Which city do you like better? San Francisco or San Jose? (Los Angeles: living, restaurants)

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by the topper

San Jose has the second best transportation system in the country, according to Brooking Inst.

Not a chance, according to this San Jose resident.

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by the topper

Outrank every respect? size, population, economy, downtown, weather, and diversity? NO; San Jose is THE CITY, not SF

I'm not sure what your obsession is with comparing SJ to every city in the entire world (as evident by your relentless posts in numerous forums regarding this topic).

I'll go ahead and respond anyways.

I see the entire Bay Area as a cohesive region that just happens to cover an expansive area of land and comprises 9 different counties.

I think it's pointless to put local cities up against each other. Each of the major 3 cities that anchor the Bay Area (San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland) has strengths and weaknesses. You'll find boosters in each of the cities and rightly so.

San Francisco is a great, world class city in my opinion. I grew up in the South Bay but have been going to The City my entire life. It's vibrant and exciting. My personal drawbacks of SF are congestion, parking, crime and the out-of-control homeless situation. Its negative aspects don't negate it as a city though. They are just problems that need to be addressed.

The San Jose area is a major player in the world of high tech and is the epicenter of innovation in California and probably the entire country in many ways. I prefer warmer sunny weather so I MUCH prefer San Jose weather to San Francisco's. I also prefer suburban living as well and I actually like to drive my car.

Many other comparisons of the two cities are completely subjective. I think SF's geographic location is beautiful, although many other cities/towns that surround it have the same thing going for them. I also see the beauty in the San Jose area. I've always thought that the surrounding mountains create great scenery. There are also many beautiful neighborhoods within the city limits. I think that many people who are unfamiliar with SJ are totally unaware of some of the great neighborhoods that are there. SJ is a big city that covers a lot of land area- a lot more than SF actually. It's definitely not a tourist destination, but apart from cost of living and congestion, is a very livable city in many ways.

[the topper]

Originally Posted by nobodysbusiness

san jose is not a real city - just a collection of annoying suburbs, terrible traffic and hot weather in the spring/summer.

sf is awesome

San Jose is an ultimate real city with a true urban core/downtown in the middle and suburban in its outer area. You can choose your picks: a true downtown and urban or enjoy a suburban life in one city, San Jose. SF, you have only one choice: urban with a downtown that snoozes.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by the topper

San Jose is an ultimate real city with a true urban core/downtown in the middle and suburban in its outer area. You can choose your picks: a true downtown and urban or enjoy a suburban life in one city, San Jose. SF, you have only one choice: urban with a downtown that snoozes.

Like I wrote earlier you are comparing apples and oranges.

DTSJ is like the inner neighborhoods of SF in miniature. What takes up several square miles in SF takes up like one square mile in SJ. You keep harping on the sleepy FiDi but I could say the same thing about the one block that has only banks and such, in DTSJ.

The real comparison is DTSJ versus the entirety of inner neighborhoods of SF. SF wins that one hands down.

[the topper]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

Like I wrote earlier you are comparing apples and oranges.

DTSJ is like the inner neighborhoods of SF in miniature. What takes up several square miles in SF takes up like one square mile in SJ. You keep harping on the sleepy FiDi but I could say the same thing about the one block that has only banks and such, in DTSJ.

The real comparison is DTSJ versus the entirety of inner neighborhoods of SF. SF wins that one hands down.

Not really: Santana Row, Willow Glen, Alameda, Downtown Palo Alto, Downtown Mountain View and Dt. Los Gatos, Campbell and Japantown are SJ's inner neighborhoods that are vibrant.

[Synchromesh]

When I moved here from the East Coast about 3.5 years ago I went to look at a room in SJ. It was a small room in a house with 6 more people. When I pulled up to the place there was a bunch of mean-looking guys staring at me from across the street. As I was standing there near my car waiting for the landlord the stares got meaner. After landlord showed up and showed me the place, I asked him about crime. He said crime in that area is no big deal, just one murder last year, right across the street.

That was the day I said to myself I would rather live in Beirut than SJ. Got lucky with a room in SF a short while after and lived here ever since. Richmond District might be on the foggy side but at least my neighbors generally aren't staring me down while packing a piece.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by the topper

Not really: Santana Row, Willow Glen, Alameda, Downtown Palo Alto, Downtown Mountain View and Dt. Los Gatos, Campbell and Japantown are SJ's inner neighborhoods that are vibrant.

Santana Row, Willow Glen, Rose Garden/The Alameda, and Japantown are actually in San Jose. The rest of your list are not. Palo Alto is more in the peninsula orbit rather than Silicon Valley. Also, Santana Row is not so much a neighborhood as it is a platform for ostentatious display and consumption.

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by Synchromesh

When I moved here from the East Coast about 3.5 years ago I went to look at a room in SJ. It was a small room in a house with 6 more people. When I pulled up to the place there was a bunch of mean-looking guys staring at me from across the street. As I was standing there near my car waiting for the landlord the stares got meaner. After landlord showed up and showed me the place, I asked him about crime. He said crime in that area is no big deal, just one murder last year, right across the street.

That was the day I said to myself I would rather live in Beirut than SJ. Got lucky with a room in SF a short while after and lived here ever since. Richmond District might be on the foggy side but at least my neighbors generally aren't staring me down while packing a piece.

You do realize that San Jose covers a HUGE area of land, right? It's close to 4 times the size of San Francisco. You picked a bad neighborhood...that's on you. If you told us which neighborhood you were looking at a room in, I could immediately tell you whether it's a bad part of town or not. San Francisco's crime rate is actually much higher than San Jose's, in case you weren't aware. It's ridiculous to write off an entire city based on your one personal experience and compare it to Beirut, which is completely absurd. I've never been a victim of any sort of serious crime in San Jose and I don't personally know anybody who has either. I spent most of my life there.

[the topper]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

Santana Row, Willow Glen, Rose Garden/The Alameda, and Japantown are actually in San Jose. The rest of your list are not. Palo Alto is more in the peninsula orbit rather than Silicon Valley. Also, Santana Row is not so much a neighborhood as it is a platform for ostentatious display and consumption.

Santa Clara/San Mateo county line south is San Jose orbit

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by the topper

Not really: Santana Row, Willow Glen, Alameda, Downtown Palo Alto, Downtown Mountain View and Dt. Los Gatos, Campbell and Japantown are SJ's inner neighborhoods that are vibrant.

Alameda and Japantown are the only inner neighborhoods on this list.



You refuse to acknowledge that SJ's inner city is simply smaller in area than SF's inner city.

I'm done. Have a fun thread.