From Atlanta to San Francisco or Seattle? (Palo Alto, Cupertino: apartments, to rent)

[nyte3k]

So I currently live in Atlanta, and I'm considering a move to either Seattle or San Francisco next summer. I'm single, in my late 20s, make around $105k and work as a software engineer.

I would like to know the unbiased opinions of the differences/similarities between Seattle and San Fran from people who have lived in both.

I'm looking to rent, and stay under $1800/mo. From what I hear, people typically say Seattle and San Francisco are similar, but SF is more urban, which I kind of prefer. A big turn off of course is the cost of living in SF(as I'm from the south where everything is dirt cheap , but I have accepted that I shouldn't expect that). And Seattle's negative, seems to be the 8+ months of clouds. I've never experienced a long period of this type of weather, so I don't really know how much I'll like it and get used to it.

If I did make the move to either city, I would want to be in a safe area, that isn't overly expensive, somewhat clean looking, and as close as possible to the heart of the city. I will come with my long-time g/f, but we only need a studio or 1Bdrm, and I'll also have a car. So any area that either has street parking or apartments that have free/cheap garage/lot parking would be ideal as well.

I am relatively conservative with my spending so I would like to still have money left over to throw in savings but I also would like to enjoy a nice eatery from time to time. I also have goals to fund a business I'm developing on the side, so cost is sort of important (I know there is angel/vc out there, but I prefer bootstrapping and you never know if you'll get any money anyway)

I've only visited SF once, and that was barely a day, but noticed weather can change greatly from place to place (drove through Pacifica I believe, and it was noticeably colder and foggy).

I've posted this in the Seattle forums too, just to get a balanced set of opinions.

Thanks guys!!

[erian]

Both cities are very comfortable for your criteria, both cities are very liberal, both cities have a stable weather...the summer is not very warm like in the suburbs and the winter is not very cold like in the suburbs in both cities; but yeah Seattle and San Francisco both have most of the year a foggy weather. But in Seattle there is not other city or suburb to escape from the fog...in San Francisco you have the choice to escape the fog just 10 minutes from San Francisco either to the south, to the north or to the east. San Francisco is very very urban, the bay area is also very very urban feeling, Seattle is very very urban too like San Francisco, but nearby cities are not very urban, those cities are more suburban feeling. So, I think the 2 cities are very good for you; the diversity and cultural sense, both have everything for any ethnicity in both cities.

[rorqual]

nyte3k, I am in the process of making a similar move to the Bay Area from the south (Birmingham-AL), and preferred Seattle due to its lower cost of living and a similar tech market (Microsoft, Amazon, etc) but am currently restricted to the Bay Area as an offer from Seattle didn't materialize. I am not sure if your 105k salary in ATL will scale to the Bay Area cost-of-living but if you did get an offer which did then congrats !

[nyte3k]

Originally Posted by erian

Both cities are very comfortable for your criteria, both cities are very liberal, both cities have a stable weather...the summer is not very warm like in the suburbs and the winter is not very cold like in the suburbs in both cities; but yeah Seattle and San Francisco both have most of the year a foggy weather. But in Seattle there is not other city or suburb to escape from the fog...in San Francisco you have the choice to escape the fog just 10 minutes from San Francisco either to the south, to the north or to the east. San Francisco is very very urban, the bay area is also very very urban feeling, Seattle is very very urban too like San Francisco, but nearby cities are not very urban, those cities are more suburban feeling. So, I think the 2 cities are very good for you; the diversity and cultural sense, both have everything for any ethnicity in both cities.

Thanks for the info. Is the fog typically an all day every day event in those areas?

Originally Posted by rorqual

nyte3k, I am in the process of making a similar move to the Bay Area from the south (Birmingham-AL), and preferred Seattle due to its lower cost of living and a similar tech market (Microsoft, Amazon, etc) but am currently restricted to the Bay Area as an offer from Seattle didn't materialize. I am not sure if your 105k salary in ATL will scale to the Bay Area cost-of-living but if you did get an offer which did then congrats !

Congrats on the new position! I currently do not have a job lined up there but I would before leaving. I'm still a few months away from moving. What area in SF did you settle on?

