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Hi everyone, I'm a Chicagoan looking to move to a nice beach community. Last year, I visited San Diego and fell in love with it. Great weather, great people, lackluster food, but i can cook. I had some friends that lived out there, that would have sealed the deal. Unfortunately, they have moved and I'm starting to think that maybe there are some other places I should look into before making that big a decision. SD still has my heart and would be hard to beat, but I'd like to check around before I make a final decision.
Here's what I'm thinking:
San Diego- beautiful city; laid back, almost suburban feel (thinking Mission/Pacific beach or La Jolla); great parties; and, i hear, a good music scene
Santa Monica- beautiful, close to LA (where I have friends), i hear its also very evironmentally conscious, Baywatch (I know its been a while, but I like to think women there still look like that)
Miami- culture, music, food, nightlife
St. Petersburg- some of the best beaches in the country, history, culture, only like two hours from Disney World
Just wondering what the people on this site prefer. Appreciate any insight you could give me.
btw, I should add that I've only been to San Diego, but here good things about all of these places.
Although all 4 cities are unique in their own way, they seem to meet all of your requirements for "fun in the sun." Fun places to visit & great places to live.
Exactly, that's what makes it such a tough choice. SD still tops my list, probably because I've been there. I'm sure I'd fall in love with any one of these cities, tho.
Hi everyone, I'm a Chicagoan looking to move to a nice beach community. Last year, I visited San Diego and fell in love with it. Great weather, great people, lackluster food, but i can cook. I had some friends that lived out there, that would have sealed the deal. Unfortunately, they have moved and I'm starting to think that maybe there are some other places I should look into before making that big a decision. SD still has my heart and would be hard to beat, but I'd like to check around before I make a final decision.
Here's what I'm thinking:
San Diego- beautiful city; laid back, almost suburban feel (thinking Mission/Pacific beach or La Jolla); great parties; and, i hear, a good music scene
Santa Monica- beautiful, close to LA (where I have friends), i hear its also very evironmentally conscious, Baywatch (I know its been a while, but I like to think women there still look like that)
Miami- culture, music, food, nightlife
St. Petersburg- some of the best beaches in the country, history, culture, only like two hours from Disney World
Just wondering what the people on this site prefer. Appreciate any insight you could give me.
btw, I should add that I've only been to San Diego, but here good things about all of these places.
You nailed it. Having been to all 4 of them several times, I much prefer the CA cities becuase I hate hot, humid summers (and springs & falls!). Both the built and the natural environments in SM and SD is much more attractive than Miami & SP, also. If you like to swim in the ocean, the FL beaches take the prize here: the Pacific is cold most of the time, but you can comfortably swim in the Atlantic practically all year, particularly in Miami.
You nailed it. Having been to all 4 of them several times, I much prefer the CA cities becuase I hate hot, humid summers (and springs & falls!). Both the built and the natural environments in SM and SD is much more attractive than Miami & SP, also. If you like to swim in the ocean, the FL beaches take the prize here: the Pacific is cold most of the time, but you can comfortably swim in the Atlantic practically all year, particularly in Miami.
I hate hot and humid, too. That's what really attracts me to SD, great, mild weather all year round. Not sure how it is in santa monica, i hear that the LA area can get very hot, but its the humidity thats the real dealbreaker. Is FL really so bad in that department?
Location: Los Angeles......So. Calif. an Island on the Land
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skompton
I hate hot and humid, too. That's what really attracts me to SD, great, mild weather all year round. Not sure how it is in santa monica, i hear that the LA area can get very hot, but its the humidity thats the real dealbreaker. Is FL really so bad in that department?
LA and San Diego have nearly identical climates...San Diego gets slightly less rain than LA. Coastal San Diego and Coastal Los Angeles (including Santa Monica) are very mild. INLAND San Diego and INLAND Los Angeles get hot during the DAYTIMES in the summer but it's always a dry heat.
Location: Los Angeles......So. Calif. an Island on the Land
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Reputation: 484
Here's my two cents worth. I grew up in LA but have spent a lot of time in Fla. I actually really like all four places. Good points and bad points to all of them.
San Diego/Santa Monica: Very mild year round weather. Never too hot, even in summer. Winters are a cakewalk compared to Chicago (but COLDER than SoFla). The downside is the Pacific ocean is COLD....swimming and surfing REQUIRE a wetsuit most of the year (except summer). The plus side as compared to Fla. is you have mountains in Calif.
Miami/St Pete: Beautiful beaches. Warm water pretty much all year. Downside is the hot, humid summers. And that is really 6 months of the year. The winters are warmer than SoCalif. But the summers are hell by comparison to San Diego/Santa Monica. Also, landscape is FLAT across the ENTIRE state of Fla.
As far as the Fla humidity, if you are at the beach in shorts and there is a breeze I don't think the humidity is that bad. HOWEVER, if you are going to work in a suit or long sleeve shirt, than it's NOT PLEASANT. You will feel like you need a shower after 5 or 10 minutes.
If you already have your heart set, go with CA. Florida's beaches are hard to beat, even by CA, but if Humidity is not your thing, Florida wont be either.
I haven't heard good things about the people in Florida, particularly Miami.
Don't believe everything you hear. While Miami is a premier magnet for dirtbags from around the nation and around the world, there are many great people in Miami, too. Ignore the dirtbags and associate with the good ones!
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