Single Gal: Sticker Shock in Silicon Valley (Georgetown: middle-class, sales)

[blauskies]

Originally Posted by NatureGirl26

Blau, what pending healthcare nightmare? Employers with more than 15 employees HAVE to provide health insurance to their employees or pay a fine of $2K per employee to the federal govt.

Maybe a fledgling startup with more contractors than employees can do this but at some point, even they will need to provide health benefits to attract talent.

Once companies drop offering employer sponsored health care to increase profits. A lot of people get great plans for discounted rates or 100% covered rate, when employers drop the benefit and it's only a matter of time before this will happen.

Then you will have to go out on the Exchange and choose a plan those lovely tiered plans, salaries will not be offset to handle this cost and it will not be a bargain, basically more cash strain on workers on top of rising energy, food and etc costs.

Employers Are Advised on Dropping Health Insurance - WSJ

Workers feel pinch as employers rein in health insurance costs | CharlotteObserver.com

[Sprightly]

NatureGirl, you've got it good where you are - it's pretty clear reading what you wrote about Atlanta that you love the place outside of its drawbacks. Every place you move will have a mix of positives and negatives. If you move to the Bay Area you'll get your diverse and liberal mix of people, but there will be other costs so well detailed here. My thought is you don't need ALL the men, you just really need one so maybe stay in Atlanta but put the energy into changing how you look for Mr. Right.

I posted briefly just last week about rents in the Bay Area and I haven't entirely ruled it out, but I have the same concerns you do. Given the premium one has to pay to live there, it has to offer something that can't be obtained anywhere else that you simply must have. That one is an individual decision!

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by NatureGirl26

I think the only two parts of the country that work for me are Atlanta and southwest Connecticut...basically suburbs of NYC...spread out, green, rural but a 45-minute train ride to NYC. I need to find my single investment banker and I'll be all set.

That's funny, you are averse to workaholic culture but want to find someone as a mate who is in a workaholic professional field?

[NatureGirl26]

Sprightly, there are no eligible men in Atlanta. Trust me, I've looked. This city is full of single women in their thirties and forties. The ratio is so skewed and the men know they're at a premium. It doesn't help that I'm not a Christian, don't go to any place of worship, and everyone in my workplace is married, even men as young as 27 are married and have a kid or two. That's ten years younger than I am.

[NatureGirl26]

It's ridiculous how many married men I've met online in Atlanta, one of whom was a married IT manager with my employer. I recognized him right away on the first in-person meeting. I was like don't you work where I do? You should have seen his face! It felt weird having to see him at work...well, until he quit!

[NatureGirl26]

I honestly believe that my odds of finding a single or divorced guy are better in SV. I don't even mind some Asian fresh off the boat. I was born here, so we could marry and he would be able to stay here :-)

[blauskies]

Originally Posted by NatureGirl26

Sprightly, there are no eligible men in Atlanta. Trust me, I've looked. This city is full of single women in their thirties and forties. The ratio is so skewed and the men know they're at a premium. It doesn't help that I'm not a Christian, don't go to any place of worship, and everyone in my workplace is married, even men as young as 27 are married and have a kid or two. That's ten years younger than I am.

Atlanta has a large Black population, 54% Black, 4.9% Asian, if you don't want to do interracial, your going to find it hard. Plenty of wealthy educated Black businessmen in Atlanta who own homes in the affluent areas. If you play your cards right, you can get that big home in Alpharetta and a Range Rover to drive to Phipps for shopping.

[jbunniii]

Originally Posted by NatureGirl26

Sprightly, there are no eligible men in Atlanta. Trust me, I've looked. This city is full of single women in their thirties and forties. The ratio is so skewed and the men know they're at a premium. It doesn't help that I'm not a Christian, don't go to any place of worship, and everyone in my workplace is married, even men as young as 27 are married and have a kid or two. That's ten years younger than I am.

Have you considered Alaska? They say that for women seeking men, the odds are good, but the goods are odd.

[MaryleeII]

Originally Posted by NatureGirl26

Hi everyone! I'm a single gal in the South (Atlanta) who moved to Silicon Valley for a few weeks just to explore the possibility of relocating to the area.

I loved:

1. The natural scenery. Not in the immediate vicinity of Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, or San Jose which are just sprawling suburbia like any other suburbs anywhere else...but farther away...closer to the coast, Lake Tahoe, Muir Woods, Yosemite, etc.

2. The diversity. The South is pretty much black or white although Atlanta does have a growing Korean and Indian community.

3. I loved how liberal the SFBA was. Atlanta has a liberal core In The Perimeter and is moderate in the immediate suburbs, but becomes Bible Belt-ish the farther out you go.

4. San Francisco. Amazing dining, culture, opera, symphony. This city is a yuppie's playground.

5. Educated and worldly people. I went on three dates in the few weeks I was there. Two were with Harvard grads and one was with a Stanford grad. I was so sad when I had to fly back to Atlanta.

Now, here are my gripes:

1. Most of the rental housing stock in Silicon Valley, the Peninsula, and SF seemed old, dingy, dilapidated, and outdated to me. To add insult to injury, I was paying $3K per month to live in a crappy little shoebox built in the 1950s. Atlanta housing stock is fairly new and I'm used to paying about $1400 a month for my beautiful home with an island in the kitchen with granite countertops, a stainless steel fridge and double oven, two vanity sinks in every bathroom, vaulted wooden ceilings, french windows with plantation shutters, huge walk-in closet, and beautiful cherry wood floors.

