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Maybe because I am a product of the 60s, but to tell you the truth I don't think residents of San Jose (or the Silicon Valley), or Seattle, care a fig which you choose. If you don't know your budget or your values at this point please stay wherever you are.
Maybe because I am a product of the 60s, but to tell you the truth I don't think residents of San Jose (or the Silicon Valley), or Seattle, care a fig which you choose. If you don't know your budget or your values at this point please stay wherever you are.
I never said they care which one I choose.
I'm trying to gather information from people willing to help, based on a set of criteria, so I can make a more informed decision about where to move. Of course I plan to visit too, but I thought itd be helpful to get peoples thoughts as well, and it has been.
I do know my budget and my values and the more I learn about what these two places have to offer, the better decision I can make.
I vote for Seattle. It's exceptionally beautiful, very friendly and less pretentious than the bay area, neighborhood-oriented, smart, and somewhat more affordable (plus, if you stay in the area for some time and want to buy a house you will probably have a better chance of doing that in the Seattle area than SJ). I understand about your weather concerns. I have found the interminable chilliness of San Francisco to be maddening, and I imagine that Seattle, at certain times of the year, is even worse. Yet you get those amazing summers in Seattle. When you visit you'll probably be hit over the head with the beauty and charm of Seattle - it's almost as amazing as San Francisco, in my opinion - and SJ will, unfortunately, seriously pale in comparison. Plus, keep in mind the advice about the male/female ratio! (assuming youre not gay!)
wanderlust 88, I agree with you, but I'm just talking about who has better downtown and few other things. San Jose has a better downtown for reasons as follow: cleaner, not rundown as Seattle's, compact, safer and more cohesive. The weather in San Jose is milder. San Jose is high tech capital of the world. As for male/female ratio, still more guys than women in Seattle but not as bad as San Jo. The women in Seattle are not really friendly like San Diego and Columbus, Ohio.
I vote for Seattle. It's exceptionally beautiful, very friendly and less pretentious than the bay area, neighborhood-oriented, smart, and somewhat more affordable (plus, if you stay in the area for some time and want to buy a house you will probably have a better chance of doing that in the Seattle area than SJ). I understand about your weather concerns. I have found the interminable chilliness of San Francisco to be maddening, and I imagine that Seattle, at certain times of the year, is even worse. Yet you get those amazing summers in Seattle. When you visit you'll probably be hit over the head with the beauty and charm of Seattle - it's almost as amazing as San Francisco, in my opinion - and SJ will, unfortunately, seriously pale in comparison. Plus, keep in mind the advice about the male/female ratio! (assuming youre not gay!)
Good luck!
This is a tangent but:
Id say overall Seattle's weather is much worse than San Francisco's. First and foremost, in SF you can go 20-30 minutes in any direction and be in some of the best climates in the world. In Seattle, you will not escape the grey, rain, and cold.
Also, in terms of city proper, while Seattle does have better summers, for much of the year SF is a lot nicer. It's sunny most of the time - unlike Seattle, which is grey most of the time- and is much warmer during the late fall, winter, and spring.
It is true that Seattle doesn't get thunderstorms that often. It is usually light rain or mist. The one thing that bothered me though was the overcast weather. I lived on a hill overlooking Seatac and would drive to work in Kent, Washington. Coming down the hill, I would get these fantastic views of Mt. Ranier. The problem though is that I would get this view only a quarter of the time. It would either be cloudy where I was, cloudy at Mt. Ranier, or both.
I found also that I kept thinking spring has arrived (at least according to San Jose standards) only to have another couple of weeks of winter weather (at least according to San Jose standards). This preceded to happen for two more month until summer actually arrived.
If you eliminate the weather though as a consideration, Seattle is better because it is the big city for the Pacific Northwest so it has a lot more cultural things than San Jose. When I was living there though, I considered Vancouver, BC to be much, much nicer than Seattle in all aspects.
For people that like to do outdoor things, people in the northwest will be more likely to go in all conditions. If you postponed activities because of rain, you might never do that activity. People in San Jose can count on nicer weather for much more of the year.
Santa Teresa Hills, I disagree that Seattle has more cultural offerings than San Jose. It's the other way around. Don't sell your former city short. San Jose has 1 million people and Seattle only has 600,000. San Jose has all kinds of cultural attractions, diversity and civic functions. The most important thing is that San Jose has a better downtown, not patchwork and edging like Seattle's. Let's say Pike and 3rd, and I think you would know what I'm talking about.
Santa Teresa Hills, I disagree that Seattle has more cultural offerings than San Jose. It's the other way around. Don't sell your former city short. San Jose has 1 million people and Seattle only has 600,000. San Jose has all kinds of cultural attractions, diversity and civic functions. The most important thing is that San Jose has a better downtown, not patchwork and edging like Seattle's. Let's say Pike and 3rd, and I think you would know what I'm talking about.
Bah! It's a Starbucks! Corporate effluent for the caffeine-tweeker masses. Courtesy of our friends in Seattle.
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