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San Diego
- Public transportation - good but could be a lot better
- Education - great! UCSD and SDSU are great universities
- Recreational activities - SD has it all lakes, beaches, mountains, canyons, hills etc
- Natural scenery - again everything noted above
- Population (city, MSA, CSA, etc.) much higher population in both city and metro
- Skyline - underrated
- Downtown vibrancy - clean, safe
- Location - beautiful, great topography, close to Mexico and Los Angeles
- Weather - beautiful
- Economy - city spends conservatively I have noticed
- Diversity (people) - hispanics, african americans, asians, and whites make up the area
- Education - I'm giving the edge to SD, but Portland is no slouch.
- Recreational activities - Tie. Depends on what an individual is looking for.
- Natural scenery - Tie again - SD is beautiful as is Portland in different ways.
- Population (city, MSA, CSA, etc.) - SD on its own isn't significantly larger than Portland, but add in TJ and its a much larger area overall.
- Skyline - San Diego. Neither are super impressive, but SD edges PDX here.
- Downtown vibrancy - Portland. I have never found DT San Diego to be that vibrant except for the Gaslamp, which alone is probably more vibrant than most parts of Portland, but in turn I find Portland to be more consistently busy throughout the downtown area.
- Location - Tie again. It's very subjective.
- Weather - San Diego for me.
- Economy - Hmm....I don't think either are powerhouses right now, but SD probably is a bit stronger with the gov't presence.
- Diversity (people) - Most likely San Diego
I think SD is a great city and I would consider living there for a change of pace from the Northwest, but overall I feel that Portland is a better 'city', if that makes any sense. One thing I will say is that the beach cities in the San Diego area contribute a lot to the area that Portland can't really match. I can't vote either way, I'm kind of torn.
Criteria:
- Public transportation
- Education
- Recreational activities
- Natural scenery
- Population (city, MSA, CSA, etc.)
- Skyline
- Downtown vibrancy
- Location
- Weather
- Economy
- Diversity (people)
- anything else you can think up to compare them....
Remember, you don't have to talk about all the criteria, just pick the ones you know and or want to talk about.
Good question since you set many categories instead of just a generic question do you like Portland or San Diego that we so often get?
I know San Diego very well since I have close family in Rancho Penasquitos and visit regularly. I have never been to Portland but have a cousin and his girlfriend living up there and have talked with them a lot about their observations. So here goes:
Public transportation: Portland because I understand it has a pretty decent light rail system and San Diego only as the trolley downtown to the border and Amtrak Surfliner.
Education: Both cities have several universities. I understand that Portland has 7 colleges including the University of Portland [Catholic] & Portland State University. San Diego also has 8 colleges including the University of California at San Diego, the University of San Diego [Catholic] San Diego State University.
Recreational activities: Definitely San Diego for offering every sport to play all year including ocean recreation that Portland does not have since it is 50 miles from the Pacific ocean. Portland is likely much closer to snow skiing since the Cascades are practically in their "back yard" and snow levels are much lower than in Southern California. People in San Diego have to travel at least 1-2 hours to reach ski resorts in the San Bernardino & San Gabriel mountains and another 2 hours to reach the Sierra's. Also San Diego has the desert nearby for hiking and camping plus the water temperature is much warmer for ocean and lake activities. Basically San Diego is a sportsman's paradise.
Natural scenery: I might give the nod to Portland when you see photos of Mt Hood and the many forests that surround the city plus the rivers and lakes. But San Diego is no slouch when it comes to natural scenery also with the bay and gorgeous beaches plus mountains. It is much drier in San Diego so the hillsides are more barren than one would find in Portland.
Population: According to Wikipedia, Portland is the 30th largest city in the US while San Diego is 8th largest; quite a difference and metro San Diego is huge compared to Portland. San Diego is also the 5th wealthiest city in the nation.
Skyline: Probably San Diego for a larger downtown that sits on a beautiful bay.
Downtown vibrancy: Probably Portland though I really don't know other than feedback from family who live there. San Diego tends to shut down early but with the baseball stadium and high-rise apt construction it is becoming more vibrant.
Location: This is very subjective to the individual. Many Californians have moved up into Oregon to escape the urban spread in Southern California but San Diego is a port city and has the largest military presence of any U.S. city so its location is probably viewed as more significant than Portland.
Weather: Unless one likes lots of rainfall and cloudiness common to Portland for at least 6-7 months than San Diego would be the choice. In-fact, most national polls pick San Diego as having the finest weather in the country. Portland average winter maximums range from 46-50F & minimums 37-39F while San Diego is 66F all 3 winter months with lows between 49-52F [so even its night temps are warmer than Portland's day temps]. Summer is quite similar in both Portland [73-79F] and San Diego [72-78F] but night temps are warmer in San Diego [63-67F] compared to Portland [53-58F]. Portland averages around 40 inches of rainfall each year with occasional light snow. San Diego averages less than 10 inches of rainfall which falls between Dec and March and even frost is quite rare.
Economy: I let others answer this because I am too lazy to look it up
Diversity: Ethnic breakdowns: San Diego: 67% white of which 20% are Hispanic, 15% Asian and 7% Black. Portland: 78% white of which 8% are Hispanic, 6% Asian & 6% Black. San Diego obviously is more diverse.
Location: Austin, TX/Chicago, IL/Houston, TX/Washington, DC
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Reputation: 4047
I like San Diego a lot more. But it's one of my top 3 cities, so I cant blame Portland to falling short on my expectations here. Seattle/Tucson/San Diego are my top three, add in Denver then those make my top 4.
As for the economy, San Diego slightly has a better one right now. Though neither have one to brag about though. Seattle, Washington DC, Denver, Raleigh, & Austin are the only ones who can really brag right now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by californio sur
Good question since you set many categories instead of just a generic question do you like Portland or San Diego that we so often get?
- Recreational activities-Both great, San Diego by a nose
- Natural scenery-Both great, San Diego by a nose
- Population (city, MSA, CSA, etc.)-San Diego is bigger, Portland has more density--slight advantage to Portland
- Skyline-Portland
- Downtown vibrancy-both are ok but not great, push
- Location-San Diego
- Weather-San Diego
- Economy-Portland
- Diversity (people)-Portland
- Recreational activities-Both great, San Diego by a nose
- Natural scenery-Both great, San Diego by a nose
- Population (city, MSA, CSA, etc.)-San Diego is bigger, Portland has more density--slight advantage to Portland
- Skyline-Portland
- Downtown vibrancy-both are ok but not great, push
- Location-San Diego
- Weather-San Diego
- Economy-Portland - Diversity (people)-Portland
According to data, San Diego is quite a bit more diverse than Portland. Maybe someone will post photos of Portland's skyline; here are a few of San Diego:
Location: Austin, TX/Chicago, IL/Houston, TX/Washington, DC
10,138 posts, read 16,047,399 times
Reputation: 4047
- Public transportation: Portland, San Diego has an efficient one too.
- Education: San Diego, UCSD > Whatever Portland has got.
- Recreational activities: San Diego, beach, mountains, hiking, swimming, deep water diving, water skiing, whatever works. Portland's no slouch either.
- Natural scenery: Tie, both are good in this aspect.
- Population (city, MSA, CSA, etc.): City- San Diego, MSA- San Diego
- Skyline: San Diego has the better one.
- Downtown vibrancy: Tie.
- Location: San Diego is close to Los Angeles, Portland has Seattle but even then, drive away...
- Weather: San Diego hands down.
- Economy: Both are not doing so hot. But San Diego is slightly better right now.
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