Already tired of San Francisco (Berkeley: best city, renting, college)

[marilyn220]

Originally Posted by alexxiz

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. You nailed it about SF and said it exactly how I feel about this place. I hope you'll find a good job soon and will save up to move to more reasonable, normal place. We all have to experience bad places, only to appreciate other locations more later... I had my share of bad city choices before, take NYC alone.

OMG, I concur 1000000%, but my hate city is LA. It's my own fault though. I should have left within the first 6 months to a year when I couldn't find a decent job, but I didn't.

I will NEVER, EVER make this mistake again.

[gone down south]

Originally Posted by NYCtoSF

there haven't been that many transplants from the East Coast moving here until a year or two ago.

Dude, you have GOT to stop talking, because every time you say something it's incredibly obvious how small your worldview is.

People have been flocking to the West Coast (and SF in particular) for decades. DECADES.

[marilyn220]

Originally Posted by etoile_filante

There are a lot of people who like to mess with other people on message boards, or like to complain and are taking advantage of internet anonymity. 99% of people I meet in real life like San Francisco, especially recent transplants, and I've never heard the NYC comparison being made by anyone other than bored people on the internet.

I've heard nothing but positive things about SF too. One of the major positives folks keep harping on when they tell me is that it would remind me of NYC. In itself that's not a problem, but I have heard the rents in SF are crazy expensive. As a matter of fact, I wanted to move to SF before coming to LA, but the rents were super expensive while LA's appeared to be more affordable.

I say "appeared" because although the rents are cheaper, the salaries here are very, very low. All of the good paying jobs are hard to get, unless you know someone or transfer in from another location. Unfortunately.

Anyone who moves to a mid-sized city of 750,000 and expects it to be like Manhattan is not going to have the common sense to listen to a well-reasoned argument, anyway.

I'm happy that it's not anything like NYC. The rents may be expensive, but at least the cities have salaries to match. If I need to move outside the city for cheaper rent, I'll do that too. SF has awesome public transportation (10x's) better than LA's, so I'm not worried about getting around or need a car.

Still have to see how the job thing pans out though.

[marilyn220]

Originally Posted by NYCtoSF

I don't know if that last bit was directed at me, but I don't appreciate the hostility either way.

Not just you, but everyone who complains about SF not being NYC. Get over it.

[marilyn220]

Originally Posted by alexxiz

No, it should NOT... every day I'm checking the news and go "whoa, they still haven't blown up NYC?? no terrorists, no own misplaced and outpriced locals, no Occupy?"

Manhattan is the most overpriced and overrated real estate in the country.

Even if I could afford to purchase a condo there, I wouldn't.

This whole "market rent" thing is just a scam perpetrated by the richest landlords in the city and co-signed by the mayor and other corrupt politicians. There's an entire history behind how Manhattan became the way it is and it's not positive.

[etoile_filante]

Originally Posted by marilyn220

I've heard nothing but positive things about SF too. One of the major positives folks keep harping on when they tell me is that it would remind me of NYC. In itself that's not a problem, but I have heard the rents in SF are crazy expensive. As a matter of fact, I wanted to move to SF before coming to LA, but the rents were super expensive while LA's appeared to be more affordable.

I say "appeared" because although the rents are cheaper, the salaries here are very, very low. All of the good paying jobs are hard to get, unless you know someone or transfer in from another location. Unfortunately.

I'm happy that it's not anything like NYC. The rents may be expensive, but at least the cities have salaries to match. If I need to move outside the city for cheaper rent, I'll do that too. SF has awesome public transportation (10x's) better than LA's, so I'm not worried about getting around or need a car.

Still have to see how the job thing pans out though.

I think individual neighborhoods remind people of various NYC neighborhoods - in fact there's a great thread in the forum somewhere with those types of comparisons if you want to look it up.

Rent was reasonable two years ago, and has skyrocketed in the last two years unfortunately. People already ensconced are doing okay because of rent control, but it's tough coming to town for the first time now. Salaries are definitely high though, I know a lot of tech people in SF that make a lot of money. One of the reasons is that talent, believe it or not, is hard to come by and smaller tech companies without the name recognition have to sweeten the deal more than their famous counterparts like Google, Apple, etc. in order to be competitive. Tech is also spilling into other, more traditional industries as they ramp up their tech offerings, which allows people with different skillsets to also take advantage of the boom.

[marilyn220]

Originally Posted by etoile_filante

I think individual neighborhoods remind people of various NYC neighborhoods - in fact there's a great thread in the forum somewhere with those types of comparisons if you want to look it up.

