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.
I think a big part of that is this forums raw irrational hate of Austin. Even the joker Texans have said “I’m tired of the national attention austin gets”
The skyline of both cities alone would beg to differ. I know, you're being sarcastic.
I can see how people would prefer Sacramento's proximity to Lake Tahoe and San Francisco, but as for the city itself vs. what's close to the city, there's no way Sacramento is on par with Austin.
I've never seen any place as moribund as rural north Carolina. The central valley is heaven compared to that place. Nothing but pig farms, dead tobacco farms, and ponds over there. Go for a visit, it will remind you of Oklahoma, you'll love it.
Central valley isn't as obese as you're making it out to be. And Some of the best athletes come from the central valley. Go check college rosters if you don't believe me. Edit: central valley is the premier hotbed for wrestling in the west. And in just a few years, it will be vying for position as the best wrestling hotspot in the entire country. Wrestling is the toughest high school sport offered, in case you didn't know. Damn, slackers.
Pollution is much improved from just ten years ago, but keep thinking nothing has changed.
You're completely right about the lack of graduates, but thats due to the lack colleges in the area. Edit: Fresno State is the only large 4 yr college in the entire area! Uc merced isn't ready for primetime.
Big Improvements will be coming soon.
Says the guy who thinks Fresno is the greatest city in the world, so great that it's even better than already awesome Sacramento.
Yeah, I know air pollution is declining in Fresno. But air pollution nation wide is declining, and Fresno remains at or near the top.
The skyline of both cities alone would beg to differ. I know, you're being sarcastic.
I can see how people would prefer Sacramento's proximity to Lake Tahoe and San Francisco, but as for the city itself vs. what's close to the city, there's no way Sacramento is on par with Austin.
Why yes, I totally make decisions of where to live and visit based on a skyline. Honestly, what else is there to consider?
Says the guy who thinks Fresno is the greatest city in the world, so great that it's even better than already awesome Sacramento.
Yeah, I know air pollution is declining in Fresno. But air pollution nation wide is declining, and Fresno remains at or near the top.
Saying it's underrated, a decent buy, or has potential =/= saying it's great or the bees knees
You're the one telling people that the deep South is the best spot in America and that it's more scenic than national parks. You're the one being a hyperbolic troll.
one of the reasons why other places have improved air quality is because of increased rainfall, the central valley isn't so lucky, that's why the reduction is impressive
Goodbye, jester, it's time for me to enjoy this perfect spring weather in the central valley. Have fun with your hail storm in Oklahoma. And keep a tab on all the tornados below you in the lovely deep South.
I like Austin more as a city and obviously the general economy is better, but I think there are a number of things that make Sacramento attractive:
- Location: good weather, proximity to beautiful scenery/landscapes and better cities, great road trips and outdoor recreation
- Economy: Ultimately, it depends on the industry you are in. For me, Sacramento is a slightly better bet.
- Politics: Not a dealbreaker, but I'd definitely prefer the State of CA over Texas.
- Closer to family
- Demographics
- Growth: growing up in a booming part of San Diego, I'm well aware of the impact that crazy growth has on infrastructure, schools, etc. I personally do not want to relive that.
- In-state tuition for CA universities; also prefer CA public schools.
I think Austin is more vibrant, but Sac has things going for it too. I'd probably like living in Austin more, even though the better decision would be Sac for my personal situation. Overall, pretty much on par for me in terms of my individual priorities.
I like Austin more as a city and obviously the general economy is better, but I think there are a number of things that make Sacramento attractive:
- Location: good weather, proximity to beautiful scenery/landscapes and better cities, great road trips and outdoor recreation
- Economy: Ultimately, it depends on the industry you are in. For me, Sacramento is a slightly better bet.
- Politics: Not a dealbreaker, but I'd definitely prefer the State of CA over Texas.
- Closer to family
- Demographics
- Growth: growing up in a booming part of San Diego, I'm well aware of the impact that crazy growth has on infrastructure, schools, etc. I personally do not want to relive that.
