I lived in Redmond for a summer working for Microsoft and I really did like it there (especially since Summer was the best weather) I've lived in San Diego for the past 7 years and I absolutely love it here. So much to do (attractions, skiing (Water and Snow), Los Angeles is close, Las Vegas is drivable). I don't really have anything to knock on Seattle (other than the weather for half the year), but I much prefer San Diego. You can't go too wrong either way though.
I could see both cities affecting your psyche without you even realizing it, Seattle for the worse of course. Might make the move seem sad and dreary whereas San Diego may make you feel excited and positive. Seriously. UW has those awesome boat tailgates though...
Other than it's proximity to Vancouver/Whistler, Seattle is quite isolated from the rest of the country...even Portland is close to 200 miles away.
I live in San Diego now and lived in Washington near Seattle a couple of years ago. The biggest thing San Diego has going for it is the weather. It is nice, but there is no variation. As noted, there is currently a huge storm coming through and it does make for a nice change. Otherwise the scene is picture perfect which is great at the beach. The negatives are that it is crowded and a pain to drive around here most of the time. The layouts of the streets is r****ded and the drivers not much better. You can forget about people using turn signals. Food isn't bad, but I prefer the eats in Houston by far over these. Another poster said it best though, if you choose Southern California, San Diego is the way to go. Plus its close to Vegas. Seattle is a really nice city. The weather is crap a lot of the time, but it doesn't seem to be a big deal when you're there. It is definitely a lively town. Seeing it at night, it easily beats San Diego scenery wise. It is a beautiful city, whereas SD is mosty nice due to the weather. Plus Vancouver is an awesome place to hang out and its only two hours away. The only real negatives I can see are the weather and some traffic. It's not as bad as San Diego's traffic, but the layout of the streets is tough too mostly due to geography. There are good looking people in both cities, which might matter to you. Obviously though they'll be wearing less in SD. I would say that if your into substance, Seattle is probably the way to go. If it were me and I could choose right now, I think I would go with San Diego, but it would be close.
Hahahaha. Man you guys were suppose to help me make this decision but it seems as if thats not going to happen. I like the information I am getting. I dont like the gloomy weather but at the same time substance is very important to me.
I don't see how this is much different than any other city in the US other than the New England area. Seattle has awesome places surrounding it. You have the ocean, mountains, Vancouver, Victoria, Portland, wine country, and tons of nature. What I found that really surprised me was how awesome the food in Seattle was. Everywhere we ate was unbelievable. If any of you fools ever get the chance, go to The Herbfarm. It was the best eating\drinking experience ever. It was pricey but it was phenomenal.
Seattle ranks 44th among US cities for rainfall with an average yearly rainfall of 36.2 inches. http://www.see-seattle.com/weather.htm The average yearly precipitation level for houston, 54.0 inches. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Houston Move to Seattle...for less rain than Houston.
It's not the rain -- it's the grey. There's a definite sunshine deficiency in the PNW in the winter months. Takes a bit of getting used to. If you like to shop at REI -- you'll love Seattle. If I was young(er), and kidless -- I'd probably pick San Diego. If I had my druthers -- I'd choose San Francisco.
SEATTLE - Those new to the area this summer, with its seemingly endless sunshine, might be surprised that Seattle only averages 58 sunny days a year. That's seventh-least in the U.S. of cities that report official climate data, and as you might expect, other Pacific Northwest cities dot the list. But I bet you can't guess the least-sunny place in the U.S. With just 48 sunny days a year, it's Elkins, West Virginia, just edging out Astoria, Oregon which has 50. As for the rest of Seattle's days, we average 226 cloudy days (4th most in the U.S.) and 81 partly cloudy days. Of all those days, we get 155 days of rain a year (we've had 97 so far this year.) Incidentally, Seattle already has 75 sunny days this year as of Tuesday. Link
Damn 58 days of sunshine. That's freaking depressing. I used to live in Portland, and refused to take a full-time job there since the rain starts in October and doesn't stop till June.
