Why woud someone choose SF over LA? (San Francisco, Long Beach: big home, neighborhoods)

[dalparadise]

Originally Posted by kttam186290

- Jobs pay better in SF, but COL is also much higher. So, it's a wash IMO.

*********Agreed on the COL differential, but it's not a direct relationship. I believe there are many more opportunities for a wider range of jobs to pay more in SF than in LA.

- SF actually gets much colder than LA proper. LA stays between 75 and 95 for much of the year. Inland SoCal gets hotter just as Inland Nor Cal gets hotter also. Riverside temps are just as hot as Livermore.


*******Agreed. I prefer the weather in SF. It is cool, but never cold and rarely varies more than 10 degrees morning to night and 20 degrees summer to winter. Perfect, in my book.

- People in SF are more "laid back"? In what sense? A good argument could be made for the opposite. The LA/OC/San Diego corridor is pretty laid back.

*******I personally find the Bay Area to be much more laid back in general, and SF to be more so than LA. I can't imagine how to quantify this, though, so I respect your opinion. I also can't speak to OC and San Diego, as I don't have enough experience with them. They are, however, well known Conservative strongholds in California, which typically means to me that they are not laid back. I'll reserve judgment, though.

- Less crime? Um...I guess if you leave Oakland, Vallejo and Richmond out of the mix...LA is the safest it's been since the 1940s. LA has its crappy areas (south l.a.), sure, but so does SF (tenderloin, hunter's point)

**********I go into the Tenderloin all the time. Great bars and restaurants. Can you say the same about South Central? You are comparing square blocks to square miles. As for the entire Bay Area, I'd be inclined to say they are probably proportionally similar in crime rate.

- People in SF are superficial, just in different ways. They like to show off their degrees, the number of books they've read and what charities they donate to. In LA, superficiality is more materialistic.

*********If you can somehow twist "donating to charities" into being superficial, than I suppose you are right.

My answers above.

[majoun]

SF has much nicer weather than LA. No contest.

[kttam186290]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

There are plenty of 'the gays' down in SoCal too. Hillcrest, WeHo, Palm Springs, etc. For someone who loves LA and SoCal you sure sound ignorant. LOL

You're also forgetting Silverlake, Atwater Village, Laguna Beach, Long Beach and North Hollywood -- all blossoming "gayborhoods" .

[04kL4nD]

Originally Posted by majoun

SF has much nicer weather than LA. No contest.

Eh, depends on where in LA and where in SF.

Originally Posted by kttam186290

You're also forgetting Silverlake, Atwater Village, Laguna Beach, Long Beach and North Hollywood -- all blossoming "gayborhoods" .

Right. I've been to most of them too, just didn't feel like typing all of them out. The first four I mentioned are definitely the most well-known though. In reality the gays don't just hang out in SF. They also live in Oakland, up by the Russian River, midtown Sac, the list goes on and on...

[AnthonyJ34]

Originally Posted by kttam186290

East LA isn't really that bad anymore.

Lincoln Heights is a little rough, though.

Compton has gone from being a majority-black ghetto to a working-class Latino neighborhood now. South Central is in transition from black to Latino too. So is Inglewood. In 10-20 years, there won't be a majority-black neighborhood anywhere in LA.

The black people that moved to Moreno Valley, Rialto, Lancaster and Victorville are starting to move again, this time they are going out-of-state altogether to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta and Charlotte now.

Many blacks are moving out of the LA neighborhoods and moving into some of the inland cities: Moreno Valley, Perris, Hemet. They are also moving into areas like Long Beach, Lakewood, and further out in the high desert in cities like Lancaster and Palmdale. South-Central LA (now called South LA) has many transplants from El Salvador, specifically the area around USC and Hoover and Adams Streets. That area was predominantly black 20 years ago.

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by AnthonyJ34

I may be wrong, but I get the feeling that many of the San Francisco transplants, the newcomers who haven't lived for long in the City, often act as if they are the heartbeat of San Francisco; like the city didn't have an identity, a culture, a history, etc. until they arrived and set up shop. I love San Francisco, and I prefer being around the long-time San Francisco residents as opposed to the newcomer transplants. The long-time residents don't seem (in my experience) as arrogant or cocky as the newcomers.

I agree with you. I think most of the try hard tranplants are exclusively from the south or east coast. Most transplants from St. Paul, Chicago, Cleveland, and the like seem to be fairly tame.

[04kL4nD]

You're a transplant yourself. Albeit, an uppity one from 'Chicaga' who thinks he's better than other transplants.

[kttam186290]

dalparadise:*******I personally find the Bay Area to be much more laid back in general, and SF to be more so than LA. I can't imagine how to quantify this, though, so I respect your opinion. I also can't speak to OC and San Diego, as I don't have enough experience with them. They are, however, well known Conservative strongholds in California, which typically means to me that they are not laid back. I'll reserve judgment, though.

**********dalparadise: I go into the Tenderloin all the time. Great bars and restaurants. Can you say the same about South Central? You are comparing square blocks to square miles. As for the entire Bay Area, I'd be inclined to say they are probably proportionally similar in crime rate.

Thanks for reserving judgment Conservative doesn't equal uptight. Yes, we have more Republicans in So Cal, but most are strictly fiscal conservatives and business-minded and don't really care much re: social issues.

Example, I am Catholic, Republican and have gay family members who also live here in LA near me. I love and support them. I am also pro-choice. My conservatism has more to do with being fiscally conservative and the state getting a better grasp on its finances and not taxing us all to death.

South Central is in transition. Plans are in the works to build a pedestrian mall with shops, restaurants and condos near USC. This wouldn't have even been considered 10-15 years ago.

[dalparadise]

Originally Posted by NorCal Dude

Well to be fair LA is pretty liberal too and had a massive amount of homeless. But it stikes me as a more square town and better for families than SF. I'm pretty sure has a larger percentage of gays than LA. They come to the SF from all over the country.

I fully agree that, unfortunately, LA is a better place for families than SF. The Bay Area as a whole, though, compares favorably to greater Los Angeles in this regard, wouldn't you say?

This has less to do with the percentage of gays than it does with many other factors of the two cities, however, namely the comparative areas and built environment of the cities. SF functions for the larger Bay Area more like central LA. If you drew a 3.5 mile radius around Downtown LA, that wouldn't necessarily be an ideal place for families either.

It's not a perfect analogue, but I think you can see what I'm saying.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by dalparadise

I fully agree that, unfortunately, LA is a better place for families than SF. The Bay Area as a whole, though, compares favorable to greater Los Angeles in this regard, wouldn't you say?

This has less to do with the percentage of gays than it does with many other factors of the two cities, however, namely the comparative areas and built environment of the cities. SF functions for the larger Bay Area more like central LA. If you drew a 3.5 mile radius around Downtown LA, that wouldn't necessarily be an ideal place for families either.

It's not a perfect analogue, but I think you can see what I'm saying.

Disagree. LA is the absolute worst city for families in the entire USA. SF is actually a better place for families, although it is also quite problematic.

There are better places for families around L.A., though. Just like there are much better places for families in the Bay Area than The City.