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Hello, I am currently applying for jobs in San Jose, CA as well as the rest of the Bay Area. Ideally I want to work in San Jose because it seems like the best city in The Bay Area for me. I have never visited San Jose, but have been to San Francisco, and I do not think I want to live there. San Jose seems like the better city of the three. In general, what is life in The Bay Area like? I'll be coming from Dallas-Fort Worth, TX.
Nightlife in The Bay Area?
Job market in The Bay Area? Is it competitive? DFW is fiercely competitive, is The Bay Area also cut throat competitive as well?
Transportation? Can I get around without a car most of the time?
Friendliness, Hospitality, & kindness, how friendly are the people? Are they Texas friendly?
Shopping in The Bay Area?
Crime? I keep reading that the crime is really high in The Bay Area, but I think the media is portraying what isn't true. I think it's probably really safe there.
Ease of making friends and meeting people. Are people easy going? Is it easy to make friends? I don't know a single soul in the Bay Area.
Is The Bay Area a more aggressive area than DFW or least aggressive?
Weather?
Cost of Living? I know it's expensive, but you pay the premium. How much income would I need to survive there?
Traffic? I bet traffic is much less than DFW and probably flows faster, but I could be wrong.
Air Quality? Is the air quality good or bad most of the time?
Vibe? Is it more laid back?
I have been researching the Bay Area and it looks like a very fun place to live. I don't believe what the media says about California. I think California is probably an amazing state. I've put in job applications for some jobs in San Jose. I do think I will get hired out there. I doubt competition is high, but I could be wrong. I'm thinking about visiting before deciding to move.
Hello, I am currently applying for jobs in San Jose, CA as well as the rest of the Bay Area. Ideally I want to work in San Jose because it seems like the best city in The Bay Area for me. I have never visited San Jose, but have been to San Francisco, and I do not think I want to live there. San Jose seems like the better city of the three. In general, what is life in The Bay Area like? I'll be coming from Dallas-Fort Worth, TX.
Nightlife in The Bay Area?
The epicenter for night life in the Bay Area is San Francisco. There are other pockets of interest, however.
For the area east of Oakland (Contra Costa County), Walnut Creek is the center of nightlife.
For the East Bay, probably Berkeley.
For the South Bay, San Jose has its own little downtown with restaurants and bars.
Palo Alto as well, although more upscale.
Really though, you're not seeing anything like Austin up here other than in San Francisco. Everyone understands that and that's why so many make the drive to SF from all the suburbs, including San Jose. San Francisco is the center of nightlife here.
I always found it amazing that for an area with so many young people, the South Bay has a crappy nightlife scene. Probably because the techies don't party like the business majors.
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Job market in The Bay Area? Is it competitive? DFW is fiercely competitive, is The Bay Area also cut throat competitive as well?
It's competitive, but pretty normal. Expect to have to deal with multiple interviews like any other place these days. There area a lot of educated people in the Bay Area and people lacking degrees will certainly be at a disadvantage.
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Transportation? Can I get around without a car most of the time?
There are trains, BART and streetcars, etc. San Jose has their VTA system. But everything is spread out in San Jose, kind of like Los Angeles, so you really want a car. Unlike Texas, there is a lot of public land in California and you will definitely need a car to experience it. That's the best part of living here.
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Friendliness, Hospitality, & kindness, how friendly are the people? Are they Texas friendly?
People are decent. I never found Bay Area people as outgoing as people in Southern California, for instance, but people are nice. But if you're looking for people who wave at you and say hi when they pass you in the street, you won't find that here. That's more common in San Diego (nicest people in California, IMO.)
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Shopping in The Bay Area?
Anything you would ever want or need except certain guns legal in almost every other state. San Jose has great shopping.
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Crime? I keep reading that the crime is really high in The Bay Area, but I think the media is portraying what isn't true. I think it's probably really safe there.
Some of the better suburbs are virtually crime-free and have been that way for decades. The problem areas are generally adjacent to low-income areas.
Downtown San Jose and near the airport have had significant crime for decades. That's why you don't live there. It's pretty easy to avoid crime simply by staying out of the marginal areas. And there are marginal areas in some of the most expensive cities, including Los Altos and Palo Alto.
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Ease of making friends and meeting people. Are people easy going? Is it easy to make friends? I don't know a single soul in the Bay Area.
