01 · the cities
Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa is the gateway to Sonoma wine country, less polished than Napa but more lived-in. Charles Schulz lived here and the Snoopy museum is a delight. The Russian River redwoods are 30 minutes west. The city itself has rebuilt impressively after the 2017 fires, with a downtown that mixes wineries, breweries, and farm-to-table restaurants. Cooler than San Francisco in summer.
full dispatch→Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids has won Beer City USA multiple times, hosts ArtPrize (one of the world's largest open art competitions every fall), and built itself on furniture (Steelcase, Herman Miller). The Frederik Meijer Sculpture Park is a sleeper world-class attraction. Downtown is walkable, the surrounding farmland is gorgeous in autumn, and Lake Michigan beaches are 30 minutes west. Quietly excellent.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$1,620/mo
$977/mo less than Santa Rosa (60%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$353k
$465k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.3%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$6,359/mo
Grand Rapids has $1,398/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
254 days
151 days
103 fewer than Santa Rosa
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
28 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
50 days
days below 20°F per year
Santa Rosa has 28 more days above 95°F each year than Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids drops below 20°F on 50 more days per year than Santa Rosa.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
56 / 100
13.0 pts behind Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
20 routes
16 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
1.2M metro
Santa Rosa has 69.0x fewer events per month than Grand Rapids.
the verdict
3
Santa Rosa
categories won
6
Grand Rapids
categories won
Grand Rapids wins on money. Santa Rosa has the edge on weather.
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