Should we move to SF or not? (San Francisco, Oakland: renting, crimes)

[ambient]

Originally Posted by tatra29

Hi.

My husband and I, our 2 kids and a dog, are considering moving to the Bay Area. We're unsure whether to make the leap. I am an artist, (writer/actor/photographer), and he's more an engineer/business type, with a good job lined up. We both love the outdoors - he's very psyched about Tahoe and Yosemite, etc. But we're both from smaller towns (currently live in Tampa), and we have a child on the autism spectrum. Having never lived in the city before, we're not sure if we're romanticizing its positives or not. We THINK it'll be a very liberal, open-minded, diverse, interesting place to raise our boys, offering both of us challenges in our work, too, with wonderful places nearby to visit and lots of culture. But then we hear the state is bankrupt, schools are dicey in places, and the expense of housing makes it not worth it. Is it worth it? Should we move? Help!

Depends. Do you have an annual income of at least $250K?

[mayorhaggar]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

Thus it is incumbent on parents to produce abnormal children, if they are to be successful in CA schools. Or something.

There's always so much hand-wringing about CA schools, but the place seems to generate an awful lot of scholars going on to highly competitive universities and lucrative careers.

Seems like middle schools and high schools in CA have been a wreck for quite a while thanks to prop 13, but university education, especially at a UC, has remained world class and very renowned especially in the Bay Are, and until recently was pretty affordable. Now that tuition is going up through the roof and programs are being cut, who knows how long UC will continue to have any cachet. Local employers might have to start hiring people who went to other states or only hire people who went to Stanford--right now it seems like most people in the Bay Area with good jobs went to either Stanford or UC Berkeley, it seems like just going to those schools is more important to a lot of employers than what those job applicants studied or what they're good at...

[ssmaster]

Originally Posted by ambient

Depends. Do you have an annual income of at least $250K?

income needs to be considered.the san francisco bay area has world class restaurants,symphony,ballet ,plays ,musicals ,sailing and reasonable distance to weekend skiing but i am beginning to question the rational of living here if you can't afford to enjoy the things that many feel make the bay area attractive and are barely getting by on a salary that would give you a comfortable lifestyle somewhere else.

i mean if if these are things you would do once a year do you need to live in sf as opposed to living somewhere cheaper and taking a vacation in sf once a year

[Linzy]

Originally Posted by ubringliten

I keep hearing CA having bad schools but it keeps on brewing great and successful people. And with Asians infiltrating, they will keep bad schools from getting worse.

Sorry to burst your bubble but most Asians send their kids to private schools.

California is expansive not doubt about it. I recommend you come for a visit before deciding on the move.

[clongirl]

Originally Posted by Linzy

Sorry to burst your bubble but most Asians send their kids to private schools.

California is expansive not doubt about it. I recommend you come for a visit before deciding on the move.

Really? Where did you get your information from to qualify you as knowledgeable on this subject?

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by Linzy

Sorry to burst your bubble but most Asians send their kids to private schools.

No they don't. I happen to be Asian and I find that blanket statement rather dubious. And I send my kid to our local public school.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by ubringliten

I keep hearing CA having bad schools but it keeps on brewing great and successful people. And with Asians infiltrating, they will keep bad schools from getting worse.

Infiltrating? That's a pretty darned loaded word and offensive to this Chinese-American, it implies that they aren't moving here with good intentions.

[ssmaster]

Originally Posted by Linzy

Sorry to burst your bubble but most Asians send their kids to private schools.

.

please cite your source for this statement.

[Boompa]

Rent near your husbands job and figure out where to go from there. The suburbs are NOT the city and commuting sucks

[Boompa]

Originally Posted by silverkris

Infiltrating? That's a pretty darned loaded word and offensive to this Chinese-American, it implies that they aren't moving here with good intentions.

Wonder where he "hears" that?