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→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
$2,597/mo
$1,931/mo
$666/mo less than Santa Rosa (34%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$411k
$406k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$5,944/mo
Hartford has $983/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
148 days
106 fewer than Santa Rosa
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
28 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
Santa Rosa has 27 more days above 95°F each year than Hartford. Hartford drops below 20°F on 47 more days per year than Santa Rosa.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
67 / 100
2.0 pts behind Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
26 routes
22 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
1.2M metro
Santa Rosa has 29.0x fewer events per month than Hartford.
the verdict
3
Santa Rosa
categories won
6
Hartford
categories won
Hartford wins on money. Santa Rosa has the edge on weather.
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