01 · the cities
Oxnard
Oxnard is California's strawberry capital, where the fields literally run up to the beach. Channel Islands Harbor is a quiet alternative to the busier Ventura and Santa Barbara, with great seafood and a chill Mexican food scene. The weather is the perfect 65-and-overcast that locals call 'June gloom' for most of summer. The Channel Islands themselves are a ferry ride away.
full dispatch→Birmingham
Birmingham was built on steel and reshaped by the civil rights movement, and you can feel both stories in the city. The Civil Rights Institute is essential, the food scene (Highlands Bar and Grill, Hot and Hot Fish Club, plenty more) is one of the most acclaimed in the South. The Vulcan statue, the largest cast-iron statue in the world, looks down on the city from Red Mountain. Younger than its reputation suggests.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,995/mo
$1,407/mo
$1,588/mo less than Oxnard (113%)
Median home price
Median home price
$923k
$261k
$662k less than Oxnard
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,563/mo
$6,510/mo
Birmingham has $1,947/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
342 days
171 days
171 fewer than Oxnard
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
28 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
4 days
days below 20°F per year
Birmingham has 28 more days above 95°F each year than Oxnard.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
74 / 100
61 / 100
13.0 pts behind Oxnard
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
0 routes
20 routes
20 more direct routes than Oxnard
Metro size
Metro size
830k metro
1.2M metro
Oxnard has 3.8x fewer events per month than Birmingham.
the verdict
3
Oxnard
categories won
5
Birmingham
categories won
Birmingham wins on money. Oxnard has the edge on weather.
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