Northern California vs Southern California (Los Angeles, San Diego: apartment, crime, houses)

[Archan]

It rains in Northern California and the water goes to Southern California!

[Archan]

Originally Posted by Yvetta

Grew up in San Diego.

Have lived in the bay area ( Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland) ever since.


Will never, ever move back to SoCal.

I grew up in the East Bay and have always loved San Diego, but have never lived there. Why do you like the bay area over San Diego? I'm very curious. Thanks!

[MikeDimeo]

Both NorCal and SoCal are nice and have their advantages. I've been to both places several times. When it comes to weather, it really depends on where you are. Most cities in California have a Mediterranean climate, especially the coastal cities like San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, etc. San Jose and Los Angeles are practically the only major coastal cities in California that can get hot. This is because they are not directly on the coast and are more sheltered by mountains. All other coastal cities in California such as San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, etc. are never cold but are noticeably cooler than places like San Jose and Los Angeles. No coastal city in California ever gets too hot or too cold. People will tell you SoCal is sunnier than NorCal, but really it's not. Sacramento, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego all have about the same number of sunny days, it's one of the benefits of coastal California's Mediterranean climate. One of the only major differences between NorCal and SoCal is the amount of rain. NorCal gets slightly more rain than SoCal. Having a Mediterranean climate, the coastal cities in both NorCal and SoCal are warm and dry in the summer and mild and wet in the winter. Both NorCal and SoCal receive abundant sunshine year-round. NorCal and SoCal are not much different when it comes to weather. When it comes to culture and places to raise a family, NorCal usually tops SoCal. But it's wherever you feel most at home.

[GoldCountry80]

Originally Posted by Archan

People in Southern California always add THE before the name of freeways, the 405 to the 101. People in Northern California do not, take 680 to 80.

You can always tell someone from Southern California by the way they give directions.

Northern CA is probably more like New England than Southern California in retrospect.

[GoldCountry80]

Originally Posted by Majin

SoCal is a collection of suburbs. Norcal is a collection of cities.

Theres suburbs in NorCal and in Sacramento area also.. but yea I see the less historical town factor going in SoCal.. like Fair Oaks kinds of places resemble New England more to me probably than anywhere in SoCal. So yea I'd say NorCal is more historic and has more of an Eastern influence to it.. For instance I see some NH comparisons with this part of California and some of MA maybe too. Nevada City might have a touch of Vermont. Davis CA is kinda like Cambridge. East Sac resembles some affluent areas outside of Boston like Arlington and Winchester.

[Sinless116]

Born and raised in the Silicon Valley - Bay Area is my home .
Most of my family members are in Southern California ( San Diego , Manhattan Beach, Pasadena area ) I visit there 4-5 times a year staying there for 1-2 weeks each time sometimes the entire summer. When I'm in So Cal I get to experience the luxury of a beach house and go out to many attraction, amusement park and beaches .

So cal pros
Nice beaches where you can swim in
Better amusement park
Cheaper houses and apartments
Better looking people ( more sexy athletic looking to be frank - I still prefer the city preppy look/artsy hipster look of the Bay Area )
* sunny all year round
* don't need a coat for the winter
* even temperature throughout the day
* close to Mexico
* city is more alive
* much more crowds and people
* Hollywood , rodeo drive , entertainment business
* better clubs and night life
* celebrities
* Disney land , universal studio
* street food
Cons
* traffic ( somewhere 15 miles away can take up to 45-50 minutes to get to a location )
* any place with good food or drink will have a long wait if you go on weekends or lunch/dinner hours)
* pollution
* water isn't clean or good
* horrible public transportation
*people can be quite fake
* depending on which area you're in racism occurs
* not clean
* more materially driven
*much bigger crime rate ( unless you decide to live in Oakland / Richmond )
* never experiencing autumn
* louder /larger crowd/longer lines
* grocery and meat isn't as fresh

Nor Cal pros
* more job opportunities
* people are more diverse and open minded
* despite what you hear about it being high tech - more diversity of people from different walk of life and educational value
* people here are often time more open minded and educated
* better educational and health system
* better food ( you can get lost in any restaurant in SF and the food will still be good as to in la or San Diego you'll have to search for the right location )
Better public transportation
* the pine woods - hiking - city light and nature - wine county - fresher food - better air - cleaner city
* less traffic
* home of most of the high tech business
* there's also an artistic side to Northern California - it's not all business as to many free spirit - artist- graphic designers lives here
* pretty beaches - there's Carmel - scenery - Muir Wood in SF and the redwoods - Snow? Tahoe - travel more north you'll get to Oregon - there's both a nature side and city side to Northern California -
* Better water
* we get to experience all the seasons
Cons in nor cal
Well the silicon valley and SF can be quite pricey to live in
It's not sunny all year round
Rare to see anyone swim in the beaches
Not as much eye candy or female population compares to so cal
* we don't have Hollywood or Disneyland

[ccm123]

Southern California is very Hollywood, celebrity driven, which is usually superficial. Northern California is more education and career driven.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by ccm123

Southern California is very Hollywood, celebrity driven, which is usually superficial. Northern California is more education and career driven.

It's really not though. That's a relatively small industry concentrated in small area in a very large region of 20+ million.

[sanmiguel]

Sacramento has the Delta Breeze +++

[sacreole]

To summarize my California living experience, I was born and raised in So Cal (SW Los Angeles/LAX/South Bay areas) but moved to Visalia in the San Joaquin Valley when I was 25 y/o. Lived in Visalia for nearly 12 years and moved to Sacramento where I've currently been living going on 13 years. When I lived in So Cal, I couldn't wait to leave. This was in the late 80s/early 90s. The social climate and crime rates were toxic.

Living in Central and Northern California over the past 24 years has given me a different perspective on So Cal. While the traffic and crowds can be overwhelming, I miss the beaches and the climate. Last summer, I vacationed on Catalina Island (Two Harbors) and had an awesome time. Even though I enjoyed living in Visalia, as I matured and found my career path, I wanted to live someplace where I could access more cultural and social outlets. Sacramento has provided a good balance of urban living with a small town feel. Where I live, I can be downtown or out in the country in about 10 minutes. I appreciate the access to nature and recreational areas such as the American and South Yuba Rivers, hiking and bike trails. I found Nor Cal to have more in the way of historical interests such as the Gold Rush towns in the Sierra foothills.