Should I move to San Francisco?

[Sukhoi]

In July I will be relocating for work for a year. At the end of that year I have been pretty much guaranteed, as much as a company will, that I can switch locations again if I wish to.

I've lived in the Midwest my whole life. Grew up in Ohio, went to college in Illinois, and now working in Kentucky. Getting out of this area for a little while would probably be good for me.

After some consideration I've narrowed down my relocation preferences to San Francisco (Fremont in particular) and Toronto (west suburbs, sorta around Waterloo). Yes San Francisco will be expensive. But I'd be moving out there with around a dozen other people so I really hope some of us would room together.

Should I worry about the cost that much? I'm not living paycheck to paycheck right now. Sure I'd like to save up for a car, house, and retirement, but I also want to have fun in life. San Francisco seems like it would be a great spot for all sorts of weekend trips in every direction but west. It definitely would give me a different experience from living in the Midwest.

Any reasons I shouldn't put it as my top relocation preference?

 

[ballmode]

Yes give it a try.

Im from Indiana and hoping to move out west after I graduate this year.

 

[FoBoT]

they just passed mandatory paid sick time for everybody

how is your health?

 

[zoiks]

If you're going to live in Fremont then the rent is going to be a bit cheaper than SF.
I'd say go for it.

 

[trmiv]

I live in Fremont. Although Fremont is near SF, I wouldn't call moving to Fremont moving to SF. You're still about a 40 minute drive away from the SF. It's expensive to live here, so prepare for that. My wife an I live in a 1 bedroom apartment, and we pay $1744 a month. It's one of the nicest apartment complexes in Fremont, and although you can find cheaper, we preferred to not have to deal with the massive smell of cooking curry every night (99% of the apartments around here have a very very high Indian population) and moved to a rather expensive apartment. My wife's mother lives in a place nearby, and she pays around $1150 for a one bedroom.

I wouldn't stay here for long though. It's good that you can move after a year. My wife and I are actually moving to North Carolina in June.

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: trmiv
I live in Fremont. Although Fremont is near SF, I wouldn't call moving to Fremont moving to SF. You're still about a 40 minute drive away from the SF. It's expensive to live here, so prepare for that. My wife an I live in a 1 bedroom apartment, and we pay $1744 a month. It's one of the nicest apartment complexes in Fremont, and although you can find cheaper, we preferred to not have to deal with the massive smell of cooking curry every night (99% of the apartments around here have a very very high Indian population) and moved to a rather expensive apartment. My wife's mother lives in a place nearby, and she pays around $1150 for a one bedroom.

Holy crap I don't think I could find apartments that rich here! I can get a 3 bedroom for that price.

 

[JS80]

Fremont is really really really boring.

 

[trmiv]

I wouldn't call Fremont boring, it's what you make of it. It's very centrally located with access to San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland.

 

[Rogodin2]

Hell yea-just don't move here.

Rogo

 

[Sukhoi]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
they just passed mandatory paid sick time for everybody

how is your health?

Heh I'm quite healthy. I think we get paid sick time anyway.

Good to know about the curry smell. I had heard some rumors about that, and nice to get it confirmed.

Really there is no need for me to live right in Fremont. That's just where the work location is. I could live more down toward San Jose, or NE toward Pleasanton. Just needs to be somewhere with reasonably quick interstate access to Fremont.

And jeez trmiv your rent is high! But as you say that's the most expensive place in town.

 

[jamesave]

Fremont would have Hooters in March.

Oh and there's also plan of A's moving to Fremont.

So it's not boring after all.

<-- Fremont resident.

and I agree with trmiv assessment.

 

[trmiv]

Originally posted by: jamesave
Fremont would have Hooters in March.

Oh and there's also plan of A's moving to Fremont.

So it's not boring after all.

<-- Fremont resident.

and I agree with trmiv assessment.

Yea, the Hooters. I'm glad they finally did something with that vacant Spoons. I want to go when they open, but my wife isn't so hot to the idea.

The A's stadium is quite aways off though.

 

[jamesave]

Just PM me if you have any question. I'll be glad to answer.

 

[Audiotherapy]

if you're young then live in SF, other wise it sucks to live in Fremont or any other south/east bay area... oh yeah theres not that many date-able women around here... just FYI...

 

[Sukhoi]

I'd love to live in SF itself except for the just crazy (moreso than SE Bay area) rent costs, and the traffic hell that would be driving to work and back.

Why do you say that about the women?

 

[illusion88]

Head north and move into Petaluma. Cheaper, Nicer, and still close enough that you won't be bored "out in the country".

 

[Sukhoi]

Originally posted by: illusion88
Head north and move into Petaluma. Cheaper, Nicer, and still close enough that you won't be bored "out in the country".

Wouldn't it take me about three days to get to work from there during rush hour?

 

[Balt]

Only move to San Fran if you're a liberal pinko commie who hates America.