I moved up here from SoCal when I was 19 and didn't know a soul either other than the members of my family. I met people through school, working, and playing music. It's easier to meet people when you're young. If I can make friends up here anyone can.
For all the BS you hear about San Francisco, I've always found them to be the most open and friendly of anyone in the Bay Area.
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Is The Bay Area a more aggressive area than DFW or least aggressive?
I can't compare the two from firsthand knowledge, but DFW is very crowded these days and has less open space, so I would assume that doesn't help calm nerves. There's a lot of traffic here and competition for housing, etc., but I don't think it's made people mean (yet.)
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Weather?
San Diego has the best weather in the United States. The Bay Area (near the bay) is generally mild. The inland areas can get as hot as Los Angeles in the summer and much colder in the winter (not cold for a Texan, of course.)
But there's no Texas humidity (it really is a dry heat), so it's easier to deal with.
Plus, the Bay Area in general has a large diurnal air temperature variation, so during the summer, no matter how hot it is during the day, it can cool off at night by as much as 30 degrees. You can turn off the A/C and open your windows. This is due to the marine layer (cool air and fog) moving inland from the Pacific Ocean in the evening. The evening marine layer doesn't affect every city in the Bay Area equally, but it affects most cities.
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Cost of Living? I know it's expensive, but you pay the premium. How much income would I need to survive there?
It depends on where you live, but anything less than $100k/year seems to be pushing it these days.
A 1-bedroom apartment in a half-decent areas can be $3,000/month or more.
A married couple looking to buy a home needs $250k-$300k/year income minimum.
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Traffic? I bet traffic is much less than DFW and probably flows faster, but I could be wrong.
I can't compare the two, but it's better now post-COVID as so many people work from home. But people are going back to work and traffic is returning to the old ways. The Bay Area is kind of screwed because of, well, the bay. The bay's a giant wet obstacle in the middle of everything. There are multiple bridges available to cross it, but they slow traffic. And there's a lack of housing because there's not a lot of free land between the bay and Bay Area hills. The freeway system is overtaxed and they refuse to expand it. All of that equals traffic and a premium for housing.
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Air Quality? Is the air quality good or bad most of the time?
Good overall. Better than Los Angeles, that's for sure. San Jose probably has the worst air, however. I think they get an inversion layer there similar to Los Angeles. But the air is much better than Los Angeles.
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Vibe? Is it more laid back?
I never found the Bay Area laid back.
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I have been researching the Bay Area and it looks like a very fun place to live. I don't believe what the media says about California. I think California is probably an amazing state. I've put in job applications for some jobs in San Jose. I do think I will get hired out there. I doubt competition is high, but I could be wrong. I'm thinking about visiting before deciding to move.
You should spend a couple of weeks here before you decide. Keep in mind there is a definite outflow of people over the past decade. The high cost-of-living, high taxes, high home costs, mediocre schools overall, is prompting people, especially people with families, to leave.
The population booms in Tennessee, DFW and Boise are fueled by these people.
I was born and raised in California. Everything and everyone I know is here. I'm kind of stuck here. And I certainly don't want to pull my wife away from her family. If you're just coming to work for a few years, that's one thing. But if you plan on staying and starting a family, I would probably choose someplace else (unless the job required it.)
Read this poster's history before you decide if he's worth your time to respond in detail. The guy's been doing the same thing in the Dallas and Houston forums.
Its spotty in SJ. You can find pretty much anything you are looking for (unless you want "cheap") in SF, but SJ is a little more limited, just due to the fact the real show is in SF. I never really found a 'favorite place'.
San Jose also has the nickname of "Man Jose", so keep that in mind - if that's your thing, you'll love it.
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Job market in The Bay Area? Is it competitive? DFW is fiercely competitive, is The Bay Area also cut throat competitive as well?
Not sure what you mean by "competitive".
If you do something that tech companies like, you will never be hard up for employment. If you aren't in the tech sector, it is about the same as anywhere else - maybe a little worse because not many companies want to pay the going rate that lets people live in the bay.
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Transportation? Can I get around without a car most of the time?
Traffic? I bet traffic is much less than DFW and probably flows faster, but I could be wrong.
