Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Relocating from San Francisco to Seattle: cost comparison

wolframalpha.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 76 posts

Re: Relocating from San Francisco to Seattle: cost comparison

#61

Post by dagw »

MartinCron wrote: post #48
_delirium wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's some data, fwiw: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/pctposrank.tx... Looks like SF is about 66% sunny, while Seattle is 43%. I imagine the bigger contrast is Seattle vs. Silicon Valley or East Bay, though, since SF itself isn't all that sunny (especially the western parts; I'd be surprised if the Sunset District were any sunnier than Seattle).

That chart doesn't take into account the difference in latitude, it gets dark pretty early up here in Seattle, and while it stays light later in the summer, it is more than some people can bear.

Having grown up in Norway and currently living in Sweden I have to say I find the short summer evenings in the southern part of the world really jarring. I cannot get used to it being pitch black outside by (what feels like) mid-afternoon during the summer.

Re: Relocating from San Francisco to Seattle: cost comparison

#62

Post by axod »

colonelxc wrote: post #55
dylanz wrote: post #39

Weather. I'm a Californian who grew up in a "sunny" California city, and I've been living in Seattle for the last year. I've also spent a lot of time in San Francisco in my lifetime. I, miss, the, sun. Every time I go back to California and visit family/friends, I start to realize how depressed I am up in the Pacific North West. I've had more that one person recommend that I take Vitamin D supplements, which is suppo…

For me, it's the opposite. Moving down to the Bay Area from Washington/Idaho, the amount of sun here is maddening. Seems like an unending summer of days exactly like the previous.

I'm like that when I visit CA. CA has no weather. No seasons. Just sun. It's ok for a week or 2, but after a while for me it's like spending a year at Disneyland. Starts to wear a bit thin. It gets tiring. I get sleepy.

Re: Relocating from San Francisco to Seattle: cost comparison

#63

Post by davidw »

nostrademons wrote: post #46
dylanz wrote: post #39

Weather. I'm a Californian who grew up in a "sunny" California city, and I've been living in Seattle for the last year. I've also spent a lot of time in San Francisco in my lifetime. I, miss, the, sun. Every time I go back to California and visit family/friends, I start to realize how depressed I am up in the Pacific North West. I've had more that one person recommend that I take Vitamin D supplements, which is suppo…

I've had a coworker who used to work at Microsoft say the same thing. She liked Seattle, but when it came down to not seeing the sun from Nov-Mar in Seattle vs. not seeing a cloud in the sky from May-Oct in Silicon Valley, it was a pretty easy choice. I'm curious how both compare to Portland, which has been a popular destination for burnt-out Bay Area hackers of late. I've heard it's somewhere in-between. The one tim…

You don't really start to see more sun until you hit southern Oregon. Medford is dryer than the rest of western Oregon or Washington.

Here's a precipitation map of the western US: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/pcpn/westus_precip.gif

That little bit of yellow in the south of Oregon is the Rogue River valley. Portland is pretty much about as wet as Seattle.

Of course, once you get over the Cascades, it's a different story, but the cities over there tend to be smaller and less important.

I grew up in Oregon, and what I really can't stand is just how gray it is all the time. There are many days when it's not raining that hard, but just a drizzle here and there all day long, with no sun, and it gets pretty depressing.

Re: Relocating from San Francisco to Seattle: cost comparison

#64

Post by davidw »

sown wrote: post #59
portlandFan12 wrote: post #9

I'd like to put in a good word for Portland (no sales tax, great food): http://m.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=relocating+from+san+franc...

I originally wanted to move there but there doesn't seem to be many jobs. :( Correct me if I'm wrong.

"There don't seem to be many jobs"

Re: Relocating from San Francisco to Seattle: cost comparison

#65

Post by davidw »

philwelch wrote: post #44
dylanz wrote: post #39

Weather. I'm a Californian who grew up in a "sunny" California city, and I've been living in Seattle for the last year. I've also spent a lot of time in San Francisco in my lifetime. I, miss, the, sun. Every time I go back to California and visit family/friends, I start to realize how depressed I am up in the Pacific North West. I've had more that one person recommend that I take Vitamin D supplements, which is suppo…

Living in various places in Washington, whenever there is a sunny day, I don't want to work. I just want to go outside all day because I haven't had a sunny day in weeks and won't have another one for weeks either. In eastern Washington summers though, it stays sunny for days or weeks, and I get over it. (Though working in a dark cubicle across the room from the nearest window all summer was depressing.)

Yeah, when I was working in Portland, in the summer I felt a strong urge to tell everyone to go to hell and go enjoy the sunshine while it lasted. Summers there are beautiful - not too hot, not humid, and everything is beautiful and green.

Re: Relocating from San Francisco to Seattle: cost comparison

#66

Post by pistoriusp »

davidw wrote: post #64
sown wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I originally wanted to move there but there doesn't seem to be many jobs. :( Correct me if I'm wrong.

"There don't seem to be many jobs"

I know this doesn't add anything; and I shouldn't be meta commenting. But that was very funny! Almost spat out my tea.

Re: Relocating from San Francisco to Seattle: cost comparison

#68

Post by timr »

axod wrote: post #62
colonelxc wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me, it's the opposite. Moving down to the Bay Area from Washington/Idaho, the amount of sun here is maddening. Seems like an unending summer of days exactly like the previous.

I'm like that when I visit CA. CA has no weather. No seasons. Just sun. It's ok for a week or 2, but after a while for me it's like spending a year at Disneyland. Starts to wear a bit thin. It gets tiring. I get sleepy.

Trust me: if you ever have to choose between no variation in crappy weather, and no variation in wonderful weather, you should choose wonderful. Disneyland is better than Mordor.

Re: Relocating from San Francisco to Seattle: cost comparison

#69

Post by axod »

timr wrote: post #68
axod wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm like that when I visit CA. CA has no weather. No seasons. Just sun. It's ok for a week or 2, but after a while for me it's like spending a year at Disneyland. Starts to wear a bit thin. It gets tiring. I get sleepy.

Trust me: if you ever have to choose between no variation in crappy weather, and no variation in wonderful weather, you should choose wonderful. Disneyland is better than Mordor.

I'm not one of these people who thinks rain is crappy weather. Rain can be awesome. For me, variation is the main thing.

Re: Relocating from San Francisco to Seattle: cost comparison

#70

Post by cdr »

sown wrote: post #59
portlandFan12 wrote: post #9

I'd like to put in a good word for Portland (no sales tax, great food): http://m.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=relocating+from+san+franc...

I originally wanted to move there but there doesn't seem to be many jobs. :( Correct me if I'm wrong.

Compared to SF, or even Seattle? Obviously not even close. There are jobs though if you're set on being there, not to mention the possibility of (tele)commuting.
Post reply on HN