Anonymous
Post 04/25/2025 20:43     Subject: WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA
Anonymous wrote:OP here.. I gotta ask about traffic. How bad is it really? We wouldn't live more north than Burlingame. How bad is it to Sunnyvale? What if we have either Caltrain, or employer shuttles? I've done 395/495 commute in the DMV and that is brutal.


I'm a PP who doesn't live there anymore, so maybe old information, but I think the commute was similar to here, maybe worse if you were looking to go north into SF. The difference, to me, is that there's also a lot of traffic to go to the grocery store and school and all those other suburban places. I don't experience that in the DC suburbs.
Anonymous
Post 04/25/2025 20:11     Subject: WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA
OP here.. I gotta ask about traffic. How bad is it really? We wouldn't live more north than Burlingame. How bad is it to Sunnyvale? What if we have either Caltrain, or employer shuttles? I've done 395/495 commute in the DMV and that is brutal.
Anonymous
Post 04/25/2025 18:41     Subject: Re:WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA
Anonymous wrote:Take a look at San Carlos too.

Where is your job? Commutes are getting bad. If you work in SF on the eastern side which is where most tech is located, you can take Caltrain in or BART from Millbrae. Keep in mind that you will need to get to the train station and parking fills up.

If you work in the Peninsula, live on the Peninsula. If you work in South Bay, live in South Bay. Do not consider east bay unless you know you will be working in east bay. The commute to the peninsula and South Bay is horrendous. I don’t know how people do it.

Wherever you choose, check flood maps and fire maps. A good portion of Los Gatos was recently upgraded to high fire risk which impacts insurance. A lot of areas on the peninsula are built into hills which can foundation and mudslide problems.

Don’t worry about going smaller or remodeling. You won’t be stuck in your house all year. Kids will hang out in the backyard, you’ll eat outside a lot and the outdoor space really becomes like another room. Remodeling is expensive but the appreciation is so high on real estate many people do it.


I used to live in San Carlos, its a nice bedroom community. If you look there and plan to use public schools, pay attention to the school zone: some SC homes are zoned to RWC for ES and MS. The high school will be in either Belmont or RWC.
I would not commute from San Carlos (or Burlingame) to Sunnyvale, but that's me.
Anonymous
Post 04/25/2025 13:53     Subject: WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yes. Move the grandparents. The DMV is sinking towards oblivion during Trump 2.0. Surprised no one mentioned it.


Don’t be so dramatic, and no one asked about politics PP


It’s not about politics. It’s about the DC area’s economy being destroyed.


Totally. Secondary impacts beyond the FED are coming.
Anonymous
Post 04/25/2025 08:27     Subject: WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Everyone I know who lives or used to live in northern CA who doesn't like it are not outdoorsy people. OP - really think about how much you will take advantage of it.


What’s funny is that people who are outdoorsy from California can’t really handle any other climate than the air-conditioned low humidity Mediterranean climate.

Real outdoorsy people enjoy the hot dc humid summers paddling on the Potomac or hiking Shenandoah, biking on the rails to tails in hot or cold.

I love parts of California, and if you live on the water it’s beautiful (like anywhere with water) or in the mountains it’s great.

The peninsula is okay, but there are so few trees unless you head to Santa Cruz or Marin. And of course East Bay is all desert, and gets up to 120F regularly.


NP. I’m constantly bemused by DCUM takes on California but this has to be one of the weirdest.

OP: You should not be listening to DCUM for the most part. The ignorance is wild. It is about what you’d hear from Palo Alto residents asked to move to DC, that is to say that you’d hear nonsense.


OP here. 100% agree... Burlingame is Tree City America. Poster is just a troll.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2025 22:55     Subject: WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yes to outdoor space except about 2 months of the year, unfortunately more due to wildfire season. It's real. And it's hard to comprehend if you have never lived through it. Stock up on your N95 masks and air filter systems.

Also - to realistically have outdoor space, you will be spending a very pretty penny on rent. You only realize how affordable NOVA when you realize how expensive the South Bay can be.


When is fire season?


Pp who lives in Burlingame. It looks like, statewide, July and August have had the biggest fires. But I feel like there’ve been multiple years when the kids miss a few days of school in October due to smoke / air quality. When there’s a year without fires, Sept and Oct are often magnificent - it’s not rare for them to be the warmest months on the peninsula. When there are fires, the fall is when I most which we were still on the East coast.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_California_wildfires

Although people do spend a lot of time outdoors, the nights (such as the summer) aren’t really warm the way they are in the DMV so it can be hard to do things like have a picnic dinner in the park (mid 50s and windy in May at night, for instance). My friends with yards all have heat lamps, heated sofas or chairs etc.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2025 21:28     Subject: WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Everyone I know who lives or used to live in northern CA who doesn't like it are not outdoorsy people. OP - really think about how much you will take advantage of it.


