SF suburbs vs. NYC suburbs with family (relo. Qs - cross-post)

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by tspoon91

San Francisco has much better suburbs.. NYC is flat and dull and doesn't have any geographical change within the metropolitan.. sf bay has a diverse terrain and weather and all the outdoors a man could want

So, I suppose in your book, the Appalachians are flat.

One of the things I like about NYC / its metro is the proximity to skiing.

Yeah, I know it's not Squaw. But it sure beats sitting in traffic for 4 or more hours to get to the slopes.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by capoeira

The school your kids attend is generally based on your address. If that particular school is full you might be assigned to a different school in the same district. Check with the school district for any house you are considering and do not rely on the real estate agent.

I suggest visiting the schools if possible so you know what you are getting into. You might be shocked at the paucity of programs at California schools if you are used to NJ standards. According to Zillow, Montclair spends $17,012 per student compared to $7,843 at Walnut Creek.

Walnut Creek Elementary's Best Schools: Ratings, Reviews, and Grades - Zillow

Montclair Public Schools' Best Schools: Ratings, Reviews, and Grades - Zillow

Yet Walnut Creek's are rated higher overall lol.

[njfam]

Wow, less than $10k spent per student in Walnut Creek. Westchester County (NY) spends $20k+ per kid. As for Montclair, NJ, the public schools are good, but I have serious doubts how much of that actually gets spent per student, due to corruption in the system (as many municipalities have) - but I think NJ may be worse than most.

As for weather, I would rather have 105 F with access to A/C and a pool than be homebound on sub-zero windchill days, with piles of snow and ice that take months to melt, and a crazy number of snow days (6, this past winter) that keep the kids home, require vacation days to be used up (and/or reduced productivity working from home), and drives everyone crazy!

[415native]

The lump sum per student for the schools in the Lamorinda is a "suggested" donation. You don't have to pay it, but these Education Foundations are nonprofits and they publish a list of their donors every year, essentially telling the community who donated. As far as I'm concerned, I'm happy to pay it to keep the librarian, PE, art, etc. in my kids' schools. It's a drop in the bucket compared to private school or preschool tuition.

Most Lamorinda schools offer enrichment programs after school (distinct from the after-care programs), organized by the PTA, that you have to pay for out of pocket.