Jobs around the North Bay (San Francisco, Santa Rosa: how much, big house, employment)

[doravanil]

Hi all,

I currently live in Seattle and have been here and around the area my whole life. There are a lot of things I like about it here, but I personally could use more sunshine and I prefer a warmer climate. Not blisteringly hot, but pleasantly warm in the spring to on-the-hot-side in summer. Mild winters are a plus, too. I have had my eye on the North Bay for several years now, and know the area fairly well for someone who doesn't actually live there - mainly from visiting friends that once lived in the area and from spending time in San Francisco.
I would prefer a bit of a smaller town to the city itself as my boyfriend and I have a two year old and we would like him to grow up in a smaller community. We really like Petaluma the best, areas around Santa Rosa, and Fairfax and San Rafael. Now, I know how expensive it is to live in some of these towns, especially the closer you get to SF, so I have no delusions about the cost of living in the North Bay as a whole. I have been looking at a lot of the posts regarding jobs in and around the area, but I've really only seen that most of the questions about employment are from people who pull in $75K to $150K/yr and up. And while that's fine, it doesn't help me at all. I'd say closer to about $55K to $60K/yr for us. And that's in Seattle.
I guess what I'm trying to ask is, what do the jobs look like for someone who is an administrative assistant or similar to that kind of work? Right now, I am a travel coordinator for a medium-sized company in Seattle. And my boyfriend is a mechanic who can work on anything. But what are the prospects of finding jobs for these fields in a place like Santa Rosa or Petaluma, etc?
ANY help is much appreciated! Thank you!

[mayorhaggar]

Most people commute to San Francisco, but that commute is a dog. There will be some offices scattered around Santa Rosa and Petaluma but they won't pay as much as jobs that are closer to the urban core, even though the North Bay is far from cheap. Probably the best bet is looking for jobs around Novato and San Rafael, I often see people here talking about taking jobs there--lots of office parks I think.

[5thgenSF]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

Most people commute to San Francisco, but that commute is a dog. There will be some offices scattered around Santa Rosa and Petaluma but they won't pay as much as jobs that are closer to the urban core, even though the North Bay is far from cheap. Probably the best bet is looking for jobs around Novato and San Rafael, I often see people here talking about taking jobs there--lots of office parks I think.

do you have any clue on the pay? i was an admin on the peninsula/south bay and got up to around $24 an hour before the dot com crash. a lot of the higher level admins made much more than that. executive level can probably get $60k a year and up. but i never saw that pay north of SF and not really in the east bay either. i think maybe east bay has gotten better since i left.

[doravanil]

Thank you for the replies!

In Seattle, right now, I make about $22/hr in admin. I guess my main concern would be how much would we need to pull in to make ends meet in the Santa Rosa area, specifically Petaluma? Would our current net of $55K-$58K be enough, or will that just keep us on borderline poverty? We do not need a big house or tons of space. In fact, we would really like to just find a smaller (720 -850sq.ft.) house somewhere, maybe even on the outskirts of town. That's fine with us.

Of course I want us to provide for our family, but as long as we have the basics and we're not struggling then we're happy.

Would any areas fit this description of having houses about this size for somewhere between $900-$1100?

Thanks!

[5thgenSF]

Originally Posted by doravanil

Thank you for the replies!

In Seattle, right now, I make about $22/hr in admin. I guess my main concern would be how much would we need to pull in to make ends meet in the Santa Rosa area, specifically Petaluma? Would our current net of $55K-$58K be enough, or will that just keep us on borderline poverty? We do not need a big house or tons of space. In fact, we would really like to just find a smaller (720 -850sq.ft.) house somewhere, maybe even on the outskirts of town. That's fine with us.

Of course I want us to provide for our family, but as long as we have the basics and we're not struggling then we're happy.

Would any areas fit this description of having houses about this size for somewhere between $900-$1100?

Thanks!

you can look on craigslist and get an idea. i was looking a few weeks ago and it seems the rents have come down a little from what they were five or six years ago. my neighbors here are retired from santa rosa. they've been here about eight years and still have family there. they left because housing was so high. i think you'll probably have to up your price to find what you want. and i don't think you'll find $22 an hour there.

[doravanil]

Right on, thanks for the tips!