California vs South Florida (Los Angeles, San Diego: transplants, 2014, insurance)

[jm1982]

If you want that type of thing , restaurants , bars , shops near the beach your best option would be Santa Monica .. The vibe is very different though and even on weekends the 3rd street promenade pretty much shuts down by 10pm or so .

There are bars open later of course but it's not the same type of scene .

[Hawaii4evr]

I like both cities, but LA is better. It just has more culture, more amenities, probably more beautiful all-around.

As far as weather, Miami does get some cold days every now and then, but usually is warm year-round. Summers are hot and humid, lots of monsoons. In LA, you get more of the dry heat, but nights are always cool, even in the summer, so it can be nice (though warm nights can be a plus). LA doesn't have all the bugs that Miami has because it is so dry, but you do have the danger of wildfires in LA that Miami doesn't really get. On the flipside, LA is cool in winter, some rain, some fog (think 65F during the day with a breeze, 45F at night). Granted, LA is warm most of the year.

In terms of beaches, LA's water is darker and cooler (tops out at around 70F in summer) but you've got the waves and beautiful coastal scenery-palm trees, salt marshes by some beaches with lagoons, cliffs. Miami's beaches have warm, clear water and tropical palm trees and foliage (the whole city is covered in a tropical canopy pretty much) but nothing but highrises on the beach, and the water is so calm. The landscape in Miami is flat, though you do get mangroves and Everglades for natural beauty. However, LA has everything from the ocean to the desert, inland valleys, and even snow-capped mountains.

Both places have good nightlife, but Miami's takes the cake. Open for longer, easier to get around. However, while Miami has some cool other things to see, LA has far better museums, art galleries, theme parks, landmarks, hip neighborhoods, and cultural festivals than anywhere in South Florida. In terms of diversity, Miami has a lot of Europeans, Jews (mostly from the northern states), Blacks from the Caribbean and the USA alike, and Latinos. LA has a lot of Latinos, Blacks, and Europeans, but also a lot of West Asians and North Africans (Arabs, Persians, Israelis, Armenians), Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Thai people, Vietnamese, Indians, Pakistanis...the list just goes on and on. Miami is very international, don't get me wrong, but LA is on a whole other level. It's only competitor for culture, influence, fame, and diversity (at least in America) is New York City.

[theraven24]

Originally Posted by vincentsky

What I dont like about L.A is that its really spread out , I can see my self living in an area like South Beach where Im close to beaches, restaurants and bars unlike L.A where its a 30 minute drive to go just about anywhere ( from my understanding )

I've also heard people saying really bad things about the type of people in L.A from both sides of the spectrum : Either very snobby and classist or very grimy and hipstery.

Why don't you come to Los Angeles and see for yourself?

[vincentsky]

Originally Posted by jm1982

If you want that type of thing , restaurants , bars , shops near the beach your best option would be Santa Monica .. The vibe is very different though and even on weekends the 3rd street promenade pretty much shuts down by 10pm or so .

There are bars open later of course but it's not the same type of scene .

What type of scene is it? explain what you mean by it being different ..

[jm1982]

Well , id say that 3rd street in Santa Monica is more a daytime thing , it's not really a place people go to party so to speak like they would in south beach . There are some bars but no clubs around there . It's mostly for walking around and retail shops and eating .

Hope that helps .

[jamills21]

Originally Posted by jm1982

Well , id say that 3rd street in Santa Monica is more a daytime thing , it's not really a place people go to party so to speak like they would in south beach . There are some bars but no clubs around there . It's mostly for walking around and retail shops and eating .

Hope that helps .

There are clubs in Santa Monica... Mostly on Main st & scattered around Broadway. It's a pretty good scene down there for all kinds of music.

[RaymondChandlerLives]

Midnightfapper's attempts to sell Miami as Paris on Steriods are pretty comical but let's be real: There's probably more going on in the stretch between DTLA and Santa Monica Beach than all of South Florida. And there's still far more to explore in the rest of the metro region. Los Angeles is the more cosmopolitan, global city. We can debate a lot of things about the two cities, but not that one.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by vincentsky

Me and my girlfriend are trying to decide between moving to the Miami area or somewhere in the Los Angeles area, we are both in our mid 20's and wont be depending on the local job markets ( We both do freelance work from home ) , we are looking for a place thats warm all year around because our home city has really harsh winters. We both like the beach, night life ( not so much clubs), we drive, and we want a place where people are cool young and trendy.. So we narrowed it down to either Miami ( South beach, Mid beach) or Los Angeles ( the Vally, Hollywood , Calabasas) What do you people think and why!!? thanks.

OP have your or your girlfriend even been to LA or Miami? How in the world did you come up with Calabasas? I'm guessing you saw on TV that Justin Bieber lives there? LOL.


And very short sighted in regards to jobs, what happens if "freelance work from home" dries up for one of both of you? Do you have savings?

Originally Posted by theraven24

I personally wouldn't move to Florida due to the humidity and the flatness of the state. I really like outdoor activities and dry heat.

Agree, I have to laugh at people who say Miami has perfect weather, yes it is nice in the winter months. It is beyond hot and humid more than half the year. You don't want to be outside. Even a 90 plus degree day in LA will mean lower temps at night.

There is a difference between warm weather and HOT and STICKY weather.

[ProjectMersh]

Originally Posted by RaymondChandlerLives

Midnightfapper's attempts to sell Miami as Paris on Steriods are pretty comical but let's be real: There's probably more going on in the stretch between DTLA and Santa Monica Beach than all of South Florida. And there's still far more to explore in the rest of the metro region. Los Angeles is the more cosmopolitan, global city. We can debate a lot of things about the two cities, but not that one.

Yeah, Mignightfapper (or ghettoivory or whatever he is calling himself now) is a joke with his anti-LA/pro-Miami rants.

And in general, I like Miami/So. Fla. but the bolded part of what you said is 110% true. Los Angeles has so many layers and Miami is a much more one dimensional town.

[Hawaii4evr]

Have you ever considered other cities, like Honolulu or San Diego? Hawaii has the best beaches in the US by far, beautiful scenery, perfect weather (high of 83F, low of like 72F, pretty much year-round). And some good nightlife in downtown/Waikiki. San Diego has really nice weather too (average of 70F), nice beaches, beautiful, but not as crowded, expensive, or dirty as LA. Of course, it's not as cultured as LA either, but more people would say San Diego is a paradise than LA. San Diego is also known for its nightlife, like in the Gaslamp District.