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      02-20-2013, 08:10 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by Dolittle View Post
Cost of living here is significant.

I definitely recommend securing a job before making the move here.
More affordable regions to live in socal will be east - Pomona/Riverside/San Bernardino.
It's not worth moving out here if you're going to live int he 909, IMO.



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Originally Posted by Z K View Post
The "Bay Area" around San Francisco is surburban so you need a car to get around. Temperate weather with lots of green forests, close access to outdoor activities and great driving roads.

Southern California, in general, has a lower cost of living unless you are in a high cost area. It also has warm to hot weather all year around. The trade off is that there is a ton of traffic and people everywhere.
Dude, you know the traffic in NorCal is also HORRENDOUS if you live in the burbs.

.
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      02-20-2013, 09:16 PM   #24
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The only reason many of us from California stay here is because we were born and raised here. Our family and friends are here so it is difficult for us to leave. Weather? Sure its not bad, but its not worth all the other crap you have to deal with. Not even considering other issues that california has, just the financial reasons alone make it not worthwhile for you to move out here.

1. one of the highest income AND sale taxes. Expect to pay at least 9% in state income tax and around 9% for sales tax.

2. Housing cost. Depends on where you live... but if you want to live anywhere decent expect to pay BIG time.


Only if you get a Govt job would I move out here. Govt workers here make a lot of money and get great benefits. Otherwise stay away... TRUST ME on this.
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      02-20-2013, 11:45 PM   #25
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Give OP's stated field, the large biotech presence in SF and just south of it should be noted. Actually entirely in fairly easy to drive to spots, relatively speaking. Kaiser, blue cross, and Cigna are the big insurers I can think of. My brother is a doctor at kaiser and loves it. But Genentech, most of the big guys, and countless smaller biotechs are all in sf, south sf, or emeryville.

The local economy is utterly booming, hence the spectacular rent increases in that image linked earlier. I've been here since 99, work in the tech industry, and this is by far the hottest I've seen it. If you have to commute to Silicon Valley from either SF or SJ or the east bay at peak hours, you're in a world of hurt. But SF itself isn't bad. I live in the middle of the city, with parking, mostly work in the city except one day/week in mountain view, and drive utterly everywhere.

SF is kind of like Boston in that noobs will think it is the worst car city ever, but once you know the tricks it's relatively quick and easy to zip around. The roads are pretty bad though - I leapt at the wheel/tire coverage offered from my dealer, 100% certain they were getting the raw end of the deal.

Weather is good, though after a few years you insist it is cold all the time, and you get really used to it being about room temperature or a few degrees below. 75 feels absurdly hot and 55 feels freezing. Microclimates are the norm - there are neighborhoods in SF where it is regularly 10 degrees warmer than others and sometimes more. Farther from the water/shielded by hills, the warmer it is.

LA has better weather, esp closer to the ocean, air-quality-wise. Traffic on secondary roads is much worse than the Bay Area, IMO, though commute times both places are pretty equally bad in freeways. It's easier to escape to nature from SF. If you like actually getting in the ocean you have to go SoCal.

All of CA has spectacular driving roads. Sometimes clogged by cyclists. There are so many m3's here a sighting thread is kind of silly. There are three in my work parking lot alone.

SF has its hipsters, LA has its tools, so they even out there. Sf is a bit more intellectual, but both are big diverse cities where you'll find people you fit in with. SF has unparalleled restaurants, similar to NYC.

Taxes are high but so are wages. Not very different than the northeast really.

That's all I can think of at the moment.
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      02-21-2013, 12:23 AM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mmcnulty View Post
Give OP's stated field, the large biotech presence in SF and just south of it should be noted. Actually entirely in fairly easy to drive to spots, relatively speaking. Kaiser, blue cross, and Cigna are the big insurers I can think of. My brother is a doctor at kaiser and loves it. But Genentech, most of the big guys, and countless smaller biotechs are all in sf, south sf, or emeryville.

The local economy is utterly booming, hence the spectacular rent increases in that image linked earlier. I've been here since 99, work in the tech industry, and this is by far the hottest I've seen it. If you have to commute to Silicon Valley from either SF or SJ or the east bay at peak hours, you're in a world of hurt. But SF itself isn't bad. I live in the middle of the city, with parking, mostly work in the city except one day/week in mountain view, and drive utterly everywhere.

SF is kind of like Boston in that noobs will think it is the worst car city ever, but once you know the tricks it's relatively quick and easy to zip around. The roads are pretty bad though - I leapt at the wheel/tire coverage offered from my dealer, 100% certain they were getting the raw end of the deal.

