SF Bay Area / Walnut Creek?

OakBehringer

OakBehringer

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Can anyone give me some info on life in this area? My girlfriend has a job opportunity and we're considering the move from Chicago. I'm worried about finding an apt/house (rental) with a garage to move my "shop" into. My shop consists of a standard size craftsman toolbox (the tall type on wheels), a drill press, grinder, buffer, some shelves, a couple tables, a few bikes, TIG welder (Diversion 165, not a big one), etc. Right now I have half of a two car garage and it's just enough space for me. Need to spend ~$1600/mo or less, two bedroom. Will this be feasible?

Thanks,
Adam
 
Welcome to California. Everything will be priced like Lakeshore Drive except in the Central Valley where the air quality is terrible.Tony C living in the Central Valley
 
I'm originally from (now 1200 miles from, thankfully!) the So. Cal. area and also have lived in the Central Valley - Visalia. As Tony suggests, air quality is poor - some of the worst numbers in the Nation! But I understand people live there (Stockton area) and commute to the Bay Area for work. If you feel like mixing it up with commuters, that's another option to consider. Housing used to be quite a bit cheaper that way but the trade-off is air quality, commuting, fog in winter and so forth. Best wishes...........Wesley
 
Walnut Creek is a great place to live, if you can afford it. It's real clean and nice there. There is all kinds of places close to that area to live in that could be cheaper. I moved out of there about 10 years ago to Nevada. I like it here much better, but there is no money here.

http://www.mynewplace.com/search?ba...axrent=1600&minbed=2&minbath=-1&ptype=h&pet=0

Everything else will be more expensive too. Cost of living is really high there. Taxes and stuff. Too many rules for me. They tell you where you can park, how you can live, what color your house can be painted, and on and on.
 
Check out Antioch, Rio Vista, Fairfield & Vacaville. All of them are easy commutes to WC. If you can stand 1 hour of bumper to bumper. Antioch is a BART ride away. Moved away from a town just south of WC 24 years ago. Miss the pizza & Mexican food and not much else.
 
Thanks for the replies... thanks a lot. Pretty much what I expected to hear based on Internet research.

I lived in Los Angeles for three years, moved back to Chicago maybe four years ago, so I've gotten used to the high cost of living in the past. And shitty air. Los Angeles has more space than San Fran, though. I know (obviously) that San Fran has no space, but I wasn't sure if this extended out to its suburbs. Sounds like it does.

MTcycle, thanks for the tips, I will look into that tonight.

Any opinions of San Ramon, Danville, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Clayton or Concord? I haven't had a chance to research these areas yet, but her brother (who lives in WC, coincidentally) recommended them.

Thanks,
Adam
 
Any opinions of San Ramon, Danville, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Clayton or Concord? I haven't had a chance to research these areas yet, but her brother (who lives in WC, coincidentally) recommended them.

Thanks,
Adam[/QUOTE]

All nice places. I lived in Danville. Pretty pricey. If you can find something in your price range, grab it. My buddy rents a 1950s 3/2 tract home in a worse area (SJ)for 25 a month. Don't know why the Bay Area real estate has not dropped like the rest of the world.
 
I moved from there 20 + years ago, used to live in East Side San Jose rents are pretty high there still have HS buddies who work in SJ but commute like 2 hrs EACH way to be able to afford a place to live.

On an UP NOTE Find yourself a sandwich shop called TOGO's BEST BBQ BEEF SANDWICH GOING or a Japanise place called HAPPI HOUSE GREAT FOOD !! really the only things I miss in the BAY AREA !!!!

GOOD LUCK !!! Hey its gotta be better than Chicago huh ?
 
I'll second the Togo's pick. I usually get turkey & avocado, though. One in San Ramon across the hwy from where I used to work. Great restaurants and nice weather. Good riding except for the masses.
 
MTcycle said:
All nice places. I lived in Danville. Pretty pricey. If you can find something in your price range, grab it. My buddy rents a 1950s 3/2 tract home in a worse area (SJ)for 25 a month. Don't know why the Bay Area real estate has not dropped like the rest of the world.
Click to expand...

$25 a month sounds like a steal to me.
 
I am in Sacramento, for you mid-westerners, that is about 100 miles East of "The City". Also known as that town the bay area people drive by on the way to Tahoe! My daughter is a third year student at San Francisco State. For reference, she has a small 4 bedroom flat less than a block North of Golden Gate Park, no garage, nice area but nothing fancy, $2500 a month and we are happy to have it. Being 5th generation Nor-Cal in my experience, think of The City as the hub of a wheel. Is the lady's job in the center of the city, North, South or East because the commute patterns are different? Welcome and good luck.
 
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