Moving to CALIFORNIA-please help this NY fam choose where to buy! (Los Angeles: appointed, 2013)

[joanieb]

Please-can you help me out. Currently in NYC area-relocating to California...

a) beautifully scenic area (Great beaches, clean, upscale feeling etc.)
WARM WEATHER, my husband is loving Berkeley, but Im concerned about the weather-I sort of feel if I am moving all the way from NYC to a new life in CA-I want that great CA sunny weather....which makes me think maybe Southern CA is the best bet...??

b) Great Public schools (very important as we have 4 children!)

c) Walkable downtown area w/ unique one of a kind boutiques, restaurants, nightlife (we dont get out that much these days but still :>)

d) Cultural opportunities nearby (Important-we have always loved 'college towns' b/c of the offerings etc...Im not necessarily crunchy granola girl-Im pretty laid back but do like to get dressed up every now & then....

e) Down to earth, laid back vibe (ie-NOT materialistic, showy, money focused etc.) Perhaps a place w/ more diversity economically or socially or that is super wealthy-but the people don't really even care much about $ so there isnt a focus...???? open to suggestions w/ this issue...? this is important to me.

g) other young families ?

thats about it....i know its a lot of requirements-but if there is anyway you can help me out that would be great! Moving from NYC burbs and I know it will be so different I just want to make sure we choose a place as comfortable for us as possible...

So as not to offend anyone-If we choose a place like berkeley-I think id love the people so much (usually no one snotty, stuck up etc...) and Id prob. be on the 'cooler' side of folks :> that being said I can easily be in a more burb-mainstream place but typically find that the people are more small minded-and not as individualistic & more conformist a bit more homogenous...

Curious about Berkeley vs. the burbs of SF specifically???

Thanks!!!

[OrangeSunset]

Where are you relocating? What city is the new job? I am assuming Berkeley but not sure. Commuting in the bay area is tough so your best bet is to stay as close as possible to the job. Generally the east bay and south bays are sunny and warm. The coastal areas are cool with temperature in the 60's year-round. The east bay and south bay also offer the best choices for schools.

What's your budget? That's an important factor trying to figure out where to live.

Based on your list Berkeley fits the bill, except for schools, so check out Albany (good schools, lots of families, etc). And you are a BART ride away from the city too.

[joanieb]

Thanks for responding! We both work from home-so no commute which is nice. Any specific ideas for east or south bay? Budget is about $600-$900k...I know not a lot for SF-or we might rent until we buy. I know we're going to get something small/not great most likely-but Im more concerned that the community is a great place for us to live than the size of our granite countertops etc... kwim? thanks so much...

[clongirl]

Albany, which is right next to Berkeley sounds like a great fit. I've heard the public schools are better than Berkeley. Burlingame in the South Bay is also a very nice town. It really depends on what your income and housing requirements will be. The towns in the South Bay are generally pricier due to the proximity to Silicon Valley. I would seriously consider renting first until you are positive that this is the region you want to live and how your kids settle in.

[Nineties Flava]

Originally Posted by joanieb

Thanks for responding! We both work from home-so no commute which is nice. Any specific ideas for east or south bay? Budget is about $600-$900k...I know not a lot for SF-or we might rent until we buy. I know we're going to get something small/not great most likely-but Im more concerned that the community is a great place for us to live than the size of our granite countertops etc... kwim? thanks so much...

You can get a nice house (2000 sq ft+) for that kind of money in just about anywhere in the bay that doesn't begin with San and end in Cisco. I wouldn't recommend looking in the suburbs directly adjacent to SF (Daly City, San Bruno, etc.) as there's next to nothing going on. If you want to be in a more happening area you should look in Oakland and Berkeley... you can pretty easily get a nice house in North Berkeley/The Berkeley Hills/Piedmont Ave (Oakland) for that kind of money.

Here's some examples.


