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quality of life- Tie
economy- Toronto
nightlife- Toronto
scenery- San Diego
daytime activities/events- Tie? Maybe Toronto?
shopping/entertainment venues- Toronto
transportation- Toronto
overall vibe- Debatable
Overall I definitely prefer Toronto, but I also like San Diego.
quality of life - San Diego
economy - Toronto
nightlife - Toronto
scenery - San Diego
daytime activities/events - San Diego
shopping/entertainment venues - Toronto
transportation - Toronto
overall vibe - Depends on what you mean by "Vibe". Laid-back beach lifestyle of southern California, or economic, cultural, diversity and entertainment hub of Toronto?
quality of life - San Diego
economy - Tie
nightlife - Toronto
scenery - San Diego
daytime activities/events - San Diego (outdoor), Toronto (indoor)
shopping/entertainment venues - Toronto
transportation - Toronto
overall vibe - San Diego
Wait, in another thread it was laughable to compare Toronto to a regional hub metro of comparable size in the south, because it is the center of Canada or whatever. However, San Diego, a 3 million metro and undoubtedly 3rd in its state, is getting more votes than Toronto.
I’m genuinely curious, what does San Diego contain for it to punch way above its belt?
Wait, in another thread it was laughable to compare Toronto to a regional hub metro of comparable size in the south, because it is the center of Canada or whatever. However, San Diego, a 3 million metro and undoubtedly 3rd in its state, is getting more votes than Toronto.
I’m genuinely curious, what does San Diego contain for it to punch way above its belt?
1. The weather is phenomenal (the best in all of North America in my opinion). It's also at a lower earthquake risk than everywhere else in California and gets no hurricanes so natural hazards aren't as big a concern.
2. The quality of life is extremely high, with lots of high-tech, healthcare and financial jobs and very good wages.
3. The city's economy is booming.
4. The La Jolla coastline is gorgeous and the beaches are top-notch with palm trees and an ocean breeze. There's great surfing nearby
5. You have lots of nearby daytrips with stunning scenery: Tijuana, Los Angeles, Coronado, Anza-Borrego State Park, Orange County, Disneyland, Legoland, Temecula Wineries, Palm Springs, Laguna Beach, Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, Point Loma, Cabrillo National Monument
6. The city has fantastic sights like the San Diego Zoo, Gaslamp Quarter, Balboa Park, USS Midway Museum, Sea World, the Botanical Building and the Lily Pond, the California Tower and the Museum of Man (gorgeous building!)
7. There's a big military presence so lots of muscular eye candy (sorry, as a gay man I had to say this). Miltary men + palm trees + colonial architecture + rainbows + high wage job = Heaven for me.
8. There's a big Mexican population so the food scene is great
9. It has a beach town-meets-corporate hub vibe (similar to Santa Monica), which means you can make bank in the day and live like you're on vacation at night
10. It's more affordable than LA or San Francisco, with none of the baggage that comes from being a big city
11. It has a quirky streak with massive events like Comic-Con happening there.
I think the difference is that San Diego is unique. Atlanta is the capital of the South (which, with 80 million+ people, makes it one of the most important cities in the U.S.). But from a 'living there' perspective, it doesn't feel "special."
Wait, in another thread it was laughable to compare Toronto to a regional hub metro of comparable size in the south, because it is the center of Canada or whatever. However, San Diego, a 3 million metro and undoubtedly 3rd in its state, is getting more votes than Toronto.
I’m genuinely curious, what does San Diego contain for it to punch way above its belt?
I know, it doesn't make too much sense to me either. I've seen many people placing Toronto and Chicago almost at the same level, but you rarely see anyone saying that SD is better than the Windy City because frankly it would sound ridiculous.
Both Chicago and SD are lovely cities, but Chicago is on a totally different league and so is Toronto.
By the way, I never understood people's obsession with the beach.
1. The weather is phenomenal (the best in all of North America in my opinion). It's also at a lower earthquake risk than everywhere else in California and gets no hurricanes so natural hazards aren't as big a concern.
2. The quality of life is extremely high, with lots of high-tech, healthcare and financial jobs and very good wages.
3. The city's economy is booming.
4. The La Jolla coastline is gorgeous and the beaches are top-notch with palm trees and an ocean breeze. There's great surfing nearby
5. You have lots of nearby daytrips with stunning scenery: Tijuana, Los Angeles, Coronado, Anza-Borrego State Park, Orange County, Disneyland, Legoland, Temecula Wineries, Palm Springs, Laguna Beach, Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, Point Loma, Cabrillo National Monument
6. The city has fantastic sights like the San Diego Zoo, Gaslamp Quarter, Balboa Park, USS Midway Museum, Sea World, the Botanical Building and the Lily Pond, the California Tower and the Museum of Man (gorgeous building!)
7. There's a big military presence so lots of muscular eye candy (sorry, as a gay man I had to say this). Miltary men + palm trees + colonial architecture + rainbows + high wage job = Heaven for me.
8. There's a big Mexican population so the food scene is great
9. It has a beach town-meets-corporate hub vibe (similar to Santa Monica), which means you can make bank in the day and live like you're on vacation at night
10. It's more affordable than LA or San Francisco, with none of the baggage that comes from being a big city
11. It has a quirky streak with massive events like Comic-Con happening there.
I think the difference is that San Diego is unique. Atlanta is the capital of the South (which, with 80 million+ people, makes it one of the most important cities in the U.S.). But from a 'living there' perspective, it doesn't feel "special."
This is a great list! I'd also add the following:
12. The SD-Tijuana conurbation is quite unique in that two very different cultures exist side by side. There are cross border conurbations between US and Canada but they don't seem as unique since Canada is pretty much the 51st state. (Not meant derogatorily but the US and Canada are very similar culturally.)
13. SD is very diverse racially and ethnically with a lot of different cultures represented. Pretty unique for a city of it's size. Almost every Asian nation is represented along with Latin American nations. Large Polynesian representation. Large Brazilian population. As well as the different European cultures.
14. The ethnic diversity and sunny climate makes for a large number of beautiful women! (As a straight guy I had to say this.) In particular, Asian-Latina mixes make for very beautiful women.
15. Living by the coast. Not so much the beaches but being by the coast is special. Much of the SD population lives close to the coast.
16. Balboa Park. A fantastic urban cultural park.
17. This doesn't fit most peoples stereotype of San Diego but it has the same education level as Boston with about 40% of people with advanced degrees.
18. Weak in spectator sports (Chargers left town, only the Padres in the big four spectator sports) but huge in participation sports. ~1 in 5 US Olympians live in SD.
I'm sure there's more. Agree with manitopiaaa that SD seems unique. I've lived in Philly, NYC, Chicago, LA, SF and Austin and now SD. I've always felt that SD is special among US cities.
I know, it doesn't make too much sense to me either. I've seen many people placing Toronto and Chicago almost at the same level, but you rarely see anyone saying that SD is better than the Windy City because frankly it would sound ridiculous.
Both Chicago and SD are lovely cities, but Chicago is on a totally different league and so is Toronto.
By the way, I never understood people's obsession with the beach.
Chicago and Toronto would certainly win when it comes to population, each being about twice the size of San Diego. Absent that, San Diego being a new economy city in California (the center of the universe) is on par with both of these cities in a good number of measures.
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.) In particular, Asian-Latina mixes make for very beautiful women.
