Moving to Oakland? (Richmond, Chico, Santa Cruz: for sale, real estate, affordable apartment)

[sec615]

I am a young, single, mid-20's female considering a move to Oakland. I currently live in Brooklyn and work in Manhattan and am looking to move to a city with a more laid-back, outdoorsy lifestyle.

There is a job opportunity in Oakland I am considering, however, I am not sure if moving to Oakland will give me that anti-city vibe that I am looking for- considering the bay-area is still a major metropolis. The proximity to hills/redwoods/etc. for hiking, and the ability to get to the coast for ocean as well as tahoe/mountains for snowboarding quickly is a draw, plus the year-round almost perfect weather, but is an outdoors-minded life-style common? I'm concerned I will just be trading one city for another. In California, have only been to L.A. and it was too much of a "Scene" for me.

I like biking, walking for transportation- gardens, backyards, healthy eating/living etc. in apartments? I've heard these things exist in Brooklyn, but after 3 years here it seems like traveling on the subway in cold-weather is all I really have the opportunity to do. In addition, my salary will only be about $45,000 before taxes so affordability is a concern.

Is Oakland the right place for me? Or should I be looking in smaller towns ?

Thanks

[jade408]

What you are looking for is available in Oakland, but your budget will make it harder. You can look for a roommate situation in North Oakland or Fruitvale and hopefully you find something cheap. There is a redwood forest in the middle of Oakland and lots of hiking available. It is also bike friendly and getting more bike friendly.

But walkable places are pricey. You'll need to compromise on a few levels.

[Chuck5000]

I'm from NY, and live in the Bay Area now. You will absolutely fall in love with the easy access to nature here. But making 45k, you will feel poor, you won't be in a high quality housing situation, and if you don't get onto a ladder where your career progresses and you make much more money, in a few years you'll be faced with a tough choice of staying and financially struggling because you put down some roots vs. moving away and having a much more secure financial future and comfortable real estate choices.

If you can be of the mind set where you don't get attached and can move away after a couple of years after trying the experience, great! But if you're near the point in your life where you're thinking of getting rooted, the money pressures here are identical to NYC. I wish this weren't true, and it wasn't true of places like Oakland as recently as 5 years ago - but I don't think it's going to change back.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

What you could do, is take the job in Oakland and look for an affordable apartment that's a decent commute, that you can afford. Then, once you're here, see if you can get a job in Santa Cruz. I think you'd love it there.

If I was your age, I'd start applying for a county job in Santa Cruz. Just keep applying and taking the exams until you land a job.

Employment Services

Santa Cruz is pricey, too, but I think it would be a nicer place for you to be "poor" in :-)

craigslist: santa cruz jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

Or if that's too pricey, look at Eureka and Arcata.

craigslist: humboldt county jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

Another area you might really like, but it has really hot summers, is Chico.

craigslist: chico jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

All of the above have universities, so they have a young, vibrant population. But, they are all know for being laid-back.

But, if you have the opportunity to move here for a job in Oakland, it would be a great way to get here initially. Then, you can look for somewhere that might fit you better, if Oakland doesn't work for you.

[veganwriter]

I suggest you get there and plan to move in a year.
Find a room to rent in a nice shared housing situation in a good area. This will give you time to "feel" out the place and where you fit.

From the sounds of it, you may like moving a bit north to Richmond Anex (forget what all the num-nuts say, there's a lot of really nice places in Richmond and in El Cerrito. (El Cerrito/Albany may be more expensive.) But the weather is better out there and there are hiking trails and the bay is only a short drive or walk away. (Depending on where you live.)

The key element is that even though you feel burnt out on "cities" right now... living in a place like New York has shaped you in ways you're not aware of. (I moved out and bought a house in the country in the South and even though I LOVE my little house and the acreage, I really, really, really miss having stimulating conversations. I miss good coffee shops and unique places to buy some really good clothes when I'm in the mood. Those are things you get in urban life you will lose if you move to Podunk, Iowa. People are more narrow-minded and frustrated in rural areas. That's why the suicide rates are higher in rural areas than in urban areas.)

