Considering a move to the Bay Area? Am I making a big mistake

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would move for the family and the weather, but East Bay has its own issues; it’s crazy crazy hot in summer and wildfires are growing risk (poor air quality for weeks).

The salary is a step down, so if happy with townhouses and living more ‘outside’ It’s a good trade off.

I would not call 90 degree weather crazy crazy hot. We get that here plus humidity.

This summer, for several weeks it was 110 in Contra Costa county, which is likely where OP will end up on his budget with school age kids and a SAHM. That is crazy hot. Its not as uncomfortable as here, but A/C is much ubiquitous here and more capable.

It was an unusual summer. It was 110 in SF, for goodness sakes, which happens once in a lifetime. It was hardly a typical summer and not something you should base a life decision on. That's like saying we can't move to D.C. because of the polar vortex . Besides, in east bay, ac is everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would move for the family and the weather, but East Bay has its own issues; it’s crazy crazy hot in summer and wildfires are growing risk (poor air quality for weeks).

The salary is a step down, so if happy with townhouses and living more ‘outside’ It’s a good trade off.

I would not call 90 degree weather crazy crazy hot. We get that here plus humidity.

This summer, for several weeks it was 110 in Contra Costa county, which is likely where OP will end up on his budget with school age kids and a SAHM. That is crazy hot. Its not as uncomfortable as here, but A/C is much ubiquitous here and more capable.

A/C is not as ubiquitous in San Francisco (where it rarely gets very hot) as it is in DC but it is in most of the East Bay, including the areas OP is considering. Also, it cools down much more significantly in the evening there than it does in DC. Even when in the middle of the summer when it gets brutally hot during the day, it often cools down enough by the evening that you can quite comfortably go for a walk or run outside before it gets dark & even open your windows & just use a ceiling fan instead of running the A/C while you sleep.

You are bringing up memories of those old days, when fans helped and electricity was on during heat storms.

Um, no. It's true we don't use a/c at night. It's not necessary because overnight lows are generally in 50s/60s. We even install whole house fans to draw in the cooler air beginning around 6pm.

[Anonymous]

May I suggest Hercules? From that direction, you'd have a reverse commute. If you can afford Lafayette, Danville, or Walnut Creek, they have one of the best school districts in CA.

[Anonymous]

My brother is thinking of moving there, working at Ames as civil servant making $135k. Plan is to buy TH in contra costa county and commute. Insane?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:May I suggest Hercules? From that direction, you'd have a reverse commute. If you can afford Lafayette, Danville, or Walnut Creek, they have one of the best school districts in CA.

Terrible schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would move for the family and the weather, but East Bay has its own issues; it’s crazy crazy hot in summer and wildfires are growing risk (poor air quality for weeks).

The salary is a step down, so if happy with townhouses and living more ‘outside’ It’s a good trade off.

I would not call 90 degree weather crazy crazy hot. We get that here plus humidity.

This summer, for several weeks it was 110 in Contra Costa county, which is likely where OP will end up on his budget with school age kids and a SAHM. That is crazy hot. Its not as uncomfortable as here, but A/C is much ubiquitous here and more capable.

It was an unusual summer. It was 110 in SF, for goodness sakes, which happens once in a lifetime. It was hardly a typical summer and not something you should base a life decision on. That's like saying we can't move to D.C. because of the polar vortex . Besides, in east bay, ac is everywhere.

I am not buying once in a lifetime anymore. I live on the coast with those big fans and it's getting progressively hotter. Am I am saying is that weather is not a positive for those who don't like heat (I love heat and hate cold, it's not an issue for me, but I hear so many complaints).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would move for the family and the weather, but East Bay has its own issues; it’s crazy crazy hot in summer and wildfires are growing risk (poor air quality for weeks).

The salary is a step down, so if happy with townhouses and living more ‘outside’ It’s a good trade off.

I would not call 90 degree weather crazy crazy hot. We get that here plus humidity.

This summer, for several weeks it was 110 in Contra Costa county, which is likely where OP will end up on his budget with school age kids and a SAHM. That is crazy hot. Its not as uncomfortable as here, but A/C is much ubiquitous here and more capable.

It was an unusual summer. It was 110 in SF, for goodness sakes, which happens once in a lifetime. It was hardly a typical summer and not something you should base a life decision on. That's like saying we can't move to D.C. because of the polar vortex . Besides, in east bay, ac is everywhere.

I am not buying once in a lifetime anymore. I live on the coast with those big fans and it's getting progressively hotter. Am I am saying is that weather is not a positive for those who don't like heat (I love heat and hate cold, it's not an issue for me, but I hear so many complaints).

No, I think you're correct that it is trending warmer. But OP is considering a move from DC, so the idea that the coastal weather on the Bay Area might be too hot is a little silly.

Will we need a/c in 20 years in these areas? Sure, maybe. But that's a pretty trivial addition in the grand scheme of things. I don't think DC will have cooler summers over that timespan, sadly. It's a broader challenge of shifting weather patterns throughout the country. I would not buy waterfront property on either coast right now!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My brother is thinking of moving there, working at Ames as civil servant making $135k. Plan is to buy TH in contra costa county and commute. Insane?

