Advice needed: San Jose & San Francisco residents!
02-13-2006, 10:11 AM
#1
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Advice needed: San Jose & San Francisco residents!
I'll probably be selling my Livermore house in the next 9-24 months and I'm thinking of either downtown SJ or SF(probably close to SOMA/Caltrain). I'll have a big downpayment so I think the prices will be almost bearable either way. I'm a little nervous about the stability of the housing market and all but I don't want to keep driving 80 miles/2 hours a day just because of that. It's driving me nuts and I don't feel safe being on the road that much. I work in Mountain View and I like my job...otherwise I'd already be looking for something with an easier commute.
Here's what I'm thinking for both so far:
SF
- Probably about $50K more for the same thing.
= Takes 45 min to get to work on cal-train
- 45-60 min drive to work
- More at risk for earthquakes(marina is even worse since it's land-fill)
+ Lots of financial job opportunities
+ more stuff to do
- bums
+ free internet
+ Single straight guys are in higher demand than in SJ
+ Can take BART to potential east bay jobs.
SJ
= Takes 45 min to get to work on light-rail
+ 15-30 min drive to work
- Probably will always have a higher unemployment rate.
- more crime?
So let me know what you think. Thanks!
Here's what I'm thinking for both so far:
SF
- Probably about $50K more for the same thing.
= Takes 45 min to get to work on cal-train
- 45-60 min drive to work
- More at risk for earthquakes(marina is even worse since it's land-fill)
+ Lots of financial job opportunities
+ more stuff to do
- bums
+ free internet
+ Single straight guys are in higher demand than in SJ
+ Can take BART to potential east bay jobs.
SJ
= Takes 45 min to get to work on light-rail
+ 15-30 min drive to work
- Probably will always have a higher unemployment rate.
- more crime?
So let me know what you think. Thanks!
02-13-2006, 10:40 AM
#2
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it's hard to generalize san jose because of how many micro-cities are within it. i grew up in east san jose, where crime is high and a lot of residents dont speak a lick of english. but when you head somewhere like the evergreen foothills or willow glen, you'll find much nicer/cleaner areas with wealthy residents. downtown SJ is being renovated but majority of it is still ghetto IMO. another thing to remember...east, west, and south SJ are cursed with poor highway planning. there aren't enough exits so there's a ton of congestion during most parts of the day, and it takes forever just to get on the freeway.
currently im living in north SJ, between the borders of santa clara and milpitas. it's a decent area that's great for commuting because 880, 680, 101, and 237 are easily accessible. i live here mainly because it's convenient for work...not for the social aspect
i was born in the sunset district and spent a lot of time with relatives who lived in different areas of the city. if i didnt care so much about commuting and parking, i'd move there in a heartbeat
currently im living in north SJ, between the borders of santa clara and milpitas. it's a decent area that's great for commuting because 880, 680, 101, and 237 are easily accessible. i live here mainly because it's convenient for work...not for the social aspect
i was born in the sunset district and spent a lot of time with relatives who lived in different areas of the city. if i didnt care so much about commuting and parking, i'd move there in a heartbeat
02-13-2006, 10:51 AM
#5
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i say SF... 
more opportunity to meet new people, a lot of fun things to do, etc etc
you are a young single guy. you can always live in other cities in the future. if you dont mind 45 min cal train commute you should definitely go w/ SF
more opportunity to meet new people, a lot of fun things to do, etc etc
you are a young single guy. you can always live in other cities in the future. if you dont mind 45 min cal train commute
you should definitely go w/ SF
02-13-2006, 11:27 AM
#7
Registered User
Originally Posted by bposeley,Feb 13 2006, 12:21 PM
Actually, San Jose is rated one of the safest cities in the US.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...ld/13267971.htm
Let's start with what constitutes ``big.'' Using numbers collected by the FBI, Morgan Quitno defines big as any city of more than 500,000 people. By that standard, San Jose trounces crime-ridden cities like Detroit or Dallas.
There's just one problem with this: We're not like Detroit or Dallas. At bottom, San Jose is a city of about 100,000 people -- its traditional core -- surrounded by a suburb of 800,000 more. We have more in common with Fremont than Philadelphia.
By that standard -- a comparison with other suburban places -- San Jose doesn't fare so well. If you look at cities with more than 75,000 people -- the threshold in the study -- San Jose is only the 24th safest city in California, behind Fremont, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale.
The FBI statistics show that in Santa Clara County, San Jose has more violent crime per 100,000 people than any city except Mountain View. But you don't see any press releases saying ``Milpitas beats San Jose for safety.''
Is crime here as bad as it is in say, Washington, D.C. or Memphis? Of course not. But should San Jose be grouped with tired Eastern cities because then-City Manager Dutch Hamann made the city's boundaries so big 50 years ago? Nope. The problems don't compare.
There's just one problem with this: We're not like Detroit or Dallas. At bottom, San Jose is a city of about 100,000 people -- its traditional core -- surrounded by a suburb of 800,000 more. We have more in common with Fremont than Philadelphia.
By that standard -- a comparison with other suburban places -- San Jose doesn't fare so well. If you look at cities with more than 75,000 people -- the threshold in the study -- San Jose is only the 24th safest city in California, behind Fremont, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale.
The FBI statistics show that in Santa Clara County, San Jose has more violent crime per 100,000 people than any city except Mountain View. But you don't see any press releases saying ``Milpitas beats San Jose for safety.''
Is crime here as bad as it is in say, Washington, D.C. or Memphis? Of course not. But should San Jose be grouped with tired Eastern cities because then-City Manager Dutch Hamann made the city's boundaries so big 50 years ago? Nope. The problems don't compare.
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02-13-2006, 11:48 AM
#8
I love San Francisco. I live in the Sunset, so it's kind of quiet here. Just make sure you have a garage 
From my house, it's kind of real easy to get to just about anywhere in the city. The only real PITA for me used to be the Bay Bridge, but the new Octavia ramp is so much more convenient.
There's a lot of stuff to do in this city. I find that I never really have enough time to get to everything that I want to actually, but then again it's a lot better than not having anything to do.
From my house, it's kind of real easy to get to just about anywhere in the city. The only real PITA for me used to be the Bay Bridge, but the new Octavia ramp is so much more convenient.
There's a lot of stuff to do in this city. I find that I never really have enough time to get to everything that I want to actually, but then again it's a lot better than not having anything to do.
02-13-2006, 02:15 PM
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It also depends on the what the person likes to be around. I live in S. San Jose and have been there almost all of my life but grew up in Daly City til 5y.o. I like warmer weather and less headaches of having to parallel park SF style. Plus, I like to able to sneeze without having my neighbor say,"Bless you". So I believe that it depends on what the person likes to do, etc. The commute to Mt. View from SJ is 20min w/o traffic and 35-45mins w/ traffic. There's crime almost everywhere and bad drivers just about everywhere. I think that it'll depend on what you want.
