With the upcoming huge NFC West playoff game between Seattle and San Francisco this week, the Movoto Real Estate Blog thought it would be fun to look at the rivalry from a city-comparison perspective.
Since we’ve already crunched the numbers on a number of fun and insightful metrics, it shouldn’t be too hard. Mix in a little Googling for football history and you’ve got arguably a winning formula for seeing which city has bragging rights.
First off, let’s look at home prices and cost of living.
Seattle Is More Affordable. No Brainer On That One.
San Francisco has the nation’s highest median home prices. At $785,000 a home, it can be almost impossible for a lot of people in San Francisco to afford a home. Seattle’s home prices are almost half that.
There’s A Lot More To Do In San Francisco. Not Even Close.
San Francisco is tops in the nation for art galleries per capita and bars per capita and is the third-most exciting city in the nation, according to Movoto’s analysis. Seattle isn’t far behind at No. 4. However, since Movoto also ranked Oakland as the most exciting city in the nation last year, there are a lot more options for Bay Area residents when it comes to things to do.
Who’s Smarter? Seattle. But Just Barely.
Seattle has the second highest college graduation rate in the nation and San Francisco has the sixth highest. Overall, Seattle is the third smartest city in the nation. San Francisco is just a step behind as the fourth smartest city in the U.S.
Which City Is Safer? Seattle.
Seattle is the 49th safest city in the nation and San Francisco is the 63rd. Thusly, it’s a little easier to get beat up or robbed in the Bay Area.
Other Intangibles. Seattle Edges San Francisco.
- Seattle is second in the nation for food lovers, fourth healthiest overall and the 32nd best place in the nation to raise kids. San Francisco is tops in the nation for food lovers, is the 13th healthiest and as a family-friendly city, it ranks 38th.
- Seattle is the hardest working city in the nation. San Francisco: sixth.
- Seattle has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation for major cities and has the fifth-highest volunteer rate.
- And San Francisco is the snobbiest city in the nation. Seattle is the third snobbiest.
So Who Wins?
Seattle is cheaper a little smarter, and overall, a little ‘better’ according to the numbers. What about when we factor in sports?
Head-to-head in football.
These teams haven’t played yet in 2014, but last year, the Hawks won two of three including a playoff game, 23-17, sending them to Super Bowl. They split the 2012 season, with the Niners winning 13-6 and Seattle dominating the second game, 42-13.
- The Niners swept the 2011 season and they split in 2010.
- Super Bowl Titles: 5-1 Niners.
- The head to head is 15-15 all time.
Too Close To Call?
Maybe Thursday’s game will give one city the edge over another. At least for now.
Or we can look at other sports. Since neither has a hockey team and Seattle doesn’t have a basketball team, what about baseball? The Giants won three out of five WorldSseries. Just sayin’.
