Does it make sense to move to CA at middle age?

VS007 · Post by **VS007** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 12:47 am

Hi!

Moving to a sunny place (CA) was always in my wishlist, alas inertia ,FUD(fear uncertainty, doubts) held me back.
But a strong desire to escape from the north east snow and live rest of my life in warm weather makes me wonder again, whether I should attempt it. However I may have to resign my Wall St job and look for something new and is kinda hard for early 40s guy who is neither a manager nor a Java programmer and on top of it finding a job to move from being in a finance vertical to a product companies can be challenging.

So there is a risk, but then you have only one life and I am realizing it now. :)

Apart from weather, a good school system ( atleast 80% as good as what we have in Princeton area and townhomes around 500K).
These are the three places I had shortlisted based upon reviews from many memebrs here:

1. RTP:
Pros: May get into other banking jobs there
80% as good as schools of Princeton, NJ
Cheaper houses
Cons: Never been there

2. Austin: Sounds cool
Decent schools, cheaper houses
Cons: Hot summer
Small town, hardly any people on the streets

3. Fremont, CA
Pros: California
Cons: High house prices
Unknown school district

Initially I was zeroing in Austin, but then one of my friend put in the "you have only one life" philosophy, as well live it where you always wanted it.
The second big advantage is CA apart from MA are the only two states which gives something like Medicare for old people with GC. This has strengthened the argument in favor of CA.

Opinions please.
Thanks

Chakraan · Post by **Chakraan** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 1:27 am

VS007;463372
2. Austin: Sounds cool
Decent schools, cheaper houses
Cons: Hot summer
Small town, hardly any people on the streets

Truck load of CA people are moving to Austin and it is no more a small town.Now it has one of the worst traffic jam in the country.There will be formula one race in Austin by end of this year.

10 Worst U.S. Cities for Traffic

1. Honolulu: Drivers waste 58 hours in traffic; Worst hour is Tuesday from 5:15 – 5:30 p.m.
2. Los Angeles: Drivers waste 56 hours in traffic; Worst hour is Thursday from 5:45 – 6 p.m.
3. San Francisco: Drivers waste 48 hours in traffic; Worst hour is Thursday from 5:45 – 6 p.m.
4. New York: Drivers waste 57 hours in traffic; Worst hour is Friday from 5:30 – 5:45 p.m.
5. Bridgeport, Conn.: Drivers waste 42 hours in traffic; Worst hour is Friday from 5:30 – 5:45 p.m.
6. Washington, D.C.: Drivers waste 45 hours in traffic; Worst hour is Thursday from 5:45 – 6 p.m.
7. Seattle: Drivers waste 33 hours in traffic; Worst hour is Thursday from 5:30 – 5:45 p.m.
8. Austin: Drivers waste 30 hours in traffic; Worst hour is Thursday from 5:30 – 5:45 p.m.
9. Boston: Drivers waste 35 hours in traffic; Worst hour us Thursday from 5:30 – 5:45 p.m.
10. Chicago: Drivers waste 36 hours in traffic; Worst hour us Thursday from 5:30 – 5:45 p.m.

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/05/22/going-nowhere-10-worst-u-s-cities-for-traffic/#ixzz1zUsJps2K

SSri · Post by **SSri** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 1:43 am

VS007. In Fremont, there is the famous(or infamous, depending on what you are looking for) Mission San Jose attendance area which is highly coveted, competitive and heavily skewed with Asians. This is the top tier (if you go by the scores) in the FUSD. Even the second tier HS (Irvington) is very good and catching up due to a lot of desi population. there are pockets of FUSD where the schools arent great, but the 1st (Mission) and Irvington attendance areas are top-notch. Hope this helps...

Imissindia · Post by **Imissindia** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:09 am

California is definitely the best place to live in the US and among the best in the world.
The weather is perfect, the scenery is beautiful and the food is great.

However, keep in mind that there is a bit of cultural difference in the way people do things on the East Coast versus the West Coast.
Sometimes it can be difficult to adjust to these differences if you're used to one way of doing things.
Apart from that, CA is the place to be. California is a little more expensive but is definitely worth it.

Ambhi · Post by **Ambhi** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:13 am

If you are not in IT consider yourself lucky to have better choices other than Bay Area to move to in California. I would consider moving to Orange County near LA or even San Diego. Housing is much more affordable than Bay Area. Not all school districts are excellent but you can easily afford good private schools as you won't be paying a ridiculous mortgage or rent for a run down 60s house like in the Bay Area. Bay Area is not worth it unless you need IT Job Security.

