NoCal or SoCal ? (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose: camp, to live, move)

[bellalunatic]

bravo krudmonk
well put.
cheers!

[srobinson1372]

Originally Posted by NY2Cali

Thanks for you opinions guys- good food for thought! We initially thought LA would be better but the whole 'traffic' thing (from what I hear) is freaking me out!

I can tell you the traffic is THAT bad, and they are WAY crazier on the roads, I am from Boston, and have driven in Manhattan, and spent 2 weeks in the LA area, had a rental car and it was nuts. They are very aggressive, and I certainly noticed the difference.

[whitechocolate86]

Originally Posted by rah

Actually the sunniest, warmest areas in SF are some of the poorest and cheapest. Neighborhoods like the Mission, Bayview/Hunters Point, Potrero Hill, Visitacion Valley...These have arguably the nicest weather in the city, but they also have some of the cheapest home prices and rents as well as highest crime rates.

As for SF's climate it's actually kinda dry (just like most of California). The western part especially is susceptible to lots of fog, especially in the summer months, and that fog can also make it quite windy. We also tend to get some good amount of rain somewhere between December and...February or March I'd guess. The rest of the time it's pretty much sunny with mild temperatures (especially in the eastern part of the city), anywhere between 50 and up to 70 or 80 degrees depending on the microclimate you're in. Due to this, the weather can change pretty fast though. You may wake up in the morning with 45 degree wheather, put on a warm jacket, take the bus to work, or wherever, and find yourself sweating in sunny 70 degree heat. That can be a little annoying. And we do get heatwaves of 90-100 degree weather, at least once a year most of the time. We have an "Indian Summer" that goes from maybe late August through September, and that's when the warmest overall temperatures tend to be. If you want consistently warmer weather with little or no fog, try the East Bay. You can always take BART into the city if you want.

As far as beaches go, yes Baker Beach is nude, but it's usually old dudes there, all the beaches are cold, and most have dangerous currents that will do in unexperienced swimmers. If you try swimming out past waist deep water at Ocean Beach for example, and the beach guards see you they'll yell at you with a megaphone, saying you're swimming at your own risk, and unless you're really confident, you should come back now.

If you wanna surf though, the Bay Area is actually pretty good. Yes the water is cold, but just get a wetsuit. People surf at Ocean Beach, under the Golden Gate bridge off of Fort Point, down in Pacifica, North in the Marin Headlands, and farther down south at Mavericks, which is one of the most famous spots in the world for big-wave surfing.

Traffic can be bad, streets are crowded and congested because SF is a densely populated city with a small land area. Traffic on freeways can be bad too, but not to the extent of LA for the most part (and there are simply alot less free ways crisscrossing the Bay Area too.) Parking is hard in most neighborhoods, and DPT loves to ticket people, as they are used to make revenue for the city. Also expect to have your car vandalized or broken into, because more likely than not it will happen eventually (well, it's not guaranteed to happen, but you should be mentally prepared. I guess the same would go for any city, but SF does have a problem with that kind of crime). Not to worry though, because public transportation is really good, one of the best in the nation, and is light years above the effectiveness of LA's system.

Finally, people have to stop generalizing, saying things like:

"people in LA are materialistic," or "people in SF are artsy."

Both are large Urban Area and both will have pretty much equal amounts of any kind of person you can think of.

Also, with a $110,000 salary, you'll do perfectly fine in SF.

I was just curious...(I've never been to California...I hope to soon, and maybe venture out there to live one day)...doesn't LA have a subway system, I know the Bay has Bart, but I thought that primarily busses and street cars...how can BART be light years ahead of LA if LA has a subway...I have never lived in these types of areas so I don't know, I'm just curious. Would a $110,000 realy do you good in SF? I'm sure that wouldn't be able to buy a detached house, unless you had a husband and wife pulling in that same amount.
-Michael

[rah]

Originally Posted by whitechocolate86

I was just curious...(I've never been to California...I hope to soon, and maybe venture out there to live one day)...doesn't LA have a subway system, I know the Bay has Bart, but I thought that primarily busses and street cars...how can BART be light years ahead of LA if LA has a subway...I have never lived in these types of areas so I don't know, I'm just curious. Would a $110,000 realy do you good in SF? I'm sure that wouldn't be able to buy a detached house, unless you had a husband and wife pulling in that same amount.
-Michael

LA does have a subway, and while I don't have personal experience with it, I've heard many times that it's pretty inadequate as a whole...though if you live near a station it's great. SF has MUNI light rail and a subway that runs beneath Market Street (and the Central Subway which is to be built, going from SOMA to Chinatown). Then of course there's BART which runs as elevated rail and a subway too in SF, down Mission Street, and down Market, one level below the Muni Metro. It also runs underground in Downtown Oakland and Berkeley, and reaches pretty far into the East Bay as well. As for bus service, SF's Muni has a daily ridership of around 700,000, which as a percentage of residents is obviously very high, one of the highest in the nation (way over LA). The rest of the Bay Area is lacking in transit when compared to SF proper, but there are other services, such as SamTrans which runs buses in San Mateo county and San Francisco, Golden Gate Transit which runs buses in Marin, Sonoma and San Francisco counties, ACTransit, which runs buses in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, as well as downtown SF and parts of San mateo and Santa Clara counties. Then there's VTA which runs buses and light rail in San Jose and Santa Clara county.

