Seattle or San Francisco

[SurlyAdam]

I lived in the East Bay for awhile and loved it every day. There is so much to do and the people are great - very open and warm. I thought the entire Bay Area was amazing, almost perfect. If you like to go out, San Francisco is the perfect city as there are nearly endless options. The scenery is amazing too, both natural and man-made.

Depends what you're looking for in a city. The downside is that it's very expensive and there are 7 million people in the Bay Area so you're never alone. It's also fairly shady and can be dangerous. If you have a chance to live there though, I would definitely suggest you check it out.

Never been to Seattle...

 

[swordpath]

Thanks for the responses.

Surly, I actually lived in the East Bay myself for a number of years. Pleasanton to be exact. I am familiar with the bay area and love it, but I have never been to Seattle and am curious as to how it stacks up here in people's opinion.

 

[violaine]

Late to the party, but I have spent a little time in both cities. Much as I like Seattle, the rain just makes it too annoying for me to think about living there. I like being unfettered and traveling light. I would pick San Francisco, love SF.

 

[527468]

San Francisco. I like their musical talent better.

 

[Grayscale]

i consider northern california and seattle to be my two favorite places to live in the US, so i think it's a close match.

seattle will be about 15-25 degrees cooler, rain approximately twice as much (38"/yr vs 20") which results in slightly cleaner air. the vegitation is much thicker, less grass and hilly terrain and more trees and mountains. seems like seattle is a temperate west coast climate skewed towards "rainforest" while northern california is skewed more towards sunny and desert-like weather.

this is personal opinion, but i think san francisco is more liberal and involved in progressive social issues while seattle is more focused on the arts. SF has a metro population of ~7.5 million, seattle 3.5. Seattle cost of living is 32% above the national average, SF is 87%. both places are heavily developed in technological industries, have competitive options for higher education, and plenty of recreation.

usually i exaggerate about how terrible the rain is (wouldnt want too many people moving here) but to be honest, most people seem oblivious to it after a while. on the other hand, it is a bit more noticeable when it rains in california

 

[Negative_]

Seattle. Mostly because

seattle will be about 15-25 degrees cooler, rain approximately twice as much (38"/yr vs 20") which results in slightly cleaner air. the vegitation is much thicker with a lot more trees, less hilly terrain and more mountains. seems like seattle is a temperate west coast climate skewed towards "rainforest"

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

Definitely Seattle. I'd enjoy the weather more, as the Pacific Northwest has my favorite climate. A little less expensive. And WAY fewer hippies.

 

[swordpath]

Gah, it seems like such a toss-up. I'm planning to take a West coast vacation when I get back to the states. SF and Seattle are on the agenda as well as Portland (My aunt and uncle live there). I'll hopefully be able to decide after that.

 

[kelric]

Gah, it seems like such a toss-up. I'm planning to take a West coast vacation when I get back to the states. SF and Seattle are on the agenda as well as Portland (My aunt and uncle live there). I'll hopefully be able to decide after that.

I'd bet you'll like Portland too (sorry if that doesn't make the decision any easier ). Basically, I think it's hard to go wrong location/climate/cultural with anywhere on the Pacific coast from Northern California at least up through Vancouver or Victoria.

Now you're making me think of moving too .

 

[juggernaut]

Portland might be really nice for you, being right between Seattle and SF. The only drawback (to my mind) is that it's serious hippie-ville. My dad hates the place because of all the "tree huggers" (he lives in Washington state as well) and the fact that you can't find a normal piece of bread anywhere (it's all the oaty, nutty, grainy stuff...as a first-generation German immigrant, he's all about rye, pumpernickel, and the occasional baguette). I don't mind the moderate hippies, but the hardcore environmental nazism isn't for me.

 

[Biaxident]

Portland might be really nice for you, being right between Seattle and SF. The only drawback (to my mind) is that it's serious hippie-ville. My dad hates the place because of all the "tree huggers" (he lives in Washington state as well) and the fact that you can't find a normal piece of bread anywhere (it's all the oaty, nutty, grainy stuff...as a first-generation German immigrant, he's all about rye, pumpernickel, and the occasional baguette). I don't mind the moderate hippies, but the hardcore environmental nazism isn't for me.

 

[Uytuun]

I've been living in Vancouver for a couple of months now, have visited Seattle and will visit SF at the end of the month...will let you know what I think.

 

[swordpath]

I'm considering SF pretty seriously.

 

[Uytuun]

So I did all three (SF, Seattle and Vancouver)...Vancouver is my favourite, but I've also been there the longest+it doesn't seem to be an option for you.

Out of Seattle and SF, I would go for SF. It seems a bit more dynamic, a bit sunnier, a bit more diverse, bigger...Seattle might be slightly more in your comfort zone, but I find that an environment that's a bit more vibrant EP style helps me to grow and complements me nicely.

 

[swordpath]

Awesome. Thanks for the update! I want to visit Vancouver sometime.

 

[Anonymous]

San Francisco. Like Uytuun says, it's really diverse. And not just ethnically, there's tons of different sub-cultures too, most notably (imo) the large amount of geeky hedonists.

 

[avolkiteshvara]

I'll necro this thread.

I've lived in all three areas, Seattle, Portland, SF bay area. Liked all three. It depends what you are looking for.

Seattle
Con-Rain. Relatively dirty. Can be hard to find a good job. Pissed off people with an edge(although I might rate this a pro.
Pro-Fits my cynical attitude, most educated city in US, rich culture of indoor activities since it rains all the time.

P-Town
Con-Hard to find a good job. Dreary days but not as bad as Seattle.
Pro-Cool people(I wouldn't classify them as hippies exactly), cleanest of all cities, nicer people. Not as cramped for space.

SF Bay Area(I live in Berkeley)
Con-Very small variety of everything when grocery shopping. Friendly narcissism to the highest degree. Cost of living.
Pro-Beautiful year round. Good job prospects. Good variety of ethnic food. Very friendly people.

 

[swordpath]

^You get around. hah.

Where has been your favorite location?

 

[avolkiteshvara]

Doesn't work like that, at least not for an NP like me. There were things I appreciated and didn't like about each. I probably felt most at home in Seattle and then Portland. SF is still growing on me.

I think even if you lived on the beach in Hawaii, at some point you'd ge sick of it.

 

[Lateralus]

I can't imagine living in a city where the median home value is over $800,000. San Francisco is one of the most overpriced cities in the world.