What are the benefits of moving to San Francisco? (Los Angeles: apartment, condo)

[smokinsalmon18]

Hi, I live in Colorado and i will be moving to california, in the san francisco area. I need to know what its like: how are the schools, what are the best areas to live in, how is the reaction/ activities, the people, and the jobs. I'm looking for a good nice place to live, but figured i would ask around to see what the people who already live there think. Thanks. I'm also looking into Concord, Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz. Any pictures would be great too. Thanks

[mstnghu2]

It really depends on what you like. The Bay Area covers a lot of land and is made up of nine different counties. It varies greatly from location to location (different geography, micro-climates, different political leanings, racial make-up, etc.). The places you mentioned aren't really similar at all to each other. Maybe if you can provide more about what type of place you're looking for, people can give you a better idea of what would suit you.

[mayorhaggar]

Just do some searches on this forum (google might be better for searching for topics than this site's goofy search function) for towns you are interested in and see what people said, there's a ton of topics here and your questions are really vague. Read wikipedia articles and informational websites about all the counties and cities and different parts of the Bay Area to get more familiar with them so you can know what to search for.

Also San Francisco is a really small city and areas outside of the city limits aren't considered to be part of San Francisco, it's not like LA where independent cities that aren't part of Los Angeles are still called "in LA." The Bay Area is pretty big and is the term used for the whole region, then people break it down into smaller parts: the East Bay, the South Bay, the North Bay, the Peninsula, etc. If you're not from here you probably wouldn't know that, I know I didn't before I moved here.

[smokinsalmon18]

I know the other places i mentioned are not in san fran. they were just other places i wanted more info about for potenial residency, but for right now i would like to know more about san fran. I dont really know how big of an area it is or how its divided up, im just looking for a general feel of the area.

[clongirl]

Originally Posted by smokinsalmon18

I know the other places i mentioned are not in san fran. they were just other places i wanted more info about for potenial residency, but for right now i would like to know more about san fran. I dont really know how big of an area it is or how its divided up, im just looking for a general feel of the area.

The Bay Area is vast. It's really just too difficult to describe an entire region since there are just so many cities involved.

You need to tell us where you're going to be working and how much your budget is and then we can help you more from there. Why do you want to come to this region?

The three cities you mentioned are all VERY far apart from each other. Santa Cruz isn't really even considered an immediate part of the Bay Area.

Let me add...don't come here w/o a job lined up or money in the bank.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by smokinsalmon18

I know the other places i mentioned are not in san fran. they were just other places i wanted more info about for potenial residency, but for right now i would like to know more about san fran. I dont really know how big of an area it is or how its divided up, im just looking for a general feel of the area.

There is no one feel for the Bay Area. Anything and everything is possible.

[mayorhaggar]

Read this if you want to learn about San Francisco's neighborhoods:

San Francisco Neighborhoods — Bay Area Travel — SFGate

Honestly I'd also read the main wikipedia page on San Francisco just to learn about the city. As far as what it's like living in the City (as people call it...nobody calls it San Fran), it's a fun and busy place, the 2nd most densely populated city in the US after NYC, and it's very expensive, so it's not for everyone. I'd come on a visit if you're interested in living here, you'd learn more than anyone here could teach you.

[smokinsalmon18]

Alright to be very specific im looking for a condo 2 bed, dogs allowed in a good area in Concord. I am getting a job transfer from the Nordstrom in Colorado, to one in that area. So a decent living place, preferably $1400 or less in Concord. So What are the schooling systems like here, the people, good neighborhoods, attractions, and restaurants. Thats all i can think of at the moment.

[mayorhaggar]

Ok well see now we're getting somewhere. I'd read this about the Concord area:

//www.city-data.com/forum/san-f...-commutes.html

Should be able to get a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment for around $1400 or a bit less in Walnut Creek or Pleasant Hill which have better schools than Concord. That whole area is pretty suburban but downtown Walnut Creek is like a big outdoor mall, lots of shops and restaurants in a small walkable area.

Landlords in the Bay Area can be pretty anti-pet but hopefully you'll find something. Big dogs are generally harder to get okayed than small dogs for apartment living.

[smokinsalmon18]

@mayorhaggar thank you very much, you seriously helped me narrow down on some choices