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Yup! I moved to SF from DC a few years ago. People are more laid-back, more liberal and more artsy fartsy (in a good way). Cost of living is higher in SF proper than DC, for sure, and the lifestyle is certainly different. Not everyone in SF has a car (well, I guess not everyone in DC does either, but you get the point) and I think if you're planning to both live and work in SF, it might be in your best interest to get rid of one...parking is hard to come by and very expensive. As a whole, I find that Bay Area natives are not necessarily the friendliest people on the planet (compared to, say, Midwesterners), but SF is a friendly place, and people are intelligent here. If you're politically/socially liberal, I think you'll love it!
I moved here from DC back in January. So far I'm really enjoying it. I have found people to be pretty friendly and laid-back. People are never in as much of a rush here (I have yet to hear someone bark "stand right, walk left!" at people on an escalator).
In regards to cost of living, rent and gas are more expensive here. Everything else costs about the same as DC.
Are you moving from DC proper or from the MD/VA suburbs?
This sorta counts. I moved to Rosslyn from SF last year.
Biggest differences:
Weather. You literally do not need to think about the weather. On the east coast, the weather has an impact n what you wear, what you do, how long you are outside, etc. In cali, you basically never have to think about it except for rain.
Public-space Culture.
People are friendlier. They look you in the eye, hold doors open, say "Hi", nod, etc. Sure, every place has their jerks and their lovebugs, but on the whole DC is FULL of career people, the high-powered, the ladder climbers, the lobbyists, and the otherwise successful who come to DC to achieve a specific goal, and then leave.
THese people don't NEED to make friends, and generally seem like they simply don't care for social courtesies for whatever reason, they may be jerks, pre-occupied, whatever. Sometimes the weather is just too F*cked up to want to bother hanging around shooting the $h*t.
My coworkers joke about me being from Cali. One instance that happened just last week. The subway in our building closed down. My coworkers were discussing it saying "I wonder what happened..." "I think he lost his lease" etc.
I actually knew what happened because I TALKED to the guy, so I told them - They were literally surprised/amazed I knew and asked me how I knew all this. Then a couple of them simultaneously said basically "He's from California, he talks to everybody... they tell him their life's secrets..." It's just an anecdote, but indicative of the social norms.
In the DMV, being courteous is uncommon, and it's the opposite in SF.
It's not for everyone. Some east coast people I know who've lived in cali liked the weather, but thought the courtesy was 'fake' they'd remark - "they don't actually care if you are doing well, so why ask me how I'm doing? It's fake bs." I think this illuminates a disconnect that you have to see to understand, which is that the mindset behind being courteous is not to put up a front or be fake, but simply because that is the norm, that is how you are conditioned. Is it fake because it's conditioning? Maybe, but for someone who does it, it's part of how you interact with people. It's not forced or consciously fake. Around the DMV, that seems to be the opposite of the conditioning.
So you will have to make that choice on your own, but I've been here a year, and I'm ready to go back to Cali.
Work Environment:
Work is much more laid back generally. You don't have to dress so fancy at work - jeans and button up are the accepted norm for most jobs (at least in the internet industry). Also, maybe it's because so many companies out there are young, but they are generally less bureaucratic and "old school." In the DMV much of the work and the "life" cycle of a company is based on the defense industry, or politics, a large association, or some the cultures created by these and other big, old companies. So your work is very dictated by these things, company cultures are very well established, processes are in place. People stay at these jobs for longer, are getting paid more for less work, etc, etc.
I never really understood those jokes about "Corporate America" and cartoons like Dilbert that point out the stupidity, the lack of adaptability, the inefficiencies, the double standards and so on that go on in a company, until I came here and started working.
I grew up in the NOVA area and the people out here are completely different. Frankly, I can't stand 95% of the people from the DC Area and whenever I'm home to visit my parents, I am already anxious to leave and get back to the Bay Area. Too workaholic, aggro, status-obsessed for my tastes. It's a shame, really, because DC would be one of the greatest cities on earth, but for the people.
