San Jose currently most expensive metro in USA (San Francisco, Cupertino: how much, employment)

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by trollsack

@bobby_guz_man

So you're agreeing that San Jose doesn't look very beautiful or urbanized compared to SF or LA.

Then why would you want to live in SJ even if you know it isn't as cool as most cities? You didn't really give any reason. If your only reason is the low crime and good job market, that probably means you aren't a fun person.

Look, if you don't like the place, that's your prerogative. Many of us live here and like it just fine. No need to dog on others.

[nagleepark]

Originally Posted by WillowGlenMom

I find this whole thread really odd. I have lived in several metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. and I love living in San Jose. The weather, the diversity of people, the friendliness of our neighborhood, and the easy access to SO MUCH (beaches, parks, hiking trails, quaint downtown areas, trains, great playgrounds for kids, redwood forests, great shopping, great produce, San Francisco, Wine Country, Tahoe, Carmel, Monterrey, Yosemite, etc...etc...etc) are all things that make for a great quality of life for our family. I like taking my kids to the Children's Museum, the Tech Museum, and San Pedro Square and it being an EASY experience. I have heard that the Egyptian Museum is very cool too. I love the Rose Garden and the proximity we now have to the new Earthquakes stadium. Sharks games are also a fun treat...and so close by our neighborhood. Yes, the cost of living is high...for a reason! I have lived in other much cheaper areas and some that are as expensive. For our family, this is definitely the best fit as we love being outside and enjoying the amazing weather. I also am not a "tech-nerd" (and have never been called ugly:-) However, I am happy to have my children grow up in an environment where people place a high value on education...I guess some may call them nerds. Finally, many people I meet in San Jose (especially Willow Glen) have lived here for a long time. This is very different than other cities I lived in previously and it speaks volumes.

While I acknowledge much of what you are saying, other metro areas have similar amenities, some even better, so I don't see justification for San Jose being the most expensive metro in the USA with regard to amenities. San Jose also has significant drawbacks. I find it odd that many people use the "San Jose is close to other places" argument; Walnut Creek (for example) is close to many places so being within driving distance of a grab bag full of other areas isn't unique, especially when you are driving an hour or two. A city should stand on its own with regards to what it has to offer rather than relying on people traveling nearby and somehow claiming a different area's amenities as its own.

I have no problem with people liking or even loving San Jose. I have no problem with people who say, "San Jose is good enough for me" or "San Jose's shortcomings don't affect me" or "San Jose is awesome for me and I want to pretend that it's awesome for everybody". I have no problem with people who want to believe something that is true only from their narrow perspective and false from a wider, more general perspective. But I still argue that all of these declarations are generally false and that San Jose isn't justified in being the most expensive metro in the USA.

[nagleepark]

Originally Posted by WillowGlenMom

I also am not a "tech-nerd" (and have never been called ugly:-)

OK but a lot of people in San Jose are tech-nerds. There are still lots of tech-nerds even though you happen not to be one.

Would anybody be so rude to call you ugly to your face? That'd be harsh. People also aren't very good at evaluating their own attractiveness or even people of their same gender. It's really easy to convince ourselves that we are attractive and build an echo chamber of people who will say what we want to hear.

[Potion of Boredom]

I agree with nagleepark. All of the other big cities (population over 500,000) seem to have everything that SJ offers, except more stuff or better. For every museum that SJ has, WDC has 10. SJ has around 5 museums, whereas in other cities there are about 50. For every hotel room that SJ has, every other big city has 10. There is a reason that the SFO airport is so big, and the San Jose Mineta International airport is super tiny in comparison. The biggest attraction/landmark in SJ is the Winchester Mystery House; seriously? And landmarks aren't just for tourists, they are for the citizens also to enjoy looking at and appreciating the history of the city.

And SJ isn't so close to the fun stuff compared to SF. In SJ you have to travel 30 minutes to see the mountains, and an hour to see a beautiful city or a beach or landmarks. SF has a great downtown itself, and you've got the beach and beautiful landscape of mountains and all the landmarks right there.

If you're wondering why I still post on this section, it's because I know this area pretty well.

[neutrino78x]

Originally Posted by duffdog

Uh...what?

There is no way that NYC is not 1000x better than San Jose. How did you come up with that gem?