Traffic is abysmal and getting worse. It was beyond miserable right before Pandemic and its headed back to those levels. A 23-minute drive on open roads will take you over an hour during peak, and god forbid there is an accident. The side roads will be jammed up just as bad.
Public transit won't really save you - SJ has light rail is street-level so the trains can get caught in gridlock. Buses have the issue with buses, plus all the issues with traffic. No dedicate bus lanes.
CalTrain is ok (if crowded) in the morning but can get very jacked up during the day, and you can see hour+ delays going home if there was a "trespasser" (read: suicide).
Depending on where you live/work, bike is an option. I have a friend who lives on one of the bike trails and his employer is a straight shot 30 minutes up the trail. Employers often have showers for people who bike. Would not recommend biking on most major streets though.
Additionally, be ready for a jump in auto insurance. When I moved to the area, I was spending more on insurance than my car payment. California doesn't allow insurers to set rates based on zip code, so insurers treat the entire state the same.
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Friendliness, Hospitality, & kindness, how friendly are the people? Are they Texas friendly?
Definitely no. They are not New Yorker hostile, but people are very much stand-offish and it takes a bit to get through that.
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Crime? I keep reading that the crime is really high in The Bay Area, but I think the media is portraying what isn't true. I think it's probably really safe there.
You are safe, your stuff isn't.
The theft levels are out of this world and if anything are underplayed in the media. If you leave anything in your car, you will find your window smashed and your car ransacked. Even if you don't leave anything you'll sometimes find your window smashed just in case there was something hidden. My friend had his car broken into (along with others) while having dinner. My car was looted in an enclosed and secured garage.
Your Amazon packages will get stolen at some point.
But unless you are acting the fool you are very unlikely to get shot or stabbed.
San Jose gutted their police department about 10 years back and staffing levels are still low. They don't even bother sending officers for thefts anymore, you just fill out your report online for insurance.
Outside of SJ proper its better. In county, the Sheriffs department is pretty responsive I've heard. And in the smaller cities to the south they have police departments that are very active and responsive. But there is still a crime way a few times a year until the local PD inconveniences the methheads enough they go back to SJ.
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Ease of making friends and meeting people. Are people easy going? Is it easy to make friends? I don't know a single soul in the Bay Area.
Depends on your politics. If you prescribe to usual left-coasts attitudes (or can fake it) you'll fit right in. If you tend more red, you will find people to get along with more towards central valley.
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Weather?
Weather is amazing. There is a "rain season" between November and February, but most of the rain is over night and what rain comes during the day would be considered a "light sprinkle" by anyone not from the area. It barely gets below 40 at night in the winter. No snow.
Most of the year is 60-80.
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Cost of Living? I know it's expensive, but you pay the premium. How much income would I need to survive there?
Out of this world, you can't even understand.
Survive? Get an RV and take advantage of the lack of enforcement.
Realistically for SJ you're looking at 80,000 unless you're getting roommates, find a real steal, are doing public sector work and qualify for rental programs through that, or have $2 million on hand to buy a house.
and you probably want 6-figures minimum if you intend to do more than live paycheck to paycheck.
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Air Quality? Is the air quality good or bad most of the time?
During the summer with the wildfires its bad. Otherwise its about normal. If you have allergies you might be unhappy, there is pollen from about every species of plant in existence being blown around.
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Vibe? Is it more laid back?
There doesn't seem to be an overall "vibe" that I've gotten. Work culture, in general, is very laid back.
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I have been researching the Bay Area and it looks like a very fun place to live. I don't believe what the media says about California.
Not if you work for the government. They hire plenty of people unemployable in the private sector.
I hope you do realize that the US Govt. is the single largest employer. Just a DOD employs 3m people.
The internet you are using, along with GPS, infrastructure of any kind and a myriad of other tangible things are all products of the 'gummint'.
Cute little stories about 'garage startups' are just that, stories. Not to mention that a bunch of SV startups and companies are next to useless or worse, whose specialty is dabbling in non-existent crap. Only when they have layoffs advertised in the news, does someone realize they even existed.
Don't get me wrong, I hear what you are trying to say, but it is as easy to fly under the radar and hide in private sector that has so much money, they don't even know what to do with it. It's just a different BS story one has to pitch there to hide one's incompetence. You could easily remove 50% of the SV 'workforce' and they would still run just fine. They are not leaner than the govt. although the govt. has a lot of bureaucracy and rules. However, that doesn't mean there is no BS elsewhere. I know people on both sides at many levels, at it seems to be about the same everywhere.