The Bay Area has been invaded by people escaping New York and the Northeastern Seaboard.
So you'll feel like it's a few knotches down ... but like I said, move and don't feel that it's a make-or-brake situation if you don't like the first place you move to.

"NoMoreSnowForMe" gave you some good suggestions, but you'll need a car, so give yourself a year to explore and make it an adventure. Right now you sound like someone who'll like the Lake Merritt area (Whole Foods side.) Oakland is in an ugly gentrification process right now, so you'll have to pick your spots. Pretentious, dysfunctional new-comers have destroyed the comfortable, accepting feel that the Bay Area used to have... but there's still a lot of good there.

If you get there and hate it, you can always start looking for work in Portland, Oregon or Washington State.

[Ruth4Truth]

Northern CA, including the Bay Area, is known for outdoors-oriented lifestyles. You're coming to the right place! At some point, you'll have to do something to boost your income, though. After you become a resident, you can go to school to further your education (do you have a BA?). Or get a second job, part-time. There's a guy on another thread right now who says he's a waiter, and he makes $120/K annually. If server jobs pay that well, you could get one for a couple of nights/week for extra cash.

Santa Cruz is a great idea, depending on what your job qualifications are. It's expensive there, too, but the place is literally surrounded by redwood forests, and there are great beaches.

[Chuck5000]

Super interesting suggestions for places in California like Arcata, where I bet it's still possible (though probably pretty difficult as economies are not diverse) to get a low paying job but have a nice quality of life. Or at least for a few years while you're young and figuring stuff out. I know Santa Cruz pretty well, renting in town is very tough and fairly expensive because of UCSC. But there are cheap places on the outskirts of town, and in places like Scotts Valley.

The only problem with going after government jobs is that competition for them is actually fierce, and openings must be posted by law, even when they're (usually) already filled by inside applicants looking to move up.

Question is what kinds of skills are valuable in these tiny economies? Accounting, maybe law, home care? Office manager type jobs?

Times have changed re: places one can go to find themselves at an early stage of life. I think it can be a big mistake to move to a place like the Bay Area or NYC and think it's possible to have that kind of work and fun/relaxed experience anymore and also a high level of quality of life (say, having your own place, and not having to pinch every penny). Too bad that those days are gone. But there are always new frontiers. I think some old industrial midwest and eastern cities are interesting these days. Some pioneers are very into Detroit.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Chuck5000

Question is what kinds of skills are valuable in these tiny economies? Accounting, maybe law, home care? Office manager type jobs?

No idea about the OP's education and job experience, but office staff, campus mail service, and groundskeeper jobs would be available at the UC in Santa Cruz.

[sec615]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I have my Master's and it's a specific job with the city so not really negotiable salary-wise..I have to wait and see how this pans out, I just want to make sure what I want is possible before I continue job conversations. Seems like it is possible if I am willing to have a second job, which I was afraid of but not totally against. I tell everyone in New York "You will hate your first apartment, no matter what", and it seems like it's a similar getting acquainted process. I will look into these neighborhoods, and am thinking about taking a long-weekend by myself just to explore. Since I'm new to the area I would actually be happier with a house-sharing situation than on my own (for a limited time)

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by sec615

Thanks for all the suggestions! I have my Master's and it's a specific job with the city so not really negotiable salary-wise..I have to wait and see how this pans out, I just want to make sure what I want is possible before I continue job conversations. Seems like it is possible if I am willing to have a second job, which I was afraid of but not totally against. I tell everyone in New York "You will hate your first apartment, no matter what", and it seems like it's a similar getting acquainted process. I will look into these neighborhoods, and am thinking about taking a long-weekend by myself just to explore. Since I'm new to the area I would actually be happier with a house-sharing situation than on my own (for a limited time)

Highly recommended, especially given your pay scale. Once you get your bearings, you can figure out what you want to do, and where you want to be, from there.