Quote:
Originally Posted by Mezter
Which of these cities do you prefer? Which is more interesting to you? Both have similar metros are similar in size. Charlotte has 2.3million, Sacramento has 2.5million.
Criteria
Economy:
Schools:
Downtown:
Airport:
Public Transit:
Scenery:
Diversity:
Food Scene:
Quality of life:
Cost or Living:
Where would you rather live:
Where would you rather Vacation:
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Economy
Charlotte is going to have an economic sweep. Higher GDP growth, higher job growth, more diversified economy, higher income levels in a lower cost of living city(!), lower poverty rate....Charlotte frankly looks like an economic powerhouse next to Sac...
Higher Ed
Almost a complete sweep in the other direction. Sacramento has an elite university, more robust community college system, and Charlotte's law school was mired in controversy and is no longer in existence. Just more educational opportunities in Sacramento...
Downtown
I'm going to call a tie here. Pretty evenly-sized, comparable entertainment districts...
Airport
Well, Charlotte is the 10th busiest airport, but I'm not sure that means much. The last two times I've flown back to Sacramento (including back in April), I always fly through Charlotte, either on the way to or from, and also went through Charlotte on my way to Vermont in January, oddly enough. The airport experience isn't a measurable difference. I say Sacramento is prettier and has a better aesthetic feel....but they're airports, for crying out loud lol...
Public Transit
Someone said Sac's rail doesnt go everywhere in the city or to the airport. What a coincidence that the exact same thing can be said of light rail in Charlotte! Lol...both have tentative plans to expand to their airports, but as is, RT has more than twice the lengths, usage, is older and has higher boarding per square mile. Bus service is also more expansive in Sacramento, with more routes, more connecting routes, higher daily and annual ridership. There isn't a huge gulf between RT and Cats overall, but I find it next to impossible to see how anyone can give advantage Charlotte in this category...
Scenery
Very tough to call. I love Charlotte but have never thought it to be a very picturesque place. Sacramento has some areas that can be sore on the eyes. I think the outlying areas of both regions are, while different topographically and geographically, even on balance. This is a draw...
Diversity
Charlotte is very respectably diverse, but Sacramento would take this category versus most cities. The black and Latino populations are reversed in both cities, but Sac has appreciably more diversity in ethnicities represented, languages spoken, foreign born, etc...
Food
Charlotte has a
very underrated luxury dining scene, and probably takes that subcategory. Sac has better farm-to-table dining. Both have a lot of chains but Sac seems to have fewer, though I can't source that. Ethnic foods are well represented in both but as a reflection of Sac's population, you have to think Sac offers a wider variety. Very close, though...
Quality of Life
Obviously this is going to vary by person. I would say Charlotte takes this because you get mostly anything you get in Sacramento, with q higher average income, with a lower cost of living. To me that tips the scales in Charlotte's favor, but listen, I greatly value living in California. If all things were equal (they aren't, but 'if' they were), I would vote California--but Charlotte takes this over Sac...
Rather Vacation/Live
They are very comparably sized. Charlotte has a larger profile as the largest city in its state, but that's the thing. They offer variations of most of the same stuff. Sacramento has mostly anything you get in Charlotte, too, and were it somewhere else, its national profile would be greater...
You'd rather vacation in Sacramento because not only does the core city give you similar amenities, there is a much greater array of things to do in any radius (1-hour, 2-hours, 3-hrs, etc)...
Where you'd rather live depends on what exactly you value. As mentioned above, Charlotte to me has a greater quality of life, but again, it's not like Charlotte offers a hell of a lot more than Sac (or vice-versa). I love both cities, and Sacramento offers me something I obviously can't quantify or replicate in Charlotte (family). So it really just depends on what someone values...
Charlotte has greater name association, is the largest city between DC and Atlanta, and will likely be favored for most people. But they are very similar (in offerings and scale) and I don't think anyone can go wrong with either...
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