Its spotty in SJ. You can find pretty much anything you are looking for (unless you want "cheap") in SF, but SJ is a little more limited, just due to the fact the real show is in SF. I never really found a 'favorite place'.
San Jose also has the nickname of "Man Jose", so keep that in mind - if that's your thing, you'll love it.
Not sure what you mean by "competitive".
If you do something that tech companies like, you will never be hard up for employment. If you aren't in the tech sector, it is about the same as anywhere else - maybe a little worse because not many companies want to pay the going rate that lets people live in the bay.
Traffic is abysmal and getting worse. It was beyond miserable right before Pandemic and its headed back to those levels. A 23-minute drive on open roads will take you over an hour during peak, and god forbid there is an accident. The side roads will be jammed up just as bad.
Public transit won't really save you - SJ has light rail is street-level so the trains can get caught in gridlock. Buses have the issue with buses, plus all the issues with traffic. No dedicate bus lanes.
CalTrain is ok (if crowded) in the morning but can get very jacked up during the day, and you can see hour+ delays going home if there was a "trespasser" (read: suicide).
Depending on where you live/work, bike is an option. I have a friend who lives on one of the bike trails and his employer is a straight shot 30 minutes up the trail. Employers often have showers for people who bike. Would not recommend biking on most major streets though.
Additionally, be ready for a jump in auto insurance. When I moved to the area, I was spending more on insurance than my car payment. California doesn't allow insurers to set rates based on zip code, so insurers treat the entire state the same.
Definitely no. They are not New Yorker hostile, but people are very much stand-offish and it takes a bit to get through that.
You are safe, your stuff isn't.
The theft levels are out of this world and if anything are underplayed in the media. If you leave anything in your car, you will find your window smashed and your car ransacked. Even if you don't leave anything you'll sometimes find your window smashed just in case there was something hidden. My friend had his car broken into (along with others) while having dinner. My car was looted in an enclosed and secured garage.
Your Amazon packages will get stolen at some point.
But unless you are acting the fool you are very unlikely to get shot or stabbed.
San Jose gutted their police department about 10 years back and staffing levels are still low. They don't even bother sending officers for thefts anymore, you just fill out your report online for insurance.
Outside of SJ proper its better. In county, the Sheriffs department is pretty responsive I've heard. And in the smaller cities to the south they have police departments that are very active and responsive. But there is still a crime way a few times a year until the local PD inconveniences the methheads enough they go back to SJ.
Depends on your politics. If you prescribe to usual left-coasts attitudes (or can fake it) you'll fit right in. If you tend more red, you will find people to get along with more towards central valley.
Weather is amazing. There is a "rain season" between November and February, but most of the rain is over night and what rain comes during the day would be considered a "light sprinkle" by anyone not from the area. It barely gets below 40 at night in the winter. No snow.
Most of the year is 60-80.
Out of this world, you can't even understand.
Survive? Get an RV and take advantage of the lack of enforcement.
Realistically for SJ you're looking at 80,000 unless you're getting roommates, find a real steal, are doing public sector work and qualify for rental programs through that, or have $2 million on hand to buy a house.
and you probably want 6-figures minimum if you intend to do more than live paycheck to paycheck.
During the summer with the wildfires its bad. Otherwise its about normal. If you have allergies you might be unhappy, there is pollen from about every species of plant in existence being blown around.
There doesn't seem to be an overall "vibe" that I've gotten. Work culture, in general, is very laid back.
Believe it.
You are wrong about the zipcodes, rates do vary by zip code, I know this as we have moved several times, & the zip code impacts the cost.
OP, I'm still stuck on your opening paragraph, where you mention San Jose and San Francisco, and follow that by saying that you think SJ is the best "of the three". What three? What's the third location you're considering? I can think of several better places in the Bay Area than San Jose. What's your #3?
OP, I'm still stuck on your opening paragraph, where you mention San Jose and San Francisco, and follow that by saying that you think SJ is the best "of the three"....
I'm stuck on this one "Well when you ain't employable".....OP, are you saying you are unemployed, but yet want to move to one of the most expensive areas in the country ? Or maybe I'm missing something.... like you are wealthy and money is no issue....?
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