Gilroy is in Santa Clara county so yeah I guess its the red headed stepchild of the Bay Area. The South Part of Evergreen (95138) is probably the most expensive part of SJ.
Is traffic in the Bay Area really that bad? I lived in the South Bay and never thought it was that bad compared to other metro areas like LA and DC.
I guess it depends. Safety--cost of living? The two places that you absolutely do not want to live are East Oakland (some areas of Oakland can be quite nice and awesome, though) and anywhere in Richmond.
If cost is the thing--then on the average, I think South Bay tends to be the most expensive. North of Berkeley is generally more reasonable. You're limited to Albany and El Cerrito, though, before turning into Richmond.
I like this area, however. I don't like much of the South Bay b/c it's very soulless. The same kind of car-dependent Suburban Sprawl that you see all over the country. With Berkeley, it feels like a small town, but also quite urban, in a strange way. In most areas, I'm in walking distance of just about anything I need, which is rather unique for this size town (which does not feel like a city). Can be both quite and lively. SF is just across the Bay, too.
South Berkeley is more or less Oakland, and does suck a bit, but it is gentrifying. West Berkeley (along the bay, used to be a shithole some decades ago (or so I'm told), but it's a rather cool area these days.
Emeryville (er, Pixar-ville), a sliver of a town sandwiched between berk and Oakland, is basically "apartment living in strip mall parking lots." At least, that's what it looks like to me.
Is traffic in the Bay Area really that bad? I lived in the South Bay and never thought it was that bad compared to other metro areas like LA and DC.
Both in terms of safety and cost of living.
The real killer is the 3 kids. I need a good school and also a relatively crime free area which means theres going to be a price tag associated with that. Seeing as I am not (yet) rich and famous though......
Bay area traffic is not that bad at all. I have lived in LA and DC, it's way worse in those two cities.
Yeah, LA is certainly worse. I think DC is not as bad, though.
the absolute worst part of the area is that 880/580/80 (B Bridge) "maze."
At the worst, It can up to 1.5 hours to get through that fucking tollbooth and cross the bridge.
So living in Orinda or Walnut Creek would have one driving through this "maze" every day to get across the Bay Bridge and into SF then?
Yeah that would totally suck, unless you could ride BART. WC/Moraga/Orinda are VERY expensive though, and full of old snooty white people.
So living in Orinda or Walnut Creek would have one driving through this "maze" every day to get across the Bay Bridge and into SF then?
wow!
didn't realize the thread would have so many responses in such a short time.
I must apologize for not relaying more info about the exact city/town for the potential employment as that would've avoided a lot of comments....
Redwood City.
Obviously, we would like to stay in and around that but it also depends on where I can find employment...
super duper info about traffic and the school districts as that would be the stuff we would be most worried about...
So living in Orinda or Walnut Creek would have one driving through this "maze" every day to get across the Bay Bridge and into SF then?
If you are planning to live in the Bay Area, and will be working downtown SF, there are only a few things you need to know.
One - will you have access to convenient MUNI? (Look at express lines)
Two - will you have access to BART? One or two transfers are not uncommon.
Three - can you take the ferry? Planning on 1 hr between rides during peak periods (depends on your ferry, there are a few companies that operate them).
Four - will your car take you to any of the aforementioned public transport services? You may have to plan on parking, share ride, etc...
If you drive to work, plan on paying at least $300/month on parking - unless you own a building and have your own parking garage. (If you live anywhere on the East Bay, or cross the Golden Gate Bridge, then there are bridge tolls).
Aside from that, make sure you read up on crimes statistic, stay away from the bad areas. Do plan on spending at least 1hr for commuting, there's no getting around that unless you live in a highrise downtown. Also, do plan on making at least 100K, as Kadarin said, anything below that is poverty.
Well, good luck.
/Edit: You might also want to rent an apartment and live here for one year, figure out where you really want to live, then commit.
wow!
didn't realize the thread would have so many responses in such a short time.
I must apologize for not relaying more info about the exact city/town for the potential employment as that would've avoided a lot of comments....
Redwood City.
Obviously, we would like to stay in and around that but it also depends on where I can find employment...
super duper info about traffic and the school districts as that would be the stuff we would be most worried about...
Well, if I do make it to SF I can see I'll owe a few people a drink! Thanks for everything. Its going to be a tough sell for me between the cost of living and the fact I would need to give up and truck AND my guns.
I dont know if I can handle that level of sacrifice!
You take the BART. Driving thru the tunnel then over the Bridge, count on about a 1-1.5 hr commute each way.
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