Portland OR, or San Diego? (living, cost, state, better)

[pluviophile]

I'm an 18 year old college student from London, UK. Anyway, I am looking into moving to the US when I'm 19, and I am not sure where to move to. I've narrowed it down to Portland (Oregon) and San Diego. The main things I'm looking at are:
-Cost of living
-Employment rate - Is getting a job easy here?
-Universities
-Nice atmosphere

I have US citizenship, so I don't need a visa. I am planning on going to University in the US and taking Law or Criminology (I want to work in Law Enforcement). I don't have a great deal of money, and I'd need to set a job and apartment before moving to the US. I have a relative in San Diego, but from what I've read, Portland seems like a great city. Any opinions/thoughts?

[TheCityTheBridge]

Originally Posted by pluviophile

I'm an 18 year old college student from London, UK. Anyway, I am looking into moving to the US when I'm 19, and I am not sure where to move to. I've narrowed it down to Portland (Oregon) and San Diego. The main things I'm looking at are:
-Cost of living
-Employment rate - Is getting a job easy here?
-Universities
-Nice atmosphere

I have US citizenship, so I don't need a visa. I am planning on going to University in the US and taking Law or Criminology (I want to work in Law Enforcement). I don't have a great deal of money, and I'd need to set a job and apartment before moving to the US. I have a relative in San Diego, but from what I've read, Portland seems like a great city. Any opinions/thoughts?

COL: Portland is significantly lower. San Diego is low for coastal California, but it is expensive by ordinary standards. If you can live with your relative in San Diego, that could ameliorate the housing cost, which is the most expensive piece of the COL. In Portland, you could find an apartment on a bus/MAX line for around $1,000/month--less if you go further out.

Employment: Portland has unemployment at 7% right now. San Diego is at 7.4%.

Universities: Portland has Reed College, Portland State, Lewis & Clark, and University of Portland. Reed is an elite liberal arts college with a very open social atmosphere. It is within the city proper of Portland. Lewis & Clark is a small liberal arts university on the outskirts of Portland. Portland State is a public university in the city center. University of Portland is a catholic university on the north side of Portland. In San Diego, you have UCSD, SD State, USD, and some others. Which city's schools are better depends on what you are looking for and what you can get into.

Atmosphere:
Portland is outdoorsy and strange. The weather is cool and wet most of the year. The city center is very walkable, and the city as a whole is very bike-able. Transit is good for a western US city. There are lots of bars and restaurants. There are major cultural changes underway right now. For many years Portland was largely a locals' city. Many young people are moving there now for the relatively low cost of living in conjunction with urban living, the nearby outdoor activities, and the city's "cool" factor. There is some tension between the old and the new residents.

San Diego is really two atmospheres: the beach towns and downtown. Downtown SD is full of bars and restaurants, and is a fairly compact urban environment. There are a series of beach towns north of downtown that are suburbs, but functionally a key and distinct part of SD's culture. The weather in SD is typically warm and sunny with cool nights. The beach towns have a laid-back, low-key culture, while SD downtown is full of tourists and military. SD also borders Tijuana, Mexico, and many residents will go to "TJ" to party for a night or a weekend.

Overall: These two cities are almost polar opposites. They are so different that they cannot really be compared to one another. If one of them fits you, the other likely will not.

[mhans123]

TheCityTheBridge basically summed it up. I do think that San Diego certainly takes the cake as far as universities (and subjectively speaking the weather) go. But it would definitely be easier to get around without a car in Portland (I'm sure there's probably a lot red tape around getting a license as a foreigner). And yes, having family in San Diego would seem like it would definitely help. Ultimately you must decide which offers the lifestyle you want.

[West Coast Republican]

The Cost of Living in San Diego, and California as a whole, is much more expensive than anywhere in Oregon. However there are more jobs and more opportunities in San Diego than Portland, and the jobs pay more in California to compensate for the expensive housing costs. San Diego is also a FAR bigger city than Portland.

There are Universities in both cities, so I would give that a tie.

Nice atmosphere? Subjective really. Depends on what you want. Both places have their nice points to them. But there also very different. Portland is a hippie town and is pretty laid back, San Diego has a lot more hustle and bustle. Portland weather is colder and has a lotof rrainy gray days, San Diego has warmer and drier weather with lots of sun. Both have beautiful scenery and mountain views, Portland is very green whereas San Diego has a lot more brown and desert. Both have a lot of outdoor activities.. San Diego has beaches, Portland does not. Portland is a much cleaner city, San Diego has a lot of smog.

There is a lot of give and take in both places. It depends on your own personal preference. Me personally I prefer San Diego, I'm a city slicker and I hate the gloomy weather in Oregon. But I would choose to live in Portland only because I would be closer to family. Most of my family lives in Oregon and the Bay Area in California, and San Diego is REALLY far from them.