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Apples and oranges. Having a car in most of NYC is impractical. Having a car in most of California is a necessity. NYC has distinct seasons... hot summers and cold winters. Most of California temperature barely changes from winter to summer. NYC is old, most people live in 100 year old buildings. California boomed in the 1950s and on. Different strokes for different folks.
And NYC is a city while Cali is a whole state. Unless you did mean NY State, in which case, Long Island is a bit more similar to California... more suburban yet still fairly cosmopolitan and expensive. Upstate New York is very different though. Parts are rural and "backwards" feeling, other parts have more in common with the "Rustbelt" manufacturing cities of the Midwest. Very unlike California cities.
Apples and oranges. Having a car in most of NYC is impractical. Having a car in most of California is a necessity. NYC has distinct seasons... hot summers and cold winters. Most of California temperature barely changes from winter to summer. NYC is old, most people live in 100 year old buildings. California boomed in the 1950s and on. Different strokes for different folks.
And NYC is a city while Cali is a whole state. Unless you did mean NY State, in which case, Long Island is a bit more similar to California... more suburban yet still fairly cosmopolitan and expensive. Upstate New York is very different though. Parts are rural and "backwards" feeling, other parts have more in common with the "Rustbelt" manufacturing cities of the Midwest. Very unlike California cities.
agree with pd above - totally depends on what your into?
Being born and raised in Southern California and having lived in NYC since 1992 (except for a few years after 9/11) I would have to say they are both great! But its very true - it all depends on what type of lifestyle you enjoy.
It's also depends on your finances. Although both are expensive (compared with the rest of the country), it's probably "more comfortable" to be middle-income in the LA-area than in NYC-area. The most expensive areas in NYC have the best transportation. One of the biggest luxuries in NYC is being able to walk to work. If you want comparatively affordable housing you're stuck with a long train ride in from the boroughs.
And if you want to live in LA you're stuck with a long car ride to work.. it's no secret that LA probably has one of the most clogged highways in the states, and they're pretty much mandatory if you want to get anywhere. It depends how you factor expenses, but just because you're paying less for your apartment/house doesn't mean you're paying less, if now you have a car, insurance, gas, and maybe parking to factor in.
NYC is obviously a much better city than all three of them, but it depends on your finances. You'd probably live more "comfortable" if you were middle class in San Diego.
As a person who currently lives in Los Angeles (Studio City to be exact) and is moving as fast as I can to NYC. I would have to say the NYC is better and more comfortable. But that is just for me. I think that you are either a west coaster of an east coaster. I have been in Cali for about a year and this has been long enough for both myself and my boyfriend. Don't get me wrong it is BEAUTIFUL here. Gorgeous weather, and beaches. But that is about it. Everything is so spread out , and you HAVE to have a car and be willing to be in traffic for HOURS to get anywhere. Not to mention that I have not found Cali people to be as warm as back east. People are very cliquish out here and stick to themselves unless you have something to offer them. Plus NYC just has this pulse to it.
We moved out here for my boyfriend, he is an actor but we are moving back to NYC as soon as possible. Don't get me wrong, like I said it is beautiful out here. Just not for us.
California is wonderful. I have no regrets growing up here. The reason I am moving to New York is so that my wife can get around on public tranist. She is from India and does not know how to drive, and I really don't want her to. I feel its much safer for her to take a subway or train to work that to drive on the California freeways. Property value is slightly less expensive than in the New York City area, and also the weather is gorgeous year round. But New York has excellent public transportation, shopping, food, entertainment within walking distance most of the time. Both have good and bad things about them. I love Orange County, CA and I also love New York City.
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