I am looking around for a new place to live... SanJose?? (San Jose: apartments, rentals)

[mcvivor]

Hey everyone. I am new to this place. I have been sitting around moping for the past few weeks now. I currently live in Cleveland Ohio. I can not stand it here anymore! With an average of only 60-70 sunny days a year and over 200 cloudy days...I AM DONE.

I need some help with relocating questions.

A little about myself. My name is Mike and I am 23. I currently work as a part time legal assistant-paralegal for a law firm. I have an associates degree as a a paralegal. I am looking to move to CA or somewhere nice with LOW crime and sunshine. I did some google searching and San Jose poped up. I know most of you will be from the area so now I need your help in helping me pick an area that would most suite me.

1) I am looking for a job as a legal assistant. (where would I start looking in the area....does anyone know if there is a high demand for that?)

2) My boyfriend is a tow truck driver, is there a demand-for this area. Will he have issues getting a job. (going along with this....is San Jose a gay friendly area?)

3) We would probally have to start off in an apartment...what are the names of some good ones (and areas they are located).....What is the cost on average for this....

As you guys can see I am really overwhelmed with all of this, but I am so done with no sun in this state and would LOVE to relocate somewhere nice.....any suggestions, ideas, or help would be greatly apprecicated. Thanks in advance everyone!!!!

[mstnghu2]

Let me start off by getting the negative out of the way. San Jose and the entire Bay Area (and most of California) for that matter are very expensive. With that said, there are deals to be found anywhere. I know people who pay $1600/month for a 1br apartment, whereas I'm currently renting a 4br fully-remodeled house for $1950/month in a nice neighborhood! So, it's hard to give cost of living estimates since there are many variables.

Most of the San Jose economy is high-tech based, but that doesn't mean that everybody is in this industry (I'm not). My wife's aunt is a paralegal here, and there will always be a great need for legal experts. With the current economy though, I'm not sure how easy it would be for you to find a job in your field. Your bf would probably not have too hard of a time getting a tow truck job here.

As far as acceptance goes, San Jose is an incredibly diverse city. It's not nearly as "eccentric" as San Francisco (which is roughly 45+minutes away), but nevertheless is for the most part a very inclusive and non-judgmental area. You can find pretty much any type of person here from all sorts of walks of life.

As far as specific apartments go, I can't really help with that. Maybe somebody else can chime in. Check Craigslist. I found my rental home there. I can tell you the main zip codes I'd probably avoid (95111, 95116 and 95122 immediately come to mind, although there are some other areas to avoid as well).

Overall, SJ is a very pleasant place to live. It's in a great location to explore other parts of California as well (SF is only about 50 miles away, Santa Cruz is only about 35 miles away, Monterey/Big Sur are about 75 miles away, Lake Tahoe/skiiing are reasonably close, etc.). SJ does have some shady areas, but nothing as rough as the bad parts of Cleveland or Cincinnati. SJ is actually considered to be one of the safest big cities in the country. For its size, it can even be somewhat boring...but I'll take that over more crime! As for weather, yes we do have great weather! Rainy season is in the winter, and right now we've had non-stop cloudy/rainy days for the past 9 days. Typically though, SJ gets over 300 days of sunlight per year. Daytime temps average around the low 50's to low 60's in the winter and summer temps average around the high 70's to high 80's during the day, with occasional 90+ degree heatwaves.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by mcvivor

I have been sitting around moping for the past few weeks now. I currently live in Cleveland Ohio.

You mean, years? Our condolences. Escape to San Jose.

[sonarrat]

As a gay man myself, have you considered Atlanta? Serious question.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by mcvivor

Hey everyone. I am new to this place. I have been sitting around moping for the past few weeks now. I currently live in Cleveland Ohio. I can not stand it here anymore! With an average of only 60-70 sunny days a year and over 200 cloudy days...I AM DONE.

I need some help with relocating questions.

A little about myself. My name is Mike and I am 23. I currently work as a part time legal assistant-paralegal for a law firm. I have an associates degree as a a paralegal. I am looking to move to CA or somewhere nice with LOW crime and sunshine. I did some google searching and San Jose poped up. I know most of you will be from the area so now I need your help in helping me pick an area that would most suite me.

1) I am looking for a job as a legal assistant. (where would I start looking in the area....does anyone know if there is a high demand for that?)

2) My boyfriend is a tow truck driver, is there a demand-for this area. Will he have issues getting a job. (going along with this....is San Jose a gay friendly area?)

3) We would probally have to start off in an apartment...what are the names of some good ones (and areas they are located).....What is the cost on average for this....

As you guys can see I am really overwhelmed with all of this, but I am so done with no sun in this state and would LOVE to relocate somewhere nice.....any suggestions, ideas, or help would be greatly apprecicated. Thanks in advance everyone!!!!