I’m from the DC area and one thing that I really like about the Bay Area (at least SF/Oakland/Berkeley) is the emphasis on independent businesses over bland chains. I know DC has its fair share of locally owned establishments too, but so much of the city has been taken over by the likes of California Tortilla, Potbelly Sandwiches, and Fuddruckers. And even their locally-owned places get old after a while – how many times can you really go to Matchbox before you get tired of it? I just notice that most of the businesses I patronize in SF/Oakland/Berkeley are independent, and going to a chain is the exception; whereas when I lived in DC, chains are so prevalent everywhere that patronizing an independent business wasn’t nearly as common. Overall I feel like Bay Area urban dwellers seek out more adventurous and authentic experiences (especially when it comes to food), whereas DC likes to water everything down in an attempt to appeal to a wider clientele.
One thing I do miss about DC however is plethora of FREE cultural things to do. I really miss being able to visit things like the zoo and the museums free of charge. SF has lots of museums too, but they charge a hefty price for admission, which really discourages me from visiting very often. Also, I don’t know if you do a lot of intercity travel, but I went to Philly, NYC, and Boston a lot when I lived in DC. You’re really kind of isolated here with LA, 5 hours away, being the closest major city. You’ll find yourself visiting other cities much less often than on the East Coast, which was a big adjustment for me to make, since I was so used to being in a different metro area at least once per month.
I grew up in the NOVA area and the people out here are completely different. Frankly, I can't stand 95% of the people from the DC Area and whenever I'm home to visit my parents, I am already anxious to leave and get back to the Bay Area. Too workaholic, aggro, status-obsessed for my tastes. It's a shame, really, because DC would be one of the greatest cities on earth, but for the people.
I completely agree with you here...frankly the main reason DC sucks is the people. Too rude, aggressive and hostile.
If DC were on the west coast it would be near perfect, with all its jobs. architecture, museums and history.
I’m from the DC area and one thing that I really like about the Bay Area (at least SF/Oakland/Berkeley) is the emphasis on independent businesses over bland chains. I know DC has its fair share of locally owned establishments too, but so much of the city has been taken over by the likes of California Tortilla, Potbelly Sandwiches, and Fuddruckers. And even their locally-owned places get old after a while – how many times can you really go to Matchbox before you get tired of it? I just notice that most of the businesses I patronize in SF/Oakland/Berkeley are independent, and going to a chain is the exception; whereas when I lived in DC, chains are so prevalent everywhere that patronizing an independent business wasn’t nearly as common. Overall I feel like Bay Area urban dwellers seek out more adventurous and authentic experiences (especially when it comes to food), whereas DC likes to water everything down in an attempt to appeal to a wider clientele.
One thing I do miss about DC however is plethora of FREE cultural things to do. I really miss being able to visit things like the zoo and the museums free of charge. SF has lots of museums too, but they charge a hefty price for admission, which really discourages me from visiting very often. Also, I don’t know if you do a lot of intercity travel, but I went to Philly, NYC, and Boston a lot when I lived in DC. You’re really kind of isolated here with LA, 5 hours away, being the closest major city. You’ll find yourself visiting other cities much less often than on the East Coast, which was a big adjustment for me to make, since I was so used to being in a different metro area at least once per month.
I dunno. I've been to all the museums on The Mall a million times (because it's free!) and outside of that, there's really not much else to do in DC proper that's cheap/free. Tickets to the Kennedy Center? EXPENSIVE. Tickets to a Caps/Nats/Redskins game? EXPENSIVE. Weekend trips to the Blue Ridge Parkway, Williamsburg/VA beach, Charlottesville, etc? Pretty boring compared to Yosemite, Tahoe, Big Sur, Shasta, Wine Country, Medocino, etc. Let's also not forget about how awful the weather is in DC for most of the year- miserable in the dead of winter/summer, and that the traffic is actually WORSE than most parts of the Bay Area. Yes, you're somewhat close to Baltimore, Philly, NYC, and Boston but given how insane traffic is on the I95 corridor, you can't argue that SF doesn't offer the same proximity to all that SoCal, Vegas, Oregon have (within a half a day's drive). Throw in the fact that you're a 5-6 hour flight from Hawaii or a 1-2 hour flight from places like Seattle, Phoenix, Mexico (Cabo anyone?), etc you're not going to convince me that there's a lack of access/things to do in the Bay Area.
