Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What's so unique about Los Angeles is that we can define it as a city or county at the same time.Everything from Beverly Hills to Santa Monica to Pasadena is still L.A to the core,even though it's not city proper.
I've stated plenty of times that L.A as a county is better than the 5 boroughs of New York, which ironically are 5 counties combined as 1 city. That's why it's so tricky to compare both places to anywhere else let alone to each other.
In my opinion California blows New York and any other state out of the water.NYC is the bread winner of course but L.A is still located within a state that has San Francisco & San Diego.That's hard to beat !!
What makes a city great is also the state it's located in along with the surrounding cities.
Examples ,
Las Vegas & Atlanta are great cities but their states aren't top tier at all.
Philadelphia for what it's worth is a top 5 U.S city and that's a great accomplishment considering how many cities we have in America. But there's levels to this game like everything else in life.
The levels are NY & L.A ] Too big & powerful for any other cities to compete against unless it's London,Paris,etc
This is a comparison that is clearly a matter of taste, that it is completely subjective. The two cities are quite different and appeal to different types of people.
If you prefer to be in a city with a word class entertainment industry, a huge tech industry, access to beaches with some of the best surfing, year-round "mild" weather, access to all of California's natural beauty, do not mind driving everywhere (admittedly, LA is improving its infrastructure, but let's not pretend there is no need for a care in LA) and a "California pace of life," then LA may be for you.
If you prefer the country's most historic city, with traditional urbanity, good public transportation, museums and historic architecture and sites, easy access to other East coast cities, stellar downtown, true four seasons, to get a huge bang for your buck (the cost of living relative to city amenities) and you prefer an "East Coast pace of life," then Philadelphia may be for you.
I personally highly prefer Philadelphia. I just worked in New Mexico the last two years and had the chance to visit the whole West Coast in that time. While I understand the attraction of the natural beauty and the opportunities West Coast cities present many people, I am happy to only visit. I find the vibe of the West Coast oddly unsettling. I personally think LA still has huge strides to make in its public transit, and I do not believe its built urban environment would ever appeal to me personally. To each their own, they say!
I prefer the uniqness of Los Angeles over traditional Philadelphia. I do have a car but I definitely use LA's growing subway and lightrail system. The Expo Line has already matched its ridership years ahead. I also like that you can live in dense urban areas, in the hills, near the ocean, or in suburban areas. I prefer it's diverse population which means great food from around the world. I love seeing concerts under the stars year around at the Hollywood Bowl in its beautiful natural setting in the heart of the city. I use my car to drive to the many hiking trails, many up in the Santa Monica Mountains. The drives aren't far at all, buses and trains don't go to these places. But the nature, views and vista are truly breathtaking and there are so many hiking trails around. We have 4 seasons, just not as extreme as the east coast. I thought I would miss the fall foliage but honestly I don't. And being minutes from the beach is a true plus. Los Angeles is far from traditional but that's what I like.
I prefer the uniqness of Los Angeles over traditional Philadelphia. I do have a car but I definitely use LA's growing subway and lightrail system. The Expo Line has already matched its ridership years ahead. I also like that you can live in dense urban areas, in the hills, near the ocean, or in suburban areas. I prefer it's diverse population which means great food from around the world. I love seeing concerts under the stars year around at the Hollywood Bowl in its beautiful natural setting in the heart of the city. I use my car to drive to the many hiking trails, many up in the Santa Monica Mountains. The drives aren't far at all, buses and trains don't go to these places. But the nature, views and vista are truly breathtaking and there are so many hiking trails around. We have 4 seasons, just not as extreme as the east coast. I thought I would miss the fall foliage but honestly I don't. And being minutes from the beach is a true plus. Los Angeles is far from traditional but that's what I like.
Cool post. I've heard good things about LA's new subway/transit stations. How well do the trains run? Is it reliable?
I just had two people from LA stay at my place this weekend, so I can provide some of their observations.
1. Philly's archeiture and blend of different styles is where it is at. They loved the cityscape. They were surprised how few tourists were walking around Center City West. I explained that old city is the epicenter across town.
2. They were surprised how diverse the city was. A truly underrated aspect of Philly.
3. Foods great, cheesesteaks are great lol. We obviously had to do that.
4. They were really impressed with my apartment and the fact i have my own private roof deck with a great view for $1595 a month.
Something they found hilarious: one girl asks me if she will get heckled for wearing a dodgers hat. I tell her I have never seen something like that just randomly during the day. Anyway we are out later, someone goes "dodgers, nice hat". Looks at me, I'm wearing a Phillies hat, "Damn Phillies suck, worst team in the league". Lol.. gotta love it.
Look im not really here to debate about it. You can disagree and keep it pushing. My opinion still wouldn't change. Los Angeles is the most populous county in America within the most populous & powerful state in the union
From sports to entertainment,these 2 cities are either 1a or 1b.
Basketball most valuable teams = Lakers + Knicks
Baseball most valuable teams = Yankees + Dodgers
Etc etc
Los Angeles landscape is bigger while New York is more populated. L.A traffic is worse with the busiest freeways in the world while New York has the 24/7 subway culture.
Both Mega cities in America bar none.Hollywood to Wall st.
While Chicago can actually compete with both,it's still a few levels under
I hold Philly & Chicago neck and neck to be honest.
OK, glad you're not here to debate, because you're not very good at it. I think your vision of LA is a bit inflated. Also, love your insecure parting shot. Good grief.
Last edited by BigLake; 07-24-2017 at 03:27 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
