Southern Californians Considering Move to San Francisco Area (Los Angeles, San Diego: home, theater)

[kissedchef]

My husband and I are approaching a fork-in-the-road in his career where he needs to choose an institution in which to further his training. This means we get to decide whether or not we should move to another city/part of the state and we're considering Northern California.

We're So-Californians and know for certain that Cali is the place for us but are wondering if we're living in the "wrong" third of our state. The reason why we have to put a lot of thought into our decision is because wherever my husband goes to finish his training is most likely where he'll find a permanent job, so our decision is going to be long-term whether we like our new location or not. We'll be able to move again, but not until he's established himself first, so we just want to make the best informed decision we can.

About us:

1) We enjoy diversity of cultures and foods
2) We're not typical So-Cal beach-goers, preferring walking/jogging on the shore to swimming and surfing in the water
3) We enjoy museums, detest theater/opera, like to try new foods
4) We work out regularly and live healthy lifestyles
5) We prefer cool weather (below 72) to warm
6) We don't like crowded environments
7) We like beaches, mountains, deserts, forests
8) We never lay out to tan
9) We'd rather spend a day being active in a nature setting or browsing in a museum and bookstore, than at a football game or shopping mall
10) We're in our late 30s and have a young child
11) We've lived in Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego

We're specifically seeking advice from So-Californians who have moved up North (around San Francisco) and are either glad they did or regret they did and why.

Thank you for any information.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by kissedchef

This means we get to decide whether or not we should move to another city/part of the state and we're considering Northern California.

May not apply to you but the first thing that came to mind was property taxes. If you bought at the trough, like around 1997 and have relatively low property taxes and you want to own equivalently, the same home will cost more now (even though things are falling) and the taxes will be proportionately higher.

[sav858]

I grew up in NorCal and live in SoCal and what you describe about yourself it sounds like the Bay Area will be a perfect fit for you. Just stay near the coast or along the bay for the cooler weather. I'd check out Marin County, Sonoma County, or coastal San Mateo County where its less crowded and has the cooler weather.

[bellalunatic]

Originally Posted by sav858

the Bay Area will be a perfect fit for you. Just stay near the coast or along the bay for the cooler weather. I'd check out Marin County, Sonoma County, or coastal San Mateo County where its less crowded and has the cooler weather.

I completely agree.

[tstieber]

I would say Marin County would be paradise for you! I've lived in both the Bay Area and San Diego, and I love things about both. The Bay Area is generally too diverse overall to generalize about it, as you can get almost any kind of West Coast lifestyle you want. You could have big city life, a wine country home, a cottage in the woods, a Spanish home in the burbs, and you could live in a place with cool cloudy weather or warm sunny weather. Basically, you can take your pick.

Based on the fact that you like nature and mild weather, as well as cultural attractions, Marin County offers proximity to the City for the culture (which you won't need daily), and amazing scenery and generally great weather most of the year -- much better than the City. It's really laid back, maybe more so than San Diego even, but so close to the City that you can get out of that if you want to. I know a family that moved to SD from Greebrae in Marin, and they really miss it. They used to go out on weekends in the city, but they said Marin was really family friendly, very open minded, beautiful, and they had a great swimming pool in their back yard that they practically lived in.

[kissedchef]

Thank you to all who responded - you've been very helpful