Northern California Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Relocating to SF-HELP
Hi Guys!
I'm a CT native. The hubby and I want to relocate to the SF Bay area. We do not know anyone there and do not have jobs lined up, but are determined to do so in the next year 
I work as a clinical research associate and he's a graphic designer. We're hoping to find some ad agencies and hospitals in the bay area, land a job, find an apartment we can afford and drive our little family out there (we have a cat and a dog).
Any tips?
Re: Relocating to SF-HELP
1) get jobs 1st
2) consider the commute with traffic
3) don't underestimate the COL
4) The Bay Area is a BIG place and Livermore will be a world of difference from SF (the City) or San Jose so, think carefully about what brings you here and what you want from the experience.
ditto, ditto, ditto
as a general rule of thumb, the idea of moving anywhere (especially the IHCOL SF/Bay Area) w/out a job makes me nervous- made me nervous in a booming economy and terrifies me in our current one. before you take the plunge, send out some resumes and have some interviews lined up. the great thing about the bay area is that there are plenty of hospitals, cast a WIDE net and don't be super picky about where you want to live.
commutes - double what you think the commute will be and that will give you a better idea of what it actually is.
finally what IS IT about the bay area that makes you want to live here ?!? what's attractive to you about it ? if you can narrow it down, it will make your lives easier.
There are several ad agencies in SF, a few in the East Bay (Berkeley, one in Walnut Creek) and a few in San Jose.
I wouldn't move here without one of you having a job lined up. And depending on where you'd move to and work, consider the rush hour traffic as a huge factor as well as COL.
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nooo .. never confuse being a realist w/ debbie downer. its a pet peeve of mine that everyone from outside of CA is all starry eyed over CA .. like its some super magical place that anyone can pick up and move to and *poof!* no worries.
i have siblings who live in the midwest .. on our CA salaries, there, we'd like like kings in a ginormous house (assuming that we pay in a mortgage there what we pay in rent here). the transition from CT to CA isn't nearly as EYE OPENING as say from OH to CA or TX to CA.
Ditto what everyone else says. Find a job, and then figure out where you want to live. You don't want to buy or rent in Walnut Creek for example and then spend 3 hrs a day commuting to San Jose (although some people do). Some websites to post your resume and location preferences:
The Ladders
Monster
Career Builder
Jobfox
Indeed
Make sure you are on linked in and look for recruiters on there that specialize in your field, and connect with them. That should get you started.
Thanks guys,
Don't worry about being debbie-downers, I want all the info I can get!
We've both been scouting out jobs for a while, and I may land one as a regional CRA, so I'd travel a lot...maybe living in South SF near the airport could work, or even Alameda Beach, there's an airport over there too I believe and I could probably get more for my $ there....
The cost of living is slightly comparable, considering CT is the most expensive state to live in right now, we hate it here. I understand living expenses will be much higher in SF, but we currently don't have much as it is here anyway. We're trying to realistically find a nice 1 bedroom that's pet-friendly, hopefully near some green-space and possibly have a dishwasher. What do you think we should estimate, about $1500/month+ rent?
We've lived in NYC and hated the congestion and weather here. We love SF for the climate, the food & wine, nearby beaches & skiing, the start-up tech industry, the laid-back atmosphere (as compared to NYers) and the diversity.
What are all your major frustrations? traffic? homelessness?...
Keep the tips coming
traffic is probably the biggest frustration here in the bay area -- the roads are in pretty bad shape and the congestion. i used to live in clayton and commuted to the next town over, walnut creek, and my commute took anywhere from 45 mins to an hr - it was only 10-15 miles TOPS !! i commute now from the central east bay to marin and it's an hr to 90 min one way commute.
I moved to L.A. this summer after living in the Bay Area for 10 years. Traffic can be bad in the Bay Area doing certain routes, esp if you have to cross one of the major bridges. But it's far worse here.10-15 miles can turn into 2 hours in commute traffic. It's crazy. In the Bay Area there is also BART and CalTrain. While they do not go everywhere you might need, hopefully one of them would be an option to avoid traffic. When I lived in the East Bay and commuted into SF to work I took BART exclusively. I never drove into the city. But it doesn't work for all commutes so it will depend on where you end up living and working.
$1500 in the city would probably only get you a studio. You're probably looking at $1800-$2000's for a 1 BD, depending on where in the city. Keep in mind in SF, you often don't get your own parking spot. You just have to find street parking, which is not easy in most places. Some areas, like Sunset and Richmond Dists are cheaper than many other parts and have a little more room. And they are closer to S. SF, too. S. S.F. is actually its own town. The airport is not actually in SF itself, it's in Millbrae/San Bruno area. Those areas are a little pricey but not too bad compared to the pricey parts of S.F. I would avoid Daly City and Colma, if you can. If you chose to commute into the city from the South Bay or the East Bay, you could find a cheaper place. You could find a 1 BR for as little $1000 if you shopped around or were willing to live in less upscale areas. $1500 for a 1 BD in the E Bay or SJ would get you something pretty nice.
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Something else to keep in mind about SF: it's foggy and overcast very often...something to consider.
Money will go further in Oakland or Alameda or South SF than in SF itself. The Bay Area is all about pockets. One block is good, the next one can be scary so you really need to get your feet on the ground to make that determination. I agree with H about the pricing. I think you should plan on a bit more either in parking costs, transportation costs, water and garbage (which may not be included) or just for the apartment. You could always be pleasantly surprised.