01 · the cities
Salinas
Salinas is the Salad Bowl of the World, where most of the country's leafy greens, strawberries, and broccoli come from. John Steinbeck grew up here and the National Steinbeck Center downtown is excellent. The Salinas Rodeo is a century-old summer event. The Monterey Bay is 20 minutes west, but the city itself is a working ag town with strong Mexican-American culture.
full dispatch→Hartford
Hartford is the insurance capital of America (Aetna, Travelers, the works), with the steeple of the Travelers building visible from miles away. Mark Twain wrote Huckleberry Finn in his weird and wonderful Hartford house, now a museum. The Connecticut River curves past downtown, and the surrounding small towns are New England postcard material. Quieter than its neighbors, with serious history.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,813/mo
$1,931/mo
$882/mo less than Salinas (46%)
Median home price
Median home price
$862k
$411k
$450k less than Salinas
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,745/mo
$5,944/mo
Hartford has $1,199/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
335 days
148 days
187 fewer than Salinas
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
47 days
days below 20°F per year
Hartford drops below 20°F on 47 more days per year than Salinas.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
67 / 100
4.0 pts behind Salinas
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
6 routes
26 routes
20 more direct routes than Salinas
Metro size
Metro size
431k metro
1.2M metro
the verdict
3
Salinas
categories won
5
Hartford
categories won
Hartford wins on money. Salinas has the edge on weather.
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