Moving from LA to San Francisco (cultural differences between NorCal and SoCal?) (San Diego: brokers, home)

[ejm92]

I'm a student just finishing my 4th year within a 5 year architecture program at university.

I was able to land an internship in San Francisco for the summer. I currently reside in Orange County and have called the Orange County/Greater LA area home for my entire life.

Orange County is generally republican (most of my neighbors are socially very conservative). But other than the assuming SF will be more liberal than where I currently live, are there any noticeable social/cultural differences between LA and SF?

Even though I visited SF for 2 days when I had my interview with the firm, I wasn't really there long enough to observe how San Franciscans/people in the bay area talk and what their perspectives are on their own city and on LA.

It would be great to understand if the "community" of SF differs at all from the inhabitants of the LA area (e.g. their perspectives on govt, entertainment, city life, commuting, their regions role/influence within California and the US overall).

Hope my question isn't too vague. Thanks guys

[pch1013]

Don't use "the" to name freeways. It's 101, not "the" 101. And don't giggle when people say "hella."

In SF proper, it's fairly normal not to have a car. So don't be surprised if people ask you whether you have a car, which in LA is like asking whether you eat food or wear clothes.

Politically, SF is a battleground between mainstream Democrats and leftists, most (but not all) of whom are also Democrats. There are extremely heated debates on many issues, but Republicans aren't in the mix at all.

And finally, congratulations on your internship and welcome to SF!

[ccm123]

Generally, you will find that people in SF and in the Bay Area will be more educated and well spoken on matters. Education is prized and rewarded here, much more so than in most parts of Southern California.

You will find materialism here, but in a different way than in Southern California. Less emphasis on the car you drive (important in SoCal), but more emphasis on your educational background, your connections, your job and your skills.

In SoCal, the entertainment industry is dominant, in the Bay Area, technology is the dominant industry sector. Most people here don't care who "Kim Kardashian" is. Mark Zuckerberg or Melissa Meyer are big names to us.

We preface the word "the" in front of specific areas in "the city" (San Francisco), such as "the Mission", or "the Castro",
but never "the Noe Valley", as an example.

Nobody calls San Francisco - "Frisco" or "SFO". It is "the city".

I lived in SoCal for 20 years, know it very well. People here usually don't pull "attitudes" on other people, as they do in some parts of SoCal. it is a much more relaxed place to live than in most parts of SoCal.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

The analogous areas to OC here in the Bay Area are the 680 Corridor and parts of the South Bay. That is more of an apples-to-apples (or in this case, oranges-to-oranges, LOL) comparison. The South Bay is considerably more liberal than OC, the 680 Corridor not so much.

The Bay Area core of SF itself, Oakland and nearby communities compares more with the swath from Pasadena out to West LA via DTLA. And that statement also includes the demographics and politics.

[davdaven]

First of all, my sympathies about Orange County. Have you told LA you're including yourself as part of it? They would be offended.

All kidding aside, well kind of, SF has quite the one-way rivalry with LA. I was born and raised in San Diego (thus the distaste for the OC) and have lived in the Bay Area for 9 years now, ever since I graduated from college, and I find it kind of entertaining. LA loves SF, and SF loves to hate LA.

Other than that, and the fact that SF thinks it has good Mexican food (which it really doesn't unless you look hard), general attitudes are similar. The key difference between SF and LA behavior, in my mind, is that LA obsesses over Hollywood celebrities while SF obsesses over Silicon Valley celebrities. I don't know which is more annoying, but I do know that it is easier to escape Hollywood celebrities in LA than it is Silicon Valley celebrities in SF. "Everybody" like to think they are an actor in LA, but "everybody" is a software engineer in SF. Also, people here use the word hella, which is pretty obnoxious if you think too much about it.

In terms of lifestyle, cars are an afterthought in SF for many. People measure self worth by their ability to avoid Muni rather than by how nice their wheels are. Also, people here aren't as tan. But they are more cultured. The medley of ethnicities and nationalities here puts LA to shame. It's one of the big reasons why I prefer this area.

In terms of suburbs, the far East Bay (Danville, San Ramon, etc.) is comparable to Orange County. SF, Oakland, and Berkeley are more like downtown, Pasadena, and Santa Monica. San Jose is like the San Gabriel Valley. Judge as you wish.

[ejm92]

Thanks guys! I feel these were very insightful and entertaining responses

One thing I did notice during the brief time I was in SF was what they have on their billboards overlooking their roads/fwys.

The content of the ads in SF had lots of gadgets and the the latest phones coming out. When I drive on the fwys around LA (10, 210, 60, 5, 405, etc) I remember seeing lots of ads that have to do with the latest shows that will be coming on TV or movies.

I guess this is another reflection of the prominent industries in both of these cities. Entertainment for LA and Tech for SF.

[ejm92]

Originally Posted by pch1013

Don't use "the" to name freeways. It's 101, not "the" 101. And don't giggle when people say "hella."

In SF proper, it's fairly normal not to have a car. So don't be surprised if people ask you whether you have a car, which in LA is like asking whether you eat food or wear clothes.

Politically, SF is a battleground between mainstream Democrats and leftists, most (but not all) of whom are also Democrats. There are extremely heated debates on many issues, but Republicans aren't in the mix at all.

And finally, congratulations on your internship and welcome to SF!

Thank you very much! I'm really looking forward to starting in a few weeks and getting the experience of a new big city!

[04kL4nD]

The tech stuff is a bit overblown. It's nowhere near as pervasive as the entertainment industry in LA. Yeah, you'll meet tech workers, but there's lots of bankers, health care workers, hospitality workers, etc in SF. In fact, you're more likely to rub elbows with restaurant workers or nurses than techies if you're out and about.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

The tech stuff is a bit overblown. It's nowhere near as pervasive as the entertainment industry in LA. Yeah, you'll meet tech workers, but there's lots of bankers, health care workers, hospitality workers, etc in SF. In fact, you're more likely to rub elbows with restaurant workers or nurses than techies if you're out and about.

True. And there are a lot of university support staff, and ordinary clerical workers, legal aides, stock brokers, transit workers, all the usual stuff. Tech is just a small part of it.

[mini_cute]

Originally Posted by ejm92

Thanks guys! I feel these were very insightful and entertaining responses

One thing I did notice during the brief time I was in SF was what they have on their billboards overlooking their roads/fwys.

The content of the ads in SF had lots of gadgets and the the latest phones coming out. When I drive on the fwys around LA (10, 210, 60, 5, 405, etc) I remember seeing lots of ads that have to do with the latest shows that will be coming on TV or movies.

I guess this is another reflection of the prominent industries in both of these cities. Entertainment for LA and Tech for SF.

Just want to add that in LA there were a lot of Lap Band billboard ads... you could see like 5 in a row. That was before people started dying from it and the company was sued. Didn't evervsee a single Lap Band billboard in the Bay Area, at least not where I drove around.