Relocated to San Francisco Trying to avoid another Detroit.

[Ruth4Truth]

Some people have their heart set on living in SF, which I assumed was the OP's situation, since he didn't say "San Jose" or "the SF region" or whatever. People live in SF and commute to tech jobs, you know. Maybe the OP can clarify for us the parameters of his housing search.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by rontayan

Greetings Everyone,


I am a IT systems admin moving from Honolulu, due to lack of any real employment here. (long story on how I ended) However I see my career grown stagnating in Hawaii, so I'd like to come to Mecca so to speak as I have all types of tech Ideas I'd like to turn into a real business.


So my home town is Detroit, Michigan. I by all means would like to AVOID AT ALL COST anything that reminds me of Detroit. Can anyone tell me what areas to avoid looking for a room share in?

And also how hard is it to find work as a Sys Admin or tech support with 12 years of experience in IT support, and Windows Server, as well as cloud computing. (if you happen to know any of it.)

Thank You!

Aloha!

I don't think you'll find much that's similar to Detroit's blocks of abandoned buildings and decay in the Bay Area. I remember flying to Las Vegas and seeing miles and miles of half-built subdivisions that were abandoned by the developers.. never saw much of that here either. There's just so much demand for housing.. even the marginal areas command obscene prices.

[rontayan]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

Well the real estate prices will definitely not remind you of Detroit.

As in Mike Haggar? Funny I just finished playing Final Fight a few moments ago.

Yes Detroit as a city to live in...Not in the next 10 years as far as i can foresee. However Detroit as a quick way to buy real estate to gain equity and modest cash flow. That is a win. The city is 80% renters and you can buy a solid house in a solid area for under 40K.

[rontayan]

Originally Posted by DocGoldstein

mod cut
If it's ONLY S.F, and not surrounding communities, I'd say stay away from the tenderloin and some areas of HP/Bayview, and you should be fine. S.F is pretty safe for a major city if you're used to urban living.

I'm very used to urban living, and in some cases Urban warfare. ^_^ Thanks for the insight though. Basically I know economically disadvantaged areas have a mindset that I truly wish to avid. I'm never afraid of crime or violence, I figure anything that isn't as bad as North West Detroit is easy living tome.

[rontayan]

Originally Posted by rkwalton

Depends on your budget. There are no Detroit-like area in San Francisco. It's San Francisco! Most areas of San Francisco are livable. Without knowing your preferences it's completely random for me to suggest areas as I'd just be kicking out a list of my favorites.
Good luck.

I see thank you for the insight. For preferences I like areas near parks anything green, I enjoy a mix of Urban and natural surroundings. My Budget is weak right now as I have been on an adventure for the past 2 years. I was living in Sydney, Australia with my ex-GF. I planned on staying there and getting married until I found out she had a few mental problems that we couldn't overcome.

So I came to Hawaii to give it a shot. Nepotism rains supreme in Honolulu and if you work in I.T. and you are NOT a local forget about it. I have been shunned for jobs because I made the mistake of wearing a suit to an interview, and not being Hawaiian. So at this point I need to go somewhere I can be "loved"

[rontayan]

Originally Posted by humboldtrat

The OP is looking for an IT job and maybe he meant to say the "San Francisco area" or maybe the Bay Area. Limiting yourself to IT jobs ONLY in San Francisco and no where else might make job hunting a little difficult. There are IT jobs elsewhere in The Bay Area. Ever hear of Silicon Valley?

Correct I mean the Bay Area, I by no means want to limit myself in such an expansive area of opertunity.

[mayorhaggar]

Originally Posted by rontayan

I see thank you for the insight. For preferences I like areas near parks anything green, I enjoy a mix of Urban and natural surroundings. My Budget is weak right now as I have been on an adventure for the past 2 years. I was living in Sydney, Australia with my ex-GF. I planned on staying there and getting married until I found out she had a few mental problems that we couldn't overcome.

So I came to Hawaii to give it a shot. Nepotism rains supreme in Honolulu and if you work in I.T. and you are NOT a local forget about it. I have been shunned for jobs because I made the mistake of wearing a suit to an interview, and not being Hawaiian. So at this point I need to go somewhere I can be "loved"

Figure out your budget first, what kind of area you want to live in, figure out your commute, etc. Otherwise we're just guessing what you like. If your budget isn't Frisco quality then honestly the East Bay might be a great fit for you, Oakland is a great city if you live in the nice parts and it's generally about 30% cheaper than SF. Other East Bay burbs like Walnut Creek are more suburban but also pretty modestly priced compared to SF or towns in San Mateo or Santa Clara counties.

[funtimessf]

My top pick is Noe Valley, my favorite part of SF.

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by rontayan

Correct I mean the Bay Area, I by no means want to limit myself in such an expansive area of opertunity.

Go with San Francisco if you want urban. There are a lot of techies who insist on living in SF for the nightlife but commute 40 miles to jobs in Mountain View, Cupertino and elsewhere in Silicon Valley.

You will pay about $2800 for a 1 bedroom apt in SF - about $750 to $1000 more than what you would pay for living in a 1 bedroom apt in the suburbs.