More specifically for MUNI, which serves the city of SF and some parts of Daly City, there are 71 bus lines, 6 rail lines (light rail/subway), 3 cable car lines, and 1 historic streetcar line.

As for additional train service there's CalTrain commuter rail, which runs between San Francisco and San Jose, and during certain hours down to Gilroy. There's also Capitol Corridor which goes from San Jose to Sacramento, and Altamont Commuter Express, which runs from San Jose to Stockton. All these services share rail with freight trains.

As for $110,000, it won't buy a house for sure, but if that's your yearly salary then you can afford rent in a very nice apartment, anywhere in the city.

[EclecticBohemian]

I have lived in both Northern California and Southern California. I will take the North ANYDAY! I grew up in NYC but have lived in the West for 24 years so I know the challenges of the change. SF and the Bay Area are more like "back East" but the summers are not as warm. It can be a little chilly at times but I love wearing sweaters so it is no problem for me.

Southern California is a driver's nightmare. That is the number one reason why I left. I got so sick and tired of the traffic. Trust me you will not avoid it in the beach communities either. If I had to live in SoCal again I would definitely move to Pasadena or maybe back to Glendale where I used to live. To me, Pasadena it is the best SoCal city. It has the mountains, character, charm and it is very pretty and not as pretentious as other cities on the Westside. You are a little further from the beach and it is hotter in the summer but it is worth those minor inconveniences. If I HAD to live in a beach community it would be Pacific Palisades. It has more trees than other beach communities and doesn't seem so far away and disconnected as Malibu or other Beach Cities to the South. Another less known city in SoCal that you might want to check out is Belmont Shore ( Belmont Shore in Long Beach, California) It is nice and you are right by Long Beach if you want the city feel.

[EclecticBohemian]

I have lived in both SoCal and NorCal. I love the cooler summers of NorCal though. I don't think people are exaggerating when the say that SF is cold in the summer BUT it's temperature does not vary much from winter to summer. It can be in the mid-to-upper 60's in the dead of winter and temps rarely if ever get to freezing in the city of SF.

[Tony from Europe]

Originally Posted by EclecticBohemian

I have lived in both SoCal and NorCal. I love the cooler summers of NorCal though. I don't think people are exaggerating when the say that SF is cold in the summer BUT it's temperature does not vary much from winter to summer. It can be in the mid-to-upper 60's in the dead of winter and temps rarely if ever get to freezing in the city of SF.

Yes,you are correct said.

[bayareaforlife]

thats one thing i love about the bay area and california in general, never a bad time of year, in the summer, go to the beach, during the winter, go up to tahoe like i do and go skiing. even when its raining, thats the time to hit up all the great shopping san francisco, san jose, or pretty much anywhere else in california.

[mentoring]

I moved from NY to California a few years ago, to the North Bay area - San Rafael, CA. I also had to get out of the NYC hustle and bustle, lived in Brooklyn subwayed to NYC for work. The north bay area has some beautiful neighborhoods and areas. Mill Valley, Fairfax, San Rafael, Larkspur, San Anselmo, Novato -- these are only a few of the towns in the north bay. Log on to the San Francisco Chronicle - SF Gate: News and Information for the San Francisco Bay Area I take the commuter bus to San Francisco, depending on traffic to San Fran it takes about one hour. Unless you go very early in the am, might be shorter. Same thing going home. I'm near all supermarkets, Safeway, Cosco, Target, Marshalls, other shopping centers, small town shops, a couple of gym places, Home Depot, library, post office, lots of restaurants (casual and more upscale), theater, museums, it's all here. Napa & Sonoma counties, wine country. we have a lagoon and park, children's playground area, picnic tables in the park to actually have a picnic, ducks, geese, herons, lots of open spaces to walk, hike, run, etc. Most towns have a park and dog parks. Weather: Winter: Nov - March: cold in 20's and very rainy, temp rises a bit during day but it's cold and rain all day long. April - Oct: very warm, no HUMIDITY, temperatures in mid-high 80's to 90's - no rain during these months (although variations do occur). No roaches, waterbugs or other NY vermin - have not seen these here - thank god! Home Prices: in the above neighborhoods: pricey, low 500K to 900K, unless you inherit or buy a fixer upper, but you can choose your neighborhood, there are some other reasonable areas to rent from. Even in San Francisco, there are reasonable rents to be had according to your earnings. Weather in San Fran: even in summer going to work, over the Golden Gate Bridge, very foggy and chilly in the am about 7am. Always take a jacket if you come to San Fran (but a beautiful city to see). You have all the major companies plus so many, many more for work. Hope this has been of help, beaches nearby: Stinson Beach and a few others, air quality is very good, no smog here - although plenty in LA area - from what I hear. Good Luck - silvi zerozero oneone at aoldotcom.

[fishstix3]

Originally Posted by mentoring

Home Prices: in the above neighborhoods: pricey, low 500K to 900K, unless you inherit or buy a fixer upper, but you can choose your neighborhood

Sorry, I find it hard to believe that you can "choose your neighborhood" in any of the above towns for low 500K! No way -- but they are nice towns to commute from (wish I could afford it on our really good salaries!) And while the weather may get into the high 20s once in a while at night, "warming up a little, but staying cold and rainy all day" means nothing here like it does in NY!! Warming up a little here would be 20 degrees or so during the day in the winter. Just a little perspective for the NY'ers .... (and us!).