VS007 · Post by **VS007** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:40 am

SSri;463379VS007. In Fremont, there is the famous(or infamous, depending on what you are looking for) Mission San Jose attendance area which is highly coveted, competitive and heavily skewed with Asians. This is the top tier (if you go by the scores) in the FUSD. Even the second tier HS (Irvington) is very good and catching up due to a lot of desi population. there are pockets of FUSD where the schools arent great, but the 1st (Mission) and Irvington attendance areas are top-notch. Hope this helps...

Mission was mentioned to me. If Irvington is number two, then I can consider that area esp if the house prices are lower there. Does it have good middle and elementary schools too?

VS007 · Post by **VS007** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:41 am

Ambhi;463387If you are not in IT consider yourself lucky to have better choices other than Bay Area to move to in California. I would consider moving to Orange County near LA or even San Diego. Housing is much more affordable than Bay Area. Not all school districts are excellent but you can easily afford good private schools as you won't be paying a ridiculous mortgage or rent for a run down 60s house like in the Bay Area. Bay Area is not worth it unless you need IT Job Security.

Does LA or San Diego has that kinda of desi ecosystems. I would love San Diego, but being in IT have to be in bay area.

dixit · Post by **dixit** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:56 am

VS,

We have lived in North-East, South, South-West and now have been in Bay-Area for the last 4+ years. I did my Master's in North-East and had nothing but good times there (even in-between all recessions and lay-offs) but now I am a huge fan of Bay Area (in case I have not mentioned this before!!!) and cannot even imagine living elsewhere.

My Pros and cons for CA -

Cons:
Real Estate: Entry price for a single family (or even a townhome) in a decent school district is at least (a very conservative estimate) $550K. Other issue is most of the new (or newer) construction is multi-floored. If you are looking for a single floor house your choices are even limited.

Lack of Diversity: In our community we have 60% desi, 39% other Asians and about three white families. Its a community of over 400 houses. Its a bit extreme, but typical demographics in other areas of Fremont, Cupertino are not too different either. In my niece's high school class - out of approximately 30 kids, 28 were Asians.

Pros:
Medical Services: I can't say enough about the level of service CA hospitals and medical groups offer.

Huge Desi population: and along with it comes huge number of desi restaurants, groccery stores and all thing desi

ICC (Indian Community Centers): specially for visiting parents. ICCs have activities for Senior citizens; they even have regular overnight trips, just for seniors - to Reno, Yosemite, Santa Cruz!!

State Services: CA is in deep financial doo doo, so I don't know how long they will be able to keep this. But their social services are among the best in the country. It has made a world of difference in our lives.

Weather: no pattern at all. In winters there will be days when you are out in shorts and in Summers, there will be days when you may need a Jacket. But unlike North-East (or South) - its never extreme.

Vacations: For us, vacations are usually anything which is within drivable range of 2-8 hours. It may not beat North-East but it is definitely better than Texas or Arizona or South-East.

Job Market: Tons of companies. Between San Jose, SFO and Oakland you will find presence of almost every Fortune 1000 company.

Diverse - One of the most (if not the most) diverse area in terms of ethnicity in the country.

Fremont has some really good elementary school areas - check out houses in Warm Springs, Weibel, Parkmont, Ardenwood areas too.

GutsyGibbon · Post by **GutsyGibbon** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:10 am

VS007;463391Does LA or San Diego has that kinda of desi ecosystems. I would love San Diego, but being in IT have to be in bay area.

Both LA and SD have little india kind of area that is filled with what typical desis need. Restaurants, temples, yoga, beauty saloons, travel, SBI branch etc. SD has defence and wireless telecom companies. If I could live anywhere, I would live in Irvine.

For IT companies and IT employment I like Irvine. See if any of these top employers in Irvine suit your area. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irvine,_California

RBee · Post by **RBee** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:18 am

VS007;463372
This has strengthened the argument in favor of CA.

Opinions please.
Thanks

Bay area:
Pros: Lot of Indians and Chinese who will send kids to private schools even being in good school district showing how they value academic achievements, so no major drug shrug problems; Lot of south Indian eateries; Lot of weekend trips to cover nearby scenic spots

Cons: Gas/Rental/owning house/Food prices are more than in New Jersey area.
State tax is nearly 10%. But you need to have couple of close friends as social scene is not good if you don't have immediate/extended family.

But still pros outweigh cons, so move in :) but suggest to live in apartment complex as kids will get lot of company from other desi kids.