Moving from Phoenix to East Bay, lots of questions! (San Jose: low income, renting)

[jade408]

Originally Posted by Ira9

Traffic is a killer if in the wrong place. I would rule out pinole area (high crime too) and just stick along the highway 580 corridor, which already is a killer for traffic in itself.

It sounds like you are ill-informed in mny ways, but to start, Heading eas on 580 is generally a revese commute until you get to somewhere between Dublin and Livermore, generally considered one of the easiest and most consistent commutes.

Stay away from Oakland, San Leandro, and Hayward where most of the people work blue collar jobs. The demographics in that area are Black & Hispanic.

Besides the fact that this classist assumption about people in blue collar jobs, you'll find that all 3 of these cities have nice and not so nice areas to live. Some of the nice areas are also very wealthy and have great views.

Dublin is a cheap area and mostly apartments.

Not sure where you got this idea, but other than on the main streets, I wouldn't call Dublin the land of "apartments." There are loads of ranch style homes, and lots of new development with condos and townhomes. Most of the new stuff is condo/townhome and not single family home. This new development is also along one of the main corridors and walkable to chops and BART, specifically planned as mixed use development.

In the older areas of town, you'll find lots of single family homes.

[Ira9]

Yeah Oakland has wealthy 'hoods' but it is still Oakland where over 80,000 ex-felons who are jobless live in East Oakland and less than 10 minutes from Snake Rd. When they gangstas go "shopping" they go up into the hills. And don't think that you can call the police on them, the Police Dept. is useless. In Oakland, you have to have a bullet proof vest and helmet because stray bullets have killed many children just walking to school. Oakland is the MURDER CAPITAL OF AMERICA.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by Ira9

Yeah Oakland has wealthy 'hoods' but it is still Oakland where over 80,000 ex-felons who are jobless live in East Oakland and less than 10 minutes from Snake Rd. When they gangstas go "shopping" they go up into the hills. And don't think that you can call the police on them, the Police Dept. is useless. In Oakland, you have to have a bullet proof vest and helmet because stray bullets have killed many children just walking to school. Oakland is the MURDER CAPITAL OF AMERICA.

Always an easy red flag when brand new members put of these kinds of sensationalistic, blanket generalizations that no sane person that is not racist or a tea partier would take seriously.

Keep trying sophomore, this is not convincing. YAWN.

[mayorhaggar]

Originally Posted by Ira9

Yeah Oakland has wealthy 'hoods' but it is still Oakland where over 80,000 ex-felons who are jobless live in East Oakland and less than 10 minutes from Snake Rd. When they gangstas go "shopping" they go up into the hills. And don't think that you can call the police on them, the Police Dept. is useless. In Oakland, you have to have a bullet proof vest and helmet because stray bullets have killed many children just walking to school. Oakland is the MURDER CAPITAL OF AMERICA.

Derp derp derp.


Also compared to the LA area, Oakland is honestly really quaint by comparison.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

Derp derp derp.


Also compared to the LA area, Oakland is honestly really quaint by comparison.

With that many millions of people, LA will always seem like a megalopolis and Oakland a small village by comparison. LOL.

But that's exactly one of the things I love about Oakland. I was at JLS last night with out of town friends-it was incredible, afterwards I walked out, hopped in my car and drove all the way up Broadway back home....easy and breezy. LOL.

How are things going for you down there? Good I hope!

[evelynkennedy]

1. I live in Alameda, a lovely community which some have compared to having the flavor of the midwest, small and friendly. Very few roaches, some black widows. Our dog used to get fleas, but she stayed outside.
2. We have some decidious trees here, but if you really want to see a great show you have to go to the mountains. Yosemite has a beautiful display in the fall.
3. Not much change in seasons. Last year it was rain then sun. It does not snow, well maybe every 30 years or so and just a smidgen.
4. We occasionally have fog, but it is transitory and creeps away pretty quickly.
5. We go to Lake Tahoe to see snow. About a 3 1/2 to 4 hour drive.
6. Alameda is an island on the Bay, across from San Francisco. Last year was unusual. We only have a few days above 85 degrees. Usually we have about 7 to 10 days of hot weather, that is 85 and above(once in a while we have 100 degree temps. Our mean temp in the summer is any where from 70 to 80+ degrees.
7. Alameda is near the Oakland Airport, it takes us about 10 minutes to get there and park.