Weather is good, though after a few years you insist it is cold all the time, and you get really used to it being about room temperature or a few degrees below. 75 feels absurdly hot and 55 feels freezing. Microclimates are the norm - there are neighborhoods in SF where it is regularly 10 degrees warmer than others and sometimes more. Farther from the water/shielded by hills, the warmer it is.

LA has better weather, esp closer to the ocean, air-quality-wise. Traffic on secondary roads is much worse than the Bay Area, IMO, though commute times both places are pretty equally bad in freeways. It's easier to escape to nature from SF. If you like actually getting in the ocean you have to go SoCal.

All of CA has spectacular driving roads. Sometimes clogged by cyclists. There are so many m3's here a sighting thread is kind of silly. There are three in my work parking lot alone.

SF has its hipsters, LA has its tools, so they even out there. Sf is a bit more intellectual, but both are big diverse cities where you'll find people you fit in with. SF has unparalleled restaurants, similar to NYC.

Taxes are high but so are wages. Not very different than the northeast really.

That's all I can think of at the moment.
nice summary!

Btw saw your car photo... that was taken on Route 1 looking down at Stinson beach right?
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      02-21-2013, 01:15 AM   #27
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Yup, that's above Stinson. I bought my car at the end of October and there was a few nice weekends and that was one of my drives. Still in break-in t the time, but plenty fun and loud.

Edit: technically it is actually on the road from mt tam, not route 1. But close to the intersection of the two. I read your reply too fast.

Last edited by mmcnulty; 02-21-2013 at 01:20 AM..
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      02-21-2013, 11:18 AM   #28
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lol why the sudden urge to move out this way? To be honest the job market here is pretty shitty. Coming from the DC area, it is totally foreign to me to get asked for money every time I walk from my car to the grocery store. Factor in the recent income tax increases and the highest gas tax in the nation and yea, I'm not sure why you would be interested in coming out here. I will say that the weather is pretty good and the scenery is nice
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      02-21-2013, 11:30 AM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aus View Post

Dude, you know the traffic in NorCal is also HORRENDOUS if you live in the burbs.
Yes, it is bad... but it's not sitting in the car for 1 hour to move 5 miles like when LA traffic gets bad.

Luckily I live and work in SF so I don't need to deal with the traffic most of the time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mmcnulty View Post
SF has its hipsters, LA has its tools, so they even out there. SF is a bit more intellectual, but both are big diverse cities where you'll find people you fit in with. SF has unparalleled restaurants, similar to NYC.
Very true! Tools and hipsters are both bad. Tools are jerks and hipsters think they are hipper than everyone else.

Last edited by Z K; 02-21-2013 at 11:35 AM..
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      02-21-2013, 02:54 PM   #30
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The job market in the tech/medical field is great, so I don't know what people are talking about... Since you ARE in the medical field... Not so much for other fields...

I can tell you this, If you move to SoCal, DON'T MOVE TO THE VALLEY OR INLAND.

The only way it is worth living in SoCal (and I mean this in the least douchiest way possible) is to live in the beach cities or near them. That is where you can enjoy many of the fruits that SoCal has to offer.

Proximity to nature? There is plenty. Take a spirited drive in your M, 45-60 minutes north, and you will be in the mountains. Wonderful roads and views of nature await you in these areas.

However, my personal preference would be to live in a city.. And Downtown Los Angeles sucks. So if the city life is for you, SF is one of the greatest cities in the world and life in the Bay Area just seems more relaxed yet exciting.

Damn I want to move to the Bay.
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      02-21-2013, 10:43 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by meez View Post
The job market in the tech/medical field is great, so I don't know what people are talking about... Since you ARE in the medical field... Not so much for other fields...

I can tell you this, If you move to SoCal, DON'T MOVE TO THE VALLEY OR INLAND.

The only way it is worth living in SoCal (and I mean this in the least douchiest way possible) is to live in the beach cities or near them. That is where you can enjoy many of the fruits that SoCal has to offer.

Proximity to nature? There is plenty. Take a spirited drive in your M, 45-60 minutes north, and you will be in the mountains. Wonderful roads and views of nature await you in these areas.

However, my personal preference would be to live in a city.. And Downtown Los Angeles sucks. So if the city life is for you, SF is one of the greatest cities in the world and life in the Bay Area just seems more relaxed yet exciting.

Damn I want to move to the Bay.
I concur. The only way I would live in So Cal, is if I lived by the ocean and worked close by so I wouldn't commute. Yes, Nor Cal is so money!
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      02-21-2013, 11:24 PM   #32
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As a native Californian I concur with most of the comments here.

The regions are so different you need to visit and decide what you like. Bay Area (SF+SJ) and SoCal (LA+OC+SD) are the only areas worth considering to be honest.

