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→Richmond
Richmond is one of the only major U.S. cities with class IV whitewater rapids running right through downtown. The James River's Belle Isle is a public park where people sunbathe on boulders mid-river. The Fan and Carytown neighborhoods are full of murals, vintage shops, and porches built for sitting. The food scene leans creative, the beer scene leans plentiful, and VCU keeps the arts energy buzzing.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$1,691/mo
$906/mo less than Santa Rosa (54%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$394k
$423k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.8%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$6,163/mo
Richmond has $1,202/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
172 days
82 fewer than Santa Rosa
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
28 days
18 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
9 days
days below 20°F per year
Santa Rosa has 10 more days above 95°F each year than Richmond. Richmond drops below 20°F on 9 more days per year than Santa Rosa.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
65 / 100
4.0 pts behind Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
19 routes
15 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
1.4M metro
Santa Rosa has 58.0x fewer events per month than Richmond.
the verdict
3
Santa Rosa
categories won
6
Richmond
categories won
Richmond wins on money. Santa Rosa has the edge on weather.
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