Rent was reasonable two years ago, and has skyrocketed in the last two years unfortunately. People already ensconced are doing okay because of rent control, but it's tough coming to town for the first time now. Salaries are definitely high though, I know a lot of tech people in SF that make a lot of money. One of the reasons is that talent, believe it or not, is hard to come by and smaller tech companies without the name recognition have to sweeten the deal more than their famous counterparts like Google, Apple, etc. in order to be competitive. Tech is also spilling into other, more traditional industries as they ramp up their tech offerings, which allows people with different skillsets to also take advantage of the boom.

Thanks etoile_filante, but I don't care if it looks like NYC or not.

At this point and time in MY life I just care about getting a good paying job that won't be off-shored somewhere.

I'd even sacrifice an interesting social life and move to a horrible place like ALASKA if I was guaranteed employment for 3 years or more. I could live in a place filled with rolling tumble weeds and hairy, smelly inbred mountain men and their families just as long as I was able to get paid DECENT employment. This is where I'm at in MY life right now.

I'm sure SF looks okay. Too bad for the skyrocket rents, but I won't mind living in the neighboring cities if I have to. Not a problem.

SF is just one of three places on the list of where I'm planning to move.

[jeffredo]

Originally Posted by alexxiz

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. You nailed it about SF and said it exactly how I feel about this place. I hope you'll find a good job soon and will save up to move to more reasonable, normal place. We all have to experience bad places, only to appreciate other locations more later... I had my share of bad city choices before, take NYC alone.

The unfortunate thing is that at this point, in the US, considering bad economy, invasion of H-1s, and overall situation with US population being sold right and left by the corporate government (this ain't the US of the 90s no more), there're hardly any "good" places left where there're still any JOBS left. This is what's keeping me in the area, even though I could leave any time. This and the proximity of incomparable Sierra Nevada. Being a software engineer, I can only find work in big cities mostly... so which choices are there? Polluted, toxic Texas (conservative as well) or polluted So Cal or Sacramento? Not better than SF, unless one wants to get all kinds of diseases from air pollution. NYC? It's even more of a disgusting, overpriced yuppie playground than SF. Seattle? Very rainy and quite insular. Portland? Yeah, if one wants to do 2 jobs serving coffee just to eat, and it'd take a year to find each. Chicago? Cold and Midwestern... Las Vegas, Reno? If you can generate income by cheating at poker...Phoenix? 120F. Denver? Not too bad.... but there're no trees in the surrounding area, I kind of like trees. DC? To me, it's a hellhole. Georgia, Carolinas? Deep South, no matter how you sugarcoat it. Florida? Crime, pollution, no jobs, have to be bi-lingual in some places, etc. So, SF Bay area isn't the WORST. Yet, Bay area is not livable. The salaries do not correlate with the price of real estate in the area, except for special privileged classes of people (MD, JD, CEOs). Engineering salaries are too small--YET people have to sit quiet and suck it up because they can be replaced by an H-1 since US government doesn't care about own people. There're still nice, livable pockets in Bay area, near Santa Cruz mountains, I think...--where one will never be able to afford to own a paid off property, unless you're born into it, of course, because it's some of the most overpriced real estate in the nation... The only "good, livable city" in the US at this point is where you can generate income by working from home/own business/telecommuting, not being tied to a location... then, there's a multitude of great places.

Very well, if you were "tied to a location" what would you consider livable as far as a city goes? You pretty much eliminated most of the major contenders. Seriously, I'm curious - what decent sized city would you choose to live in if you could be gainfully employed there and why?

[dmode]

Originally Posted by NYCtoSF

If you're trying to imply that I don't actually live in SF or something then you're wrong. This board has been like a personal blog for my thoughts on moving here from SF. It's all true.

You have to admit that even though we have been hostile to you, some of us also provided helpful comments during your move. All you have done is been critical of the area you moved to and the people who helped you with your decision. If this is your personal blog, you could have interspersed your constant criticism with a little bit of positive attitude.

I strongly suggest drive along Pacific Avenue west till you hit the end and then make a right into Presidio. Find your way to the Baker beach. Come back and report here then.

[NYCtoSF]

Originally Posted by marilyn220

Thanks etoile_filante, but I don't care if it looks like NYC or not.

At this point and time in MY life I just care about getting a good paying job that won't be off-shored somewhere.

I'd even sacrifice an interesting social life and move to a horrible place like ALASKA if I was guaranteed employment for 3 years or more. I could live in a place filled with rolling tumble weeds and hairy, smelly inbred mountain men and their families just as long as I was able to get paid DECENT employment. This is where I'm at in MY life right now.

I'm sure SF looks okay. Too bad for the skyrocket rents, but I won't mind living in the neighboring cities if I have to. Not a problem.

SF is just one of three places on the list of where I'm planning to move.

What's your line of work? I work at a large firm, I can look up openings for you.