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→Lubbock
Lubbock is Texas Tech, Buddy Holly's hometown (the museum downtown is a delight), and the heart of West Texas cotton country. The flatness goes on forever, the sunsets are huge, and the wide sky makes every night feel like a planetarium. The food scene leans BBQ and Tex-Mex. The Llano Estacado wine region is right outside town. Friendly and quietly cool.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$1,384/mo
$1,213/mo less than Santa Rosa (88%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$211k
$607k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$6,949/mo
Lubbock has $1,988/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
186 days
68 fewer than Santa Rosa
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
28 days
61 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
7 days
days below 20°F per year
Lubbock has 33 more days above 95°F each year than Santa Rosa. Lubbock drops below 20°F on 7 more days per year than Santa Rosa.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
5 / 100
64.0 pts behind Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
7 routes
3 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
360k metro
Santa Rosa has 8.0x fewer events per month than Lubbock.
the verdict
4
Santa Rosa
categories won
5
Lubbock
categories won
Lubbock wins on money. Santa Rosa has the edge on weather.
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