Tired and frustrated with SF. Where to go? (San Diego, San Jose: appointed, 2015)

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

So, you want a lively city with nice weather and nice people, but not as expensive and elitist as San Francisco? Not really sure if that exists, to be honest. That is what I'd call utopia.
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Well, the OP actually can afford the Bay Area. The problem is that her square footage requirement, plus her need for a pet-friendly place limit her options. But she's starting with a better budget than some of our posters in the past who ask for help finding an affordable place.

The other problem is that she wants a big dating pool, and is afraid she wouldn't have that if she goes to the north Bay, where rents are lower and there are pet-friendly units. I think dating is a crap shoot anyway; she hasn't found anyone living in a high-density city all these years. For all she knows, her ideal person may be in Marin. Oh well.

[sacreole]

The OP mentioned that she would be checking out Sacramento, which could be a good option. She could find a nice place in the Sacramento area for her budget.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by sacreole

The OP mentioned that she would be checking out Sacramento, which could be a good option. She could find a nice place in the Sacramento area for her budget.

Definitely in her budget. But, she was also complaining about Denver and San Diego not being lively enough for her. Using that criteria, Sacramento wouldn't be either. Perhaps she's eased her standards in that area since her original post?

[Destiny2008]

Walnut Creek has open space for hiking, paved off-street bike paths, and, of course, the magnificent Mount Diablo for more strenuous hikes. Although I only made a cursory check, there do seem to be decent places to rent in your price range. There are two BART stations, a plethora of shopping and dining choices, and good schools. I have included some links below.




City of Walnut Creek : Open Space

Mount Diablo SP

Contra Costa Canal Trail

Iron Horse Regional Trail

[xani]

Where is the OP? She might have visited Sacto and is now needs time to recover....

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by HappyinCali

Finally the broader San Jose area will also have affordable apartments. And as someone pointed out, San Jose is called Man Jose for a reason.

Eh, San Jose is not affordable. Rents have skyrocketed here, too.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by HappyinCali

Laughable comment. Americans are so spoiled and clueless about how the rest of the world lives. yeah, you are going to go to a third world country and spend your AMERICAN money there and live like a king. But the people there are still struggling and have zero safety net, live in crappy houses and eke out a living in difficult conditions.

Here, you complain about how the house you OWN is not in a happening area and how your nice, safe apartment is not as nice as you would like.

Clueless and laughable sentiment. 90% of people in third world countries would trade their "amazing lives" for your "difficult life of struggle, homeownership and working remotely".

You make a valid point, but believe it or not, a fair number of Americans with savings find some places in Latin America work for them (Costa Rica & Educador come up a lot). These places have their unique downsides that don't exist in the U.S. but one big plus is you can pay cash out of pocket for decent health care in those countries and it often still comes out cheaper than if you have insurance in the U.S. Granted, these places wouldn't be a good fit for the OP, but they are for a lot of people who have semi-substantial retirement savings that they want to stretch and/or have small businesses they can operate remotely.

[xani]

When I came from a supposed 3rd world country 20 years ago....I had seen real slums for the first time, here in the US. That was the first time I had to live knowing I can't get medical care without getting dozens of thousands of dollars in bills. That was a new thing to experience. Crazy junkies in any place too and most people don't own any housing. That's when I saw what the real 3rd world is like.
3rd world country is where some people are very rich and others are very poor. US is no different from the rest.
US makes it to top one third, by suicide rate, enough said.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by xani

When I came from a supposed 3rd world country 20 years ago....I had seen real slums for the first time, here in the US. That was the first time I had to live knowing I can't get medical care without getting dozens of thousands of dollars in bills. That was a new thing to experience. Crazy junkies in any place too and most people don't own any housing. That's when I saw what the real 3rd world is like.
3rd world country is where some people are very rich and others are very poor. US is no different from the rest.
US makes top third, by suicide rate, enough said.

I don't necessarily disagree although based on my experience, the poor people in the U.S. don't work whereas there are lots of poor people in 3rd world countries who work full time but are still poor. The core problem in the U.S. with poverty is lack of family and community values. In 3rd world countries, that can be a factor, but less often.

[xani]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

I don't necessarily disagree although based on my experience, the poor people in the U.S. don't work whereas there are lots of poor people in 3rd world countries who work full time but are still poor. The core problem in the U.S. with poverty is lack of family and community values. In 3rd world countries, that can be a factor, but less often.

There're plenty of poor people in the US, who work 2 or 3 jobs, to make the ends meet. People living on minimum wage....