San Francisco, Seattle or Boston (home, living, beaches)

[K-Luv]

Factors that are important to us are -

Weather - preferably not too cold.

--Then Boston is out. But, if it is just a preference and not a requirement...Personally, I find temps in the 40's with a constant drizzle to be more annoying then straight up cold/snow.

Employment opportunities - I work in the Sports/Entertainment industry and my Bf works in Finance.

--Seattle and Boston would both be good for this, but I think that Boston would have the edge on this just for the sheer amount of College ball.


Sport.

--What? Teams? All three, but Boston wins hands down as the most fanatic, plus more college teams as well. Not a good place if you are not a Red Sox or Patriots fan, although you will be okay unless you openly admit to liking the Yankees.


Beautiful beaches.

--I am going to say Boston, although San Francisco's are more easily assessable.

[hillside]

Originally Posted by Laguna044

I just moved here a couple months ago, and its winter. It snows sometimes, but nothing unbearable. I also have found it easy to get into a circle of friends, maybe the poster doesn't make friends easily.

In the end, its all a matter of taste. All are great choices.

Boston is a great city, IMO. I enjoy my time there every time. I would choose Boston because of the wacky SF weather.

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco"

The sunshine is nice, but the cool, cool breeze out there would get annoying. May-September, I want it to be scorching, because for the following months, its going to be freezing. Maybe just a narrow Ohioan view. When you have Summer, pre-Winter, Dead of Winter, and post-Winter, you yearn for a little heat.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by hillside

Boston is a great city, IMO. I enjoy my time there every time. I would choose Boston because of the wacky SF weather.

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco"

The sunshine is nice, but the cool, cool breeze out there would get annoying. May-September, I want it to be scorching, because for the following months, its going to be freezing. Maybe just a narrow Ohioan view. When you have Summer, pre-Winter, Dead of Winter, and post-Winter, you yearn for a little heat.

Summer in San Francisco is divine(well imHo it is-I adore the very cool yet crisp blue sky sundrenched all day). Drive 30 miles out and youve got heat(the daily variance in the bay area ranges from 60 to over 100 on some days-I guess that is a bit wacky-but having the option is oh so priceless). Boston doesnt offer a choice. Its a broken sauna that cant be turned off no matter where you go.

[javaman888]

Originally Posted by Laguna044

I just moved here a couple months ago, and its winter. It snows sometimes, but nothing unbearable. I also have found it easy to get into a circle of friends, maybe the poster doesn't make friends easily.

Do you mean you moved to Boston area recently? If yes, the "circle" issue is something I have heard quite often from other people who moved to Boston area.

I make friends quite easily, and at times our "circle" grew up to 40 people hanging out together (renting houses in the mountains, on the Cape, etc.). My personality, however, differs from the "average" personality of Bostonians in that I favor friendlier people more than the opposite type. While Bostonians cannot be called "unfriendly" outright, the weather, in my opinion, determines the overall mood of the population (yes, the mood changes with the weather). I overheard a student on a train once saying that he is "too moody for California, but fits right in in Boston". That, I think, sums it up pretty well and explains the weather here too - "moody".

Overall, if Boston's weather would be less humid in the summer and warmer in the winter, it could be a very good place to live. The flatter Boston terrain is of course not as picturesque as typical landscapes on the West coast, but really the weather is the main drawback here in Boston. I need to mention that when my wife and I didn't have kids, living in local climate was much more bearable as our immune systems are much stronger than kids' ones, and therefore we rarely got sick with cold or flu, etc. If one has little kids, who pick up infections very easily, the colder/humid environment becomes a breeding environment for infections, and life becomes hell.

[KT13]

I lived in both San Francisco and Seattle, but only visited Boston once during summer, so I have no experience to comment on it. I am also not into sports and can't give you any advice on what city is the best. But between Seattle and San Francisco... that's a really tough one. From what you describe you are probably better off in San Francisco (but more so in the Bay Area based on your weather preferences).

Weather:

Seattle is glorious in summer, you just won't find a place more beautiful, bright (it gets dark after 9pm) and comfortable in terms of temperature. It's never too cold or too hot, it's mostly around 70 degrees getting into 60s during the night and close to 80 during the mid-day with the ever present pleasant breeze. If you like really hot summers where you can walk out of your door in the morning in a summer dress and sandals and not carry even a light a sweater then neither San Francisco nor Seattle would suit you anyway. But Seattle in summer is definitely much more comfortable than San Francisco. In general, Seattle has a HAPPY vibe about it during summer with people smiling and enjoying everything outdoors has to offer. Winters in Seattle are dreary and misty with mostly overcast skies. But there are sunny days in Seattle during winter especially around January, some days are quite nice and clear, but not many of them though. The good thing about Seattle winter is that if you get tired of rain you can always get to the nearest ski slopes (some are just mere 40 min drive away) and enjoy some snow