What’s funny is that people who are outdoorsy from California can’t really handle any other climate than the air-conditioned low humidity Mediterranean climate.

Real outdoorsy people enjoy the hot dc humid summers paddling on the Potomac or hiking Shenandoah, biking on the rails to tails in hot or cold.

I love parts of California, and if you live on the water it’s beautiful (like anywhere with water) or in the mountains it’s great.

The peninsula is okay, but there are so few trees unless you head to Santa Cruz or Marin. And of course East Bay is all desert, and gets up to 120F regularly.


NP. I’m constantly bemused by DCUM takes on California but this has to be one of the weirdest.

OP: You should not be listening to DCUM for the most part. The ignorance is wild. It is about what you’d hear from Palo Alto residents asked to move to DC, that is to say that you’d hear nonsense.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2025 20:52     Subject: WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yes. Move the grandparents. The DMV is sinking towards oblivion during Trump 2.0. Surprised no one mentioned it.


Don’t be so dramatic, and no one asked about politics PP


It’s not about politics. It’s about the DC area’s economy being destroyed.


Please use other forums to talk your nonsense. OP is in tech not government.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2025 20:34     Subject: WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yes. Move the grandparents. The DMV is sinking towards oblivion during Trump 2.0. Surprised no one mentioned it.


Don’t be so dramatic, and no one asked about politics PP


It’s not about politics. It’s about the DC area’s economy being destroyed.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2025 20:29     Subject: WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA
Anonymous wrote:Yes to outdoor space except about 2 months of the year, unfortunately more due to wildfire season. It's real. And it's hard to comprehend if you have never lived through it. Stock up on your N95 masks and air filter systems.

Also - to realistically have outdoor space, you will be spending a very pretty penny on rent. You only realize how affordable NOVA when you realize how expensive the South Bay can be.


When is fire season?
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2025 20:09     Subject: WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA
Yes to outdoor space except about 2 months of the year, unfortunately more due to wildfire season. It's real. And it's hard to comprehend if you have never lived through it. Stock up on your N95 masks and air filter systems.

Also - to realistically have outdoor space, you will be spending a very pretty penny on rent. You only realize how affordable NOVA when you realize how expensive the South Bay can be.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2025 19:59     Subject: Re:WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA
Anonymous wrote:Take a look at San Carlos too.

Where is your job? Commutes are getting bad. If you work in SF on the eastern side which is where most tech is located, you can take Caltrain in or BART from Millbrae. Keep in mind that you will need to get to the train station and parking fills up.

If you work in the Peninsula, live on the Peninsula. If you work in South Bay, live in South Bay. Do not consider east bay unless you know you will be working in east bay. The commute to the peninsula and South Bay is horrendous. I don’t know how people do it.

Wherever you choose, check flood maps and fire maps. A good portion of Los Gatos was recently upgraded to high fire risk which impacts insurance. A lot of areas on the peninsula are built into hills which can foundation and mudslide problems.

Don’t worry about going smaller or remodeling. You won’t be stuck in your house all year. Kids will hang out in the backyard, you’ll eat outside a lot and the outdoor space really becomes like another room. Remodeling is expensive but the appreciation is so high on real estate many people do it.


OP here - a previous poster suggested San Carlos too. Our offices are un Sunnyvale, and other areas too, but I'd go into Sunnyvale. DH can go into a few locations like Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, SF proper, Cupertino. Regardless, will look to commute to South Bay. Thankfully our employers pay for commuting / provide commuting services. Really like your concept of outdoor space, that is exactly what DH and I thought.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2025 19:43     Subject: WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA
Anonymous wrote:Yes. Move the grandparents. The DMV is sinking towards oblivion during Trump 2.0. Surprised no one mentioned it.


I am pretty sure most ppl here will live past their current age + 4.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2025 19:05     Subject: Re:WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA
Take a look at San Carlos too.

Where is your job? Commutes are getting bad. If you work in SF on the eastern side which is where most tech is located, you can take Caltrain in or BART from Millbrae. Keep in mind that you will need to get to the train station and parking fills up.

If you work in the Peninsula, live on the Peninsula. If you work in South Bay, live in South Bay. Do not consider east bay unless you know you will be working in east bay. The commute to the peninsula and South Bay is horrendous. I don’t know how people do it.

Wherever you choose, check flood maps and fire maps. A good portion of Los Gatos was recently upgraded to high fire risk which impacts insurance. A lot of areas on the peninsula are built into hills which can foundation and mudslide problems.

Don’t worry about going smaller or remodeling. You won’t be stuck in your house all year. Kids will hang out in the backyard, you’ll eat outside a lot and the outdoor space really becomes like another room. Remodeling is expensive but the appreciation is so high on real estate many people do it.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2025 19:01     Subject: WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA
Anonymous wrote:Yes. Move the grandparents. The DMV is sinking towards oblivion during Trump 2.0. Surprised no one mentioned it.


Don’t be so dramatic, and no one asked about politics PP