Deciding between Marin county and Alameda county

[batransplant]

Or the hippies got rich by creating anti development rules back in the 70s which only benefit them. Now they can sell their 1300 sf crap shack for 1.3M and retire to Oregon or whereever they end up going. The only people who can afford these "cottages" are high earning or wealthy people.

There are still old middle class people in Marin holding onto their delapidated homes waiting for a yuppie to offer them 2MM for it. A lot of bay area wealthy areas used to be middle class...thats why they look the way they do. If someone has owned their home in Marin for 40 yrs chances are they worked as a teacher and live on a fixed income now, snd csnnot sfford to move. THats why you see several nice homes, then a dilapidated crap shack even though their neighbors might have paid 2MM for their home.

The only actual wealthy neighborhoods in the bay area (as they always were) are some parts of Palo Alto, Pacific Heights, Atherton, Ross, and Belvedere. Everyplace else is new money.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by batransplant

The only actual wealthy neighborhoods in the bay area (as they always were) are some parts of Palo Alto, Pacific Heights, Atherton, Ross, and Belvedere. Everyplace else is new money.

Not exactly.

Palo Alto and the Peninsula was considered the summer place of SF elite back in the beginnings of SF. Hillsborough is absolute in Bay Area suburban old money. Los Altos Hills, Woodside, Portola Valley and Piedmont have all always been rich.

Just take a look at some of the older estates such as the Folger Mansion, Filoli and Carolands...just breathtaking old money estates that reek of the East Coast. Well, maybe reek is not the right word.

You bring up Belvedere-its actually newer money than Piedmont and Hillsborough. Actually Marin is not as pedigreed as the Peninsula.

As far as the City, pretty much the entire northern third of the city is the closest thing on the west coast to Manhattan as far as old money neighborhoods.

Current day Nob Hill was the city's first elite neighborhood-the homes that graced NH in the beginning were palatial estates of railroad barons and gold rush multi-millionaires.

Nob Hill, Telegraph Hill, Russian Hill, Pacific Heights, Presidio Heights, Sea Cliff are all old money as far as SF is concerned.

The newer money you speak of is Silicon Valley, SoMA and the 680 corridor. But then money, whether new or old is not a bad thing.

Also, the Bay Area's wealth is more multi-generational than pretty much anywhere else in the West.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by batransplant

I think people in Marin are likely socially liberal, but fiscal conservatives, especially the people moving in there now, who can afford to spend 2MM on a house. But when it comes to the environment, they will use their money and influence to keep Marin basically one big giant park/country club for the few people who live there (and keep the cost of real estate high due to the anti development policies) so while seeming like a liberal agenda, it is actually a back handed conservative agenda to maintain their home values.

Well, NIMBY-ism exists anywhere, right? Don't know whether to call it liberal or conservative.

[duane joseph]

What is going on in Marin County ( i was born there in 1960) these days in regards to job opportunities and the overall situation. I have lived in Italy for the last 25 years but would very much like to move back to Marin County. I love California and the bay area however knowing the job opportunities market and overall situation would be helpful. At present I work for a UN Agency in Rome. My wife works for the US Embassy.

We would be interested in a change in our lives to upgrade the quality of our surroundings. Here in Rome it is very very dirty and noisy and just out of control the way the people are. Since I have put up with this for 25 years a change would be really invigorating. Marin County offers a pretty laid back lifstyle but you have a lot of quality being near the fantastic city of San Francisco.

I am in the Transport Insurance business with the UN but also like sales and am an enthusiastic type liek starting a small business. Any info or help out there would be greatly appreciated.

duanejoseph

[Mr. Fantastic]

Duane, Marin of 2010 is a lot different than the Marin of the 1960s. I feel like the area is still "laid back" but it is distinctly white collar now. A lot of technology firms have setup shop where I own a home (San Rafael), so you have a lot of "tech yuppies" in the city.

The city is clean and the crime is low. You definitely won't run into garbage pickup problems like Rome.

[duane joseph]

Thanks Mr. Fantastic, I really appreciate your input. Perhaps some type of business like a spaghetti house or or mediterranean cafe could do well with all those tech yuppies. I would have to find work becasue I would be semi retired. cheers

[Mr. Fantastic]

Well, I'd say you'd do okay if you know the restaurant business. It's notoriously difficult to gain traction, and takes a lot of energy and resources to get started, but the rewards are great especially if you can hit that "techy white collar" clientèle.

[nor cali boy]

Marin... its smaller but has a nicer cleaner feel