Recent college grad: San Francisco or Seattle? (best neighborhoods, how much)

[centralparkwest]

Hello everyone,

I am graduating in May of 2008 from college and am faced with the choice of choosing a job in San Francisco or Seattle. I would greatly appreciate any advice/knowledge you can give me. I've lived in the midwest my entire life. I love to travel, and I have this great urge to move somewhere besides Chicago to explore different areas of the country.

Keep in mind, this will be my first full-time job, and the company hasn't stated my exact salary. However, they said they do keep in mind that San Francisco has a higher cost of living and will adjust my salary if I so choose this city (but I'm not sure by how much).

Now, all i need to do is pick a location!

HELP!

[jwb123]

I had this same question (sort of), down in the Austin forum, but the person had a family - so I said Austin. My comments to her were, if she was single and could afford it - choose San Francisco...

So, since you are a recent grad, will have a job that could likely place you in SF nicely - TAKE IT. An opportunity to get to San Fran, if you can afford it and are still young without lot of complications and responsibility should not be ignored!!

You can always go to Seattle from San Fran, but it would be harder to get into San Fran after going elsewhere.

[JTC]

Hmmm....i've never been to San Francisco, so i couldnt really compare it to Seattle, but i think you'd like it here in Seattle. It seems most people who come here love it, so im sure you would too Just make sure your okay with rain (it really doesnt rain as much as some people say it does though) and grey clouds (its not ALWAYS cloudy). If your okay with both of those, im sure you'd have a great time If you do choose Seattle, some of the best neighborhoods are Queen Anne, Lower Queen Anne, Ballard, Magnolia, and a few others. A little pricey though. Especially Queen Anne, or Magnolia. Hope I helped atleast a little! LOL.

[lucky_bamboo]

If I were a young person fresh out of school, I would pick San Francisco, especially if the cost of living adjustment my company gave me actually compensated for the difference between the two cities (which it may not). Seattle is more affordable, but SF has so much more to offer. The nightlife, the culture and arts, the restaurants, the public parks, the public transportation, etc, etc, are so great in SF that Seattle doesn’t come close. I’m not knocking Seattle – I like it a lot, it’s just a smaller city and has a slower pace – not what I was looking for in my early 20’s. I think that if you’re looking to settle down, start a family, etc, Seattle might be a more suitable pick if you’re looking for affordability. It’s easier to raise a family here, although it’s getting more expensive all the time. Also, if you are big time into the outdoors (hiking, camping, skiing, etc) that type of lifestyle may be a bit more accessible in Seattle. Not that it doesn’t exist in CA, but you just have to drive out a bit farther from the city to get it.

So it comes down to what you like to do. When I was fresh out of college I liked to eat out, go clubbing and to bars, go to museums and parks, and travel. I think that San Francisco has more to offer in all of those categories.

[godsraider]

san francisco is overrated! I am a native,I know.Dirty streets,bums all over,Unfriendly people,Wierdos,very expensive to live,yuppies all over. On the plus side,good weather,Good sights,Alcatraz,the golden gate bridge,the bay in general,easy to get around in.If you are into chinese or mexican food,your in luck,lots of chinese and mexican restaurants here.

[VeronikaW]

Originally Posted by lucky_bamboo

If I were a young person fresh out of school, I would pick San Francisco, especially if the cost of living adjustment my company gave me actually compensated for the difference between the two cities (which it may not). Seattle is more affordable, but SF has so much more to offer. The nightlife, the culture and arts, the restaurants, the public parks, the public transportation, etc, etc, are so great in SF that Seattle doesn’t come close. I’m not knocking Seattle – I like it a lot, it’s just a smaller city and has a slower pace – not what I was looking for in my early 20’s. I think that if you’re looking to settle down, start a family, etc, Seattle might be a more suitable pick if you’re looking for affordability. It’s easier to raise a family here, although it’s getting more expensive all the time. Also, if you are big time into the outdoors (hiking, camping, skiing, etc) that type of lifestyle may be a bit more accessible in Seattle. Not that it doesn’t exist in CA, but you just have to drive out a bit farther from the city to get it.

So it comes down to what you like to do. When I was fresh out of college I liked to eat out, go clubbing and to bars, go to museums and parks, and travel. I think that San Francisco has more to offer in all of those categories.

I agree. I've lived in both places (San Fran when I was in your situation), and I would chose it again and again over Seattle, especially at your age. If you're into the outdoors, the good hiking isn't really more than maybe 30 minutes outside of San Francisco, so it's not a huge drive you'd have to make for the outdoors. I hiked tons when I lived there (almost every weekend for a while).

Good luck!

V. =)

[seattlerain]

Considering that the OP posted the original message in September 2007 and has not posted since I think it is a mute point.

However, having said that a lot would depend on your interests, etc.

Personally, as much as I like SF, I would never choose to live there again. Sure, it has a lot to offer...but Seattle does too.

[Jennibc]

Whenever these resurrected posts appear, I'm left wondering what the OP decided and if he or she found this board helpful. In other words, if the city she chose met her expectations based on what she learned via City-Data. Are you out there OP? Did you choose Seattle or SF?