Someone explain the appeal of the Bay Area to me. (San Diego: houses, employment)

[justinbro2002]

great weather. within a couple hours to the beach, the snow. Hiking, fishing. Bought in 2011 so mortgage piti is half what rent would be. We'll probably move out of state to retire.

[harrishawke]

You can make alot of money but you have to be extremely good and have and very strong background in tech. But your also competing against everyone else in the world and the very expensive cost of living reflects this. Many of the strongest college graduates in computer science or an engineering position will have a job offer right before they graduate and they may also try their luck on a startup. If you are not this type of person, I don't think there is anything there for you.

[beb0p]

Originally Posted by BayAreaDave

Thats a creative analogy. But I think a lot of people living here can not afford it practically. Especially in San Francisco/Oakland today.

One can still find houses for around $500k in Oakland. I think that's affordable enough.

I used to live in a custom built 3,000 sq ft plus and I was slowly going insane. The McMansion is suitable for some people, but it also comes with many negatives.

If there is a city somewhere that is as nice/prosperous as the Bay Area and housing is much more affordable; then it may begs the question why I'm not there. But these type of thing is always a trade-off and one just have to pick what one wants most.

.

[LoriBee62]

Originally Posted by sav858

But overall the vast majority of areas affordable to the middle class have mediocre to bad schools. Sure you can find some areas affordable to the middle class with good schools, Martinez for example, here and there but they are far and few between. They are the exception rather than the norm.

I disagree. I can only speak to the area I know, but Novato, Petaluma, Sebastopol, Santa Rosa, Napa, Sonoma, Healdsburg, all have very good public school options in affordable areas. Even towns known for poor schools, such as Rohnert Park, have a Tech High that is very good. I have a hard time believing that the entire North Bay is an exception and that other areas are as black and white as Affordable=Bad School.

[Radical347]

Originally Posted by aramax666

1. Jobs . Lots and lots of new startups. Lots of old school employers. Exploding growth.
2. Money. Between Housing and Company Stock, You can make a LOT of money, if you are lucky. Everyone thinks they will get lucky
3. Weather. Most days of the year, I could deb outside playing with the little one. It does get a bit hot for my liking though
4. Outdoors. Tons of parks, Wineries, biking hiking trails within 20-30 minutes.
5. Diversity. In cuisine and people.
6. Parking is not too bad in most establishment in the south bay. Getting worse.

Hope that helps.

2-5 is why it’s always been expensive, but 1 is what made the prices completely explode into the stratosphere the past few years.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by LoriBee62

I disagree. I can only speak to the area I know, but Novato, Petaluma, Sebastopol, Santa Rosa, Napa, Sonoma, Healdsburg, all have very good public school options in affordable areas. Even towns known for poor schools, such as Rohnert Park, have a Tech High that is very good. I have a hard time believing that the entire North Bay is an exception and that other areas are as black and white as Affordable=Bad School.

Santa Rosa is more of a mixed bag and it seems most good schools are concentrated on the eastern side of town where its nicer and more expensive. You don't seem to know much outside of Sonoma County but overall the majority of areas with SFH's under $500-550K in the Bay Area have mediocre to bad schools. Like I said there are exceptions but they're exactly that, exceptions rather than the norm. That is certainly the case in the East Bay. I'd imagine in the South Bay it's even worse and of course you'd be lucky to even find a SFH in that price range along the Peninsula.

[clongirl]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

I think the biggest reason is that middle class folks have a hard time affording housing, meaning extra long commutes or extra hours at work, and the public schools are generally pretty crappy, given how expensive housing is. Sure, if you live in Palo Alto or Lamorinda, you'll have great pubic schools, but look at everywhere else. I agree there's more to life than living in a huge house, but excellent public schools in the Bay Area are a luxury, not the norm.

Yeah...I do think that people that have relocated here will have a MUCH harder time with all of that, especially with the current state of real estate prices. I honestly wouldn't move here if I didn't already have family/friends and was just starting a family or new job. Fortunately, we bought our house after the housing bubble burst...so we essentially got our house over half price by today's market.

[MauiPartTimer]

It's heartening to know that so many others are like my wife and me; no interest in a McMansion.

as far as answers to why the bay Area is worth it, I've seen most of my reasons posted already, but will add one more: Topography is very underrated. Having traveled across much of the country, it's amazing how much of it is flat, which I find pretty boring. Having hills, mountains and rugged cliffs to hike, drive, ski and see views from is something I've always taken for granted until a few years ago, but it really makes adds to quality of life.

[SwizzyFicket]

We're here for two primary reasons:

• Employment opportunities (my husband is in tech), and
• The weather. I hate the cold.

Those things aside, there are a few other things about the Bay Area that really sweeten the deal. First, the liberal attitudes are a huge selling point. I spent some time in Bakersfield recently and it almost felt like going to another country. Secondly, the proximity to everything from Napa to Santa Cruz to San Francisco itself is nice, especially for a young childless couple like ourselves who can easily take day trips and weekend getaways. And the food is great here, as are the entertainment offerings, particularly concerts and festivals. All that makes for a decent place to spend a few years.

That said, there are tradeoffs that mean we likely won't end up staying here more than a few years, especially when we go to start a family. The aforementioned issues with public school combined with the cost of housing make it hard to imagine raising kids in the Bay Area.

EDIT: One other addition: the fresh produce here! We're so close to where food is grown here that fruits and vegetables actually taste like fruits and vegetables. It's amazing the difference in taste compared to far-flung areas where food is trucked in from great distances.

[Bonez765]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

Like others have said, living in a huge cookie cutter house in some bland subdivision doesn't do it for me. I really enjoy being outside, photography, good food/wine, art/culture/live music, and I enjoy parking my car for the weekend and getting around on foot when the weather is nice, which is about 85% of the time in Oakland. When you throw in close proximity to Tahoe/Sierra, Wine Country, Big Sur, the North Coast, and reasonable proximity to Southern CA (beaches, Palm Springs, etc), and three decent airports that can get your practically anywhere in the world at semi-reasonable rates, I think living here is totally worth it if you enjoy traveling and being outside as much as I do.

If I had a large family and kids to raise, I'd probably move to Sacramento, or out of the state all together. Unless you're wealthy or inherited property, the Bay Area is a terrible place to raise kids imo.

I agree 100% with the last paragraph. The Bay is too pricey if you want to raise a family and live in affordable descent cities/neighborhoods but not have such a big commute for work, that's if you enjoy living in Vacaville with a family and having 3 to 4 hours for commute daily to get the good jobs and descent neighborhoods.