 

[BoomerD]

Coming from the mid-west, you'll definitely find the bay area to be an expensive place to live. Not only are the rents much higher, but electricity, gasoline, and many other things cost more as well. When I first came here in 87 (from Wyoming) I was shocked at the prices here! About the only thing that's not outrageously priced, is food. Still expensive, but that's common everywhere, and I don't think food prices here are much different than the mid-west.
For a new-comer however, the bay area can be fun and exciting...2 major league baseball teams within a couple of miles of each other, 2 NFL teams also only a few miles apart, pro basketball, hockey, horse racing, world-class surfing (Mavericks) all within a few miles, and if you like the snow, it's only a couple of hours away. You'll be about 3 hours from Yosemite, about 5 hours from Sequoia/King's Canyon Nat'l Parks, about 5-6 hours from Disneyland and all the SoCal entertainment, and TONS of things to do locally. There are certainly a few areas you will want to avoid, MUCH of Oakland, MOST of Richmond, East Palo Alto, etc, as they all have pretty high crime/murder rates, but then again, MOST of the bay area has pretty high crime rates, especially when comparing to much of the midwest...I suppose if you're coming from someplace like Gary, In, then it won't be too much different for you...

 

[Sukhoi]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
Coming from the mid-west, you'll definitely find the bay area to be an expensive place to live. Not only are the rents much higher, but electricity, gasoline, and many other things cost more as well. When I first came here in 87 (from Wyoming) I was shocked at the prices here! About the only thing that's not outrageously priced, is food. Still expensive, but that's common everywhere, and I don't think food prices here are much different than the mid-west.
For a new-comer however, the bay area can be fun and exciting...2 major league baseball teams within a couple of miles of each other, 2 NFL teams also only a few miles apart, pro basketball, hockey, horse racing, world-class surfing (Mavericks) all within a few miles, and if you like the snow, it's only a couple of hours away. You'll be about 3 hours from Yosemite, about 5 hours from Sequoia/King's Canyon Nat'l Parks, about 5-6 hours from Disneyland and all the SoCal entertainment, and TONS of things to do locally. There are certainly a few areas you will want to avoid, MUCH of Oakland, MOST of Richmond, East Palo Alto, etc, as they all have pretty high crime/murder rates, but then again, MOST of the bay area has pretty high crime rates, especially when comparing to much of the midwest...I suppose if you're coming from someplace like Gary, In, then it won't be too much different for you...

Hmm I guess crime is something I should think about. I've never lived anywhere dangerous at all.

 

[poopygood]

I moved out to the bay area from the midwest last year, and I can tell you first hand, it's a lot different. Both in good ways and bad. I'm still deciding if the good outweighs the bad.

 

[Dirigible]

Originally posted by: Sukhoi

Really there is no need for me to live right in Fremont. That's just where the work location is. I could live more down toward San Jose, or NE toward Pleasanton. Just needs to be somewhere with reasonably quick interstate access to Fremont.

Towards Pleasanton it gets more boring. SF itself is a fun place to live, as are downtown SJ, and parts of Berkeley and Oakland. SF would be the longest commute of all those.

 

[mrrman]

I work in the Bay area, nice place to visit but I could never live there...I want a life other than just work

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: Malak

Originally posted by: trmiv
I live in Fremont. Although Fremont is near SF, I wouldn't call moving to Fremont moving to SF. You're still about a 40 minute drive away from the SF. It's expensive to live here, so prepare for that. My wife an I live in a 1 bedroom apartment, and we pay $1744 a month. It's one of the nicest apartment complexes in Fremont, and although you can find cheaper, we preferred to not have to deal with the massive smell of cooking curry every night (99% of the apartments around here have a very very high Indian population) and moved to a rather expensive apartment. My wife's mother lives in a place nearby, and she pays around $1150 for a one bedroom.

Holy crap I don't think I could find apartments that rich here! I can get a 3 bedroom for that price.

You could get a 4 bedroom for that price in East SJ or South SJ even.

Fremont's not even that expensive. And I think you're getting ripped off. But maybe that's because you're living in a really new apartment.

Originally posted by: Dirigible

Originally posted by: Sukhoi

Really there is no need for me to live right in Fremont. That's just where the work location is. I could live more down toward San Jose, or NE toward Pleasanton. Just needs to be somewhere with reasonably quick interstate access to Fremont.

Towards Pleasanton it gets more boring. SF itself is a fun place to live, as are downtown SJ, and parts of Berkeley and Oakland. SF would be the longest commute of all those.

I vote for south bay. pick Mountain View or Sunnyvale or Santa Clara.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Pretty much all of my best friends from ATL moved to the SF Bay Area after college. They are all still there. This means I go out there at least once or twice a year.

What can I say?

Beautiful state!
Beautiful city, easily in the world's Top 5!
Wonderful climate!

Yes, very expensive! My best friend who works for Goldman Sachs wants to buy a 1-bedroom condo near the Lombard Street/Palace of Fine Arts area and he's looking at a minimum of $1 million!
The place to live of course is in town. Otherwise, commuting on the Bay Bridge at least is always a nightmare in my experience.
A decent alternative would be to live near Berkeley and use BART into town.
Parking is very expensive.
Be prepared to be taxed heavily.

If you can't stand Liberal loonies in power then CA is NOT the place to be. In fact, my friend may leave because he can't stand the political climate.
A VERY gay-friendly town!

And last but not least, something important to me, is that you are five hours further west from Europe!

I would personally make sure your company is willing to pay you like 3x more if you want to live there with a similar standard of living.