Should a NEW YORKER move to San Jose/Santa Clara (SF-greater metro area) from NYC ? (San Francisco: rent, to buy)

[clubmed]

We are looking to move to SF-Bay area / San Jose /Sunnyvale/Santa Clara), etc. We have 3 young children (6;4;2) and will probably rent for two years before we decide to buy and live for good.

1. Are the areas of (San Jose/SUNNYVALE/Santa Clara/etc) commutable to the city of San Francisco, preferably by Public Transportation ? (Currently, my commute to manhattan is 1 hour by public transport and reliable)
2. I'm not exactly sure where I will be working, but it will be in the Banking/Finance sector, so I assume that the only realistic Financial District for employemnt would probably be the city of San Fran itself ?
3. Are there reasonably employemnt opportunities for Physicians/Doctors in the suburbs of SJ/SC, etc. or SF ?
4. With recent boom-bust in economy, are many people leaving the area or do families stay for the long-run?
5. How diffferent is it to greater NYC metro area ? Do New Yorkers end up staying ?

[krudmonk]

Just move to SF. It's not a huge price jump like Manhattan is relative to its surroundings. You're not gonna like the Caltrain commute all the time.

[SportyandMisty]

Live in Palo Alto or Menlo Park. You'll find a variety of private banking & investment banking & venture capital in this area. Lots of opportunities for physicians.

[silverkris]

You're gonna have to ask yourself what sort of lifestyle you want in moving here. First of all, NYC is a pretty unique place in terms of population density. If you crave the fast pace of the big city, SF is not going to match that.

Where in the NYC area are you from? Do you live in the outer boroughs? Long Island? Westchester? NJ? If so you probably won't have too much trouble adjusting if you're used to living in the burbs. If you have small children, you'd probably want to live in the burbs where there are good schools.

Do you have a budget requirement? You're probably aware that SF area is pretty pricey but it won't be too much of a shock if you're in the Tri-state area.

[durf]

You're gonna love downtown San Jose since New York doesn't have one. Most New Yorkers are impressed with downtown San Jose and said it's better than Manhattan because everything is closer without the hassle and grime. Good luck!

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by durf

You're gonna love downtown San Jose since New York doesn't have one. Most New Yorkers are impressed with downtown San Jose and said it's better than Manhattan because everything is closer without the hassle and grime. Good luck!

OP...I live in downtown San Jose & love it, but please be aware that Durf overstates things. Downtown SJ is clean, I'll give it that. It's pleasant and there's stuff to do here, but it doesn't compare to Manhattan.

[durf]

Dt. San Jose is better than Manhattan as quoted by most New Yorkers who have visited San Jose. I kid you, not that Dt. San Jose is better because of its arts, music, architectures, food and everything else is so close. The HP Pavillion is better than Madison's Sq. Garden, and the ballet of San Jose makes New York jealous. The main library is better than New York's. The food is tastier than New York. I can go on and on. Manhattan is more spread out and overrated. I was just there last summer and was not impressed. You'll really like to eat up downtown's ethnic restaurants big time! Have fun.

[clubmed]

Thanks, guys. much appreciated!

[Setsuko]

Originally Posted by durf

Dt. San Jose is better than Manhattan as quoted by most New Yorkers who have visited San Jose. I kid you, not that Dt. San Jose is better because of its arts, music, architectures, food and everything else is so close. The HP Pavillion is better than Madison's Sq. Garden, and the ballet of San Jose makes New York jealous. The main library is better than New York's. The food is tastier than New York. I can go on and on. Manhattan is more spread out and overrated. I was just there last summer and was not impressed. You'll really like to eat up downtown's ethnic restaurants big time! Have fun.

How can anybody take this serious, downtown San Jose better than Manhattan because of the arts, cutlure , food and everything else? LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the.....

[durf]

Krudmonk, take a 3 day vacation please and then get off the inferiority complex!