As others have said, cost of living is high here. Here are some of the things you need to think about before moving here:

1. Do you want to own property some day? You can live a decent lifestyle with the kids of jobs you'll both have, but you may not ever be able to buy property here without being "house poor" or doing something extreme (or finding a way to earn more). You might be able to comfortably afford a 1BR condo here on your combined incomes. If you don't care about owning property, then no problem.

2. The job situation here stinks, but it seems you both have practical kinds of jobs that have geographic mobility. I've heard that they really work the paralegals here really hard here (but maybe that's the same in Cleveland). I'd definitely have some serious cash saved before I moved here. (Think 5K or 10K between the 2 of you).

3. Apartments in this area tend to be cookie cutter in style and not that well built. There are cute smaller complexes in older buildings downtown and in adjacent neighborhoods, that tend to be cheaper and have more character. But you have to pick and choose. Right now there are a fair number of vacancies so you would have the luxury of shopping around. Rents are flat or down slightly but are still very high compared to what you'll pay in Cleveland. $1500 is normal. But I know someone at work who found a 1BR in an older building just north of downtown SJ for $850 (an okay neighorhood). The key to getting the best deals on rent is to avoid the large complexes and to look for the smaller buildings--and also really taking the time to shop around. The large complexes tend to charge higher rents and jack them up mercilessly when the economy improves.

As a gay man, I can tell you SJ is gay friendly but is definitely not a gay mecca. San Francisco is both a blessing and a curse. It is great if you are into that scene, but it also tends to detract from the social scene in neighboring cities as a result. As others have said, SJ is safe, but surprisingly dull for its size. I think that's because we have a disproportionate number of tech people here. They tend to work a lot. If you're not into tech stuff you might feel a little alienated here (I know I do, at times).

Another area to consider that is nearby is the East Bay corridor from Berkeley to Fremont. It is just as gay friendly, attracts a more balanced group of professions (not just tech), has more activities for gay men, & is closer to San Francisco. Oakland has some rough areas, but also some very charming ones (definitely higher crime than SJ). I also find the gay crowd in the East Bay to be more down to earth and less pretentious than San Francisco. The weather is cooler and a bit rainier than in SJ but is still a lot better than Cleveland's.

[Sunnnee]

San Jose is a nice place to live. Rent is gonna scare you and landlords can afford to be picky because people need a place to stay in this area. Check Craigslist. I just got a 2Bd Duplex for $1250.00 if you can believe that.

You won't find that price locally because most landlords here use some Realty Agency and have strict criteria's that they want you to have to rent their dump. Glad I got a nice place...try and talk to the owner directly and avoid those realty companies...lots of wasted time, $20.00 here and there for credit checks....etc... Good luck!

[stephorama]

If you ever plan to save money, own a home and have children who may someday wish to own a home, unless you have earning capabilities of well over 200K, look elsewhere.

San Jose was a pleasant place to be when our kids were small, lots to do with young kids. There is little to no nightlife here and the cost of living is ridiculous!

We pay $2,000 per month to live in a 3 bed, 2 bath with a tiny yard and no central air conditioning. The PG&E bill is outrageous since this house (as with many others) is very poorly insulated.

We have a very good income, as long as we move somewhere besides the west coast!

In addition, while much of CA is considered to be pretty liberal, sometimes the extreme liberalism can be a bit much. There are also some very serious conservatives here.

For us, it just isn't worth it anymore. The beach over the mountains, while lovely, is usually cold and windy, even in the summer and the water is freezing. Actually, the beaches are often fogged over and chilly in the summer, when the valley is blazing hot. It gets VERY hot here and many homes do not have central air. Neighbors may give you some "looks" when you slap those window units in for comfort.

Some areas of San Jose different ethnic groups tend to congregate together and can leave a person feeling like they don't belong.

We just visited Fort Worth and found a beautiful, fully updated home on almost an acre of land for under $150,000. Schools nearby are excellent and we will be 1/2 mile from the lake for boating, etc.

If you want some sunshine to shine into your empty wallet, San Jose/ Bay area is the place for you!

[bigdumbgod]

Well...moving out of a very nice old 2br + studio house ($1275/mo) in Burbank to a fabulous 1870's-era 3br Victorian with lots of property on the most Beverly Hills of streets in SJ for $1700.

Look around and you can find deals here.

[baltmom]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

Well...moving out of a very nice old 2br + studio house ($1275/mo) in Burbank to a fabulous 1870's-era 3br Victorian with lots of property on the most Beverly Hills of streets in SJ for $1700.

Look around and you can find deals here.

do tell your secrets...where do you search? I've been actively looking to rent for several months and I haven't found any deal like yours!!

[bigdumbgod]

Used to go with Bay Rentals for house searching. Now, just checking out what look like interesting opportunities, walking or driving by, since many homeowners are renting nice places for cheap.