North Berkeley:

1201 MONTEREY Ave, Berkeley, CA 94707 | MLS# 40504997


Berkeley Hills:

1094 EUCLID Ave, Berkeley, CA 94708 | MLS# 40502310


Piedmont Ave (Oakland):

685 FAIRMOUNT Ave, Oakland, CA 94611 | MLS# 40487619


The Piedmont Ave area would place you right between the Piedmont Ave strip and College Ave and not too far away from Lakeshore ave, three of the nicest retail areas in the East Bay. Its also conveniently located to Downtown Oakland/Lake Merritt and Berkeley. The only issue would be where to place your kids school wise... how old are your kids? There are tons of great elementary schools and some very good middle schools but in high school you need to realistically know how your kids are... if they're the all-AP type, then they'd do just fine in the Academies in Oakland Tech. If they're not, you might want to keep it moving unless you're willing to do private school. The rule of thumb though tends to be that nowhere affordable in the bay area will have a good public school system - maybe with one or two exceptions - regardless of what side of the bay you're on.

[sliverbox]

My suggestion would be to rent first and then buy. Doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to immediately buy in an area you know next to nothing about when you could instead maybe rent for a year and then buy once you've had enough time to really check things out.

[alamo andrea]

Hey JoanieB!

You've got to check out Walnut Creek. I made the NY to CA move (by way of DC) and landed very happily in the Creek. Your budget works, it's a 30 minute BART (subway) ride into SF, it's a GREAT downtown with a lot of stuff to do. WC has it's own symphony, opera, ballet company and arts center. It is within a couple of miles of several top notch community theaters and the Orinda Shakespeare Theatre which is a must-not-miss in Summer.

Our water front communities are very cold and foggy year round and, because the water rises to a balmy 52 degrees at the height of Summer (read, completely unsuitable for most recreation for all but the most stalwart!), it is used differently from, say, Long Island. It's predominantly industrial in and around San Francisco.

Walnut Creek school are tops.

Some people are about to squawk about WC being 'snooty' or 'conservative' or other ridiculous labels. These are the people who think that they just entered a different country when they crossed the tunnel. This is the truth:

WC is 50:50 Democrat and Republican;
I haven't found anyone to be snooty in WC - it's probably a choice on my part, I choose to associate with nice people;
I have, occasionally, found snooty people in Berkeley (usually the ones bashing WC!);
There is a nice mix of people in WC across any lines you want to draw (age, gender, ethnicity, income levels);
In a city (yes, a city) where 60,000 people commute to work every day, don't cha think there might be more than one type of person?
Hey, we hang out in Berkeley too sometimes!

Sorry Joanie, I digress. I'm tired of the bashers, I guess you can tell. It's not about Walnut Creek, they seem to bash everything.

It's fabulous and you're sure to love it here. By the way, it was 70's and sunny here last weekend. Come on out and enjoy!

[mayorhaggar]

Unless you are a hardcore surfer, honestly the beaches here stink. The main problem is that the Pacific up here is very windy and brings a lot of cool wind onshore yearround. There are a few days a year when the wind reverses and the beaches warm up, but that is maybe 10 days max a year, and the water will still be very cold. Even when it's sunny at the beach it's still very windy and at least very brisk. We are used to the beaches here but if you come to the cost here with the idea that you'll see "sunny California weather" you'll probably be pretty disappointed. I like it that the cool Pacific means you don't need an air conditioning unless you're inland, but it does make the beaches not very much fun to me.

So if you are looking for great beaches, yes I would look at Southern California. Sounds like parts of Orange County or the San Diego area might fit your bill.

You'd probably like somewhere like Walnut Creek but it's inland and is blocked off from the Pacific by the coastal ranges so it gets baked in the summer. People here say Lafayette/Orinda/Moraga don't get as hot as WC. They are kind of upscale suburbs, and I think a bit more spread out and up in the hills than WC.

[viola99]

I personally feel like Santa Monica in the Los Angeles area fits in with what you are looking for quite well.

[lmk1707]

I would also suggest Santa Barbara.