I do like your "You just have to know how to have fun" comment. I do know how to have fun, and it involves me with attractive, thin, young women doing active things outdoors like boating, skiing, hiking, etc. None of those things exist at all in SJ,

About the only thing you listed that can't be found in Silicon Valley is skiing (and that's only to my knowledge...there might very well be skiing in Silicon Valley of which I am not aware...a thread on this very web site mentions skiing on Mount Hamilton, where lick observatory is Where is the closest best place for snow play?).

I have done many hikes in San Jose. Almaden Quicksilver park and Alum Rock park are good examples of places with good hiking. Boating can be done from Alviso Marina, Almaden Lake or Calero County Park. http://www.sccgov.org/sites/parks/pa...es/Calero.aspx

And attractive women? Are you guys BLIND?? I go to various donation sites, a different site each day, for the charity where I work, all of which are in Silicon Valley, and many of which are specifically in San Jose, and I find beautiful women at each place. Not to mention all the beautiful women I see on public transit. Where are you going that you don't see beautiful women here? Just this morning on the bus, I saw this girl who works at a fast food restaurant (she was wearing a uniform), and she was stunningly beautiful. Latina, very short -- she was leaning against the wall of the bus, and had her legs laying on the seat, and her feet did not reach the edge of the seat -- with blond highlights and deep brown eyes. I would say she's in her early 20s based on the sound of her voice, although her height, her youthful face, and her hair coloring makes her look younger. Absolutely breathtaking. And I see dozens of such beautiful women every day.

[neutrino78x]

Originally Posted by trollsack

And SJ isn't so close to the fun stuff compared to SF. In SJ you have to travel 30 minutes to see the mountains,

San Francisco is on a peninsula, if you wanted to go to a mountain you'd have to travel more than 30 minutes. San Jose has Mount Hamilton and Mount Unumhum. Both places have hills.

and an hour to see a beautiful city or a beach or landmarks.

San Jose is a beautiful city in my opinion, and we have a beach in Alviso and many landmarks.

ok technically it is a marina but: http://scc.ca.gov/files/2012/04/Alviso.jpg

SF has a great downtown itself,

As does San Jose. Downtown San Jose is one of my favorite places.

and you've got the beach and beautiful landscape of mountains and all the landmarks right there.

What mountains are visible from downtown San Francisco with the naked eye at street level (not up on a tall building)? I'm not sure, is Mount Tam visible from street level in SF? I mentioned two that can be seen with the naked eye in downtown San Jose.

[neutrino78x]

Google says downtown San Francisco to Mount Tamalpais State Park is about 50 minutes, without traffic.

[bigdumbgod]

The funny thing about obsessing over tall shiny buildings: They are rarely of any use to those who don't work or live in them. The guard inside the entrance often makes that known. So it may actually be discerned that a place with dozens of these things all around might, in fact, be a rather boring place, save for satisfying a deep, penetrating lust for merely gazing upon them.

But here in SJ, we would rather get a cheap drink and check out a few garage/metal/punk bands at The Caravan. We do have neato spinning thingies (the semaphore) atop the Adobe building downtown that continuously spin out codes to decipher for those who insist on staring at buildings for thrills .

http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/phil...f/decoding.pdf


Or, there's always the peregrines atop City Hall:

[Potion of Boredom]

I wasn't just talking about buildings, even though tall colorful buildings are beautiful to look at even for non-tourists and necessary for a city. The city of SJ doesn't have nearly as many landmarks, museums, as other cities have. Like I said earlier, landmarks aren't just for tourists to visit, they are also for the citizens to admire.

Look at the landmarks in SJ, which are dull and not even actual "landmarks":
Landmarks & Historical Buildings San Jose, CA

Seriously, a farm park and Winchester Mystery House are considered as landmarks? Now just look at SF's list, where those are actually pleasant things to see:
Landmarks & Historical Buildings San Francisco, CA


SJ doesn't even offer the beautiful landscape that SF and LA and Seattle have. SJ is by no means worth the high cost of living. In SF you get the high cost of living, but it's actually worth it and you won't be living in a lifeless valley.

[ondys]

Honestly, reading this thread is like listening to broken record playing the same stuff over and over again. Trollsack, I think everyone here gets it. You prefer San Francisco over San Jose. That's your choice and nobody seems to have a problem with that. But why is it so difficult to understand that some people have different preferences? Obviously San Jose is worth exactly the amount people are willing to pay for it. If it wasn't worth it people would be moving somewhere else. The reasons for the high cost may be various such as safety, weather, jobs, etc.. Clearly, you value other things in your life and that's fine. People are different.