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This might be interesting. I read in a similar thread that New Orleans and Oakland have their similarities and became curious as I know very little about Oakland itself. After all this site is about learning and discussing the merits and attributes of different cities, right?
How do these 2 cities stack up in terms of the following:
Experienced perspectives with both cities are far more appreciated than claims based on pre-conceived notions, media, and "what you've heard". Also, if you took the time to vote, take the time to voice your reasons why.
Ciao
Last edited by Chilly Gentilly; 03-11-2014 at 01:44 PM..
-Culture: New Orleans, very unique and interesting
-Density: New Orleans. Oakland is statistically denser I'm sure but NOLA feels denser overall. I know it has large city limits but the older part of the city is much more walkable and quaint than the more walkable parts of Oakland overall. Nothing really matches the structural density of the CBD and FQ in Oakland.
-History: New Orleans.
-Cuisine: New Orleans although Oakland has a very good food scene too.
-Arts: Don't really know, gut says NOLA but Oakland is pretty good too from what I understand.
-Architecture: New Orleans.
-Street Performers: New Orleans, Oakland really doesn't have many in comparison.
-Festivals/Free Events: New Orleans by far lol.
-Crime: New Orleans. The murder rate in NOLA is much higher but everything else, including crimes that are far more likely to effect your average citizen like robberies and theft, is much higher in Oakland overall.
-Local Economy: Well assuming this includes the rest of the Bay Area or at least the East Bay and SF then Oakland.
-Diversity: Oakland is more diverse
-COL: New Orleans
NOLA is one of my favorite cities so I would definitely take it over Oakland overall.
How do these 2 cities stack up in terms of the following:
-Culture NOLA
-Density NOLA just beacause it's a primary city and built like one, though Oakland has some higher density and great corridors
-History NOLA
-Cuisine NOLA
-Arts Oakland moreso for its independent scenes
-Architecture NOLA
-Street Performers ??? Who cares? NOLA because of tourism and nothing more
-Festivals/Free Events Oakland, in my subjective opinion
-Crime Seems easier to avoid in NOLA, though overall it's less in Oakland...I'll say tie
-Local Economy Oakland - it's part of the Bay Area!!
-Diversity Oakland for sure
-COL NOLA
= Personal Preference Oakland
Experienced perspectives with both cities are far more appreciated than claims based on pre-conceived notions, media, and "what you've heard". Also, if you took the time to vote, take the time to voice your reasons why.
Ciao
Objectively, NOLA, especially depending on how you weight objective criteria (for instance one may weight COL heavily and Street Performers not at all). Subjectively, Oakland. I prefer close proximity to SF, the weather in Oakland is far superior imo, and for permanent residents I think Oakland can have more to offer.
This might be interesting. I read in a similar thread that New Orleans and Oakland have their similarities and became curious as I know very little about Oakland itself. After all this site is about learning and discussing the merits and attributes of different cities, right?
How do these 2 cities stack up in terms of the following:
Experienced perspectives with both cities are far more appreciated than claims based on pre-conceived notions, media, and "what you've heard". Also, if you took the time to vote, take the time to voice your reasons why.
Ciao
New Orleans for everything except Economy. Being San Francisco's sister city gives Oakland the advantage there.
Oh and btw, jsimms asked who cares about Street Performers? Anyone who enjoys free entertainment from undiscovered local talent. The same way you would at Venice Beach in Los Angeles. It says a lot and lends to the local culture the same way any local artist does.
They're not all that similar imo, here's my answers though.
Culture New Orleans
Density Oakland
History New Orleans
Cuisine Tie
Arts Oakland
Architecture New Orleans
Street Performers New Orleans
Festivals/Free Events New Orleans
Crime New Orleans
Local Economy Oakland
Diversity Oakland
COL New Orleans
I grew up in Oakland and almost went to school in New Orleans... I've only visited New Orleans once but enjoyed it a lot. I'd be happy to live in either city but if I had to choose one or the other I'd probably pick Oakland.
As far as cuisine, Oakland is now a foodie mecca too and probably has a briader range of diverse food offerings than New Orleans.
As far as things to do, Oakland actually tops this ranking:
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
Quote:
These are the 10 criteria we
surveyed:
Park acreage per person
Percent of population between
20 and 34 years old
Fast food restaurants per
square mile (the fewer the
better)
Bars per square mile
Big box stores per square mile
(the fewer the better)
Population diversity
Movie theaters per square
mile
Museums per square mile
Theater companies per square
mile
Music venues per square mile
So keep your homeless beggars singing for change. We just do it different out here.
Seems the two cities are closer than some initially thought, thus far.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LadyReverie
Oh and btw, jsimms asked who cares about Street Performers? Anyone who enjoys free entertainment from undiscovered local talent. The same way you would at Venice Beach in Los Angeles. It says a lot and lends to the local culture the same way any local artist does.
You are so serious! Sometimes street performers can be entertaining, and I'm quite used to them myself, but most street performers are talent-less and annoying panhandlers! Chill out from your passive aggressive way of attacking me because I don't think NOLA is superior to SF, or subjectively Oakland either, LoL.
^^^That is true, though it has superior transit. Also Oakland isn't "not walkable". At 7,000 ppsm living in a diversity of established and grid neighborhoods, much of the city is quite walkable. The exodus of people leaving SF into Oakland will only serve to improve the vibrancy of the city as a whole, as well as safety.
I never experienced Oakland prior to 2 years ago, but by all accounts the city is rapidly transforming for the better. From a real estate perspective, lots of big institutions have taken interest in downtown office and multifamily buildings for the first time, really ever, and one major project on the waterfront ($1.5B Chinese backed mixed-use development) is breaking ground Thursday. I'd say there is a lot going on in SF's sister city, certainly enough for the city of Oakland to stand on its own.
Here are some aerials of Oakland to give perspective as to how large it is on its own:
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