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Seattle has a very large Asian population, especially Japanese. Not only that, but it has immigrants from all over the world. It's like a smaller, laid-back version of NYC. When I used to live there, my parents had friends of many different nationalities (French, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Korean, Russian, to name a few).
I know this is an old post BUT OMG ARE YOU INSANE?
Seattle is NOTHING like NYC
Don't even compare the 2
My wife and I are seriously thinking of moving from Seattle to San Diego;
They say the cost of living is more in San Diego
Current seattle gas 3.10 per gallon basic gas
1/2 gallon of milk 2.99
Pack of cigs 8.50
coffee 4.99 a can
bread like 3.25 a loaf
Rents average IN THE CITY $1,000.00 and up and for those of you who dont know there really is no BAD part of Seattle.
Homeless junkies really don't bother me. I ignore them and forget they exsist. Belltown to Pioneer Square no biggie, I live on Mercer Island nice lil 1 bedroom fireplace top floor 1,000 includes water sewer and 2 rental units (storage closet size).
Car insurance here is 125.00 for 2 cars. We are not 20 somethings so yea we pay little for full coverage.
so what is $$$$$ like people say are big macs more there?
I been searchin CL and rents seem the same as here. BUT are they bad areas?
My company has locations from Oceanside to Chula Vista
16 in all So I got options.
I have to leave sometimes in the middle of the night I just don't wanna worry about my wife home alone. I don't now and never have.
Forget the price of cars up here its a joke I sold my POS jeep that i blew up the transmission on moving here for the same price, i paid for it back east when bought it 2 years ago RUNNING PERFECT.
SO i gave you a few $$ what is it like there?
Yes I will go there for a week before we make a final choice. Go food shopping and see for myself how $$ it is.
PS Seattle sales tax 9.5% yes 9.5% oh yea but no state tax LMFAO!!!
Seattle has a very large Asian population, especially Japanese. Not only that, but it has immigrants from all over the world. It's like a smaller, laid-back version of NYC. When I used to live there, my parents had friends of many different nationalities (French, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Korean, Russian, to name a few).
Seattle is also more of an artsy city, from what I've seen. There was this one pub I walked into near Qwest Field that provided laid-back atmosphere with plush couches and Picasso paintings on the wall. Soon as I walked in there I felt the vibe of what my image of Seattle is like (aside from the grunge music scene and Starbucks in every block).
I also think Seattle is a little faster paced than San Diego, imo. It has more of an urban atmosphere with skyscrapers everywhere. Speaking of which, I really love Seattle's architecture. Not just the Space Needle, but other buildings like the Smith Tower and Columbia Tower make Seattle's landscape unique, while San Diego's downtown is kind of bland with all the buildings that look the same (they all have a light blueish-green color to it), except for that one building with octagon shapes (Emerald Plaza) looks cool at night.
yes, seattle is faster paced than san diego, though san diego is changing fast these days.
btw, i am in sd, in a very stereotypically 'family,upper end' area, and i have friends and neighbors from all over-mainly korea, japan, iran, mexico, India, etc.
In fact, in my neighborhood caucasians are a minority.
And,when i lived in more urban SD, friends were greek, brazilian, ethiopian, eritrean, etc.
it's ridiculous for people to continue to act as though SD is not cosmopolitan. It's just very low key about it. it's the 'small pond', and makes no bones about it. it isn't trying to be NY,LA or SFO. It's just being little ole' san diego.
But diversity is NOT something it lacks. AT all. It's just very spread out, so cal style. And it's not a very ambitious place. But this has been discussed ad nauseum on these threads. I really suggest the OP look through threads for the last few months on SD. Same old same types of posts.....
SD is busy being a tourist/vacation mecca. and it's residents are busy enjoying their life, or making plans to move elsewhere. [no, i don't think SD is the best city to live in-depends upon the person/lifestage/circumstances,etc]. Surf, hike, bike, bbq, resort style living, music shows, some okay food [not great, but decent and getting better]...this is what you will find in SD.
And, as mentioned a billion times on these threads int he past, you will find the 'SD discount' in terms of salary. Lower wages across the board in comparison to other cities of it's size and stature. But with higher cost of living. Yes, the weather really is that great. On the flip side, you could call it monotonous, as some have. Depends on how you look at it/what you're looking for.
My wife and I are seriously thinking of moving from Seattle to San Diego;
They say the cost of living is more in San Diego
Current seattle gas 3.10 per gallon basic gas
1/2 gallon of milk 2.99
Pack of cigs 8.50
coffee 4.99 a can
bread like 3.25 a loaf
Rents average IN THE CITY $1,000.00 and up and for those of you who dont know there really is no BAD part of Seattle.
Homeless junkies really don't bother me. I ignore them and forget they exsist. Belltown to Pioneer Square no biggie, I live on Mercer Island nice lil 1 bedroom fireplace top floor 1,000 includes water sewer and 2 rental units (storage closet size).
Car insurance here is 125.00 for 2 cars. We are not 20 somethings so yea we pay little for full coverage.
so what is $$$$$ like people say are big macs more there?
I been searchin CL and rents seem the same as here. BUT are they bad areas?
My company has locations from Oceanside to Chula Vista
16 in all So I got options.