San Francisco weather (in the city proper) is actually my least favorite thing about the city. I hate San Francisco weather with it's freezing wind, constant fog and temperatures rarely going above 70. There are more sunny days in San Fran than in Seattle overall and climate is definitely milder, but depending on where you live in SF you may not feel much difference... If you live close to the Ocean Beach (Sunset or Richmond areas) your area will be constantly blanketed by a thick fog in summer and you better have a rather warm sweatshirt with you at all times. I used a thin down jacket all year around when I lived there. LOL. Towards downtown the skies are clearer but still, it's never warm, there are a few really warm days when you can wear summer clothes in San Francisco. Bottom line - SF does not really have summer, it's a city of constant fall weather all year round. Some people consider Sep/Oct to be SF summer, this is when there is the most number of sunny warm days. The suburbs of Bay Area get quite warm though and this is the type of weather you may prefer. Some valley areas like Pleasanton/Dublin and San Jose get really hot and uncomfortable IMO.

Beaches:

SF has better beaches - they are truly beautiful and offer varied terrain. Many beaches are within walking distance (again depending on where you live), but unfortunately they are very cold. I rarely can handle SF beach without a thick sweatshirt even during the 'summer time'. SF surfers are tough Forget about swimming in the ocean, maybe there will be a few warm enough days you can manage to get in only if you are used to cold water. I remember only one year (in the mid 90s) when it was unusually hot summer and I went to the beach to lay out, so not all hope is lost.

Seattle is a place of lake-beaches more so than ocean beaches unless you are willing to drive for a while. They are warm and pretty, but because of the large number of boats I am not sure how clean the water is.

Jobs:

Both places offer excellent jobs although I think Bay Area pays a bit better since cost of living is higher. There maybe a better outlook for both of you in Bay Area just because of the sheer concentration of businesses around there and because SF downtown is the financial center of the west coast. Traffic in both areas is horrendous, so choose your place wisely or it can make your life miserable regardless which city you choose.

[gellio_sf]

I have lived in Seattle (5 years) and San Francisco (3 years) and I've been to bost several times. I love all three cities so much, but if weather is a big concern, Boston is out! Like previous posters said, it's frigid in the winter and hot and humid in the summer. I've lived in a climate like that for years (growing up) and you're miserable in the summer and miserable in the winter. Still, Boston is AMAZING!

A previous poster said Seattle is gloomy 11 months out of the year. He/she is dead wrong. As some previous posters have said, Seattle has the most glorious summers. I would agree whole-heartedly. From May-Sept it is never ending sun (often not a cloud in the sky) with temperatures mainly in the 70s and low 80s. Perfect. I miss the Seattle summers a lot. It also doesn't rain as much as you would think. Don't get me wrong - there were times I couldn't remember the last time it wasn't raining, but it's more a drizzle, which was still annoying, but not as bad as a constant downpour.

Overall, I think San Francisco's weather is a lot better than Seattle. Although I would take Seattle's summers over SF's any day, we get that weather Sept-Nov. Those, esp Sept & Oct are really our summer months. What I love about our weather is little temperature variation. The average high during our coldest month (Jan) is 59, while the average high in our warmest month (Sept) is 71. I like that I have a wardrobe I can wear all year. It is MUCH sunnier and drier here than in Seattle. I love when natives complain about the rain. Our summer days are usually warm (at least in my neighborhood), but when the fog rolls in the wind is quite cold. You have to layer here - always. That I don't like, but I am almost never uncomfortable here (too hot or too cold) due to the weather. The same cannot be said of Seattle or Boston. It's definitely A LOT colder in Seattle in the winter than San Francisco.

You should really visit all three places - they are three of my favorite cities.

[theSUBlime]

It's between SF and Boston!

Weather - San Francisco (if you like it moderate), Boston (if you're into that whole 4 seasons jazz)
Employment opportunities - Boston (On a national spectrum they're all in the same just above average group though. Seattle would probably be the best ou of the 3 in this category but it doesn't really fit the other criteria.)
(Sport - Boston)
(Finance - San Francisco)
Beautiful beaches - San Francisco and Boston

[californialove24]

Originally Posted by sweetclimber

I would say that San Francisco area has good beaches, those are better looking than anything in South California. That being said, I would go with SF or Boston definately, tons to do, see, lots of culture. Seattle is rainy 11 months of the year and kind of lacking in the culture department, but it does have some nice scenery!

what are you talking about SoCal has some of the best beaches in america, but if you are talking about less crowded and more scenic beaches then norcal wins hands down.

[DeaconJ]

San Francisco and Seattle have nothing I can think of that comes close to the beaches and beautiful scenery of Cape Cod. Boston would certainly win that contest.

[MinuteMan]

Where's the op? not even a thanks?