Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
New to this forum, but wanted to get some advice from people who might be familiar with both cities.
Currently living on the East Coast, Ive been lucky enough (considering the current job climate) to recieve a job offer in both Seattle and San Jose. The offers and positions are comparable (San Jose job is a little higher but I know COL is higher there too), so Im trying to figure out which city would work better for me. Let me start off by saying that I'm interested in San Jose itself, not San Francisco or other Bay Area cities - except maybe the ones that directly border San Jose.
Anyway, I'm single and in my late 20's, and the factors that I care about are the usual suspects. I want to live in a walkable area with good restaurants and bars, good ethnic food, music scene, quality grocery stores, decent public transportation, an area that is vibrant, etc. How would downtown San Jose compare to downtown Seattle? The weather seems way better in SJ and that is a factor to me as well.
If the difference in the employment package is a somewhat higher salary in San Jose choose Seattle, hands down. The ONLY reason to choose San Jose would be more employment opportunities in high tech.
The cost of housing in the Silicon Valley is stunning.
Seattle may have a better downtown because everything is concentrated there. With San Jose you get the same things you are seeking plus alot more if you have a car. You get San Francisco, Santa Cruz etc. One of the reasons why housing is more expensive in San Jose are all these choices and the weather. Seattle is a nice city to visit but dont know if I could live there with all the rainy gloomy weather that they have.
Serious about what? People use that phrase all the time - it describes a very specific thing. I myself am half-Korean, and would never take offense to someone using it.
Anyway, appreciate the input so far! Any other thoughts? To those who say Seattle is better, what are the reasons?
How does the nightlife in the two cities compare? Restaurants? Parks? Walkability?
Thanks!
PS - I should also add that the reason Im not interested in living in SF is I want to live close to my work - I hate long commutes! Both jobs are in their respective cities' downtowns. I take the proximity to San Francisco into consideration, but for this thread Im only interested in comparing San Jose to Seattle.
Last edited by WestCoastBound123; 02-11-2011 at 12:57 PM..
Keep this in mind about San Jose: it was, is, and always will be, a boring, family-friendly, 8am - 8 pm everyday at work, city. I grew up in San Jose and my folks still live there. There really isn't a whole lot to do for younger people. Sure, SF, Santa Cruz, etc, are close by, but realize that they're an hour's drive depending on where in SJ you are. Traffic is terrible as well.
Seattle has many more entertainment options for the younger crowd. It does have it's share of gloomy weather, though, but if you're moving there from a city that experiences snowstorms, trust me, weather won't be a huge issue. Summer, Fall, late Spring are absolutely unrivaled there. And this comes from a guy who travels for recreation almost every single weekend.
If you're comfortable with the fact that SJ is a sleepy town that's incredible expensive and boring, but unbeatable entertainment options are 1 hour away, and that has greater career opportunities, take SJ. If you're looking for a town that's more affordable, fun, and has entertainment options built-in, with less career advancement opportunities, take Seattle.
Keep this in mind about San Jose: it was, is, and always will be, a boring, family-friendly, 8am - 8 pm everyday at work, city. I grew up in San Jose and my folks still live there. There really isn't a whole lot to do for younger people. Sure, SF, Santa Cruz, etc, are close by, but realize that they're an hour's drive depending on where in SJ you are. Traffic is terrible as well.
Seattle has many more entertainment options for the younger crowd. It does have it's share of gloomy weather, though, but if you're moving there from a city that experiences snowstorms, trust me, weather won't be a huge issue. Summer, Fall, late Spring are absolutely unrivaled there. And this comes from a guy who travels for recreation almost every single weekend.
If you're comfortable with the fact that SJ is a sleepy town that's incredible expensive and boring, but unbeatable entertainment options are 1 hour away, and that has greater career opportunities, take SJ. If you're looking for a town that's more affordable, fun, and has entertainment options built-in, with less career advancement opportunities, take Seattle.
Keep this in mind about San Jose: it was, is, and always will be, a boring, family-friendly, 8am - 8 pm everyday at work, city. I grew up in San Jose and my folks still live there. There really isn't a whole lot to do for younger people. Sure, SF, Santa Cruz, etc, are close by, but realize that they're an hour's drive depending on where in SJ you are. Traffic is terrible as well.
Seattle has many more entertainment options for the younger crowd. It does have it's share of gloomy weather, though, but if you're moving there from a city that experiences snowstorms, trust me, weather won't be a huge issue. Summer, Fall, late Spring are absolutely unrivaled there. And this comes from a guy who travels for recreation almost every single weekend.
If you're comfortable with the fact that SJ is a sleepy town that's incredible expensive and boring, but unbeatable entertainment options are 1 hour away, and that has greater career opportunities, take SJ. If you're looking for a town that's more affordable, fun, and has entertainment options built-in, with less career advancement opportunities, take Seattle.
Thanks for that! But what about downtown San Jose? From my internet research, it appears that there's a pretty good array of bars, clubs, restaurants, and shops there.
Also, is Seattle more walkable, or are they pretty similar in that regard outside of downtown?
Why wouldn't someone be serious about wanting good ethnic food?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
