San Francisco or San Diego? (San Jose, Riverside: fit in, apartment, crime)

[illini84]

Hi everyone,
I'm currently living in Miami and am sick and tired of the p*ss poor attitude and lazy work ethic here. I think the west coast would better suit my style! It seems more laid-back and they have much better public transit, parks, weather, etc. I'm debating between San Diego and San Francisco. Can anyone give me a little insight on the difference between the two (as far as people and quality of life go)?

[rah]

In short, San Diego has some of the nicest weather you'll ever see. It rarely gets too cold or too hot, and it seems sunny the majority of the time. It's really nice. People and the life style in general are pretty laid back in California through and through, no matter where you are. SD has public transportation, with buses and a trolly downtown. SF has one of the best public transportation systems in the US, with an extensive bus and light rail system, as well as a subway, and BART which covers much of the Bay Area, and Caltrain, whcih goes down to San Jose, not to mention the other bus lines run by neighboring counties. California is expensive, and San Diego is a little less expensive than SF. As far crime goes, SD is overall lower too. Both cities have tons of parkland, beaches nearby (though for beach life, SD wins hands down due to the climate and much warmer water), outdoorsy things to do etc...SF is the bigger of the two, with about 7 million people in the Bay Area vs. 3 million or so in the San Diego area.

[illini84]

Thanks for the info! I love the beach, but is San Diego warm enough to actually swim in the ocean without a wet suit? I'm assuming San Francisco is not since it's further north. I've grown accustomed to the ocean water being warm year-round in Miami and don't want to lose this.

[bigdave01]

You can swim in San Diego, although it is much colder than the east coast, especially Miami. San Francisco waters are very cold, not many people swim. If beaches are really important to you I would recommend San Diego.

San Francisco is much more of an urban city, whereas San Diego is a big beach town.

[krudmonk]

Even with SF's militant liberalism, it's preferable to that big country club down south. San Diego is Orange County consolidated into one city.

[louise77]

The biggest difference between San Francisco and San Diego lies in their cultures. SF is about 100 times more sophisticated and cosmopolitan. If you're coming from Miami, I think you would find SF a lot more appealing--if you can handle the 50 degree temps yearround. There's just no comparison when it comes to arts, entertainment, culture, music, architecture, technology, interest in the environment, though. I'm an SF native but have lived in San Diego almost three and a half years so I know both well.
One of the other big tradeoffs, of course, is SF is far more expensive. Cost of living is about 22 percent higher in San Francisco, according to the most recent data.

San Diego offers perfect weather, and is easier to get around. BUT...it really is a sleepy, suburban town whose culture is dominated by the military, midwesterners and imports from Riverside County. It reminds me of a midwestern city, like a St. Louis or an Oklahoma City in terms of the politics, and tolerance for diversity. Super duper conservative, shallow and pro-development. Also, it's really not as safe as people think. My apartment was burglarized a year after living here and I know others who have had the same experience, and whose cars have been stolen.

[hsw]

OP seemed to want to escape poor work ethic of Miami...would observe that City of SF is one of US' most socialist towns....and has a dubious work ethic and anti-business climate in City itself....admittedly, SF's Pac/PresidioHts are pleasant, upscale suburbs of SV for those who can afford to buy $10MM+ tear-downs w/GGB views and to send their kids to "diverse" ?$25K+/yr pvt schools....

If not for SV, City of SF would merely be a fairly irrelevant, more socialist version of SD (or Miami) w/many low-wage tourism jobs....

SV is one of world's great capitalist meccas, but would differentiate ethos of City of SF from SV....

Always amused when people point out mass transit in SF region....fairly irrelevant when most of the region's high-paying jobs are sprawled out across SV in various office pks (ala OC/Dallas, etc) and when the SF-SV drive is prob one of fastest/most efficient in any major urban region in world.....

[tkindred]

Originally Posted by illini84

Hi everyone,
I'm currently living in Miami and am sick and tired of the p*ss poor attitude and lazy work ethic here. I think the west coast would better suit my style! It seems more laid-back and they have much better public transit, parks, weather, etc. I'm debating between San Diego and San Francisco. Can anyone give me a little insight on the difference between the two (as far as people and quality of life go)?

San Diego is very nice. The people are friendly and it is more laid back. The weather is perfect with a lot of nice beaches. If you can find a good job there I would live there. My sister has lived there for over 15 years and love it. My brother and I live in SF. (My other brother in Santa Barbara.) Also, San Diego is very close to L.A. so if you want to see another city you can head on up there in a matter of a couple of hours.

I like the scenery better in SF but the people in San Diego much more. People make a huge difference. Again, the people in San Diego are very friendly.

[tkindred]

Originally Posted by louise77

The biggest difference between San Francisco and San Diego lies in their cultures. SF is about 100 times more sophisticated and cosmopolitan. If you're coming from Miami, I think you would find SF a lot more appealing--if you can handle the 50 degree temps yearround. There's just no comparison when it comes to arts, entertainment, culture, music, architecture, technology, interest in the environment, though. I'm an SF native but have lived in San Diego almost three and a half years so I know both well.
One of the other big tradeoffs, of course, is SF is far more expensive. Cost of living is about 22 percent higher in San Francisco, according to the most recent data.

San Diego offers perfect weather, and is easier to get around. BUT...it really is a sleepy, suburban town whose culture is dominated by the military, midwesterners and imports from Riverside County. It reminds me of a midwestern city, like a St. Louis or an Oklahoma City in terms of the politics, and tolerance for diversity. Super duper conservative, shallow and pro-development. Also, it's really not as safe as people think. My apartment was burglarized a year after living here and I know others who have had the same experience, and whose cars have been stolen.

I personally think San Francisco has "0" sophistication. They think they do but they do not. They try but they just don't get it. To me all San Francisco has more to offer than San Diego is better scenery, and more of "nothing". Just more A-holes to get in the way while trying to get somewhere. More buildings, more crap without more content. Also, I think SF is more of a place to just visit and San Diego is a better place to live and relax. There might be somewhat more to do in SF but they aren't things you do everyday. It is more for tourist. One and done type of things.

I would take San Diego's "super duper conservative, shallow" people over the people here in SF any day if they are more open minded towards others and nicer. To me SF is "closed minded". They think they are progressive because they are in deferent about homosexuality, drug usage, homelessness, etc. There is actually a large gay community in San Diego but no one cares. So tell me, if the people in San Diego are so "shallow and conservative" why can I meet more people there and develop more meaningful relationships there than in San Francisco?

I remember when I would visit my brother, who used to live in L.A. now in Santa Barbara, would refuse to come with me to SF. His words exactly "there is nothing in SF". A little harsh but I kind of understand what he was saying.

Oh, my apartment was burglarized in Overland Park, Kansas, which is in one of the wealthiest counties in the United States. Burglaries can happen anywhere. I am sure they also happen in SF.

SF is a nice place to live for those who fit in. If you could replace the people and weather in SF with the people and weather in San Diego it would be an awesome place to live. That is how I would sum it up.

[Bluesbabe]

I would recommend San Diego for you if you don't need everything at your fingertips. If you need more "culture" you are not far from the LA area.

Personally, I think you should check into Santa Barbara over San Diego, although I am not familiar with the cost of housing there.