here.

Hell, you don't even really have to say that about the ocean either. The SFV really does feel like its own world separate from LA most of the time, given the HUGE mountains that separate us from everywhere else. Hell, I've had people from TORRANCE and GLENDORA who have told me that they feel more part of LA than the SFV does.

[415_s2k]

Originally Posted by nr5667

San Francisco is the only "real" city in California. Although, with that comes a degree of pretension from people who live in S.F.

Pretty much ever other city in California is interchangeable , although, ironically, I'd rather live in those interchangeable cities than in S.F.

Water in Santa Cruz is actually quite cold, because not only do we get the arctic current, but the trench in the middle of the bay (2 miles deep) gives us colder water, and lots of fog.

Ultimately, the central coast in the middle from Santa Cruz to Santa Barbara is much nicer than S.F or L.A.

Easily one of the least-accurate analyses of California cities I've ever seen here...

[NorCal Dude]

Starr, Kevin SF vs LA - YouTube


A Contrast in Economic Development: Los Angeles and San Francisco, 1970 to the present - YouTube

[ChrisC99]

Hey, those are great, haha!

Los Padres National Forest up by Santa Barbara - any idea if that has cool, coastal forests...or if it's also more open woodland and scrub like you see further south?

So most of the LA basin gets pretty hot even closeby the coast. There are cooler areas throughout as well though, right?

Say, it is true that you can see snow on the mountains from the city and coast in LA for about 5 months of the year, isn't it?

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by ChrisC99

Hey, those are great, haha!

Los Padres National Forest up by Santa Barbara - any idea if that has cool, coastal forests...or if it's also more open woodland and scrub like you see further south?

So most of the LA basin gets pretty hot even closeby the coast. There are cooler areas throughout as well though, right?

Say, it is true that you can see snow on the mountains from the city and coast in LA for about 5 months of the year, isn't it?

It's mostly scrub, I thought I posted something about it but I guess not.

It's Chaparral although a transition zone from "soft" Chaparral to the more arid type. There will be tree in any riparian area like there is in all of SoCal.

[Nightscape]

Originally Posted by ChrisC99

So most of the LA basin gets pretty hot even closeby the coast. There are cooler areas throughout as well though, right?

Say, it is true that you can see snow on the mountains from the city and coast in LA for about 5 months of the year, isn't it?

Even in the basin, temperatures are fairly comfortable during the summer unless you head into the valleys. (SFV/SGV)

Near the coast, it rarely ever goes past low to mid 80's unless the Santa Ana winds are blowing. Even during the peak of summer, temperatures along the coast average in the upper 70's which is pretty cool in my opinion. The coast is usually a good 5-10 degrees cooler than the interior basin on any given day. Then add another 5-10 degrees compared to the basin for the valleys. Example - ( Malibu-75*, Downtown LA- 83* or so, Burbank- 90* or above) which would be a normal summer forecast.

During the winter months, you can see snow capped mountains from the LA/OC basin regularly. The rainier the season = More snow you get to see.

[sharpmama]

If you live in the eastern San Gabriel valley. Both of my sons have done it. Drive 38 miles to Huntington Beach for an AM surf session (with a wetsuit). Go home, have a lunch break, grab your snow gear, and head to Mt High (in Wrightwood), 49 miles, or if there's been a good, recent snowfall, a good base, and you're not a raw beginner, just head up to Mt Baldy, only 18 miles and w/o much freeway traffic if you take local streets. You should enjoy the pines and other trees we have there, too. (Yep, there's also lots of trees, though some areas have been hit hard by bark beetles and wildfires.)

Much as I prefer the Bay Area, neither sport is as accessible There as it is from the LA basin/SG Valley. Yes, we have bigger mountains (the San Gabriel & San Bernardino ranges) than the coast range's gentle contours. The Sierras are wonderful, but not very enjoyable for a one day ski/board trip.

[sharpmama]

Living in the SG valley for 20+ years, I'd say an average summer day would be 85 to 88. On AVERAGE. We have a fair share of 90+ days, maybe 10 triple digit days. But we also have a good amount of 75-85 degree days.

It's usually tolerable, though I miss my 65-75 summers in the Bay Area, where we never had A/C or even a fan, and didn't miss it.