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.
But the OP didn't ask about strictly man-made amenities or offerings. He asked this:
Quality of life, scenery, daytime activities, etc. certainly don't require man-made amenities. SD has some of the best beaches in SoCal (Ja Jolla/Torrey Pines, Coronado), you can be up in the mountains/snow in Julian in an hour, there is phenomenal hiking everywhere, and it's all much easier to get to than comparables in LA, with arguably the best weather in the country. Overall vibe, again.... subjective. A LOT of people prefer the more laid-back vibe of San Diego than the vibe of LA. Shopping/nightlife definitely goes to LA but I think the rest is extremely debatable. Plus, when you factor in traffic, it really doesn't take longer to get to OC from San Diego than it does from much of LA especially the Valley and points north so as far as I'm concerned OC's amenities should be counted for SD if they're going to be counted for LA even though OC is officially in the LA metro. I know my overall QOL was better in SD even though I was poorer there than I was when I lived in LA.
I cannot tell you how many people I know in SD who sacrifice a lot just to live there. They scrimp and save to pay rent just to be able to call SD home for what the city offers, knowing they could live much more comfortably in 90% of the US, and knowing they were going to struggle to get ahead. The people in LA who I met like that were doing it because they were trying to pursue a career in entertainment or another field and trying to "make it big" or at least try to climb the ladder. I guess my point is whether a city is "overpriced" depends on what it offers to the individual person. To me, SD offers more therefore I find it less overpriced.
LA has a terrible quality of life compared to all these cities overall. Probably why it has so many people move away every year, it's simply not worth it despite the amount of amenities.
But the OP didn't ask about strictly man-made amenities or offerings. He asked this:
Quality of life, scenery, daytime activities, etc. certainly don't require man-made amenities. SD has some of the best beaches in SoCal (Ja Jolla/Torrey Pines, Coronado), you can be up in the mountains/snow in Julian in an hour, there is phenomenal hiking everywhere, and it's all much easier to get to than comparables in LA, with arguably the best weather in the country. Overall vibe, again.... subjective. A LOT of people prefer the more laid-back vibe of San Diego than the vibe of LA. Shopping/nightlife definitely goes to LA but I think the rest is extremely debatable. Plus, when you factor in traffic, it really doesn't take longer to get to OC from San Diego than it does from much of LA especially the Valley and points north so as far as I'm concerned OC's amenities should be counted for SD if they're going to be counted for LA even though OC is officially in the LA metro. I know my overall QOL was better in SD even though I was poorer there than I was when I lived in LA.
I cannot tell you how many people I know in SD who sacrifice a lot just to live there. They scrimp and save to pay rent just to be able to call SD home for what the city offers, knowing they could live much more comfortably in 90% of the US, and knowing they were going to struggle to get ahead. The people in LA who I met like that were doing it because they were trying to pursue a career in entertainment or another field and trying to "make it big" or at least try to climb the ladder. I guess my point is whether a city is "overpriced" depends on what it offers to the individual person. To me, SD offers more therefore I find it less overpriced.
The thing is all of these cities offer scenery, vibe, quality of life. That is why they are expensive.
SD does not stand out with nightlife, day time offerings, shopping, amenities etc.
Neither does Portland, but Portland relfects this with cheaper prices. SD simply does not.
Don't get me wrong. I would take SD over anywhere in flyover country. And over anywhere on the East Coast not called Boston or NYC. But it clealry offers the least for the prices.
SD and Seattle are priced like large metros, while offering weak mid sized metro amenities.
SD can't even keep basketball and football teams. They are lame.
LA went without a NFL team for over two decades. SD just lost their team, so I don't get how that determines anything.
I think San Diego has a better quality of nightlife for heteros and LGBTQ. Traffic is better. Beaches are nicer. Airport is not such a headache.
LA main nightlife scene is Hollywood and that is lame unless you're homosexual. Once you exit for LAX from the hgwy it might take you an hour to actually get to the terminal.
Due to my job and the lack of pay in San Diego, I would pick LA.
Four of my absolutely favorite cities in the U.S., each offers those qualities that are almost exclusive to the west; amazing topography, coastal/river settings, unique neighborhoods and vibrant downtowns adjacent vast tracts of accessible natural parklands, and each has particular attributes that are only found in each, whether that is tied to geography, economic mix or culture.
Yet each of these cities (as every place possesses) also have some distinctly negative qualities about them as well. Seattle it is mostly the weather, the traffic and the not overtly friendly, sometimes insular vibe. Portland the lack of pro sports teams, the ubiquitous drug addled street urchins downtown, weak non-diverse economy, and the weather and traffic are often as bad as Seattle. L.A. is such a fantastic city, to visit, and I imagine if you have effectively won the lottery by having: affordable housing; a great job and a short and easy commute then you are set, but otherwise I don't see how most people can be anything but miserable putting up with that traffic and the spread out nature of the metro day to day.
