San Francisco vs LA (Los Angeles, San Diego: apartment, neighborhoods, income)

[Chi-City Kanye]

Where would u rather live San Francisco or Los Angeles and Why?

[jbunniii]

I've lived in both and personally would lean toward San Francisco because (1) it's a nice compact city and I like walking and bicycling and (2) I prefer the cool, foggy weather. Oh yeah, and it has more bookshops.

On the other hand, San Francisco can feel pretty small and provincial compared with LA. It has a lot going on *for its size*, but LA is much bigger and more diverse in just about every conceivable way.

They're both great cities but it's really an apples vs. oranges comparison. They are about as dissimilar as any two American cities can be.

[matt345]

LA has an amazing amount of things to do, extremely diverse neighborhoods, and it's probably one of the best located cities on the West Coast (2 hours to San Diego, 4 hours to Vegas, 1 hour to Santa Barbara, etc.).

That being said, I prefer San Francisco. It's a gorgeous city with excellent architecture, whereas large portions of LA can be quite run down and ugly looking with all those bland 1950's-era apartment buildings. Also, I very much prefer walking cities where you can take public transportation.

[Sassberto]

Think of SF to LA's as Boston to NYC. LA is the big city, the important city, but SF is the nicer city, the better city to live in.

[Chava61]

When I had a choice of SF or L.A. I chose SF.

[Wendy97]

IN? SF.

But I would never live in a big city. So if I had to choose between living NEXT to one of the two, LA, in a heartbeat. That's because LA has a LOT more to do.

[somedaynow]

superqtip, that's really interesting. I'm from Boston, considering a move to LA. I have had people compare SF to Boston, and since I'm looking for a change, I am leaning towards LA (sight unseen, but am planning scouting trips over the next year to figure things out). Living *next* to LA, where do you like?

[Wendy97]

Well, I love the northern most part of LA County... like Westlake Village and Agoura Hills are very nice. =)

[Bunjee]

I've lived in both and have ties to both (born in SF, raised in LA, lived in SF and Bay Area about a decade and a half, as I've mentioned elsewhere). SF, if you have the income of course, is a very easy town to live in. Because of its size its amenities are pretty much at-hand. Who can hate that? OTOH, LA is not so easy. The difficult distances, multiple neighborhoods, cultures, subcultures--it is a city where you have to know or find your own center, much like any big city but with other peculiarities like {{{{THE INDUSTRY}}}} with its harbors and minions. Luckily, it always having been home, that's never been a problem for me.

Intelligent people aren't supposed to like LA. Cultured people are supposed to hate LA and adore SF. I've never been a joiner so this very well may be my own contrary nature, but I've always felt there was more vitality here than in San Francisco. In fact, many of the most intelligent, funny, charismatic, down-to-earth people I know in SF are the ones originally from LA. I also tend more to the left myself but I found the liberalism almost stifling, like living in a ditto-head bubble that did not serve my aforementioned contrary nature, even as I substantially agreed on many issues. And with that I have to say finally that although I do love San Francisco, the one thing I despise about it is that preening sense of itself. I love you San Francisco, but that's just so distasteful, enough that it by itself makes me prefer Los Angeles, actually, with all its flaws.

[uptown_urbanist]

Bunjee, I agree with you. I love San Francisco, but the smug attitude so often found there can be annoying. I found that in LA people were usually more than willing to admit that they really enjoyed both cities, while in SF it's so often the trendy thing to hate LA. People are certainly entitled to their opinions, and can hate LA all they want, but it drives me batty when it's for bogus reasons like "there's no public transportation" or "there's no culture" or "everyone is so materialistic" (and SF's not?!?). I love both cities, but am rather shocked to find that I, a dedicated "city" person, prefer LA. It's bigger, does seem like it has more vitality, and takes itself less seriously.

Both cities are pretty fabulous, though, which is why I never can understand why so many people (or at least those in SF) think you are somehow required to hate LA if you love SF. There's no rule saying you can't like both.