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.
For those of you who have lived in two of these cities, I'd be interested in hearing what you think about them and why you prefer one over another.
I'm coming at this as a married mother of two children where one spouse is in HR and the other is in IT. We both are "progressive" people who enjoy living near things yet we also enjoy having a home with a yard, public schools, and also feeling safe.
Bicycle friendliness is a plus. Being close to gulf beaches is basically the big draw for the tampa bay area (for us) since we love the water and the beach. The idea of being close to all the great outdoors that California offers and being in less humid climates also appeals to us so like many on this board, we are torn.
Coming from New Orleans, Tampa would probably be the easiest the transition of your three choices from the standpoints of weather, scenery, lifestyle, and culture since it's also situated on the Gulf of Mexico and much more similar to New Orleans than any city out West.
However, Tampa is in Florida, so you'll get lots of uneducated, unsophisticated types, complete with jacked-up pickup trucks, GED's, 'roid rage, meth scabs, neck tattoos, and WWE season passes. Also, since Tampa is in Florida, it's very transient--lots of people move in, but lots of people move out, too--so it's not a very conducive place to making meaningful, emotionally dependable friendships. Not to mention that it's the most religious and socially conservative option on your list, so if you describe yourself as "progressive," it's going to be even that much more difficult to befriend others with like-minded interests and ideals, assuming that's important.
But if you're looking for warm weather with less humidity, a wider array of outdoor recreational opportunities, and a much more progressive atmosphere, then you'd be foolish to overlook California. However, since you're looking into Riverside and Sacramento, which are two of the more affordable major metros in California in terms of COL, I'm assuming that you want to purchase a home. If you're unable to afford any of the coastal metros (i.e, SF, LA, and SD), then Sacramento is your next best bet.
Sacramento is a very underrated city, IMO, since it lives in the shadow of the SF Bay Area. It's access to the mountains *AND* the Bay/Delta cannot be beat, so day trip possibilities from the metro area are endless. The weather of Sacramento isn't as pleasant as it is in the coastal metro areas, but it's better than about 90% of the country--dry, sunny, hot summer days with cool evenings and generally mild winter weather. There are tons of government jobs in the city, given that it is the administrative capitol of California, although other sectors are well-represented, too. FWIW, I don't think you or your husband would have difficulty finding HR or IT jobs in the area.
OTOH, Riverside is in located in a region known as the "Inland Empire," which is the unofficial armpit of the West Coast in terms of people, culture, pollution, and upward economic and social mobility, hence the reason why housing is much less expensive in and around Riverside when compared to other major metro areas in California. Not only is the air and water pollution in this region among the worst in North America, the people living in this area are only marginally better than those in the Tampa Bay area, maybe even worse. Avoid this region like the plague.
That said, if the access to saltwater is as important to you and your family as you make it out to be, another option would be moving to one of the more expensive coastal metro areas and renting. FWIW, the economies of LA/OC and SF are much stronger and more diversified than those of the Inland Empire and Central Valley, including the Sacramento area. I learned a long time ago that location has a stronger effect on my happiness than a brand new 3,000-sqft. Cracker-Jack box with all the upgrades; however, YMMV, seeing as how you have a family. Food for thought, though.
Coming from New Orleans, Tampa would probably be the easiest the transition of your three choices from the standpoints of weather, scenery, lifestyle, and culture since it's also situated on the Gulf of Mexico and much more similar to New Orleans than any city out West.
I appreciate your insight but I didn't ask to compare New Orleans to any of these cities. I am not from New Orleans. I thought I would like the "charm" of New Orleans, but as it turns out, i do not like living here. I always get the itch to move every so often anyway.
I'm from Seattle and have lived in DC, Tampa, St. Petersburg (FL), and Miami. Really just wanted a comparison of the three cities in the OP because Tampa Bay was one of the better areas for me out of all the places I've lived but I've only visited coastal California.
Last edited by things and stuff; 11-12-2014 at 03:26 PM..
That's an interesting point that is often lost on responders to these threads. People don't always necessarily want to move to an environment that is as close to their current location as possible.
Riverside is actually a bit more conservative leaning than Tampa, and in Florida, your votes would matter more. As somebody else has said, it's not the most desirable area, unless you're able to move up into the San Gabriel foothills near there. If you can afford it, I'd look to commute from the nearby Claremont or Upland area if you decided to settle near there. Otherwise, it seems that Sacramento and Tampa are closer to what you'd be looking for.
I appreciate your insight but I didn't ask to compare New Orleans to any of these cities. I am not from New Orleans. I thought I would like the "charm" of New Orleans, but as it turns out, i do not like living here. I always get the itch to move every so often anyway.
I'm from Seattle and have lived in DC, Tampa, St. Petersburg (FL), and Miami. Really just wanted a comparison of the three cities in the OP because Tampa Bay was one of the better areas for me out of all the places I've lived but I've only visited coastal California.
Tampa Bay is indeed a nice area and the economy is picking up at last (lots of construction going on or is scheduled in the future). You'll come across to a lot of misinformation in these forums by characters who don't have first hand experience, so don't pay attention.
Riverside is a dump, unless you absolutely love smog, extreme dry heat in summer with chilly winters, and ratchet people. The Inland Empire is a boring hellhole.
Sacramento is OK but boring and the weather there isn't very good either. Very cool winters--not like up north, but certainly not what one would think of when they think "CA weather". And summers are like an oven.
Tampa is the best way to go. Hot in summer, yes, but unlike CA, there's no drought. Also, you have beautiful beaches nearby that are almost tropical in temperature and appearance. In the two CA cities you mentioned, the beach is far away and the water is cold (though the LA beaches near Riverside are pleasant to swim in from like July-November).
I actually thought Riverside had a pretty nice downtown the one time I was there, and the housing stock in the surrounding neighborhoods was pretty classic streetcar-era Southern California. It was during the summer, and the smog was appalling. Probably a little bit of a taste of what it used to be like in Los Angeles a few decades ago. Apparently the city is surrounded by mountains but I wasn't able to see any of them.
If for some reason I was exiled to the Inland Empire for work, I would probably look at the downtown Riverside area.
Sacramento is a much better choice though if you are going to be in California. No comment on Tampa, never been and probably never will.
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.
