I'm thinking about moving to the South Bay. Let's talk. (San Jose: crime, tech jobs)

[Miss Pip]

Originally Posted by krudmonk

Don't move here if you can't even figure out which forum to ask. Stick to Berkeley and all its "diversity" and "culture."

How about you don't respond if you can't be helpful.

[Miss Pip]

Thank you everyone for your responses. You've been very helpful. This has all been very interesting to read. Lots for me to think about.

[Miss Pip]

Originally Posted by davdaven

You mention the South Bay and East Bay in your post. Which is it? I have lived in Southern California and the Bay Area (including San Jose and SF) over the past 10 or so years, and here are my thoughts:

The South Bay is like LA, but with all the culture and cool stuff sucked out of it. You'll have to drive everywhere. Air quality can be bad during the summer. People are workaholics. Lots of dudes--they don't call in Man Jose for nothing. Also, instead of a small number of Angelenos obsessed with Hollywood, you'll encounter a huge number of Silicon Valley folks who check Engadget regularly to find out what kind of TP Google uses to wipe its employees' behinds. And with all that in mind, you'll have to suffer through a drive down Highway 17 to get to the beach in Santa Cruz. It's probably just as annoying as sitting on the 10 trying to get to Santa Monica, but with more hairpin curves.

SF and the East Bay are a lot more cultured, diverse, and livable. You can park your car for days at a time or maybe even sell it in exchange for a bike and Zipcar membership. Air quality is tops. Congestion is most certainly there, but it's nothing a BART train can't overcome. Yes, it's cooler than LA or the South Bay, but you'll grow to love the mild climate of a place like Oakland rather quickly. (Note: If weather is a concern, I would avoid most parts of SF. I grew up in San Diego and find all but Potrero Hill and the Mission too cool or windy for my liking. Berkeley is pretty tolerable. Oakland is just right.)

Thanks. I've been thinking about Oakland. I'm not a huge fan of the tech scene. I would love to get rid of my car.

Did you ever miss LA?

[Miss Pip]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

I just moved from Santa Clara. I think what you're looking for is the east bay or SF if you can afford it. If you can get a job in SF, then you can look at living in Oakland or Berkeley. Lots of great neighborhoods, and the commute is do-able without a car to SF.

BART is crowded and noisy, IMO. It's convenient, but packed and there's this awful screeching noise that drives me nuts, like metal on metal. Just wear headphones, and you'll be okay, but be prepared to end up standing in a packed car, depending on when/where you are going.

For walkability in the South Bay, I'm thinking Mountain View might suit you. Downtown San Jose is okay. I've heard San Mateo is good. But, there's really nowhere in the South Bay that has that urban feel you would get in SF or the east bay.

Air quality in the SF Bay area is really good, especially closer to the water you are - like SF or Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda, etc. The breeze off the bay keeps it pretty clear/clean.

What is BART like late at night? Is it generally safe or is it known for crime? Are people respectful? In London people like to put their shoes/feet on the seats after they've stepped in saliva and all sorts.

[jbunniii]

Originally Posted by Miss Pip

What is BART like late at night? Is it generally safe or is it known for crime? Are people respectful? In London people like to put their shoes/feet on the seats after they've stepped in saliva and all sorts.

People like to put other bodily fluids on the BART seats, unfortunately...

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Miss Pip

What is BART like late at night? Is it generally safe or is it known for crime? Are people respectful? In London people like to put their shoes/feet on the seats after they've stepped in saliva and all sorts.

Bart is fine late at night, but I think service ends around midnight. Whether or not you run into dirty seats I think depends in part on which BART lines you ride. I've never seen anything obvious on the seats, besides a newspaper, but I haven't ridden BART for a couple of years.

[cardinal2007]

SF/Bay Area pays more than LA? True or false?

True, at least for what your saying is your job.

I'm wondering what decent neighbourhoods could I afford to live in?

Well, the local term for it is neighborhood, and based on your salary, you could possibly even afford Palo Alto downtown, so almost anywhere, assuming you're willing to move to as studio if prices are that high.

What neighbourhoods should I definitely check out?

Palo Alto is technically the peninsula, but some people consider it the South Bay, I would consider downtown Palo Alto, downtown Mountain View, and downtown San Jose. If you're willing to go a little north maybe downtown San Carlos, or downtown San Jose.

The commute time will likely not be 1hr or more if you live and work in the South Bay. Caltrain is pretty quick too if you work near the train station.

Sounds refreshing. I wonder how crowded it gets and if travel fare goes up every year like London?
BART doesn't go to the South Bay currently so it is kind of a moot point.

Can I get rid of my car? along with it's monthly payments of $450?
Wow, that's an expensive car, anyway, most likely no, you can walk to the grocery store and a lot of restaurants and stuff, but Caltrain being the only long distance transit, and the VTA light rail for DTSJ and DTMV, will make it hard to get anywhere outside your neighborhood, people have done it, but I wouldn't recommend it. You could use Zipcar from these places though, which would be a lot cheaper than $450/mo, for the times you do need to leave the neighborhood, so there is a possibility, but it is still getting a car on occassion.

If you've lived in LA or visited, would you say you've noticed a huge difference in the air quality?
I visited LA a few times, usually around Feb or March, and I have not noticed a huge difference in air quality, objectively speaking it is there, but I haven't noticed it. The last few times I was in Venice Beach though.

The South Bay is practically synonymous with Silicon Valley, and many people are very career focused. People don't come and go, and many people do have strict separation between home and work, and many people don't, really have to go for the kind of people you're interested in.

Anyway, you will likely get better responses in the San Jose forum, I've only been down here for 3 years, before this I live in Belmont.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by Miss Pip

What is BART like late at night? Is it generally safe or is it known for crime? Are people respectful? In London people like to put their shoes/feet on the seats after they've stepped in saliva and all sorts.

It's fine. Some cars get a little dirty. Typically newspapers and litter. Rarely more. Some cars still have cloth seats. You might want to stand. Sometimes there is a sketchy character or two, but not so bad. Bugger issue is a few stations are in sketchy neighborhoods and the parking lots are dark. You'll want to be urban-aware. The ones in the places in Oakland that are walkable are generally fine.

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, do you know where you'll be working? In the south Bay, or in SF? BART serves SF, but not the south Bay. Just clarifying.

[Miss Pip]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

OP, do you know where you'll be working? In the south Bay, or in SF? BART serves SF, but not the south Bay. Just clarifying.

I don't know yet but most likely SF.