Anonymous wrote:I moved to DC from CA (SF) and you could not pay me to move back to CA again. It's a personality type. I like seasons. I hate wildfires. I don't actually hike every weekend and surf before work. I don't ski. I enjoy going to wine country but am realistically only in Napa once or twice a year. The traffic is terrible. The state is horribly run. Taxes are very high. Cost of living is insane.

Anonymous wrote:I moved to DC from CA (SF) and you could not pay me to move back to CA again. It's a personality type. I like seasons. I hate wildfires. I don't actually hike every weekend and surf before work. I don't ski. I enjoy going to wine country but am realistically only in Napa once or twice a year. The traffic is terrible. The state is horribly run. Taxes are very high. Cost of living is insane.

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Anonymous wrote:OP here. More than decent chance that we will also receive a 7 figure wind-fall / early inheritance. That plays into our decision too to have a better quality of life.

If you are going to get a fat inheritance, then yes, even more reason to move. Life is short. Take the opportunity to try out the bay area. But I also wouldn't be gunning so hard at work then. I imagine you have a lot saved, you already make a lot, and you are going to get even more. How hard do you want to work?

OP here. Couldn't imagine not working. DH and I are both competitive at work and top leaders. Having this safety net is a bit of a cherry on top for sure.

You might not like California then. It’s more work to live than live to work. Even in the Bay Area plenty of people have dreams to never work again

Really is PPT and Outlook that amazing? Learn to have fun!

It used to be, but people in OP's industry ruined it.
Nothing personal to you, OP, but people who grew up in what is now Silicon Valley hate what big tech has made it. Gross.

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Anonymous wrote:OP here. More than decent chance that we will also receive a 7 figure wind-fall / early inheritance. That plays into our decision too to have a better quality of life.

If you are going to get a fat inheritance, then yes, even more reason to move. Life is short. Take the opportunity to try out the bay area. But I also wouldn't be gunning so hard at work then. I imagine you have a lot saved, you already make a lot, and you are going to get even more. How hard do you want to work?

OP here. Couldn't imagine not working. DH and I are both competitive at work and top leaders. Having this safety net is a bit of a cherry on top for sure.

You might not like California then. It’s more work to live than live to work. Even in the Bay Area plenty of people have dreams to never work again

Really is PPT and Outlook that amazing? Learn to have fun!

Our jobs are a bit more than that and we like the drive/competition that Silicon Valley has.

If you say so. You’re likely not as important as you think. That’s a DC trait. Knowledge jobs are mostly BS, including at tech firms

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Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t move if your family is here. The Bay Area has changed a lot in the last 30 years. Your money will be nothing there. The schools are bad. And if you think the people here are intense then just wait. I loved California when I lived there but I would not go back now unless there were strong family ties.

This isn’t correct. The Bay Area has fantastic schools, it’s a beautiful place to grow up. Very special.

It's only "fantastic" due to family wealth, but CA schools are severely underfunded by the state. And most of the school districts do not have great programs, like gifted or magnet programs.

we moved out of the Peninsula in part due to the schools. I looked at the AP offerings at one of the HS there compared to the local HS we are at here in the DC area, and the one here offers more AP courses than the HS in CA where we were zoned for.

We moved when DC was in 2nd grade, and they were behind in some of the language arts area (not reading) compared to their peers here, not because DC was not advanced (they were, they were reading by 3 and full chapter books by 4), but because the CA school did not teach certain things in K-1. The teacher here spent a couple of months with DC on those areas they lacked, and DC went back up to advanced/gifted level. In the CA school, DC did not have an academic peer group. They were left to their own devices, which equals trouble for a 5/6 yr old.

Having stated that, if UC schools are fine for your kid's future, and you don't care about various programs and more challenging AP/IB courses, I would live in CA. As PPs have noted, weather and qol if you are wealthyish is fantastic.

Gifted program is overrated. My child was in Fairfax G&T program and received some specialized class, which were very meh. It also gave her the wrong feedback that she was special.

Our current school is good due to "family wealth" and the teachers actually mentor the students, they approach education from a place of humility and curiosity, which is a better stance when they are young.

sorry your program was just meh. Ours was great for DC. They said they were glad we moved. DC is now in college.

Yes, *gasps* things have CHANGED since your kid was in AAP!