Alameda is safe and is a little less than an hour away from Livermore. Rents may be a little higher for a 4 bedroom home. Rents are higher than buying now. Alameda is a wonderful community with lots of pleasant neighborhoods with tree lined streets, lovely parks, and lots of things to do. We have beautiful Victorians and Craftmans homes and new developments too. I have lived here for nearly 40 years and I love it.

[mayorhaggar]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

With that many millions of people, LA will always seem like a megalopolis and Oakland a small village by comparison. LOL.

But that's exactly one of the things I love about Oakland. I was at JLS last night with out of town friends-it was incredible, afterwards I walked out, hopped in my car and drove all the way up Broadway back home....easy and breezy. LOL.

How are things going for you down there? Good I hope!

I meant quaint in terms of grittiness...while Long Beach and South Central is similar to Oakland in terms of how the crappy areas look nowhere as bad and bombed out as a crappy area somewhere like Chicago or Detroit look, the people here can be just bleah. Especially in Long Beach there's a lot of weird people wandering around, clearly with bad drug or alcohol problems. It's kinda like being back in the crappy part of the Mission, though in a more suburban setting. It's not as bad as the worst blocks of Mission Street though, but even in the crappy parts of Oakland you don't get that weird mass of weirdos hovering around looking sketchy.

Otherwise I'm liking it down here, the weather is fabulous when it warms up, I've got a tan now, my apartment isn't super drafty like every apartment in the Bay Area, and I've been lying around on the beach a lot. Too bad there are so many stupid oil wells offshore here though. Also Long Beach is pretty compact, I can bike from one end to the other in about 20 minutes on a really pleasant trail along the beach, so I don't need a car (yet) and don't have to deal with gas prices or traffic. People here are a trip, they're really chatty and pleasant in a way that Bay Area folks aren't, but they have zero urban skills...when you are coming out of the MTA subway doors people don't stand to the side to let you out, they just try to shove themselves in and get in your way...when you are exiting the station everyone stands on the elevator instead of leaving the left side free so people can walk up...also I love it when I'm riding in a bike lane and people are sitting in parked cars in the middle of the bike lane every 5 feet...

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

I meant quaint in terms of grittiness...while Long Beach and South Central is similar to Oakland in terms of how the crappy areas look nowhere as bad and bombed out as a crappy area somewhere like Chicago or Detroit look, the people here can be just bleah. Especially in Long Beach there's a lot of weird people wandering around, clearly with bad drug or alcohol problems. It's kinda like being back in the crappy part of the Mission, though in a more suburban setting. It's not as bad as the worst blocks of Mission Street though, but even in the crappy parts of Oakland you don't get that weird mass of weirdos hovering around looking sketchy.

Otherwise I'm liking it down here, the weather is fabulous when it warms up, I've got a tan now, my apartment isn't super drafty like every apartment in the Bay Area, and I've been lying around on the beach a lot. Too bad there are so many stupid oil wells offshore here though. Also Long Beach is pretty compact, I can bike from one end to the other in about 20 minutes on a really pleasant trail along the beach, so I don't need a car (yet) and don't have to deal with gas prices or traffic. People here are a trip, they're really chatty and pleasant in a way that Bay Area folks aren't, but they have zero urban skills...when you are coming out of the MTA subway doors people don't stand to the side to let you out, they just try to shove themselves in and get in your way...when you are exiting the station everyone stands on the elevator instead of leaving the left side free so people can walk up...also I love it when I'm riding in a bike lane and people are sitting in parked cars in the middle of the bike lane every 5 feet...

LOL...cool update. Its interesting how we notice regional differences that perhaps we never thought of once we actually move somewhere else.

Thanks!

[Ira9]

I guess there are always Oaklanders who are sooo proud of their city. For the original poster, don't take my word for it that Oakland has a broken government, a broke city, a failed economic plan, horrible schools, and criminals running wild. No no no, do your own due diligence and Google the news stories and crime stats. Oakland is such a beautiful city, yet soooo deceiving.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by Ira9

I guess there are always Oaklanders who are sooo proud of their city. For the original poster, don't take my word for it that Oakland has a broken government, a broke city, a failed economic plan, horrible schools, and criminals running wild. No no no, do your own due diligence and Google the news stories and crime stats. Oakland is such a beautiful city, yet soooo deceiving.

Due diligence is NOT just googling. How laughable.

Due diligence is actually coming here and getting a feel for the place.

All of the Google PHDs who think they are qualified to put the word "oakland" in their mouths need to get a life and stop acting like they know something.