Yes! Yikes. I cannot imagine voluntarily choosing to commute from anywhere in Contra Costa County to Ames--people do it, but it's generally because they already lived there when they got the Peninsula job, or because a spouse is commuting in another direction. Tell him to look in Fremont or San Jose--there are townhouses there that are doable on $135K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My brother is thinking of moving there, working at Ames as civil servant making $135k. Plan is to buy TH in contra costa county and commute. Insane?

Yes, insane. Miserable. I wouldn't wish this on even someone I do not like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My brother is thinking of moving there, working at Ames as civil servant making $135k. Plan is to buy TH in contra costa county and commute. Insane?

Yes! Yikes. I cannot imagine voluntarily choosing to commute from anywhere in Contra Costa County to Ames--people do it, but it's generally because they already lived there when they got the Peninsula job, or because a spouse is commuting in another direction. Tell him to look in Fremont or San Jose--there are townhouses there that are doable on $135K.

Schools in San Jose are pretty so-so unless you have a lot more money than is needed in Contra Costa. Fremont maybe okay, I think schools are okay and prices not crazy? He has a few kids so private school is a bad deal versus public school and commute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My brother is thinking of moving there, working at Ames as civil servant making $135k. Plan is to buy TH in contra costa county and commute. Insane?

Yes, insane. Miserable. I wouldn't wish this on even someone I do not like.

How long would that be, 1 hr each way? His current commute from Davidsonville to Greenbelt is about that long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My brother is thinking of moving there, working at Ames as civil servant making $135k. Plan is to buy TH in contra costa county and commute. Insane?

I moved from Ames to Goddard about 10 years ago, and while there's a lot I miss about the Bay Area, I would not move back. The cost of living, particularly real estate, and traffic were miserable then and have only gotten worse. Commuting from contra costa would be awful. I was lucky enough to rent a small house in Mountain View <10 minutes from Ames, but that looks to be prohibitively expensive now.

In addition, Ames is a different Center than Goddard and seems less healthy in terms of opportunities. There is far less mission work, if that's relevant to your brother. There are fewer opportunities to hire new civil servants, so promising postdocs end up in long-term soft money positions or end up leaving, which doesn't help build a vital workforce. I loved my time there and wish it were different, but Goddard may be better career-wise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My brother is thinking of moving there, working at Ames as civil servant making $135k. Plan is to buy TH in contra costa county and commute. Insane?

Yes, insane. Miserable. I wouldn't wish this on even someone I do not like.

How long would that be, 1 hr each way? His current commute from Davidsonville to Greenbelt is about that long.

More than an hour. Maybe 2 or more, depending on traffic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My brother is thinking of moving there, working at Ames as civil servant making $135k. Plan is to buy TH in contra costa county and commute. Insane?

Yes, insane. Miserable. I wouldn't wish this on even someone I do not like.

How long would that be, 1 hr each way? His current commute from Davidsonville to Greenbelt is about that long.

Ha, one hour each way is considered a "good" commute in most of the Bay Area these days!

It depends on where in Contra Costa he's looking, but the best case would be 1.5-2 hours on a typical day if he's looking at San Ramon/Danville, and as long as 3 on the really bad days. (Afternoon is worse than morning, across the board, but morning is not great either.) If he's looking at Walnut Creek or Lamorinda (and he shouldn't be!!) it will be quite a bit longer. If he can afford San Ramon, he should look in Fremont, which is known for its schools--that's why many people move there. San Jose also has many areas that are fine for schools as long as he pays attention to what the local schools are. If he has kids, absolutely no way he should be doing such a crazy commute--he will never see them.

I imagine Ames also runs a shuttle--he could also check out what that connects to and see if there are communities along Caltrain (or maybe also VTA?) that might work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My brother is thinking of moving there, working at Ames as civil servant making $135k. Plan is to buy TH in contra costa county and commute. Insane?

Yes, insane. Miserable. I wouldn't wish this on even someone I do not like.

How long would that be, 1 hr each way? His current commute from Davidsonville to Greenbelt is about that long.

Ha, one hour each way is considered a "good" commute in most of the Bay Area these days!

It depends on where in Contra Costa he's looking, but the best case would be 1.5-2 hours on a typical day if he's looking at San Ramon/Danville, and as long as 3 on the really bad days. (Afternoon is worse than morning, across the board, but morning is not great either.) If he's looking at Walnut Creek or Lamorinda (and he shouldn't be!!) it will be quite a bit longer. If he can afford San Ramon, he should look in Fremont, which is known for its schools--that's why many people move there. San Jose also has many areas that are fine for schools as long as he pays attention to what the local schools are. If he has kids, absolutely no way he should be doing such a crazy commute--he will never see them.

I imagine Ames also runs a shuttle--he could also check out what that connects to and see if there are communities along Caltrain (or maybe also VTA?) that might work.

Very sobering. He believes that he can shift his commute hours and telework some, and he says even with a long commute it’s probably no worse than a line engineer job at a startup or Bay Area tech company (long hours, instability, and likely won’t get big stock grant as just engineer).

So 8 hour day + 4 hr commute = 10 hr commute + 2 hr commute. Maybe he could land a gig at Google or FB, but his skill set is a pretty poor fit.