Moving to Bay Area from Philly: Need Advice!

[gone down south]

Having just sold our condo in Philly and moved to the South Bay, I can concur with the above comments. You're not going to be able to afford the same lifestyle here if you expect to buy!

Where in the Northeast did you live? Philly in general and the NE in specific is one of the last major undiscovered gems of real estate bargains out there, so you're going to get some sticker shock no matter what. We lived in Center City, and found that midrange apartment rental costs are somewhat comparable between there and here, but there's a lot more expensive and a lot few cheaper options here.

[moving2tracy]

Originally Posted by meowtown

Hello,
My husband and I are moving to the Bay Area from Philadelphia. We know very little about the area and so I am really hoping that I can get some good advice from you all! We are late 30's, starting a family, and looking for a neighborhood that has a decent commute (an hour or less, with less being preferable of course) to San Francisco and Silicon Valley (Mountain View). My husband's office will be in SF and I will be looking for a job there too, so that is the main hub. My husband will also have to go to the silicon valley office occassionally as well so we'd like something in between the two areas or at least not too far from either.
We are looking for somewhere SAFE, very good schools, ammenities like shopping/restaurants/bookstores, with nice two-story home options, $300k-$600k, NICE, friendly, well educated neighbors who are welcoming to newcomers. We want a yard and some land although we understand it won't be like in the NE. It would be great if we cold find a community that actually has a community, with something like a town center where people gather and socialize, and where community events are held.
Thank you so much for your thoughts.

Try Tracy, we are buying a house there, not this one, but just like it on the same culdesac, $185,000 for a 4 bedroom, and the commute is not that bad to SF, better than to SJ. If you want to spend $700,000 to $900,000 for the same house, you can buy in San Jose
499 Krider Ct, Tracy, CA 95376 | MLS# 10050976

[moving2tracy]

As far as being a part of the community - you have to make yourself that. I work for local government, there are many options for people that want to be involved. There are neighborhood meetings, town hall meetings, school board meetings, and the usual Council and Planning Commission meetings. Get to know your Parks and Recreation Board Commission. If you are a person of faith, you can join the community through churches, temples, or synagogs. I used to take my kids to every single vacation Bible school my town,and surrounding towns would hold, I would volunteer at each church, and get to know the community that way. My kids went to VBC all summer long, Baptist, Pentecostal, Catholic, you name it we went to it. PTA and School Board meetings are important ways to become part of the community too. The community won't come to you, but if you put out effort you will become part of the community quite easily. I hope you were able to find the home and community you were seeking!