- In-state tuition for CA universities; also prefer CA public schools.
I think Austin is more vibrant, but Sac has things going for it too. I'd probably like living in Austin more, even though the better decision would be Sac for my personal situation. Overall, pretty much on par for me in terms of my individual priorities.
Points well taken. All of the above make plenty of sense.
But if you're thinking Sacramento has better traffic than Austin... well, they're basically even with San Diego.
Click on the above link, go to "Select A Country" drop-down menu, and select "USA." San Diego, Austin, and Sacramento are all right next to each other. Now you may FEEL that San Diego is less congested with Austin, but I'm taking the hard statistics and facts aggregated from thousands of motorists and analyzed by INRIX rather than the anecdotal experience of any individual motorist.
Austin does have an inadequate expressway (freeway + toll road) system. But Sacramento's expressway system (comprised entirely of freeways) is not any more extensive than Austin's. Hell, even Oklahoma City (1 million less people in the MSA) has a more extensive expressway system than Sacramento.
And another thing: You say you prefer "CA public schools"; you mean CA public universities, right? In terms of K-12, yes, California has some very top schools but they're not in Sacramento. Not sure how Sacramento's K-12 is any better than Austin's K-12.
Click on the above link, go to "Select A Country" drop-down menu, and select "USA." San Diego, Austin, and Sacramento are all right next to each other.
Thanks for sharing- I'm very familiar with Inrix and have used their purchased products. It's a helpful reference, but ultimately just one methodology and, frankly, a poor methodology for comparing San Diego w/ the others.
The methodology places emphasis on inner-city (last mile to CBD) travel times and speeds during peak periods. Frankly, that is a completely irrelevant metric to San Diego because the CBD (downtown) only accounts for 5% of regional employment. So while SD may rank more poorly compared to Austin or Sacramento based on CBD peak hour travel conditions, it ultimately is a completely useless comparison simply because that travel condition does not even apply to 95% of San Diego rush hour commuters.
It's easy to find these rankings online. It's very important to critically analyze the data points and metrics.
Quote:
Now you may FEEL that San Diego is less congested with Austin, but I'm taking the hard statistics and facts aggregated from thousands of motorists and analyzed by INRIX rather than the anecdotal experience of any individual motorist.
As noted above, your "hard statistics and facts" are based on metrics that aren't very insightful, unfortunately. Either way, there is data to support that San Diego metro commutes aren't too bad, especially given how large SD metro is. Census data shows San Diego have the shortest overall commutes of the largest metros. San Diego also seems to perform well in peak hour travel time relative to distance:
Ultimately, my tolerance for traffic in a large region like San Diego (3.4M) is a lot higher than one that is just above 2M.
Quote:
Austin does have an inadequate expressway (freeway + toll road) system. But Sacramento's expressway system (comprised entirely of freeways) is not any more extensive than Austin's. Hell, even Oklahoma City (1 million less people in the MSA) has a more extensive expressway system than Sacramento.
So we're focusing a lot on traffic...but I much prefer commuting by transit (it's actually a requirement for me). I think Sacramento has a slight edge in this regard, although I think Austin has more momentum in improving its system.
Neither hold a candle to San Diego.
Quote:
And another thing: You say you prefer "CA public schools"; you mean CA public universities, right? In terms of K-12, yes, California has some very top schools but they're not in Sacramento. Not sure how Sacramento's K-12 is any better than Austin's K-12.
You can find decent schools in both regions. But I'd rather have California curriculum than Texas curriculum.
Grade school students can take community college classes at basically $0 cost. The caliber of competition amongst CA schoolchildren for the best public universities is much higher. And the school system is more diverse, which matters to my family.
Overall, I find Sac and Austin comparable...with Austin having slightly more appeal to me. I think a lot of these conditions are very neighborhood-specific and I could find what I need in either. Both seem like nice cities to live, but for now they will just be nice cities to visit!
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.