My wife and I moved to Seattle 6 years ago from Houston and haven't regretted it for a second. Weather is a huge thing for a lot of people. Firstly, it doesn't rain here nearly as much as everyone thinks, and when it does rain, it's usually a fine mist. You can spot tourists in Seattle, because they're the ones carrying umbrellas. I've had times here where it's rained for 10 straight days, but I haven't seen it because it's a light mist in the middle of the night. Just reading some earlier posts about the cloudy days. It's true and misleading at the same time. A lot days classified as cloudy are the type of days where it's cloudy in the morning. Then the sun comes out and it burns off for a nice afternoon. This is not, however, San Diego sunny. Summers are awesome here. It doesn't get dark until 10, and there are a ton of outdoor things to do (hiking, watersports, etc.). We do, however, get a few pretty hot days. That's not so bad usually, but AC is hard to come by in Seattle. Without a good window unit or portable unit, you're abode will usually be quite hot until late in the evening. Granted that's only a handful of days in the summer, but it should be mentioned. Winter is a pain. It doesn't get frigid cold here, and we don't get blizzards. There will be some snow days and we get the odd windstorms. As others have mentioned it's the grey that'll get you. For about 3-4 months, Seattle becomes pretty overcast (think stereotypical scene of England). You'll get some sun in there, but you will get weeks straight where you don't really see the sun. Most people I know say it'll get to them every 4 or 5 years. That's when you take a vacation somewhere sunny. There is also a tremendous amount of skiing\snowboarding you can do at this time. Take your pick of locations in Washington or Canada. Spring is beautiful and a welcome change after the grey of winter. If you're into gardening (almost a mandatory in Seattle), this is when it kicks into gear. Fall is nice too, but always a bit of a bitter messenger that summer is over and winter is almost here. I thought people were nice in the South, but the people in the Northwest are the most friendly I have met. I don't find it weird at all to strike up conversations with complete strangers just about anywhere. If you're into crunchy chicks, this is the place for you. I wish I had been single in Seattle. I think the women are pretty hot. The food here is awesome. There's a ton of fresh produce from farmer's markets and that trickles down to restaurants and shops. The Asian food scene is premium quality, and there's good Mexican (read: NOT Tex Mex). You'll find the chain restaurants aren't as prevelant. You'll discover a lot of one off spots and hole in the walls that have awesome cuisine. Yes, there is a ton of coffee here. That is not exaggerated at all. We live a block and a half from a roaster, and we wake up every day to the scent of freshly ground coffee. You can find a lot of great coffee shops. There are a lot of Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Tully's, but there is an abundance of independent shops that have the best Joe. The same goes for movie theaters. There are a ton of them, many of them single screen. You can get the big budget flicks, but there is a huge indie movie scene here as well. In the summer is the Seattle International Film Festival. Bookstores fall in the same category. Seattle has the highest rate of coffee shops, movie theaters, and books read per capita in the country (at least as of a few years ago). There's a pretty lively music scene here, but I don't get to go out to show that often since I became a father. The views here rock. I still can't used to looking out my window and seeing mountains. Mount Ranier on a clear day is etheral, a floating mountain in the sky. Just gorgeous. The same goes with all of the water. When I travel back to Texas, I'm always Jonesing to see mountains and water (Buffalo Bayou doesn't count). If you are really set on sunny weather, go to San Diego. I hear it's the most gorgeous year-round weather in the country. But if that's not as important to you, I heartily recommend Seattle.
nice post Scribo. I'm in Vancouver, and you summed up the area wonderfully. There's something about the mountains and the ocean that grabs you. But mainly, it's the attitude that is very different. Less of a big-box-strip-mall car culture then there is in San Diego or most places in North America. It's a great place to grow up, to live, to raise kids, and Seattle, in particular has a great scene for the 20's crowd. But if I was sojourning for a couple of years in college -- it might be hard to resist San Diego and that California sunshine.
Thanks. The attitude in the Pacific Northwest is so strikingly different. It's just so laid back, do what you want/I'll do what I want, and friendly. There's a much better sense of community too. Neighborhoods are important. They all have their high streets and individual feel. I know and socialize with my neighbors. Just a completely different feel than what I grew up with. Definitely a much more localized scene. Small shops and neighborhood spots dominate the scene, although you get the big chains. I love going to Farmer's Markets and knowing the owners of most of the places we shop (kid clothing stores, kitchen gear, dog stores, book stores, restaurants). It makes day-to-day living seem much more personal and community oriented. It's hard to describe until you live in this part of the country. Vancouver is so much like Settle (but more ubran), and Portland is even sleepier and crunchier. Both cities are about 3 hours from Seattle. Vancouver can be closer or further depending on the border crossing. bnb, how's it going up in Vancouver with the Olympics coming up? My wife and I are going to visit for a few days in April for our 8th anniversary. Looking forward to a lot of stuff, especially a trip to Bin 941. My wife is a chef, so a good portion of any trip for us is food-related.
TheMountainTop, You should also consider where you are moving from. If you are coming from a place similar to SD already or socal in general, then live in Seattle (and vice versa). I say the variation in life is worth it. But either way, you really should choose it based on academic superiority in terms of what you do. I'm not saying one school is better than the other, but, in your area, one school may have greater influence/work being done. Also, in terms of SF, it's a great city. Lots and lots of good places to eat, things to do, always foggy (but most people grow to love it). If you are coming from a place like Los Angeles, you will HATE that most people in SF don't give a crap about fashion and they aren't that nice to look at lol. Out of the three, I probably would still choose Seattle since I've lived in both SD and SF for extensive periods.
Olympics seem to be coming along well. Big concern is.......the weather! Bit of a heat wave, and too much rain is washing away the snow base on the local hills after a record November snowfall. Hopefully we don't get one of our 10 day spells of winter overcast and mist as we're hosting all those scribes and cameras. Should be fun.
