13 Compelling Reasons to Leave Los Angeles for San Francisco

Your car leaves footprints.

SF is only 25 square miles so you can get around on public transit. And, between Lyft, Uber and Sidecar, you won’t miss out on Car Pool Karaoke. Angelinos average 90 hours a year stuck in traffic dumping 99 M metric tons of CO2 into the air. In SF you can ditch your car for sensible “green shoes.”

You’re a single lady and looking for a man.

SF has more than a 5 to 1 ratio of single men to single woman whereas LA has a ratio of 3 to 1 (ages 24 to 45). Whether you’re a female looking to put a “ring on it” or a cougar on the prowl your odds of finding a mate or a hook-up are better in San Francisco.

You’re proud and loud.

LA may tout having the first LGBT parade, but the San Francisco Pride Celebration and Parade is the largest gathering of the LGBT community in the nation with over a million spectators at the 45th annual event in 2015. If you’re boastful and queer you need to be here.

You’re not a wine snob, but…

Three words. Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino. Within 60 miles of SF is the world-class Napa Valley. That said, Santa Barbara and Temecula wine regions are both within a 90-mile drive from LA and have some notable labels. Driving distance aside, the point is… our wine is better.

You’re a Dim Sum snob.

SF has the #1 China Town in the US with LA’s ranking at #8 out of 10 according to Forbes magazine. While Angelinos may lay claim to the better Mexican fare you’ll be hard pressed to find more authentic Chinese food outside of San Francisco than in China. We also invented the Fortune Cookie.

You need your outdoor space.

The Golden Gate Park in SF, at 1,017 acres, is the largest urban park in the country. LA, as the second most populated city in the nation, has one of the lowest percentages of green space of any major US urban center. If you need a time-out SF has plenty of room to commune with nature.

You’re a geek without a job.

SF is home to the hottest tech companies in the world, they contributed over $431B dollars to the national GDP in 2015. LA’s urban economy is heavily weighted on entertainment. Your prospects of a lucrative job are greater in SF than getting your name on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood.

You’re into snowboards, not surfboards.

Angelinos know Mammoth Lakes as a great place for winter sports – with an impressive yearly snowfall of 400”. But there is no comparison to Lake Tahoe for it’s sheer beauty and size. It’s the largest fresh-water alpine lake in the nation. Oh yeah, it has an Olympic ski resort too.

You’re a tree hugger.

Just 10 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge you can be standing in an old growth Redwood forest – Muir Woods. Many trees are 280’ tall and 800 years old. Hug that Angelinos, your Beverly Hills palm trees aren’t even native to southern California.

You crave a good microbrew.

San Francisco is home to more than 26 thriving microbreweries. Los Angeles proper maybe has 6. Heads-up, SF takes the ribbon.

You’re hooked on a skyline.

A no-brainer. San Francisco has better architecture, better bridges, better views, and better nighttime lighting than Los Angeles. Not to mention SF is immortalized as “The City by the Bay.”