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.
I'll take year-round green foilage and crisp air over desert climate any day of the week. LA is nice to visit with some cash to burn. But ultimately Seattle is a very nice and prosperous American city with most of the daily amenities normal people would want in a relatively compact area, surrounded by three accessible National Parks.
I loved living in Seattle. It was pleasant, clean, fun and the people are friendly. Once I moved to LA it seemed to be a city on another level. Food, cultural amenities, nightlife, shopping, architecture, history, public transportation, music scene, professional sports, demographics, fashion and of course weather make it far more fun and interesting.
This is a tough one as I live in Seattle and enjoy it, but I've considered moving to LA multiple times for a change of pace/scenery.
I love LA - it definitely has a more exciting vibe, and offers so much. I actually don't mind Seattle's weather most of the time, but every year around January/February the SoCal sun starts to look awfully appealing.
I think if a person can't find something about LA they like, they're not looking very hard. Either way, two of my favorite cities!
This is a tough one as I live in Seattle and enjoy it, but I've considered moving to LA multiple times for a change of pace/scenery.
I love LA - it definitely has a more exciting vibe, and offers so much. I actually don't mind Seattle's weather most of the time, but every year around January/February the SoCal sun starts to look awfully appealing.
I think if a person can't find something about LA they like, they're not looking very hard. Either way, two of my favorite cities!
Good point about the weather.
And a good example is today... current temperature:
This is a hard one. On the one hand, you have Seattle's superior economy and high tech dominance. Seattle's also less expensive than LA and has no state income tax, while California has the nation's highest state income tax. So for employment and financial reasons, I'd pick Seattle. Seattle also has much more potential to have a decent light rail system than LA. And Seattle does have snow, and is a few hours from the best Chinese food outside of Asia (Vancouver). Seattle also has evergreen forests--which are not bad, but me personally, I prefer the pine forests of the Southeast combined with epic thunderstorms, warm, sunny weather, and warm oceans over gloomy, cold Puget Sound.
Everything else, Los Angeles wins.The real dealbreaker would be the suburbs: Seattle Eastside suburbs vs. Irvine + South Orange County, Bellevue vs. Irvine. Though Bellevue does have the more impressive high rise development and a good chance of becoming a transit-oriented city while Irvine doesn't, I'll take Irvine over Bellevue. Better Chinese food, newer housing stock, great hiking and mountain biking, world-class university, and less traffic.
People complain about LA traffic, but from what I've heard Seattle traffic is at least as bad, because Seattle's population is growing much faster than its road system can keep up with.
Seattle reminds me of SF. Too yuppified and lacking culture.
It does have a lot in common with SF, but I think it's ridiculous to say that either of those cities are lacking culture. Seattle in particular has a very distinct culture.
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.