2. I'm a nature-lover and it took forever to get anywhere near it in the Bay Area traffic. Atlanta traffic is brutal, however Atlanta is a city in a forest. There are tall pine trees covered with kudzu on either side of every freeway. Trees, trees, trees, everywhere! I look out of my office and see so much green! I can sit on my back porch and see nothing but trees and a there's a small wildlife preserve behind my house. Going from such lush greenery to dense suburbia that resembles some place in Mexico was very jarring for this Southern girl who loves country roads, large lawns, horse farms, and white picket fences. Wide open spaces with lots of natural beauty calm my soul!

3. Salaries. They're only 10% to 15% higher in the Bay Area for someone in my industry. However, state income taxes are around 10% in CA (5% in GA) and the cost of living is daunting.

I'm Asian and I don't really fit in, in the South. I loved socializing with the intellectual and worldly men I met in the Bay and I would love to marry one of them. Yet, so much of my make-up is Southern when it comes to my preference for housing (away from people, not overly dense).

If you were me, what would you do? Take a leap of faith and move to the SF Bay Area? Maybe a place like Napa will suit me better? Fewer people, less stress, etc.?

I don't know anything about these areas, but good for you to actually LOOK before you leap!

I tell people (but they don't listen) you can only learn so much from a website. You must go to the actual location and check it out for yourself. Good Luck!

[cardinal2007]

Originally Posted by NatureGirl26

Hi everyone! I'm a single gal in the South (Atlanta) who moved to Silicon Valley for a few weeks just to explore the possibility of relocating to the area.

I loved:

1. The natural scenery. Not in the immediate vicinity of Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, or San Jose which are just sprawling suburbia like any other suburbs anywhere else...but farther away...closer to the coast, Lake Tahoe, Muir Woods, Yosemite, etc.

2. The diversity. The South is pretty much black or white although Atlanta does have a growing Korean and Indian community.

3. I loved how liberal the SFBA was. Atlanta has a liberal core In The Perimeter and is moderate in the immediate suburbs, but becomes Bible Belt-ish the farther out you go.

4. San Francisco. Amazing dining, culture, opera, symphony. This city is a yuppie's playground.

5. Educated and worldly people. I went on three dates in the few weeks I was there. Two were with Harvard grads and one was with a Stanford grad. I was so sad when I had to fly back to Atlanta.

Now, here are my gripes:

1. Most of the rental housing stock in Silicon Valley, the Peninsula, and SF seemed old, dingy, dilapidated, and outdated to me. To add insult to injury, I was paying $3K per month to live in a crappy little shoebox built in the 1950s. Atlanta housing stock is fairly new and I'm used to paying about $1400 a month for my beautiful home with an island in the kitchen with granite countertops, a stainless steel fridge and double oven, two vanity sinks in every bathroom, vaulted wooden ceilings, french windows with plantation shutters, huge walk-in closet, and beautiful cherry wood floors.

2. I'm a nature-lover and it took forever to get anywhere near it in the Bay Area traffic. Atlanta traffic is brutal, however Atlanta is a city in a forest. There are tall pine trees covered with kudzu on either side of every freeway. Trees, trees, trees, everywhere! I look out of my office and see so much green! I can sit on my back porch and see nothing but trees and a there's a small wildlife preserve behind my house. Going from such lush greenery to dense suburbia that resembles some place in Mexico was very jarring for this Southern girl who loves country roads, large lawns, horse farms, and white picket fences. Wide open spaces with lots of natural beauty calm my soul!

3. Salaries. They're only 10% to 15% higher in the Bay Area for someone in my industry. However, state income taxes are around 10% in CA (5% in GA) and the cost of living is daunting.

I'm Asian and I don't really fit in, in the South. I loved socializing with the intellectual and worldly men I met in the Bay and I would love to marry one of them. Yet, so much of my make-up is Southern when it comes to my preference for housing (away from people, not overly dense).

If you were me, what would you do? Take a leap of faith and move to the SF Bay Area? Maybe a place like Napa will suit me better? Fewer people, less stress, etc.?

1. Housing is very expensive, in San Jose a 2bd apt/condo built in the last 15 years will cost you something along the lines of $2400-$3600/mo, the west and north tend to be more expensive, and the south and east tend to be cheaper. Most single people don't live in houses by themselves, they are unlikely to live in 2bd apts by themselves unless they are very well off. Really people here do without fancy housing and having more space than they need, it does mean they can't keep expensive toys, but a lot of people decide to take vacations instead, it really has a lot to do with lifestyle, if you like the outdoors, instead of staying at home and watching movies in your media room, then Silicon Valley is good, if you want to enjoy your media room, well tough luck a 300-500sqft room is going to cost you another $150k-$500k to purchase.

2.
The area tends to be pretty dry most of the year, so you won't see much wild grass, the trees tend to be on the west side of the valley on the Santa Cruz mountains, versus the rest of the valley, it is almost all hilly, or very hilly, or it is baylands.

compare Alum Rock Park (San Jose): https://www.google.com/maps/@37.3953...L_rNl7Zejg!2e0

Santa Teresa County Park (San Jose): https://www.google.com/maps/@37.2091...nNNRw!2e0!3e11

Almaden Quicksilver County Park (San Jose):
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.1767...ABkJA!2e0!3e11

Heinz Open Space (Los Gatos):
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.2299...sdwLw!2e0!3e11

Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve:
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.2008...675301ac748ca6

Alviso (San Jose):
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.4391...ABgyA!2e0!3e11

Bay Trail (Sunnyvale):
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.4261..._AnWCg!2e0!3e5

Personally I find the nature around San Jose to be very beautiful, I love hiking around here, but I can certainly understand if hiking in the hills is not your thing. I've been on the Bay trail and vicinity several times, but I don't think it is that great for example.