SF vs NYC - please help (Los Angeles, San Diego: live, moving to, bars)

[popalnet]

People from the SF area think the world evolves around them. That's because they've never been to NYC. Once they see NYC in person they will all shut up.

SF is dead compared to NYC. I can't believe that we're wasting the time to compare SF with NYC!

Just the city itself is well over 8 million - and NYC's metro is over 20 million. SF is something like 700 thousand, and its metro is a little over 7 million - that's including Sacramento - which is way out in the boonies.

According to the Census Bureau in metro population, NYC of course is number 1. SF is number 6 in the country. (//www.city-data.com/forum/gener...-areas-us.html)

Top 10 according to the Census Bureau:

1. New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA - 21,976,224 - 21,361,797 +2.88%

2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA CSA - 17,775,984 - 16,373,645 +8.56%

3. Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI CSA - 9,725,317 - 9,312,255 +4.44%

4. Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV CSA - 8,211,213 - 7,572,647 +8.43%

5. Boston-Worcester-Providence-Manchester, MA-RI-NH CSA - 7,465,634 - 7,298,695 +2.29%

6. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA CSA - 7,228,948 - 7,092,596 +1.92%

7. Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA - 6,382,714 - 6,207,223 +2.83%

8. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX CSA - 6,359,758 - 5,487,956 +15.89%

9. Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX CSA - 5,641,077 - 4,815,122 +17.15%

10. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL CSA - 5,478,667 - 4,548,344 +20.45%

With that said, how can anyone compare SF to NYC. It's a joke. No comparison!

[pistola916]

^
Sacramento is not part of the Bay Area.

[Palmer Eldritch]

I lived in NYC for several years and I would say that it is definitely not somewhere that anyone of any intelligence would want to live. After a few days in NYC you start to notice right away that the people there are far less intelligent compared to your average person in SF.

[Futcha]

Originally Posted by beone

While I think SF is the best city in the U.S. (I would live in NYC if I thought it were better), I can of course understand any argument that favors NYC as the best city in the U.S. However, size has nothing to do with making a great city. While NYC may have what it has because it is so large, it's size is not what makes it so great - it's a million other things.

San Francisco is a beautiful city. But size does play a great role in determining a great city. And you're right about there being a million other things that make a city great... And NYC has all of them. Sorry if I sound like an *sshole, but I speak what's on my mind and I gotta tell the truth.

And pizza... Oh, pizza! Can't beat a nice New York style pizza...

I personally think the NYC area is the best place in the world to raise children. The amazing diversity is great for your kids to be involved in.

[hsw]

Need to think in terms of urban regions....city vs suburbs is a quaint, irrelevant concept from ?'60s-'70s....

Most of SF region's wealth is generated by SiliconValley tech cos. and their VC financiers....City of SF is economically a mere suburb of SV....

NYC region's wealth is highly dependent on the financial industry (inv banks/hedge funds/pvt eq funds), which are largely in Midtown Manhattan and Greenwich (Goldman and Merrill are the only relevant firms left in Downtown)....

Sure, NYC region is some 18MM; SF is some 6MM....

But, if one considers where most of tech industry's highest-paid live and work in SF region (SantaClara/SanMateo/SF Counties), it's some ?2.5MM.....if one considers where most of financial industry's highest-paid live and work in NYC region (Manhattan/Fairfield and Westchester Ctys), it's only ?3.5MM....(like most things in life, it's a small fraction of population responsible for economic/intellectual relevance of these vast urban regions)

No doubt, the financial industry in Manhattan/Greenwich and the tech industry in SV attract some of smartest, richest, youngest guys on planet.....but it's an on-going head-on competition.....

But I doubt QOL/COL in either of these regions makes any sense for a middle-income guy w/a family, who has no hope of a 7-fig paychk/equity windfall....many cities like Dallas/Chic prob offer a much better QOL/COL balance for most middle-income people.....

[Bluesmama]

Originally Posted by popalnet

People from the SF area think the world evolves around them. That's because they've never been to NYC. Once they see NYC in person they will all shut up.

SF is dead compared to NYC. I can't believe that we're wasting the time to compare SF with NYC!

Just the city itself is well over 8 million - and NYC's metro is over 20 million. SF is something like 700 thousand, and its metro is a little over 7 million - that's including Sacramento - which is way out in the boonies.

According to the Census Bureau in metro population, NYC of course is number 1. SF is number 6 in the country. (//www.city-data.com/forum/gener...-areas-us.html)

Top 10 according to the Census Bureau:

1. New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA - 21,976,224 - 21,361,797 +2.88%

2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA CSA - 17,775,984 - 16,373,645 +8.56%

3. Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI CSA - 9,725,317 - 9,312,255 +4.44%

4. Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV CSA - 8,211,213 - 7,572,647 +8.43%

5. Boston-Worcester-Providence-Manchester, MA-RI-NH CSA - 7,465,634 - 7,298,695 +2.29%

6. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA CSA - 7,228,948 - 7,092,596 +1.92%

7. Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA - 6,382,714 - 6,207,223 +2.83%

8. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX CSA - 6,359,758 - 5,487,956 +15.89%

9. Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX CSA - 5,641,077 - 4,815,122 +17.15%

10. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL CSA - 5,478,667 - 4,548,344 +20.45%

With that said, how can anyone compare SF to NYC. It's a joke. No comparison!

Can't compare "how"? Just SIZE????

[soho111]

Originally Posted by Palmer Eldritch

I lived in NYC for several years and I would say that it is definitely not somewhere that anyone of any intelligence would want to live. After a few days in NYC you start to notice right away that the people there are far less intelligent compared to your average person in SF.

New York City has far more people of intelligence/affluence/influence/wealth than San Fransisco.

To sum it up, New York is part of the World Elite (New York/London/Paris/Tokyo), San Francisco is not. That itself speaks volumes. In addition to their own "intelligent" population, New York draws the World's elite, San Francisco doesn't. New York is the center of influence, San Francisco isn't. Less intelligence, really?

In comparison New York City, San Fransisco is podunk, small, and non-cosmopolitan. NYC is the exact opposite.

I used to be the typical smug San Franciscan type (as yourself) until I visited NYC and was humbled.

[Bluesmama]

Hasn't SF always considered itself to be a "little sister" to NYC?

Portland, OR, always tries to follow it's bigger sister, Seattle. People here would gang up on me for this comment, but that's been apparent to me in the 30 years I've lived here. And I hate it. Seattle may be a lot bigger in SIZE and offer more of everything, but whenever I've had to go there I couldn't wait to leave. It always looks gloomy.

I think SF is fantastic; it simply isn't an easy choice for those who aren't "elitists" or have money. Neither city is known for great weather. SF has an ultra-liberal, if not whacky, political climate ~ don't know about NYC.

I'll find out about NYC when I visit for the first time this coming fall.

[pflau]

I find it amusing how some of you people seem to worship NYC looking at it from a distance. I think life is more than who you live next to. I mean, so what if NYC has the most people, how many meaningful friendships can you actually have? So what if NYC has the most money, are you working in finance or are you just one of the worker ants living in small apartment buildings that all look like each other??

I say you decide to live in a place because the place suits you, not because you are looking to define yourself by the place you live in. That would be sad.

[ripley44mag]

This is easy. I was born and raised in NYC and have lived in the SF area for over 20 years. Slam Dunk go to San Francisco. Regards Ripley