Peninsula vs. East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley: rent, school, college)

[fakeplastictrees]

I'm a teacher applying to jobs for next year. I have been offered a job in Palo Alto and one in Walnut Creek. I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of each. I have spent a lot of time in both areas. Some people say I'm crazy to not take the Palo Alto job, but I don't like that area as much.

I feel like the towns are very similar, but Palo Alto costs just a little bit more. They are both nice, pretty towns, with educated populations, and cities that "arent's so nice" in the surrounding areas.

What I like about Walnut Creek: Proximity to BART to go to SF, fun parts of Oakland, the rent is slightly cheaper, and the downtown area is rather large.

I honestly feel like I run into more pompous, annoying, rich people in Palo Alto (and I grew up in a very well-to-do area so I'm used to being around that type). I like how most of the population is educated, but you also seem to get the computer software engineer type who think for some reason that the world revolves around the overpriced, not that impressive town that is Palo Alto.

Am I crazy for not even considering Palo Alto? Does anyone else agree that it's completely overrated?

[twins4lynn]

LOL, it sounds as though you don't like Palo Alto at all. In that case, I'd go with Walnut Creek!

[hws]

Well, as far as the population diff btwn PaloAlto and EastBay you will find that the financiers and engineers of the technically and academically elite SiliconValley will certainly be superior.

All smart people in EastBay or Berkeley or IL eventually come to Silicon Valley for jobs in engineering/finance/startups and there is high correlation for making >>1MM a year and parking in underground pkg structures with valets.

[mayorhaggar]

I think the difference in rent will be quite a bit, like $1500-1600 for a 1br in Palo Alto vs. more like $1000-1100 in Walnut Creek. Also the weather will be different, Palo Alto gets warm but usually tops out in the 80's, but the WC area can get really hot in summer, like in the 90's and 100's. Other than that they're both pretty suburban, PA is more techies and college students and WC is more of a bedroom community for people who work in SF. Being close to SF and Oakland is definitely a plus for WC.

Originally Posted by hws

Well, as far as the population diff btwn PaloAlto and EastBay you will find that the financiers and engineers of the technically and academically elite SiliconValley will certainly be superior.

All smart people in EastBay or Berkeley or IL eventually come to Silicon Valley for jobs in engineering/finance/startups and there is high correlation for making >>1MM a year and parking in underground pkg structures with valets.

Hahaha I knew you would post. What, nothing about uber Mercedes cars driven by your precious masters of the cyberverse?

To the OP, sorry, but this guy always posts weird rambling stuff about Silicon Valley that doesn't make much sense and tries to rave about how great everyone in Palo Alto is.

[jade408]

A friend of mine used to teach on the Peninsula in Atherton. He hated it. The kids and parents were really bratty. I'd pick Walnut Creek. The kids in PA are so competitive, and so are their parents. You will get phone calls from parents who want to argue every low test score. And expect you to drop everything to take their call. The kids feel very entitled. For example, said friend was chaperoning an afters-school club. He purchased pizza for a snack. The kids complaining about the quantity and quality of the pizza the he funded out of his salary to be nice. In comparison, Walnut Creek people are much more friendly. (Danville and Alamo, not so much) It is a no brainer in my book.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by hws

Well, as far as the population diff btwn PaloAlto and EastBay you will find that the financiers and engineers of the technically and academically elite SiliconValley will certainly be superior.

All smart people in EastBay or Berkeley or IL eventually come to Silicon Valley for jobs in engineering/finance/startups and there is high correlation for making >>1MM a year and parking in underground pkg structures with valets.

Why did you switch user names from hsw?

[LexusNexus]

Originally Posted by jade408

A friend of mine used to teach on the Peninsula in Atherton. He hated it. The kids and parents were really bratty. I'd pick Walnut Creek. The kids in PA are so competitive, and so are their parents. You will get phone calls from parents who want to argue every low test score. And expect you to drop everything to take their call. The kids feel very entitled. For example, said friend was chaperoning an afters-school club. He purchased pizza for a snack. The kids complaining about the quantity and quality of the pizza the he funded out of his salary to be nice. In comparison, Walnut Creek people are much more friendly. (Danville and Alamo, not so much) It is a no brainer in my book.

I second WC. Palo Alto is incredibly overrated and the false sense of superiority that one encounters among the residents there is quite annoying.

[fakeplastictrees]

Thanks. I agree with most of what you're saying. It does feel to me that people in Walnut Creek are more laid back and friendly. I also like the downtown area better because it is bigger and you can find affordable locally owned stores and restaurants away from all of the chains.

[tstieber]

Yeah, downtown WC is much bigger (didn't used to be), and it's a nice mix of the affordable and the really high end, so you can take your pick. Definitely friendlier. I grew up there. Plus, there are biking and hiking trails galore -- way more than in Palo Alto.

[fakeplastictrees]

It seems like a lot of people don't like the Palo Alto area...