if you had a choice to live somewhere, would you choose san francisco or san diego?

Question

why?

Answer 1

I had that same choice and I chose San Diego. I grew up in the Bay Area my whole life and came down to San Diego for college six years ago. After graduating I could have either moved back home and out to the city or stayed in San Diego; and I chose San Diego and am glad I did. And all the people saying neither are probably not even from CA and haven't lived in either place.

SF is overrated anyways. It's a beautiful city, very urban and compact, amazing architecture and buildings, good public transit, great scenery, you a get a real urban experiacne there. But the weather is absolutely horrid compared to SD. Cold, foggy, and windy year round. They wear jackets and pants there in the summer! people dress a lot more casual in SD; me personally I like the flip flops and board shorts as opposed to turtlenecks and scarves. Some of the people there, especially in the city, are pretentious. They think they are so damn educated and cultured and they are more informed and aware than the rest of the country and are SO tolerant and accepting. If you look at other questions about SF that's something people there always mention; about how they are so tolerant and accepting of other people, which isn't a bad thing of course but you don't have to be smug about it and act like it makes you better that everyone else. Some previous poster complained about SD being conservative but it's not that bad. It's not nearly as conservative as SF is liberal. SD is a pretty moderate city; fiscally conservative but socially liberal. Which is fine with me, low taxes and liberal social laws. A recent study that analyzed voter patterns found SD to be right in the middle and SF in the top ten most liberal cities. Not that being liberal is bad, but SF liberalism is a bit out there and extreme. The city is really diverse, you meet a lot of different types of people, and they are very tolerant, but politically it is very homogenous and you will find those tolerant and open minded liberals aren't as tolerant and open minded when you express different values and political views from their own.

SD has a much better and younger vibe I think. In SF you see 35-45 year olds walking around in suits or there little Banana Republic outfit; here you see those same people walking around in board shorts, a t-shirt, and flip flops. Much more laid back here.The people are great. They either come here for college or come here just b/c this is where they want to be. So the mindset of a lot of people that move here is that they just want to have fun and enjoy this city. I've met a lot of people that just moved out here just to be here, they didn't come for a job or anything but just wanted to live in SD. You meet so many people from different parts of the country here; i've never seen so many out of state license plates in CA. Every summer 85% of J1 visas from Ireland are for San Diego, thousands of young college kids from Ireland come to live and party here every summer b/c they love it so much. Everyone here is friendly b/c many are like you or me, they moved here from somewhere else and just want to meet people and have fun.

There is always something to do year round. The beach is amazing, especially in summer. You can actually go swimming here during the summer b/c the water is around 70-75. The water never goes above 58 in SF. The weather is the best anywhere on this continent. upper 60's to low 70's during winter and mid 70's to low 80's during summer. It's not humid and rarely rains. It never gets really cold or really hot, especially near the coast. Don't need to use a heater or AC. If you like being outdoors SD is the best b/c it's always sunny and nice.

The women are gorgeous down here and run around in bikinis all summer long and throughout much of the year in Pacific Beach; there is no place in NorCal where you will see that. Just spend one summer in Pacific Beach and you will never want to leave.

San Diego isn't as congested, polluted, or crowded as SF. Traffic is much worse in the Bay Area\. And it has a much lower crime rate, we're one of this safest big cities in america. Less murders than SF but with nearly twice as many people. It's a big city with lots to do but not nearly as big and congested as SF or LA. Also you have tons of desitnations nearby for weekend trips; LA, Orange County, Santa Barbara, Las Vegas, mexico... TJ is always a fun day trip too.

It's also a lot cheaper to live here too. I pay $1375 for a 2 bedroom 8 blocks from the beach in Pacific Beach; You get more for your money here than you would in SF. I hate on SF sometimes, but I still love that city. But it's more of a place to go visit and have fun rather than live. If you are young then SD would be more fun; people down here party more. We can drink and have kegs on the beach; nowhere in northern CA will they let you do that. Even if you aren't 21, Tijuana is always there and you only have to be 18 to drink. We're not pretentious either, we keep real in Dego. It all depends what you are looking for though, so hopefully this helps decide whether SF or SD is the best fit for you. But of course i'm going with SD.

Answer 2

If I had all the money in the world, San Francisco. As a native San Diegan, the political environment here is stupifyingly conservative.

That said, San Francisco is one of the most expensive places I've ever visited. Traffic and parking suck too. If you're willing to put up with all that and have enough money (or a good enough job) to support yourself, then San Francisco, hands down.

Answer 3

between those two, san diego - less pollution, more small town suburbia to choose from, amazing climate, mountains and ocean 1 hours drive either way, mexico vacation spots 1 hour south, etc., etc.

Answer 4

neither but if i absolutely had to choose..............San Diego

Answer 5

no, i would chose to live elsewhere.
CA is not a place for sane people to live in freedom.

too many illegal aliens, high taxes, cost of living, etc.

Answer 6

neither. Both cities have baggage.

Answer 7

How do you compare poop to poop?
I love Sacramento.