San Diego definitely lacks in Fortune 500 companies (to say the least- although our GDP is right up there with San Jose-us without Slicon Valley) and suffers from the sprawl, traffic and anonymous suburbs that most major metros have, is out of the loop when it comes to many major players in the entertainment circuit and the fact we lost our beloved Chargers is no good thing, but Petco is fantastic, the Gulls are winning (great hockey 10 minutes from my house!) and college sports abounds- it also possesses a few, nearly as cool as L.A. niches here and there, a surprisingly vibrant, delightfully compact and accessible downtown and surrounding core chocked full of cultural amenities if you actually have a little sense of adventure about you. And the setting is damn near sublime, coastal mountains, canyons and deserts spilling out to the sea.
I'll admit in a second that 80% of the city is nothing that special (like almost every city) and absolutely overpriced for what you get- with a distinct lack of jobs to pay for it- but when you find its nearly hidden corners of areas where you can stake out an amazing life in a great neighborhood next to canyons, the ocean and downtown, there are few places that can compare. It is in those places (and especially if you bought 20 years ago like us) that make its priciness more than palatable. Really, not replicable in the other cities regardless of how much money you have. We are both professionals and make decent money- project managers in architecture and defense, but we would have to be multi-millionaires to achieve what we have here in any of the other cities. Yes, each offer more than a few things that SD doesn't have, as does the other great cities back east, but we can visit them for that. Not going to get a beautiful historic house on a canyon in an amazing, happening neighborhood, walking distance to downtown/ballpark/theater/bay, 10 minute drive to the airport, beach, and the other core neighborhoods surrounding downtown, 20 minutes to Mexico, six mile commute to work (for us), 45 minutes to camping, the mountains and snow, 15 minutes further to amazing deserts and rural foothill country. It ain't happening anywhere but here.
LA has a terrible quality of life compared to all these cities overall. Probably why it has so many people move away every year, it's simply not worth it despite the amount of amenities.
Los Angeles is not San Francisco, LA has never lost population in a census.
LA went without a NFL team for over two decades. SD just lost their team, so I don't get how that determines anything.
I think San Diego has a better quality of nightlife for heteros and LGBTQ. Traffic is better. Beaches are nicer. Airport is not such a headache.
LA main nightlife scene is Hollywood and that is lame unless you're homosexual. Once you exit for LAX from the hgwy it might take you an hour to actually get to the terminal.
Due to my job and the lack of pay in San Diego, I would pick LA.
Both of SD's teams left for LA. Pretty much like all of SD's prom queens.
SD and nightlife should not be mentioned in the same sentence. It's bros, drunk military, and tourists.
SD airport is awful. It's a one runway airport designed for tourists. It's not a large business travel/port of immigration like LAX.
Jobs paying more depends on the industry. But SD has far fewer billionaires and millionares than LA. It's just not a prominent center of global commerce.
Los Angeles is not San Francisco, LA has never lost population in a census.
I was referring to domestic migration, LA has massive net outflow of residents and worse than SD in that respect. The SF MSA, despite its extremely high housing costs, actually still has a net inflow due to having a strong, healthy job market which Los Angeles lacks in comparison.
I was referring to domestic migration, LA has massive net outflow of residents and worse than SD in that respect. The SF MSA, despite its extremely high housing costs, actually still has a net inflow due to having a strong, healthy job market which Los Angeles lacks in comparison.
Los Angeles has a healthy job market, not sure where you get this fantasy in your head that it does not.
Duh immigration ports of entry have large domestic out migration. You see the same thing in NYC. High housing costs, lower median incomes, domestic out migration. And both NYC and LA metro offer so much more than the puny bay.
Los Angeles has a healthy job market, not sure where you get this fantasy in your head that it does not.
Duh immigration ports of entry have large domestic out migration. You see the same thing in NYC. High housing costs, lower median incomes, domestic out migration. And both NYC and LA metro offer so much more than the puny bay.
In comparison to the Bay Area it's rather lackluster; much lower wages, higher unemployment, and lower growth.
Yet despite all that those places offer people continue to flee them in high numbers. Guess it's clearly not worth it. Facts are facts, despite all the amenities LA offers people flee that metro area at a much higher rate than any of the other metro's on this list. Guess it's really not that great of a value.
Also the SF Bay Area has nothing to do with this thread. There you go with that chip on your shoulder again...lol
In comparison to the Bay Area it's rather lackluster; much lower wages, higher unemployment, and lower growth.
Yet despite all that those places offer people continue to flee them in high numbers. Guess it's clearly not worth it. Facts are facts, despite all the amenities LA offers people flee that metro area at a much higher rate than any of the other metro's on this list. Guess it's really not that great of a value.
Also the SF Bay Area has nothing to do with this thread. There you go with that chip on your shoulder again...lol
The trend of domestic migration has been from the mega-regions to medium sized metros. New York and Chicago register even higher I think. So I'm not sure what specific claim one can "guess" across the board.
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.