[Woof]

San Francisco's weather is much better than Seattle's, there's no contest there. Sunnier throughout the year. The fog tends to be worst on the west side, but it's really not a big deal, not like rain is.

The restaurant food is somewhat better in San Francisco, but not a huge difference. Neither place has a lot of down-home American foods, they're more about ethnic and fusion cuisines.

San Francisco is prettier and more interesting, but also more crowded.

I love both cities, but if I had lots of money I would prefer SF.

[rorqual]

Originally Posted by nyte3k

Congrats on the new position! I currently do not have a job lined up there but I would before leaving. I'm still a few months away from moving. What area in SF did you settle on?

Position is in Palo Alto, but am still looking where to settle...or whether to move at all and stay put in AL !

[jade408]

SF is foggy in the summer. That is the worst weather in SF, because you are expecting warm and sunny. Anywhere outside of SF likely has sun, so this problem is pretty easy to solve. The sun generally makes an appearance most days in SF outside of rainy season. Not so in Seattle. The grey season is pretty much grey the entire time with rae breaks for sun. Seattle might have better summer weather, if for you summer = shorts.

As an african-american woman, I do not find Seattle diverse. It is mostly white, and then asian. African and Latinos are much less visible and tend to live in segregated neighborhoods. Generally in the Bay Area, you can't make an assumption about where someone lives based on their ethnicity. There are some neighborhoods that are a bit more segregated, but people of all ethnic groups generally live all over.

In terms of raising a family, I'd imagine Seattle would be much easier, since it is so much cheaper.

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by nyte3k

So I currently live in Atlanta, and I'm considering a move to either Seattle or San Francisco next summer. I'm single, in my late 20s, make around $105k and work as a software engineer.

I would like to know the unbiased opinions of the differences/similarities between Seattle and San Fran from people who have lived in both.

I personally would choose San Francisco for one reason: weather. I dont' want to live somewhere with 9 months of rain and clouds. I almost took a job in Seattle last year and I'm glad I didn't. I relocated instead to the Bay Area and I'm quite happy. If you dont' care about weather, then I think both places are equally neat. San Francisco might be a little more interesting as far as being a denser, urban environment and I believe there's more of an international mix of people here.

I am relatively conservative with my spending so I would like to still have money left over to throw in savings but I also would like to enjoy a nice eatery from time to time. I also have goals to fund a business I'm developing on the side, so cost is sort of important (I know there is angel/vc out there, but I prefer bootstrapping and you never know if you'll get any money anyway)

$105k salary is a perfectly good salary to have a comfortable living, enjoy things, and save a little. Even in San Francisco. With a job in Palo Alto you can definitely live in San Francisco and have a not-too-bad commute.

[alexxiz]

Originally Posted by erian

Both cities are very comfortable for your criteria, both cities are very liberal, both cities have a stable weather...the summer is not very warm like in the suburbs and the winter is not very cold like in the suburbs in both cities; but yeah Seattle and San Francisco both have most of the year a foggy weather. But in Seattle there is not other city or suburb to escape from the fog...in San Francisco you have the choice to escape the fog just 10 minutes from San Francisco either to the south, to the north or to the east. San Francisco is very very urban, the bay area is also very very urban feeling, Seattle is very very urban too like San Francisco, but nearby cities are not very urban, those cities are more suburban feeling. So, I think the 2 cities are very good for you; the diversity and cultural sense, both have everything for any ethnicity in both cities.

South Bay has a lot of less than urban places (that can even remind of the South sometimes!)... anyway most software jobs are going to be in SV, which is not SF, but South Bay, you can even find "country" here

[alexxiz]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

I personally would choose San Francisco for one reason: weather. I dont' want to live somewhere with 9 months of rain and clouds. I almost took a job in Seattle last year and I'm glad I didn't. I relocated instead to the Bay Area and I'm quite happy. If you dont' care about weather, then I think both places are equally neat. San Francisco might be a little more interesting as far as being a denser, urban environment and I believe there's more of an international mix of people here.

$105k salary is a perfectly good salary to have a comfortable living, enjoy things, and save a little. Even in San Francisco. With a job in Palo Alto you can definitely live in San Francisco and have a not-too-bad commute.

Good luck with that... if you'd work in Palo Alto, you need to live near Palo Alto, south of 92 and no further north than Cupertino.