Again, DC is a great city- aside from most of the workaholic, competitive, unfriendly, snobs that greet with you a blank stare. Nope, don't see myself moving back anytime soon...
I dunno. I've been to all the museums on The Mall a million times (because it's free!) and outside of that, there's really not much else to do in DC proper that's cheap/free. Tickets to the Kennedy Center? EXPENSIVE. Tickets to a Caps/Nats/Redskins game? EXPENSIVE. Weekend trips to the Blue Ridge Parkway, Williamsburg/VA beach, Charlottesville, etc? Pretty boring compared to Yosemite, Tahoe, Big Sur, Shasta, Wine Country, Medocino, etc. Let's also not forget about how awful the weather is in DC for most of the year- miserable in the dead of winter/summer, and that the traffic is actually WORSE than most parts of the Bay Area. Yes, you're somewhat close to Baltimore, Philly, NYC, and Boston but given how insane traffic is on the I95 corridor, you can't argue that SF doesn't offer the same proximity to all that SoCal, Vegas, Oregon have (within a half a day's drive). Throw in the fact that you're a 5-6 hour flight from Hawaii or a 1-2 hour flight from places like Seattle, Phoenix, Mexico (Cabo anyone?), etc you're not going to convince me that there's a lack of access/things to do in the Bay Area.
Again, DC is a great city- aside from most of the workaholic, competitive, unfriendly, snobs that greet with you a blank stare. Nope, don't see myself moving back anytime soon...
And even if you find an activity that's fun to do that is free and it's on one of those (rare) good days when it isn't blistering cold nor insufferably hot, you have to deal with the same legion of power-hungry, type-A, passive-aggressive, popped-collar, swag[british term for cigarette] douchebags. DC has evolved into a city where biking is fairly easy, but whenever I try to just enjoy doing that one thing, I deal with either the typical DMV driver either trying to run into you even (or especially) if you're in the exclusive bike lane, or the typical DMV pedestrian staring you down like they want a fight because you looked in their direction inadvertantly. Personally, I don't even bother going to the typical DMV vacation spots like the Shenandoah Valley, Outer Banks, or Ocean City. It's so insufferable in the DC area that I consider going to NYC and dealing NYers, their bluntness and all, a relief in comparision.
I have an aunt who lives in the Bay Area, and she raves about it as being paradise compared to DC. If it wasn't for the fact that in this economy, the DC area was the only region that has a surplus of jobs (albeit at the expense of the rest of the country), I'd either be in the Bay Area, or at the very least, geographically closer to there than I would be to DC. My only concern would be San Francisco proper being a carbon copy of DC due to the influx of yuppies in recent decades, as well as the swag[rhymes with "mag"] elements of Oakland.
My coworkers joke about me being from Cali. One instance that happened just last week. The subway in our building closed down. My coworkers were discussing it saying "I wonder what happened..." "I think he lost his lease" etc.
I actually knew what happened because I TALKED to the guy, so I told them - They were literally surprised/amazed I knew and asked me how I knew all this. Then a couple of them simultaneously said basically "He's from California, he talks to everybody... they tell him their life's secrets..." It's just an anecdote, but indicative of the social norms.
In the DMV, being courteous is uncommon, and it's the opposite in SF.
I don't think that's totally true. I myself live in the Bay Area too (Santa Rosa) and there are many people here who are not courteous, don't say excuse me, don't say please, and may act rude. I encounter people like that on a daily basis almost. There are also polite people too. I think it is pretty much everywhere that will have people that are rude, polite, and generous. It is nothing exclusive to a certain area or region.
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