Tell me why not

[aslowdodge]

Crap. That sucks about EPA murder rate. My buddy does volunteer work with youth over there and says it's really tough on the kids.
But still I remember EPA 10 to 20 years ago. I was sitting at a traffic light and two guys walk by me and one had a gun in the other's back.
It is cleaning up and I think it's only a matter of time. But EPA has been down so long it will take a while to turn, but it will take a while since it has years of bad times to overcome.
It does seem like this yr murder rates have increased after years of decline. Isn't that also the situation with Oakland?

[manoswath]

Thanks. Steer clear of EPA, gotcha.
But another question or two on the COL. You mention and others I've mentioned Cal to, and never been there, everything's more. Yea the housing and the gasoline. But say I plop $400 on a house in the area what would my home insurance and property taxes be? I pay .044 per Kwh ele, .92 CCF natural gas, $120 a month or cable/phone/ HS internet. I'm a cheap azz and only buy good used cars for no monthly payment and pay $600 a year for PL/PD on my '91 Chevy PU. I cant imagine food costing more. You grow most of the things I eat right there. Is seafood reasonably priced also. What else YOU KNOW is more there.
Thanks

[aslowdodge]

Are you talking 400 for rent per month or did you mean $400,000 for a house?
In either case you will come up short, Although if you want a house in antioch I saw a 2400 sq ft home with 40 grand of upgrades and the guy is asking $489,000. Condos can be had in the $300's if you can deal with an older one. If you want Palo alto (not east) add another million to your $400K and you should find something. Taxes are about 1.25 percent of the purchase price.

$400 rent only gets you a room in a house, Only in the worst areas may you find something to rent for yourself and even then it will be a piece of crap. Insurance isn't bad. The weather isn't to extreme so utilities can be low if you are truly cheap

[manoswath]

Ok let me re-do that. I looked through a few craigslist and realtor.com listings.

Say I plop $600,000+ on a house in the area what would my home insurance and property taxes be? I pay .044 per Kwh ele, .92 CCF natural gas, $120 a month or cable/phone/ HS internet. I'm a cheap azz and only buy good used cars for no monthly payment and pay $600 a year for PL/PD on my '91 Chevy PU. I cant imagine food costing more. You grow most of the things I eat right there. Is seafood reasonably priced also. What else YOU KNOW is more there.
Taxes about 1.25% ok. But OTHER than home/gas. I'm not really concerned about having enough, I'm just trying to clarify the "it costs more to live in CA" statements.

Insurance isn't bad. The weather isn't to extreme so utilities can be low if you are truly cheap

And to clarify the cheap. I use the funds I would otherwise be paying for the depreciation/full coverage insurance on a new vehicle, for lifestyle and hobbies. I pay whatever it costs to keep the domicile at 70 to 72 year round.
Thanks

[aslowdodge]

600K x 1.25= $7,500/yr in taxes.
My landlord insurance was about 900 yr on a 600K house.
Assuming you bought a house with modern insulation and windows etc I would imagine utilities in the winter maybe 125 month and in the summer the ac is the big thing.
My friend doesn't even use ac on his house and I would say his utilities avg out to about 40 bucks over the year. Spring and fal are mild so I would say utilities are high june to august or sept for ac then some heat oct to march.

[chadetroit]

As a former Detroiter (actually Northern Oakland County but close enough) I thought I'd add my 2 cents. I've been in the east Bay for about 9 years.

Things that are great: The weather hands down, great climate you will never feel really cold here, some mornings it can be high 20's but it usually warms up to the 50's in the afternoon. Food is very good here too, lots of variety ethnically. Healthier concious people, no smoking in any public place, even bars and bowling alleys. Good mix of people of all ethnicities, yes there is still racism but it is less then many other cities. The mountains are great and pretty much everywhere you look there is a mountain in the backdrop.

Why Not? Housing is the #1 reason. Because of what has happened here in the last 5-8 years, housing has far out paced wages making it very hard to own a home. If you have a lot of money for a down payment and a good six figure paying job than you will not have to worry about it. Or if you are content with being a renter that works for many too (home ownership is not for everyone). #2 The people, most people are cordial but don't expect anyone to give you the time of day to be your buddy. Truth is because of the cost of living and long commutes people just don't have time to hang out or give you any of their time. This place is famous for people living next door to one another and saying about 100 words to each other all year. This might not be true everywhere but it is what I have found and have talked to many who feel the same way. I for one miss very much the people and sense of community of the good ol' Midwest.

In my opinion there are many other places in the U.S. you can go that have decent weather and the cost of living is more on par with wages. California... it's a great place to visit but loses a lot of it's beauty if you are struggling to live here.

If you are a hardworking self starter and self reliant individual than it might be worth a try out here. You can probably find a couple bike clubs to hook up with and meet people that way through your rides. But make no mistake it takes either low expectations or lots of $$$ to have a decent fulfilling life in the Bay Area.

Well, last game of the year for our Beloved Lions this week. oh well, maybe hope for a .500 season next year. Best of luck to you.