job in Monterey, live in Palo Alto?

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by outdoorsy

I have just accepted a professor job in Monterey, CA. I’m debating whether to live in Monterey or farther away. Monterey seems lovely but a bit sleepy.

I’m in my young thirties and single, so I’m a bit concerned the pool of young folks in the Monterey area will be limited. I love being within walking distance of work, so one option is to live in Monterey and commute to the Bay area or elsewhere on weekends for more of a social life, culture, etc.

The alternative is to live farther out—perhaps as far as Palo Alto—and commute to Monterey to teach. Palo Alto seems to be a much more vibrant town, plus it has very easy access into SF. But the commute seems rough, and I've been spoiled being able to walk to work these past few years. I'm aware that both places are pricey, Palo Alto particularly so.

Any advice for me on quality of life, the commute, other places I should be considering, etc.?

Commuting from Palo Alto to Monterey is insane to even consider. Live closer and go to different places on the weekends.

By the way, I work with someone who tried this. They moved to Monterey & commuted to San Jose every day. That lasted about a year and a half before they moved back to San Jose. I can't even imagine how much money they lost buying and selling homes.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Well,

You would be surprised I think with all the young ppl here in Monterey. With CSUMB, DLI, NPS, Monterey Institute of International Studies, etc... There are many pursuing both undergraduate and graduate degrees in their 20s & 30s. There is also a real international vibe as many come to the area for training from other countries. And there are also younger teachers and other working professionals believe it or not.

Plus the commute you have in mind is horrendous which can take 1.5-2+ hours depending on the time of the day. That said I work in Seaside and we do have ppl who vanpool in from San Jose. So some do it out of necessity. But if they had a choice I think they would live closer to work. With all that time spent on the road every day do you really think you will have the energy to then go out on the town afterwards? It will get old fast IMO.

Santa Cruz is another option with a vibe & subculture all its own. You can visit there and see if that is something you like. It is a more reasonable commute although still a bit long during rush hour.

My recommendation is to try living closer to work first. Get involved in a social group doing one or more of the many outdoor activities here such as kayaking, scuba diving, hiking, biking, photography, etc... Join a church, synagogue, etc... Volunteer for various causes.

Then rent no matter what you do and see for yourself. You can always move further out if its just not working for you. But no matter where you live it will mostly depend on how much energy, effort, resourcefulness and creativity you put forth in meeting ppl. I think you'll find ppl on the SJ forum complaining about similar issues. Where does one go to find quality males/females im my area? With the Silcon Valley, sometimes longer work hours and more of a dog eat dog environment there are a seperate set of issues in meeting ppl altogether.

Derek

To the OP: Read every word of Derek's post. He covers all the bases here and he's 100% correct.

I would reiterate that the dating scene in SV definitely has some difficult issues. People work here a lot which leaves little time for dating. Also, SV has a surplus of males, so that makes it more difficult if you're a (straight) guy.

[Macrina]

I think the OP is long gone; has not commented since April 12th....

[sms1967]

Hey Steven, yeah you... Mr. Low IQ, why would you slam Santa Cruz as "dirty" when that, for starters, isn't true... and second, has absolutely nothing to do with this post? Go away.