I really do appreciate all the info you guys are giving me. I am in my late 20's. I like doing outdoorsy stuff like snow boarding, hiking, biking, and going to the beach. I am looking for a place to continue education. I looked into both schools and they both seem to have what i am looking for. they are both have great reputations. I also plan to work while I attend school and therefore am not interested in a greek life for I am already to old for that. I hate traffic and would greatly appreciate nice public transport. I dont care for coffee shops as much however I do like to read. I like playing basketball. I am from Houston but I have lived abroad in Switzerland. The weather in Switzerland was awesome as you can enjoy all the seasons. I figure Seattle may just be too grey for me but I am not to sure. When I visited Seattle it was in the summer and the weather was nice but even then the sun didnt shine everyday.
San Diego is beautiful. Lovely weather and great beaches. Trip we took to SD last year. Plus you can play all the basketball and reading you want with this beautiful weather
I would choose Seattle. Out of all the places I have ever visited, Seattle has the nicest people, hands down. Everybody was friendly and it was laid back. THERE WAS VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC CONGESTION. At 5:30pm on a Wednesday, it was 20 minutes or so from downtown to any of the suburbs. There are a lot of great places to eat. You can spend countless hours at Pike Place and never get bored. UW is right off Lake Union, and the area is beautiful. Vancouver is close by. Visit Seattle and you'll probably like the place. I can't wait to go for another visit.
Been to both cities and pretty much agree with the sentiments on both cities. With San Diego you have all the SoCal characteristics without the sprawl like LA. Seattle has the Pacific Northwest backdrop around it and one of the nicest skylines. The rain issue is overblown, it drizzles most of the time it rains and it's not hot and sticky rain like Houston.
In terms of the traffic congestion, depends on where you live. If you end up living in an area like Bellevue, that 10 mile commute over the I-90 can be monstrously bad...like Los Angeles 405-S bad... But mostly, I agree that Seattle's congestion is less than that of SD.
To add to it, Washington gets a bad rap for the gloomy weather and there is something to it, but I do miss it up there. Though the beach is nice in SD, the summer up there blows this one away due to the perfect weather and beautiful backdrop. You can alway hit up a lake or camp around that time. Again though, its only about two months though. I wish we could switch. Funny enough when I leave San Diego, I'm looking for places in the Woodlands first.
http://www.luxist.com/2009/09/25/la-jolla-is-the-most-expensive-real-estate-market/ Driving around certain areas, you can definitely tell. I think it's somewhat skewed by a bunch of mansions on the coastline; I've got an apartment much closer to UCSD that's still bleeding me dry, but one that I can afford on a graduate stipend. For me, being able to take advantage of the busing system for my commute to work is worth it; I would love to live in Pacific Beach though; the thought of being walking distance from the beach is pretty awesome, though battling traffic might not be. The layout of the San Diego area definitely makes owning a car a necessity; the city isn't all that big, but it is fairly spread out. I haven't ever had a problem with traffic, but I've only lived in Philadelphia and Hawai'i; two of the biggest hellholes for drivers in the United States. The only thing I can say about Seattle is that there are definitely a few hills in the city; as long as you're comfortable driving on them, you'll be fine. As someone said, San Diego is definitely not a very diverse place, predominantly white and Hispanic; though UCSD is pretty much all Asians, which suits me just fine, but dunno if that's what you're looking for. Girls are definitely good looking in both places, though. As for the substance thing, haven't been here long enough to comment.
I am also jealous. I know someone asked about San Fran, which was dismissed due to fog (and really, cost of living has to be a huge issue). To not start a new thread, Seattle Denver San Francisco Thoughts? I know Denver really well, and have only visited the other two a few times, but I am consistently drawn to Seattle geography and scenery, and don't mind the winter weather, ESPECIALLY given the summer weather. I personally rank in the order noted above. I honestly don't like southern california generally (though prefer San Diego to LA) and couldn't see myself ever moving there...
Seattle? no. Yosemite. You know what? Are you an engineer? Will you be looking for a job? Maybe I should send you to Seattle - I don't need the competition.
Pictures are...pictures. Like others have said, you should put the better school fit as your #1 priority. After that, in regards to outdoor activity and beauty, pretty much a wash. San Diego will generally be drier with "better" weather, while Seattle will be wetter/greener with periods of depressing weather. Given weather can have a serious impact on people, it should probably be a big consideration as well. Some people do fine in Seattle's weather. I would love it - cozy winter days, followed by the best summers ever....BUT, I can't knock San Diego's weather, and some people have been known to become clinically depressed in that type of weather. Good luck!
