What do you value about your location/community? (San Jose, San Francisco: real estate, for rent)

[cram242]

I'm working on a possible move from Minneapolis to the San Francisco area with my family, and I'd like to get some opinions on what people value about the communities they live in so I can get an idea of some of the culture and where might be a good area to transition to.

I think with my intentions for this post that I won't be discussing my budget, since I'm looking for a more comprehensive response.

[cram242]

I understand that housing prices can be extremely prohibitive in the Bay area, and that there is basically no ceiling to how much you can pay for rent or a mortgage. That's not my concern right now. I want to get an idea of the culture and neighborhood qualities that people appreciate in different areas. If money-grubbing is still the response when I explicitly say that I don't want to discuss the budget at this point, then I suppose that says something about the culture.

Maybe my intentions with this post have not been made clear. I am NOT looking for someone to tell me where I should live based on a set of criteria. I AM looking for people to comment on what area they are in, and what they value about that community. For example, in my current situation I would say I value the relatively quiet streets, the friendliness of the neighborhood (to us), ease of access to the major highways without a lot of noise and pollution, walkability to local restaurants, and dedication to fitness and healthy living by the people in my community. Most of what I dislike is more related to the Midwest than my particular community, as well as there being an extremely limited job market for my profession.

[legal_eagle]

I don't really value much about SF, other than I have a good job here and you can eat well cheaply.

[BitterlyHopeful]

I have lived in Marin and Sonoma, so my knowledge is limited to the following:

1) Being close to numerous hiking, walking and biking trails
2) The local Farmer's Markets where you can get fresh fruit and veggies
3) The fact that they have "Friday Movies in the Park" where families can sit out on the lawn, have a picnic and watch a free movie
4) How much everyone LOVES their dogs as evidenced by the numous "dog friendly" trails
5) Being close to "big cities" like San Francisco and Oakland
6) Going to Sausalito at sunrise or sunset and watching the boats
7) Going to the beach, watching the waves come in and trying to find sea shells
8) Being in Fairfax and starting up conversations with laid-back hippie types that (for some reason) just make you feel good about life
9) Having water & snow skiing just a couple of hours away

Hope that helps!

[cram242]

Originally Posted by BitterlyHopeful

I have lived in Marin and Sonoma, so my knowledge is limited to the following:

1) Being close to numerous hiking, walking and biking trails
2) The local Farmer's Markets where you can get fresh fruit and veggies
3) The fact that they have "Friday Movies in the Park" where families can sit out on the lawn, have a picnic and watch a free movie
4) How much everyone LOVES their dogs as evidenced by the numous "dog friendly" trails
5) Being close to "big cities" like San Francisco and Oakland
6) Going to Sausalito at sunrise or sunset and watching the boats
7) Going to the beach, watching the waves come in and trying to find sea shells
8) Being in Fairfax and starting up conversations with laid-back hippie types that (for some reason) just make you feel good about life
9) Having water & snow skiing just a couple of hours away

Hope that helps!

This is EXACTLY the style of response I was hoping for. Thank you so much for sharing!

[clongirl]

I love living in "Lamorinda" (three small adjoining towns of Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda). They all have the "small town" feel yet are very close to the more urban settings of Oakland/San Francisco/Berkeley.

It's very child friendly and leans liberal (if this matters). I know all of my neighbors and it's the kind of place where you recognize someone that you know wherever you go. The towns are also quite rural and feel secluded with woodland trails, bike paths, wildlife, etc. One of the few areas in the region where the public schools are fantastic and very well supported with $$ from the parents and there's very little crime. It's a fairly upscale and highly educated community, but you don't really get that pompous "show off" attitude from the people living here.

[gone down south]

[mod cut-- response to deleted post]

In general terms, the Bay Area is fantastic for it's natural setting, great weather year round, incredible bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables that never stop showing up, fine wines from Napa and Sonoma, ocean beaches, Tahoe a few hours away.

Specifically, I live in Palo Alto (although the same comments would apply to any Peninsula city) and love the quick access to nature (hiking trails and nature preserves abound), the ocean is 20 or so minutes away but the mountains keep us fog-free 360 days a year, the climate is a nice medium between the South Bay heat and the SF chill. We can get to SF in 40 minutes (off peak commute times, of course) and San Jose in 20. Multiple options to get to the East Bay and out to Tahoe, Central Valley, etc without too much traffic.

The big problem is that this area is SO desirable, so perfect, that demand for housing way exceeds supply and rents/purchase prices are way out of line with the rest of the country. Some people decide it's an investment worth making and stay, some decide it's not and leave. And a small, sad, lonely bunch just complain on the internet about incessantly

[cram242]

Thanks for all your points! There are always complainers who just want to spit on people because of their own lousy situation, so I'm glad to hear that's the case with numbnuts :-)

I've never really understood why some people who could do it aren't more willing to make that investment for the benefits you mentioned. Personally I'd rather choose to spend $1-$2 million on a pretty decent space on the coast in CA than spend the same amount and get a ridiculous house in the Midwest. Glad to hear about the nature trails. There is a pretty extensive bike trail system here which would be difficult to totally give up.

I do enjoy surfing, which has been one of the detractors for central-northern CA for me with the water temperatures, but I definitely see a lot of benefits over LA and Orange County areas.

[sonarrat]

What I value about:

Morgan Hill: More salt of the earth people than points north, spread out yet easy to get around. Good for summertime activities.
San Jose (last place, Evergreen): Diverse, great Asian restaurants, pretty in the hills, fairly affordable to buy these days.
San Jose (now, Blossom Valley near Cambrian): Quiet, safe, friendly long term residents, easy access to all highways, retail heaven on Blossom Hill Road, Lunardi's by Branham/Meridian (best butcher I've found).
Redwood City (Jefferson/Alameda): perfect weather, nice neighborhood feel, Red Morton Park.
South San Francisco (El Camino/Country Club): sleepy and comfy weather (for staying indoors), not crowded, great public transit, See's factory store!
San Francisco (Sunset): peaceful and attractive surroundings. Fun activities in Golden Gate Park.

[greenmountainex-pat]

From what I hear from the families who moved out here during our company's relocation, the thing to avoid is any commute that requires driving over the Bay Bridge. The families who moved to towns like Walnut Creek, for example, love their towns, but loathe the commute. The real estate agents really downplayed just how bad the bridge can be during rush hour. Actually, they downright lied. So that's definitely a factor. If you're commuting to SF or South City or Palo Alto & environs, you probably want to be down the peninsula rather than up north or in the East Bay area. Several of the younger families who came out here from the east coast live in Burlingame, San Carlos, Redwood City, and other peninsula towns and like it very much.