Los Angeles vs San Francisco vs San Diego vs Sacramento vs Fresno (Long Beach: transplants, rental)

[Chilly Gentilly]

Originally Posted by Hawaii4evr

I like San Francisco. It is beautiful, good culture, walkable, dense with good public transit. That said, a lot of the locals seemed unfriendly, arrogant, hipster...it is expensive and the weather sucks (cool and gloomy most of the year, freezing water at the beach, very windy). It is diverse, though.

San Diego is also nice. Nice weather, good beaches, great hiking trails, slow pace of life, less crowded. But also conservative, not very diverse, gets boring after living here for a while, you need a car to get around, it is expensive, not many job opportunities and lack of high wages.

I personally love LA the best. While you have to deal with traffic and smog, it has more to do than any of the other cities on the list. Many museums, festivals, art galleries, concerts...things typical of any big city. But also very diverse with great food, laid-back compared to many big cities gorgeous scenery and hiking trails, decent beaches, nice weather. And they are improving the city's walkability and public transportation system. It is expensive but nowhere near San Francisco's level of expense.

Sounds pretty similar to the general consensus. Thanks for the response. That's one more nail in the San Diego coffin. Looks like L.A. is the best choice for us.

[NorCal Dude]

I don't like any place best.

They all have pros and cons.

Now whether the pros outweigh the cons, is another story.

I do not think I have found a city where pros are outweigh cons.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by Chilly Gentilly

I've come across a vast array of differing opinions regarding SD and LA. I'm curious as to whether or not SD is as boring as some say that it is. The majority of my family lives in LA and I'm tempted to move there, but I hate the idea of horrendous traffic everyday, all day. San Diego seems like a better fit, but coming from New Orleans, I can't live in a boring city.

Thoughts?

I lived in San Diego for 9 years and I never found it boring but I always lived in the central part of SD, within 10-15 miles of downtown in and around the more interesting parts of the city/metro. It has all the amenities you would expect from a metro it's size so I never really got the whole "boring" aspect some people gripe about. If you don't care for the scenery, weather, and outdoor lifestyle SD offers then it might not be worth it or could be boring. New Orleans is a very fun and interesting city but I wouldn’t I’d say there is more to do there than SD, it’s just a different type of lifestyle. One thing that SD lacks in comparison is the character and soul that you find in NOLA, but not many cities compare to begin with. SD will come off as more bland, plenty to do but definitely more bland than NOLA.

[Chilly Gentilly]

Originally Posted by sav858

I lived in San Diego for 9 years and I never found it boring but I always lived in the central part of SD, within 10-15 miles of downtown in and around the more interesting parts of the city/metro. It has all the amenities you would expect from a metro it's size so I never really got the whole "boring" aspect some people gripe about. If you don't care for the scenery, weather, and outdoor lifestyle SD offers then it might not be worth it or could be boring. New Orleans is a very fun and interesting city but I wouldn’t I’d say there is more to do there than SD, it’s just a different type of lifestyle. One thing that SD lacks in comparison is the character and soul that you find in NOLA, but not many cities compare to begin with. SD will come off as more bland, plenty to do but definitely more bland than NOLA.

Ah I see. And another thing I have to consider is that we'd be living in the suburbs. Sounds like your experience in San Diego, because of your proximity to the heart of the city, will be vastly different from mine. Living in Oceanside may not be the coolest thing ever lol. I'm thinking more and more that L.A. will be best because of its energy, entertainment, pockets of urbanity, plus the presence of family support.

But I could be completely incorrect. We plan to visit several times before making a final decision, but right now L.A. is at the top of our list with San Diego barely trailing. I'm wondering does anyone ever get used to the traffic. My cousins all say that you simply figure out a way to navigate through it. Is this true? Is L.A. crowded EVERYWHERE? A part of SD's appeal to me is its less congested.

...I feel bipolar about this

[sav858]

Originally Posted by Chilly Gentilly

Ah I see. And another thing I have to consider is that we'd be living in the suburbs. Sounds like your experience in San Diego, because of your proximity to the heart of the city, will be vastly different from mine. Living in Oceanside may not be the coolest thing ever lol. I'm thinking more and more that L.A. will be best because of its energy, entertainment, pockets of urbanity, plus the presence of family support.

But I could be completely incorrect. We plan to visit several times before making a final decision, but right now L.A. is at the top of our list with San Diego barely trailing. I'm wondering does anyone ever get used to the traffic. My cousins all say that you simply figure out a way to navigate through it. Is this true? Is L.A. crowded EVERYWHERE? A part of SD's appeal to me is its less congested.

...I feel bipolar about this

Personally I probably would never live in Oceanside, too far away from everything and somewhat ghetto with gang issues in some areas. I worked in Carlsbad for 4 years and commuted from 30 miles south dealing with 45-90 minute commutes each way simply because I didn't want to live in North County. Now with a family I might consider North County but nothing north of Carlsbad. Traffic on I-5 can be a pain on weekends during summer so going down to central SD isn't always easy. The beaches in North County are nicer though and water generally tends to be a littler warmer, which I loved.

As for LA, if you want to live within a reasonable distance/time of the interesting, energetic parts of LA it will definitely be crowded and congested imo. Even the outer areas like Ventura County, Santa Clarita, etc..have a ton of freeway traffic to and from LA.

[Hawaii4evr]

I live in inland Oceanside, on Camp Pendleton. It is safe here but only because I am inland and on the base. The downtown is a tad skeychy but not as bad as people say it is. The beaches up here are beautiful and the water usually gets to about 73F up here but southern San Diego has gorgeous beaches too.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by Chilly Gentilly

Sounds pretty similar to the general consensus. Thanks for the response. That's one more nail in the San Diego coffin. Looks like L.A. is the best choice for us.

There is another option: Orange County. It allows you to enjoy LA and SD. It is hard to understate how great it is to be in the center of this area.

[Hawaii4evr]

I disagree. Orange County is nice if you're by the beach or amusement parks but I personally (like a few other people I know) find it rather boring and devoid of culture, other than Laguna's art galleries and such. It is also very expensive and suburban. Even sprawly San Diego gives you more cultural offerings and a sense of urbanity than Orange County.

[LuvSouthOC]

Urbanity, as you've called it, is not the only yardstick for culture. There are countless places on the planet that count among my favorite, and all are not city centers or even urban for that matter. And so-called urbanity can be a very ugly thing, not always hip and wonderful. Look at Baltimore and Philadelphia. Ugh to both.

I suspect too that I am much older than you are and I have had my absolute fill of big cities, most notably NYC, where I have spent a lot of time. Ok, I still have a soft spot for London but I do not need to live in London and rather enjoy a resort lifestyle in sunny California. I do not need to live in the midst of the things that you might be looking for. Resort living does not equal culture.

And you missed my point about location, location, location. I can get to things in LA (where most things happen) or to SD (where a few things happen) fairly easily and all within reasonable range. People in San Diego have a much harder time getting to goings on in LA, be honest. San Diego, a city I love, is rather cut off.

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by Hawaii4evr

I live in inland Oceanside, on Camp Pendleton. It is safe here but only because I am inland and on the base. The downtown is a tad skeychy but not as bad as people say it is. The beaches up here are beautiful and the water usually gets to about 73F up here but southern San Diego has gorgeous beaches too.

Anyone who tells you oside is ghetto, likely has never walked around an actual ghetto.

It is gritty and there are a lot of low life thieves and stew bums, but ghetto is a huge stretch.