Is there such a place as a warm, sunny San Francisco? (want to move!!) (San Diego: transplants, apartments)

[confused82]

So I currently live in DC, am approaching 30, and want to make a change, A BIG CHANGE! I am just done with DC, and feel like California would be exciting and different- but is my idea of California just a mirage?? Or is it truly the land of everything good that I am imagining?

I keep hearing that SF seems to have everything I am looking for in a city- except the warm weather.... can anyone suggest an alternative city, or maybe tell me that all the weather forcasts & data I read are wrong?

About me:
Female
close to 30
make good money (130K- willing to spend around 2K/month on rent- I will keep my job- gov't job where I can work from home from anywhere in US)
have 2 dogs
love to be outdoors (bike, hike, beach)

What I want:
warmer weather than DC has to offer (want to avoid the bitter winters, I love it when it is in the 70s-80s)
good 30-something scene (professional, yet fun)
great culture
beautiful scenery

Can anyone provide some insight? Would you recommend SF? Or is there another CA city which you think would be better?

Thanks so much for your time

[mayorhaggar]

SF has an area of only 7 miles by 7 miles. The rest of the Bay Area is huge and full of different suburbs and cities. Pretty much anywhere that isn't on the coast is warmer and sunnier than SF in the summer. Oakland and Berkeley are generally in the low 70's when SF is in the mid-60's. Areas on the Peninsula near the Bay like San Mateo would be in the 80's, San Jose would be a bit warmer, then areas that are inland like Walnut Creek are often in the 90's and low 100's.

There are parts of SF like the Mission that are warmer and sunnier than the rest of the city but they're still cooler than other areas like Oakland or Walnut Creek, but in any case it's really hard to find landlords that accept pets so I think you'd end up looking outside of SF anyway.

For picking a place it just depends on how suburban you want it to be.

[Gentoo]

Pretty much as mayorhaggar said. SF is cool and remains in the 60's during the summer. Berkeley is slightly warmer but can still be brisk. Oakland is slightly warmer still and has terrific summer weather and weather year round in my opinion. Winter as you know it does not exist in the Bay Area.

[confused82]

Thanks mayor!

I know the 2 dogs makes things much more limited- so I am willing to live outside of the city- I have never been able to live "right in the mix of things" with pups (But they're worth it )

I have been to San Jose (visited a friend there) and that was a bit farther out than I would like to be... if I can't live right in the city, I would prefer to be at least 10-15 miles from the downtown scene, so preferably not too suburban... not looking for a white pickett fence quite yet. I'll check out the city-data on San Mateo.

Thanks- please keep the suggestions coming

[mayorhaggar]

If summer temps in the 70's aren't too chilly for you, you might like Oakland, Albany or Alameda which are pretty dense and older suburbs with stuff to do (I guess on the East Coast they might be called "streetcar suburbs") but are less dense than SF and are easier to find pet-friendly landlords in. In Oakland check out Rockridge, Piedmont Avenue and Adam's Point to start with.

You might want to look at Walnut Creek if you want warmer temps but it's also more suburban, but it might be up your alley, it has a big and busy outdoor mall in its downtown which you might like and lots of apartments.

[jeffredo]

mayorhaggar pretty well summed it up. If you want 80s, you'll be heading towards the South Bay or Walnut Creek/Pleasanton. If you want dogs you'll be pretty much forced to look in suburban areas. Personally I think you ought to give San Diego a look if you can live anywhere. There are some interesting neighborhoods with a good urban feel and the weather rocks almost year round.

[rascal-c]

I'm not sure if you're considering SoCal at all, but you might want to consider Santa Monica as another option if you're serious about great year-round weather. Great for dogs, somewhat walkable compared to the rest of LA, beautiful, affluent, liberal and good nightlife/food.

[mayorhaggar]

Winters here are pretty mild compared to say Chicago or NYC and probably compared to DC, but they still kind of suck mainly because it rains a lot and it's cold rain. Temps are usually around 40 to 50 with some days where it dips into the mid to low 30's. Also it gets colder the further you get from the ocean, in places like Walnut Creek you're more likely to see frosted windshields in the morning compared with Oakland or SF.

[Radical347]

Originally Posted by jeffredo

Personally I think you ought to give San Diego a look if you can live anywhere. There are some interesting neighborhoods with a good urban feel and the weather rocks almost year round.

Yeah, I'll second this -- esp. since it sounds like weather & outdoors will be extremely important to you.

[SunDevil1212]

For what you are describing Austin, TX would be a good option. There's a nice young-professional crowd there, great sense of community, unbelievable nightlife & live music, amazing restaurants, and access to the hill country and Lake Austin which are both beautiful. It's nothing like the rest of Texas - there's not that pervasive cowboy mentality (which I can't stand). It's much more welcoming and open-minded and a lot of transplants live there. Always warm and sunny too (but sometimes it gets a little too hot).