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Anonymous wrote:OP here. More than decent chance that we will also receive a 7 figure wind-fall / early inheritance. That plays into our decision too to have a better quality of life.

If you are going to get a fat inheritance, then yes, even more reason to move. Life is short. Take the opportunity to try out the bay area. But I also wouldn't be gunning so hard at work then. I imagine you have a lot saved, you already make a lot, and you are going to get even more. How hard do you want to work?

OP here. Couldn't imagine not working. DH and I are both competitive at work and top leaders. Having this safety net is a bit of a cherry on top for sure.

You might not like California then. It’s more work to live than live to work. Even in the Bay Area plenty of people have dreams to never work again

Really is PPT and Outlook that amazing? Learn to have fun!

Our jobs are a bit more than that and we like the drive/competition that Silicon Valley has.

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Anonymous wrote:OP here. More than decent chance that we will also receive a 7 figure wind-fall / early inheritance. That plays into our decision too to have a better quality of life.

If you are going to get a fat inheritance, then yes, even more reason to move. Life is short. Take the opportunity to try out the bay area. But I also wouldn't be gunning so hard at work then. I imagine you have a lot saved, you already make a lot, and you are going to get even more. How hard do you want to work?

OP here. Couldn't imagine not working. DH and I are both competitive at work and top leaders. Having this safety net is a bit of a cherry on top for sure.

You might not like California then. It’s more work to live than live to work. Even in the Bay Area plenty of people have dreams to never work again

Really is PPT and Outlook that amazing? Learn to have fun!

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Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t move if your family is here. The Bay Area has changed a lot in the last 30 years. Your money will be nothing there. The schools are bad. And if you think the people here are intense then just wait. I loved California when I lived there but I would not go back now unless there were strong family ties.

This isn’t correct. The Bay Area has fantastic schools, it’s a beautiful place to grow up. Very special.

It's only "fantastic" due to family wealth, but CA schools are severely underfunded by the state. And most of the school districts do not have great programs, like gifted or magnet programs.

we moved out of the Peninsula in part due to the schools. I looked at the AP offerings at one of the HS there compared to the local HS we are at here in the DC area, and the one here offers more AP courses than the HS in CA where we were zoned for.

We moved when DC was in 2nd grade, and they were behind in some of the language arts area (not reading) compared to their peers here, not because DC was not advanced (they were, they were reading by 3 and full chapter books by 4), but because the CA school did not teach certain things in K-1. The teacher here spent a couple of months with DC on those areas they lacked, and DC went back up to advanced/gifted level. In the CA school, DC did not have an academic peer group. They were left to their own devices, which equals trouble for a 5/6 yr old.

Having stated that, if UC schools are fine for your kid's future, and you don't care about various programs and more challenging AP/IB courses, I would live in CA. As PPs have noted, weather and qol if you are wealthyish is fantastic.

Gifted program is overrated. My child was in Fairfax G&T program and received some specialized class, which were very meh. It also gave her the wrong feedback that she was special.

Our current school is good due to "family wealth" and the teachers actually mentor the students, they approach education from a place of humility and curiosity, which is a better stance when they are young.

sorry your program was just meh. Ours was great for DC. They said they were glad we moved. DC is now in college.

Anonymous wrote:I moved to DC from CA (SF) and you could not pay me to move back to CA again. It's a personality type. I like seasons. I hate wildfires. I don't actually hike every weekend and surf before work. I don't ski. I enjoy going to wine country but am realistically only in Napa once or twice a year. The traffic is terrible. The state is horribly run. Taxes are very high. Cost of living is insane.

Anonymous wrote:Make sure you account for higher income taxes. So, your take home will be lower.

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Anonymous wrote:OP here. More than decent chance that we will also receive a 7 figure wind-fall / early inheritance. That plays into our decision too to have a better quality of life.

If you are going to get a fat inheritance, then yes, even more reason to move. Life is short. Take the opportunity to try out the bay area. But I also wouldn't be gunning so hard at work then. I imagine you have a lot saved, you already make a lot, and you are going to get even more. How hard do you want to work?

OP here. Couldn't imagine not working. DH and I are both competitive at work and top leaders. Having this safety net is a bit of a cherry on top for sure.

You might not like California then. It’s more work to live than live to work. Even in the Bay Area plenty of people have dreams to never work again

Really is PPT and Outlook that amazing? Learn to have fun!