I have to leave sometimes in the middle of the night I just don't wanna worry about my wife home alone. I don't now and never have.
Forget the price of cars up here its a joke I sold my POS jeep that i blew up the transmission on moving here for the same price, i paid for it back east when bought it 2 years ago RUNNING PERFECT.
SO i gave you a few $$ what is it like there?
Yes I will go there for a week before we make a final choice. Go food shopping and see for myself how $$ it is.
PS Seattle sales tax 9.5% yes 9.5% oh yea but no state tax LMFAO!!!
I agree with you-I often talk about this w/my spouse. People think CA is so high, when in reality, it averages the same as many large metro areas in the country. Real estate,though, is the one difference.
btw, sales tax in sd is about the same, and we have the income tax in CA. so that's a small difference-not sure it matters much if one is in a low to middle income bracket, though.
costs that are less in so cal=utilities-you generally do not need heat or a/c, for the most part. you do not need to weatherize your car, nor is there winter wear and tear on the vehicle. and no winter clothing. wardrobes are cheaper [this is true-i come from winter-and you dont need to maintain 4 seasons of clothing in sd; it can help, esp. if you have children who grow monthly!] Cars: Um, I don't really know. I think you can find an old honda or toyota that will last forever, for under 2k. We have. Depends on what you are looking for. Cars cost what they cost.
For people who wonder where you can find a state with reasonable taxes, good quality of life, sane cost of living and politics, etc., try Colorado. That's where you will find these qualities.
Re 'bad areas': San Diego doesn't have more than a handful of areas that are 'bad', as far as living in them. Do a search on the forum for past threads on this subject. You are correct, you can find rentals in the range you mentioned, but usually you'd need to go up to about 1200 on average, 1500 for much nicer areas'.
Last edited by lrmsd; 06-01-2010 at 01:39 PM..
Reason: typo
Super response TY So it is what it is and what you make of it.
I dont wanna anger people, but seattle-ites have a sense of self entitlement I just can't get used to
I miss NY but I just aint in the mood to move back.
The pros are obvious. Beaches, mountains, desert, all close. No weather to speak of. Great museums, the zoo, wild animal park, sea world, legoland, Gaslamp.
What most people don't like to tell you is that the great weather is really only down by the beach and surrounding burbs. Otherwise the east county can be very hot in the summer, and very cold in the winter. Also the city shuts down at midnight. Not much for after hours either. The traffic is starting to rival LA's. San diego is a driving city, so be prepared to drive at least 20 mins for most things. Even though there is the trolley and buses, it is definitely a "car culture" city. People generally only take the trolley because they can't afford a car. There are also alot of gangs. While they generally stay in their hoods, you will find their graffiti everywhere. And thanks to the VEEP program(i think that is what it is called), your kids, if you have them, can be exposed to their kids via the school busing program. It brought knives, guns, and drugs into my elementary school where there never would have been. The pay is also really low. San Diego pays WAY below industry standards for most vocations. Which is extra bad considering the high cost of living. Rents are high, be prepared to pay at least $1000 a month for a 2 br in a kinda decent area.
Oh and being close to Mexico is not currently a plus. Considering they find beheaded people and people in acid barrels there. The situation is getting better but its still not safe to travel there. Unless of course you go way down to mazatlan or such.
The south bay all the way to the border is largely hispanic. Which I have no problem with, except that all the billboards are in spanish. And they conveniently "no hablo" whenever they want. Alot of people get stuck in the East and North county. There is nothing going on out there. They all just wish they lived closer so they could actually enjoy the things san diego has to offer.
You want to trade with me in Philly? 51 days of 95 actual, Heat index over 100, for the summer, and then 74 inches of snow in 2010... and 40 inches in 2011... you can be here by summer for those 100 degree days!
First of all, San Diego is big-time conservative. Almost to a fault. The people here are extremely judgmental and holier-than-thou, if you know what I mean. And if you can avoid the conservatives, you will probably have the bad luck of running into the self-important, rich, everything is about me people.
It all comes down to what you are looking for. If you are looking for low taxes, natural beauty, friendly people, liberal politics, and a relatively affordable area, pick Seattle. If you require a perfect climate, ocean to swim in, desert landscape, and don't mind the very high cost of living, lack of culture, and relatively rude and self-important people, pick San Diego.
Funny... these lines sound exactly like "extremely judgmental, holier-than-thou and rude" don't you think?
I moved here from Seattle two years ago and to me, people here are much nicer and friendlier than Seattle. I don't know... people here seem to be much cheerful.
I currently live in San Diego and enjoy it. However, I do have several friends from Seattle who say that they prefer Seattle much more over San Diego. The city is very beautiful and there are endless activities to keep you occupied. But compared to Seattle, the quality of human interaction isn't that great. My biggest complaint about the city is that most people aren't interested in actually talking about anything besides pop-politics, sports, and that's about it I guess. I grew up in Denver and the thing I miss is being able to say whatever is on my mind and truly having meaningful conversations with people. If you're looking for a peaceful place to live and your idea of a fun time is watching the sunset with a margarita in your hand, then San Diego is amazing. However, if your looking for a place that will stimulate you emotionally, psychologically, and intellectually, I would pass. I really do like the city, I just wish the people here had more substance to them.
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