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I'm from the Bay Area(North Oakland),and I visit NY all the time.SF is minature compared to NYC.You can do everything there is to do in SF in 10 to 12 days.The crime in SF is pretty low,since they pushed out huge numbers of people,cause its to expensive.SF is very cool,relaxed, kinda upbeat city.I personally think SF is boring. But as far as crime? NYC has way more housing projects than SF does by far.And I'm Puertorican,So I love the whole NYC vibe! Haha.
I'm from the Bay Area(North Oakland),and I visit NY all the time.SF is minature compared to NYC.You can do everything there is to do in SF in 10 to 12 days.The crime in SF is pretty low,since they pushed out huge numbers of people,cause its to expensive.SF is very cool,relaxed, kinda upbeat city.I personally think SF is boring. But as far as crime? NYC has way more housing projects than SF does by far.And I'm Puertorican,So I love the whole NYC vibe! Haha.
I would not compare crime by project number (especially by absolute and not "per capita" number). I refred to the crime based on my friends accounts, who lived in both cities. SF is much more tolerant to bums. And bums tend to rob people at night. I am sure NY compensates these figures by crack adicts in projects, white colar crime on Wall st and mafia in Bensonhurst. But I have no links to mafia, do not trade stocks and do not go to the projects. So it makes my chances better in NY.
I think you can compare other cities to New York (not really necessary, but people do feel the urge to try), but you can't really do it the other way around.
I am originaly French, living in Florida, but thinking about moving somewhere else, with 4 seasons, more culture and many openings for the languages courses/creativity/communication workshops for both Europeans and Americans that I am currently creating.
We have a 2 year old little girl, and we are thinking about New York or San Francisco, we don't know yet. My husband and my job are "transportable", we can work from home, so moving is not an issue.
New York is highly acclaimed, has this extremely attracting reputation but life costs can be discouraging. San Francisco on the other hand seems to be less expensive, and might have a little "village" touch that we truly like. Safety and schooling system are my priorities. It seems to me that SF is safer, and 'cooler".
But I am open to all recommendations/suggestions/input.
Thank you to everyone and have a great week end
CM
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Hello-
I lived in San Francisco for 4 yrs., 1993-97 before moving to Miami in 98. We lived in Florida for the last 10 yrs. but 9 months ago we moved to NY city because my husband got a job transfer. Comparing life in these cities I can say
that for me, the weather plays a big roll, just as much as the cost of living.
San Francisco is a beautiful city, one of the most beautiful I have seen; very European, and cultural. Because it is a small city, we had a hard time finding a place to live. So we ended up moving out of the city, to Daly City, a few miles south of San Francisco. It was nice and not very expensive, we even had a beautiful ocean view from our apt. Night were very foggy though. Communting to the city was easy. The BART train system is wonderful, safer, cleaner and more efficient than NY Subways. On weekends we travel to wine country and even to the mountains just a couple hrs. Looking back,life was pretty good then.
New York on the other hand is much busier, noisier, and expensive than San Francisco. The cost of living is ridiculous. Our rent is three times our mortgage in Florida. Food is twice as expensive too. For me, the weather is definetely a downside for me. I gladly put up with it because all of the other things that the city offers. There is just too much to do all year round. I enjoy that. It is more cosmopolitan than SFO and Miami, of course! but it is also the most expensive of the three. Our stay here is temporary, and it would not be any other way. We have a 10 yr old daughter who is having a hard time adjusting. Schools are over-rated here. I feel that the schools and the academic programs in FL are way better. For us, Florida is where we feel best at home. We are immingrants from Latin America, and Florida offers many advantages for us: Language, weather and lifestyle. But if I had to choose between NY and San Francisco, I would definetely choose SFO. Good Luck with your decision.
I've lived in the SF Bay my whole life (San Jose to San Francisco to Oakland)
and moved to New York City recently. I'm still learning about New York, but I will say this about San Francisco: As far as families go, SF has a declining population of children. It's hard to even find a toy store anymore, most of them have closed up. Many of the playgrounds around the city (aside from the big one in Golden Gate Park, which is awesome) are full of more homeless people and crackheads then children, even in the middle of the day.
I read that many parents chose to leave not only because of the high cost of living (it's about the same as New York) but also because of the pot clubs sprouting up all over the city, which attract violence and unsavory characters.
It's definitely a great city for walking or being outdoors, as long as you like cool weather. It's almost always overcast, even in July (unless you're in the Mission District, or sometimes Pacific Heights/Haight Ashbury) Global warming is changing the city's climate though, so SF actually gets more hot sunny days now (but very few)
The transportation is good, although IMO the trains aren't as quick to arrive or as reliable (track/wiring problems, etc shut the whole system down) as they are in New York, but that's mostly for BART. MUNI is a lot more efficient.
Also, if you're looking for sunnier weather, and that "village" feel, the East Bay (just over the bridge from San Francisco) is great. Check out Berkeley. They have a great school system, beautiful homes, lots of parks, and it's a very kid-friendly city. There's a wonderful sense of community there, and you're still able to be in San Francisco in no time. If California's your choice, Berkeley is worth a look.
As for New York, I'm still learning, but so far I LOVE it!
It's very hard to compare. Both are extremely expensive cities. People here say NYC is more expensive, but I don't think that's really true if you're comparing the same thing in an equivalent area. SF is also on the west coast, which tends to be newer. New York feels older. West coast is a little more laid back. NYC is a pressure cooker - everything and everyone is going fast all the time. You should visit both before deciding where to live.
Because they sweep the SF crime under the rug,to make the city more appealing. Like every city,Its got It's good parts and bad parts. The only way to know if you'll like it, is to visit.
NYC is a very large city and the most expensive city in North America. And while it has a lot culturally and as far as diversity. I don't really recommend a family moving here unless you are a multi-millionaire and can afford to purchase a home here (or condo/coop) AND pay for your children to go to private or parochial school here. (Yearly tuition is upwards of 25K and it's very very difficult to get into the programs on top of that).
I know of many families who moved here and the parents are making a decent salary, anywhere between 50k and 150k and while they could manage rent or even owning a car, they were at their wits end when it came time to school their children. I've known people to have near-nervous breakdowns during these periods.
The best public schools in the city are very hard to get into, let alone the private schools. And no amount of museums, theaters, art galleries etc are going to make up for that! Telling someone to move here over SF with a family is very different than a single person looking to hang out and without the commitments.
To the OP, if you really want to live in the NYC area with a family and you can't afford the private school tuition, I highly recommend the outlying suburbs of NJ, Westchester and Long Island.
You dont need to be rich to move to NYC I was born and raised in NYC and im not rich. My school was affordable and it won an award for best religious school. Schools are not hard to get into. Ive been to 5 different schools. NYC may be expensive but you can afford it if you plan your budget. Plus if it wasnt a great place to raise children they wouldnt have so many programs for families. I say move to NY.
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NY or San Francisco??
