Moving to Cali- Have to choose between NorCal or SoCal (San Jose: live, beach)

[ashbham]

I'm a young professional in mid twenties and per a new job I have an option of moving either to Mountain View in NorCal or Irvine in SoCal. I'm not able to decide as I don't know much about these places.

Please suggest

[caligirlz]

WELLL .....maybe you could give us a few more details....for starters.... what industry is your new job in? what are your likes, dislikes, etc...those kinds of things.....

[TrapperJohn]

Mountain View is much pricier. Is the pay the same?

[EclecticEars]

Having been to both cities on several occasions, I'd pick Irvine over Mountain View.

However, I do like the nice downtown and less sterile feel of Mountain View better than Irvine. It has more "character." Irvine is literally a post-1965 city built around UC-Irvine, and it feels like the poshest suburbs of any metro USA (i.e.: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Houston, etc.)

Having said that, people do seem to be a slight bit more smiley in North Orange County than in the Bay Area as a whole. In my experience, Irvine is about the gray zone between friendlier North OC and snobfest South OC.

Both Irvine and Mt. View have ideal climates. Irvine makes getting to Laguna or Newport very easy. With Mt. View, you have to cross over the mountain on Hwy. 84 or 92 just to get to the San Mateo County coastal communities. OC beaches have nicer, sunnier weather and "more to do"; Bay Area beaches are west of the Santa Cruz Mountains (immediately west of Mt. View) and make for great places to meditate, have a nice chat with a significant other, or sip chai tea while debating U.S.-Iranian relations. But, the coast can be chilly and foggy, even in August. (Personally, if I could have the OC beach weather and the Bay Area beach mentality, that would be perfect.)

Both communities have very expensive COL; the Bay Area/SF Peninsula and OC are about on par, and if not then the Bay is slightly more expensive. However, Irvine seems to be slightly more expensive than Mountain View, but Mt. View is on par with the rest of the south peninsula. With Irvine, if you look carefully, you can find some relatively good deals on the Balboa Peninsula and in Costa Mesa, Anaheim, Tustin, and Orange. With Mt. View, if you look carefully, you can find a handful of relatively good deals in Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and Redwood City, but mostly down in San Jose, which can seem like a long haul in traffic.

You need to visit both areas, consider these things, and understand your own preferences.

[yowps3]

That's pretty much a summary above ^

[BayAreaHillbilly]

I voted Mountain View. If you were a bit older I might have suggested Irvine.

[scratchNsniff]

Irvine is kinda soulless. I used to have a (bad) joke that the sidewalks in Irvine weren't straight (they curve around lazily like a child's crayon drawing) because the people don't actually use them (it's very car-centered). Although I haven't lived in OC for about 6 years, I can imagine it hasn't changed much.

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by EclecticEars

You need to visit both areas, consider these things, and understand your own preferences.

This.

Personally I would pick Irvine, but it really depends on what you're trying to accomplish.

[04kL4nD]

Irvine is awful.

Mountain View is like the jewel of Silicon Valley.

No-brainer to me...

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

Irvine is awful.

Mountain View is like the jewel of Silicon Valley.

No-brainer to me...

This seems awfully one sided.