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Well one city has about 3 million people, and the other city has less than 1.5 million people, so it's not the best comparison.
San Diego's nightlife is probably a lot better than Jacksonville's, given its size, but Jax definitely holds its own (anyone can enjoy either city there).
San Diego's downtown is light years ahead of Jacksonville's. There is no comparison. What downtown Jax does have is a river running through it, beautiful bridges that are lit up at night, and a riverwalk on both sides. I think it's a cooler waterfront setting than San Diego, but there is no denying that San Diego has an actual "downtown" and Jacksonville has a large CBD with a few residential buildings scattered about.
The economies of both cities are similarly dismal, but better than average for their states. San Diego and Jacksonville actually have relatively similar economies, and both are large military towns, which keeps things stable. I would expect Jacksonville to dig out of its hole sooner than San Diego, though.
Culture? Both cities are reflective of being military towns with lots of transplants. Neither has an overwhelming homegrown "culture," but due to diverse populations, lots of history (with the Spanish in particular for both cities), and because each city is in a growing/large state, there are bastions of random cultures throughout each city. You can see a symphony, ballet, theater, music performance, or poetry reading in either town.
Food? Hmmm...I don't know SD food. I like Jacksonville's food. Jacksonville has decent fine dining for a city its size, but it also has tons of good/fresh seafood, lots of Arab food/Arab run delis, and lots of ethnic food for a city its size. I imagine SD is similar with a more Mexican approach.
Politics? Both cities are actually fairly conservative, being family/military towns. Both cities have more registered Democrats than Republicans, but both metros swing Red, usually.
Overall living? I don't get it. Lifestyles are similar, but different. Both cities are very laid back. Both cities have abundant sunshine and palm trees (even more in San Diego being SoCal and all). Both cities have tons of beaches. Both cities have older neighborhoods, though I would much prefer the older neighborhoods in Jacksonville. Both cities have beautiful coastal resort/retirement towns (LaJolla in San Diego, Ponte Vedra in Jacksonville). It could come down to cost of living, and Jacksonville's COL is probably half that of SD's.
Beaches? San Diego has more heavily used beaches with oceanfront parks whereas Jacksonville's beaches are a little more private and fronted by houses and condos. I personally would prefer less crowded beaches and warmer water (*much* warmer water), so I'll take Jacksonville's beaches.
Weather? Jacksonville has FL/subtropical weather with winters that can have cold snaps and San Diego has year round moderate, pleasant CA temps with no humidity.
I think San Diego takes the cake here.
Crime? I've only seen SD crime on Gangland, a Discovery Channel show. Seems to have lots of gangs, but then again Jacksonville is the murder capital of FL (by per capita only). I'm sure both cities have their fair share, but I'm sure it's easy to escape the crime in both cities.
Neighborhoods? I'm very partial to Jacksonville. I love old, grid neighborhoods with lots of northern influence from the 1920s, and Jacksonville is full of those. I think living in La Jolla would be interesting, but it may be the only place I would live in SD, and I can't afford it. I'll take Jacksonville's (plus, while packed in like a rat in many of the suburbs of Jax, you are less packed in than in SD).
Shopping? I'm sure San Diego takes the cake here. Duh. When you have 3 million people in SoCal, you're going to have good shopping!
Outdoor Activities? Probably a complete toss up. Both cities have numerous beaches. San Diego has mountainous areas to hike while Jacksonville has coastal state parks good for kayaking. I'm sure biking in both cities is great, and obviously running is great with warm air and abundant sunshine.
Sports? San Diego, duh. What, 4 professional sports teams? Jax only has the Jaguars and a few semi-professional leagues in arena football, basketball, hockey, AA baseball, etc. Jacksonville is home to golf (PGA) and tennis (ATP), but it's not the same. Both cities have numerous golf courses and tennis courts, but I would put golf and tennis in Jacksonville ahead of San Diego.
San Diego: 5
Jacksonville: 4
Toss Up: 5
I guess overall, if each category were equally weighted, then San Diego takes it by a hair. I'd say both cities offer similar qualities, but San Diego is obviously much larger.
^San Diego is the 8th safest city in America. Those "gangs" are in only the south part of San Diego and it's nothing compared to many many other cities with crime.
Crime? I've only seen SD crime on Gangland, a Discovery Channel show. Seems to have lots of gangs, but then again Jacksonville is the murder capital of FL (by per capita only). I'm sure both cities have their fair share, but I'm sure it's easy to escape the crime in both cities.
Here is what I said. Fair and balanced. Saying that in both cities crime is probably not much of an issue and is probably isolated to certain areas.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BacktoBlue
^San Diego is the 8th safest city in America. Those "gangs" are in only the south part of San Diego and it's nothing compared to many many other cities with crime.
Here is what you said in response as if I had just said that crime in SD was so awful. And link? I believe you (maybe?), but you can't just throw out that number that SD is the "8th safest" city in the country.
Besides, I pulled for SD in the end, *even though Jacksonville is my home town.* I guess you somehow thought I was giving out false info/dumping on your city? I'm tired of people on C-D misconstruing other people's posts or not even reading other people's posts before commenting on them.
Here is what I said. Fair and balanced. Saying that in both cities crime is probably not much of an issue and is probably isolated to certain areas.
Here is what you said in response as if I had just said that crime in SD was so awful. And link? I believe you (maybe?), but you can't just throw out that number that SD is the "8th safest" city in the country.
Besides, I pulled for SD in the end, *even though Jacksonville is my home town.* I guess you somehow thought I was giving out false info/dumping on your city? I'm tired of people on C-D misconstruing other people's posts or not even reading other people's posts before commenting on them.
I am sorry if you took it that way. I get tired of people giving false info about SD on here and so I get sensitive, I'll admit. SD has some trolls and people who just go off on it for no apparent reason so i wanted to make it clear that it is one of the safer cities.
What's nice about San Diego is pretty much the entire city/county feels safe. I can only think of a few areas that I would not go to after dark, and none that I would not feel safe in during daylight hours.
I have yet to go to Jacksonville so I can't really make a comparison, but since there are Navy bases there I might be stationed there someday. I have lived in San Diego for nearly 10 years. Based on what I know, San Diego wins overall. What gives San Diego the edge is scenery (mountains in addition to beaches), milder climate, better public transit options (although I think Jax is proposing light rail, but not sure if it will catch up the SD Trolley level), lower crime rate, and more things to do. Jacksonville might have an edge with a lower cost of living, less crowds, and Southern culture (which can be good and bad). Those pics of Jacksonville look cool though, especially that bridge. The Coronado bridge is just a high road with no character (although it looks nice when it is lit up at night).
I have yet to go to Jacksonville so I can't really make a comparison, but since there are Navy bases there I might be stationed there someday. I have lived in San Diego for nearly 10 years. Based on what I know, San Diego wins overall. What gives San Diego the edge is scenery (mountains in addition to beaches), milder climate, better public transit options (although I think Jax is proposing light rail, but not sure if it will catch up the SD Trolley level), lower crime rate, and more things to do. Jacksonville might have an edge with a lower cost of living, less crowds, and Southern culture (which can be good and bad). Those pics of Jacksonville look cool though, especially that bridge. The Coronado bridge is just a high road with no character (although it looks nice when it is lit up at night).
The angles are a bit off and not showing you the full picture making it look better than it is.
JAX DT is completely dead in comparison to SD.
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