Staying in SF bay area

INCorUSC · Post by **INCorUSC** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 10:29 am

I've been in SF bay area since last almost 8 yrs, though recently have been wondering if it is wise to stay in this area given living cost being so high..The two +ve things in this area are more jobs and wheather..Though for that if you consider cities like Plano\Houstan\Auston in TX are not too bad either for job and whether, though not as good as Bay area, is not bad as well.

Any other reasons people stay in bay area? Trying to see if I'm thinking this due to 'grass is greener on other side' :-)

venkat786 · Post by **venkat786** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 11:12 pm

yeah ...what else you you need( in USA) apart from happy 'JOB' and perfect 'WEATHER'.

INCorUSC;36673I've been in SF bay area since last almost 8 yrs, though recently have been wondering if it is wise to stay in this area given living cost being so high..The two +ve things in this area are more jobs and wheather..Though for that if you consider cities like Plano\Houstan\Auston in TX are not too bad either for job and whether, though not as good as Bay area, is not bad as well.

Any other reasons people stay in bay area? Trying to see if I'm thinking this due to 'grass is greener on other side' :-)[/quote]

suyog · Post by **suyog** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 11:38 pm

On the contrary, I have been thinking of moving to bay area due ease of findig IT jobs and indian crowd. Isn't the high salary and good weather compensate the high cost of living? have you thought of other california areas like san diego, LA?

sagarmail · Post by **sagarmail** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 12:00 am

i am in bay area for past 8 years.

most of the jobs in bay area are are not that "happy 'JOB's" . job pressure is relatively high compared to other areas. if you are ready to take this pressure - then its your choice. But in long run - it might effect you.

if you have a decent job & life elsewhere - why would you move to bay area; to get high pay & spend all in expenses - doesn't make any sense.

rent, expenses etc in bay area (incl or LA, San diego) are high these days & still going north. And if you need a decent home to buy - you need to plan for close to $1M (which is around 200K in texas).

if you are single - you can enjoy life for sometime being in bay area. if you are family - i would'nt recommend bay area;

venkat786;36720yeah ...what else you you need( in USA) apart from happy 'JOB' and perfect 'WEATHER'.[/quote]

Tweedledee · Post by **Tweedledee** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:05 am

to the OP I'd say the decision should me made keeping 3 things in mind. note I am assuming you have spouse & kids, if not, then ignore the below since it then makes sense for you to move out.

whether to stay/move depends on how connected you are to the bay area. if you've lived there 8 yrs and you, your spouse & kids have made close friends it will be hard to move. for many people the lack of family nearby means friends become as close as family, and one can also relate to friends & get unbiased help/advice in a way that's not possible with family. it is hard to recreate that in a new area.

another thing is that in bay area, desi kids have a sizable presence in schools. this means your kids will not feel alien and will not be picked on for their looks, names, religion or the contents of their lunchbox. this may not be true when you move. personally i would never be comfortable if my kid was one of the few colored kids in an all white class, for the reasons just mentioned.

lastly, the higher number of jobs in the bay area means you will not have to move house if you change jobs. you need to see how true is that if you move elsewhere.

if you are looking to move so you can afford a house elsewhere, balance that against the 3 points above. it is possible to achieve one's financial goals without buying a house. buying a house is more an imperative for americans since they are incapable of saving money any other way.

suyog · Post by **suyog** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:33 am

OP, do you own a house in bay area? probably not. IMO, buying a home would restricts the urge to move and indirectly brings stability, on the other hand living in an rental apartment keeps the flexibility, but also keep you in limbo, more options, more pain.

INCorUSC · Post by **INCorUSC** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 3:23 am

Very good points, Tweedledee.

For friend circle, somehow I do not feel 'connected' to the US friends that we made afetr coming here, it may be just us or may be more general..My feeling is that people become more 'formal' after coming here..we meet wih people once or twice a month but do not feel comfortable enough to share 'all' the joys and pains of our life....now....that could be because we came to US almost just after study was complete and 'real' life is really like that :-) US vs India may have made some difference...so long story short, I think being in bay area or anywhere else, does not make difference in terms of 'friends'.

I agree the point about the kids though, I do not want my kids to feel as 'alien' and bay area has more desis hence more 'comfortable' settings..though there are cities like houstan\Plano\Richardson...aren't there lots of desis (hence desi kids) as well?

One other reason for wanting to move out is like sagarmail mentioned, job pressure here is too high..I've not seen other cities though so can't say if that;s any different in other cities.

sagarmail · Post by **sagarmail** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 7:00 am

I agree on the point about kids & education - But not on Friends.

As INCorUSC states, I see more formal in relationships in US (Not just my view & InCorUSC, but I've heard guys saying the same too).

INCorUSC;36745Very good points, Tweedledee.

For friend circle, somehow I do not feel 'connected' to the US friends that we made afetr coming here, it may be just us or may be more general..My feeling is that people become more 'formal' after coming here..we meet wih people once or twice a month but do not feel comfortable enough to share 'all' the joys and pains of our life....now....that could be because we came to US almost just after study was complete and 'real' life is really like that :-) US vs India may have made some difference...so long story short, I think being in bay area or anywhere else, does not make difference in terms of 'friends'.

I agree the point about the kids though, I do not want my kids to feel as 'alien' and bay area has more desis hence more 'comfortable' settings..though there are cities like houstan\Plano\Richardson...aren't there lots of desis (hence desi kids) as well?

One other reason for wanting to move out is like sagarmail mentioned, job pressure here is too high..I've not seen other cities though so can't say if that;s any different in other cities.[/quote]

Tweedledee · Post by **Tweedledee** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:14 am

My point about friends is based on my own positive experiences. one should not consider only his friends but also the wife's friends when contemplating a move. typically guys in US do not form close friendships but their wives often do. often these friends form a good support system, which is hard to recreate in a new place. of course, if neither spouse has any close friends then it is one less impediment to moving.

Desi_by_Nature · Post by **Desi_by_Nature** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 8:29 pm

Tweedledee;36782one should not consider only his friends but also the wife's friends when contemplating a move. [/quote]

Well said! Very true - and that is why I decided that we have to move out of here!