Hi all,
I'm currently in St. Louis working in corporate IT (Project Management). My wife is a part-time elementary school teacher. I've lived here all of my life, and while there are things that I love that are here (family, Cardinals baseball, cheap cost of living), I feel like a change may be due. My wife and I (no kids, not for at least 3 more years or so) have visited many places, and one of our favorites has been San Francisco and the surrounding Silicon Valley area. We visited there last year and LOVED the weather and the culture. The weather here in STL makes it much more difficult to enjoy outdoor activities year-round. Plus, in much of the Bay area, you are a drive away from great beaches and Napa valley. I'm kind of tired of being in a ocean-less state with nothing but the muddy rivers around me.
As for where I'd consider living, I probably wouldn't be looking to live in downtown SF. Most likely, due to the IT market, I'd probably try to shoot for Silicon Valley more (Sunnyvale, Mountain View, etc.). If I had a job in SF, I'm not sure if I'd want to live downtown or not.....depends on the pain of commuting and whatnot.
Obviously, I realize that there are some glaring differences between the two, mainly the cost-of-living aspect of the Bay area. Also, I realize that the Bay area is quite large and there are huge differences between SF and Silicon Valley, and there are nice suburbs (most of Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Los Altos, etc.) and not-so-nice ones (San Leandro, East Palo Alto, parts of San Jose, etc. from what I've heard). St. Louis metro area definitely has its nice and not-so-nice parts as well, that's for sure.... Also, I've heard mixed things about the current state of the IT job market in the Bay area. But I feel like St. Louis is constantly losing jobs thanks to many companies leaving the area and merging (Anheuser Busch, AG Edwards, Boatman's Bank, TWA).
What are your guys' thoughts between the two? Is it worth the cost-of-living in SF, particularly when you start raising a family? While this isn't a concern yet, it will be someday.
I'd appreciate any thoughts (particularly IT folk or people who have lived in both places) have about the Bay Area! Thanks