Moving to California from Seattle SF or LA? (Los Angeles, San Diego: find a job, school)

[SeattleGuy1]

Before reading note: I have never been to San Francisco, but after talking to people in Seattle 95% seem to recommend SF over LA, and I've been leaning toward moving to SF even though I've never been there before, crazy???

OK this is probably going to be the one of the hardest questions for people to answer and also the most personal. I saw a SF vs. LA and I think a SF vs. Seattle post. But I live in Seattle right now and I think it's just a town, nobody lives downtown and the people just keep to themselves it's hard to meet anyone new as a friend even though I go out a lot. The weather absolutely sucks here for 9 or 10 months out of the year, and I feel it's time for me to move.

People in LA and SF after talking to people in both cities who were either living in Seattle now or just visiting from LA or SF here's what they said more or less:

People from L.A. Said:

People from LA said the weather was very nice, it's a great place to live if you like driving in your car, the people are up front with their fakeness and someone said that in SF they aren't as upfront with their fakeness, lots of great places to eat when you're out.

They generally thought S.F. is a different state (and vice versa), they didn't really think it was anything special nor cared for it, most of them disliked living in L.A. but said they didn't know anywhere better. Most of the people I talked to lived in L.A. because they were being paid well there, and most said they'd probably move somewhere else, which one guy said he would move toward San Diego somewhere on the coast. The L.A. people pointed out that it is cheaper to live than S.F. and people have a everyone to themselves attitude.

People from S.F. Said:

People from S.F. said you should have a college degree if you're going to live in S.F. (which I do). They said that the public transportation system is amazing and you can do without a car (I'm bringing my car and paying monthly parking :-( ). They said that there's parts of S.F. you don't want to live, someone said that in the Mission District crackheads will sleep on your car at night. I heard it's like a small city, built of communities instead of everyone for themselves. That unlike Seattle where we have a few cool communities you guys have like 20, everything is centralized and not spread out so it makes it easy to get to one place to another and the whole city is only 7 square miles.

So this brings me to talking about myself and asking the big question, sorry for the long post BTW.

About myself: I am 27 years old, college graduate with a liberal arts degree and I have a car.

Big Question: Does the economy suck really bad in both L.A. and S.F.? Someone told me their friend moved to S.F. couldn't find a job and had to move back and I've heard from many people that it's hard to get a job in L.A.. I don't want that person to be me, I don't have a job lined up for myself when I get there and I don't have a degree that's really in demand either.

So people of California which place is better RIGHT NOW? Where would you suggest someone from Seattle moving?


Thanks for reading this post and your feedback is really appreciated as this is a really tough decision for me but I've found I really loved talking to people who were from your state.

[jc76]

Hey Seattleguy, I don't know if it's much of a help, but I moved out to L.A. a couple months ago and had to move back because I put out over 40 resume's and called to check on them and followed the proper steps and still could not get a job. It's tough there, it's tough everywhere and when you said you don't have a degree that's in demand it prompted me to reply to tell you it will be very tough, in LA at least. Never been to SF so can't comment.
Good luck, hope I helped a little anyways.

[Adriatica]

I think the best route would be to visit both areas and see which one you like best. Both are great areas, but they do certainly have a different feel to them. Then look for a job in your preferred city and then if you find one, you move. I would NOT move to CA without having a job lined up already--the economy here is bad and unemployment is high. Both SF and LA seem to be pretty equal in terms of unemployment.

Also, both places have a high cost of living, so you'll need to factor that in in your job search.

[sav858]

Seattle is more like SF, so if you want something similar to Seattle except with better weather and a bigger, denser more vibrant city then go with SF. I assume you've been to LA so you can get a sense of what its like.

I can't really say any part of CA is doing better than the other, unemployment is 9.3% here now. I'd assume getting a job will be hard in both places. Depends on what you do though, LA is more entertainment oriented and SF more tech oriented.

[tande1n5]

SF will feel more like Seattle compared to LA, and both cities have the stereotype of not caring for the other too much. They're both tough, type-A, "big-boy" markets, so you might want to get a job lined up and move accordingly.

[jessemh431]

If you like both and you know you like them more than Seattle, it will not really matter where you move. The most important thing is to already have a job lined up. If you get a job in LA, move there. If you get one in SF, move there. If you don't get any, STAY HOME!! Now, say you got a job in both cities: You say you hate the weather in Seattle. Well, SF weather can be pretty similar and LA the complete opposite, so I would say LA for weather. If you don't want to sell you car, I would say LA. The streets of SF are extremely hard to navigate with all the hills and pedestrians. Imagine Manhattan with the steepest hills in a city you can picture and that's SF.

But really, a job is more important. Come back to us when you have a job lined up.

[MtnSurfer]

Bottom before anything else = Visit SF Bay area. And keep in mind that both SF and LA are large cities with suburbs/smaller cities on their outskirts. So it really depends if you like living in a downtown type district or more in a suburb area. What are you really looking for? Think about what you saw in LA that you liked and didn't like.

In SF - East Bay, South Bay, North of the GG bridge and the coastal area are all different and have their own vibe. Plus you have San Jose just to the south.

In LA - West side, East LA, South Bay are totally different with different vibes, ppl, lifestyles as well. And you have OC just to the south.

So think about what would be your ideal area knowing going in that no place is perfect including SF and LA. Then compare them to your ideal.

With regards to weather I am from LA - one the nicer parts (South Bay). But I prefer the weather in the SF/San Jose/Monterey area. *Some* rain is good. Otherwise you get places that are too dry like San Diego which burns like crazy on a regular basis. With less rain you get more smog, haze, etc... The Bay Area has much less annual rain than Seattle. I think it could actually use a bit more. But it is better in that regard than LA. LA is one of the most polluted cities in CA.

It seems like ppl that get burnt out on the PNW go to the other extreme and move to Arizona or places on the other extreme in terms of weather. Why not aim for more of a balance - some rain but not too much?

Derek

[memorytheatre]

From my experience of living in both it is much easier to get a job in Los Angeles than San Francisco. The average person moving to San Francisco seems to be better educated, more disciplined and has a more impressive pedigree in terms of Ivy league level education.

The stereotype moving to LA is trying to get into the entertainment industry, which is not so driven by educational attainment and pedigree. The stereotypical person coming to San Francisco is highly educated, trying to break into the high tech industry or just wants to move to SF because it is the most beautiful and European feeling city in the US.

Of course, that is just a broad generalization.

LA has a much more diverse economy. Honestly, it was my experience that a decent college degree and grasp of the English language is enough to find a good job in LA during more flush times. A masters degree from a recognizable school is the equivalent entry point for SF.

In this economy, finding any good job will be tough. San Francisco has a higher quality-of-life in my opinion, but I loved living in LA during my late twenties and early thirties. I would not move back now however. The traffic and masses of desperate humanity got to be too much. San Francisco is a good bit more expensive though.

[AKgirlinCA]

Screw both of them and pick San Diego - with a job lined up of course

[NewportBorn]

I would definitely say SF, with what your lacking in Seattle, San Francisco will most likely provide...