Cost of living will be a shock, so you definitely want at least one of you that can have a job that pays well enough to cover rent for both of you before coming out. Since you're in health care there's a lot of demand, but unfortunately a lot of it is in the more undesirable areas (e.g. Valley, Inland Empire). You should be able to find something but it may take time.
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      02-22-2013, 02:52 AM   #33
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The only thing that keeps me in NorCal is 3 great racetracks. I lived in Orange County for 9 years and loved it there. It's nice here too though.
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      02-22-2013, 08:09 AM   #34
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The only thing that keeps me in NorCal is 3 great racetracks. I lived in Orange County for 9 years and loved it there. It's nice here too though.
I won't complain at either one.
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      02-22-2013, 09:41 AM   #35
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I definitely recommend securing a job before making the move here.
This is the best advice that I've seen thus far. The job market here is tough - as in Ivy league MBAs doing menial shit struggling to break 50k tough - I wouldn't pack up and head out Californee way without having an offer in hand.

I made a lateral career move from NYC to LA in Dec. 2011. It took me almost 1.5 years to pull this off. I know a lot of talented, highly credentialed people on the east coast who would love to work in CA, but just can't get the jobs that they want.

Those that just quit, pack up, and move usually end up doing something way beneath their pay grade and credentials.

CA is a saturated state - the economy is shrinking, and yet the talent pool grows by the day. The competition for high quality jobs here is enormous. There also appears to be a strong institutional bias to hire those that are from here, or at least went to school here. It sounds to me like you are neither. I think that the key for you is to bite the bullet and launch your CA job search from afar - get that offer first, then move.

With all that being said, ever career field is different, and you may be in demand (?), so you shouldn't be dissuaded by the amount of time it may potentially take to get a job here. But quitting and moving without an offer? That's asking for it. Only do that if you're willing to spend the next 8 months out of work and/or doing some form of BS menial labor.

Just my .02 as someone who has gone from east to west (and has seen a lot of people try, with varying success)
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      02-22-2013, 06:24 PM   #36
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Not threadjacking, because I think it will be useful to the OP as well - I'm making the move to SF/Bay Area this spring/summer. I got a job, and the cost of living does not scare me away, although it is a bit depressing, especially the taxes and the fact that you are getting very little for your tax money compared to where I am now (Canada).

The question for me is where to live in SF/Bay Area. Just like OP, I like cars and want to be able to drive (so 2-3 car garage and access to a highway is a must). I also like outdoors and want to get out of the city on a weekend without spending too much time in traffic. I do not care for busy street life (in every sense) or urban feel, and I do not like cramped quarters or old buildings. so it seems I'd be better off in some kind of suburban location. But I need to be within 30 minutes (driving or transit) to the ferry building on market street (office near there).

What are my options? Should I be looking at places across the bridge (Oakland) at all or just SF?

Thanks, and sorry if it's a thread-jack after all.
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      02-22-2013, 07:14 PM   #37
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The question for me is where to live in SF/Bay Area. Just like OP, I like cars and want to be able to drive (so 2-3 car garage and access to a highway is a must). I also like outdoors and want to get out of the city on a weekend without spending too much time in traffic. I do not care for busy street life (in every sense) or urban feel, and I do not like cramped quarters or old buildings. so it seems I'd be better off in some kind of suburban location. But I need to be within 30 minutes (driving or transit) to the ferry building on market street (office near there).

What are my options? Should I be looking at places across the bridge (Oakland) at all or just SF?

Thanks, and sorry if it's a thread-jack after all.
Wow, 30 minutes to SF Ferry building is a hard order... It takes over 30 minutes to drive from one end of the city to the other!

I work in downtown SF in the financial district where you will be working.

I would say look in Oakland/Berkeley/Emeryville area if you want to be close by and take BART (train) in every day. But if you choose to drive, traffic sucks over the Bay Bridge. Avoid driving into SF during work days as much as possible.

Otherwise you can stay in the peninsula... go south to Daly City/San Bruno/South San Francisco/Millbrae/Burlingame/San Mateo. Any further south than San Mateo and it'll take you over an hour to get to work. Again look for somewhere close to BART. That is the easiest way into downtown SF on work days. This route is drivable, there is less traffic going into the city from the south but you will have to pay for parking which is $10-30 a day. Not bad during weekends though.

The 3rd option is taking the ferry from Sausalito to the Ferry building. It's quick but your housing costs will be very high.. the "Marin area" north of SF is the home of the wealthy and retired people. It's very scenic and lots of beautiful nature there but pricey to live in.
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      02-23-2013, 10:30 AM   #38
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move to orange county.

but yes, the cost of living is pretty significant here.

i dont feel it because im used to it, but when i have friends that come over from houston or arizona, they tell me the same thing, on how its so expensive here.
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