If you had the chance to move to northern Cali, would you?

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Well, ya got me on that one!!

who cares

oh, and I love the veggie "blend" you guys "invented"

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You seem to have a real knack for inaccuracy and not carring.
By the way it's "chopped and channeled and lowered and louvered and cheater slicks, with baby moons

Keep em commin, big boy

 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Well, ya got me on that one!!

who cares

oh, and I love the veggie "blend" you guys "invented"

[/ QUOTE ]

You seem to have a real knack for inaccuracy and not carring.
By the way it's "chopped and channeled and lowered and louvered and cheater slicks, with baby moons

Keep em commin, big boy

[/ QUOTE ]

boy!! got me again!! dang, guess it's just not my day


I wonder what Tom Waits would think about me screwing up his lyrics......I feel some much shame .....

Where did I leave that rope.....


and you are right about one thing,,,, I don't care what some dude sitting in front of some computer in some far off paridise (yeah I know that's spelled wrong) thinks....you're right xoxo

edit: at least you have good taste in music!

 

Lemme help you with that rope

Craig

 

Now that we are done pissing all over each other,(at least I hope we are done) let's get back to the original thread.

Chris:
zman brings up a good point. It is fairly common for a company to try to recruit from out of state and get people for fifty cents on the doller.
If you are thinking about comming to the bay area make sure a salary being offered is actually comparable to what the local people are making. There are plenty of referances to look that up.

Craig

 

Been here 35 years in the Sacramento area (Roseville, to be exact...) Yes... a ton of HAMBers... great location to go do anything (2 hours to the mountains and skiing, 2 hours to the Bay Area, etc). But like they all say, housing as skyrocketed here thanks to the Bay Area and SoCal people who are moving to Sacramento because it was "cheaper" to live here. I'm ready to move out. I'm tired of having to work two jobs just to make it by. I got lucky in the housing department. I bought a brand new house in June 1998 for $139K. Now I am living in an old house that was built in 1918 and it's worth about $450K. I could sell this place and move anywhere else (pretty much) and buy a house with cash. Yet I stay here and put up with all the overpriced BS. I wont leave just yet because I am afraid if I do not like the South I may want to come back but I can't because I've been priced out of the area. So... all I can do is sit and wait, and watch the $450K price climb...

Travis

 

Ya know what. If you two guys ever meet at a cool show like Billetproof and just talk bout the HAMB and it's cars, you would actually like each other . I know you both and you are booth nice guys. So why not stop the drama and just talk about cars. BTW I've never lived in CA but I do know they have some cool cars there. Some of um even from Michigan .
Now kiss and make up

 

Why all the Cali hate?

I was born and raised in SoCal and moved to San Jose in the early eighties when the family moved. It was the best thing that could have ever happened.
Yes, housing is expensive. We pay more for goods and services. Traffic can be a drag. It's not perfect, but what town, city, or state is? It's what you make it.

I dig it here. You might too.

btw, San Jose continues to be named the safest big city in the nation year after year.

 

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and how can you know about the salaries if you dont live here. Every company that has offices in different areas has different pay scales for different reagions. You are still talking about something you have no experience in.
I am not bragging about making that kind of money, I am saying it is average. You can call me a dipshit all you want. It won't change the cost of living in California. Just make me glad you are one of the one's that don't make the trip.
If you ever do visit the Bay, drop in

Craig

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The reason why I know what the salaries are is because I've been recruited my a few Bay Area companies. My brother in-law works for one, one of my best friends works for one. I have quite a few friends in the IT/Tech industry that work there. I've done the research. I didn't say anything bad about Cali, I merely stated that the salaries don't live up to the cost of living. I actually visit at least once a year. Never said I lived there. But I've been there more than most. You jumped my shit for telling the truth. I have quite a few friends that work at EA and Earthlink in that area. I've talked to all of them about the salaries and cost of living in length when I was being recruited to work out there. You came out with the "holier than thou" attitude. I've experienced it before, more so from the SoCal guys than the Bay Area but it still pisses me off. Cali is not Nirvana. Why do you think the Zorlac guys made "Fuck you we're from Texas" shirts in the 80's? Now back to our regularly scheduled drama...

 

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The reason why I know what the salaries are is because I've been recruited my a few Bay Area companies. My brother in-law works for one, one of my best friends works for one. I have quite a few friends in the IT/Tech industry that work there. I've done the research. I didn't say anything bad about Cali, I merely stated that the salaries don't live up to the cost of living. I actually visit at least once a year. Never said I lived there. But I've been there more than most. You jumped my shit for telling the truth. I have quite a few friends that work at EA and Earthlink in that area. I've talked to all of them about the salaries and cost of living in length when I was being recruited to work out there. You came out with the "holier than thou" attitude. I've experienced it before, more so from the SoCal guys than the Bay Area but it still pisses me off. Cali is not Nirvana. Why do you think the Zorlac guys made "Fuck you we're from Texas" shirts in the 80's? Now back to our regularly scheduled drama...

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I don't have a "holier than thou" attitude. You'll never hear me say anything bad about another state. But I do have a " I'm really tired of assholes who don't know what their talking about shitting all over California" attitude.
Since you know how it works out here so well, please tell me how so many people can afford houses here. If the jobs didn't pay well enough, why are there 5 people waiting to buy every house that goes up on the market. Isn't that the basic law of supply and demand?

30 Love, your serve
Craig

 

I like living in downtown Orlando, it smells of pee and the er' 'urban night' down at The Firestone's not a belly full of laughs, it's hard for your kids to stay asleep when cars drive by that sound like they're having mini avalanches inside them.
I have been to the Bay Area, it's very pretty (expensive) and my new wife was almost raped by a moose in Golden Gate Park.
I saw David Bowie walking down the street in Haight/Ashbury, I told him that song he did, "The Laughing Gnome" when he was still Davy Jones makes my daughter scream with terror. He apologized for writing the song.
We met some of the nicest people we have ever met on our travels.
I think some people on this board might be homophobic.
We went to Napa valley, but we didn't find any auto parts there.
Some fat bitch said my "Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow" t-shirt was offensive.
The Ford Aspire we rented was the most gawdawful slow car I've ever driven, I renamed it The Perspire.

To cut a long and rambling story short, if I could afford it, I would live in San Francisco in a second.

But I would miss Orlando terribly, I really, really, love it here.

 

[ QUOTE ]

Ya know what. If you two guys ever meet at a cool show like Billetproof and just talk bout the HAMB and it's cars, you would actually like each other . I know you both and you are booth nice guys. So why not stop the drama and just talk about cars. BTW I've never lived in CA but I do know they have some cool cars there. Some of um even from Michigan .
Now kiss and make up



[/ QUOTE ]

Mommmm, Scott started it . . .

 

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I don't have a "holier than thou" attitude. You'll never hear me say anything bad about another state. But I do have a " I'm really tired of assholes who don't know what their talking about shitting all over California" attitude.
Since you know how it works out here so well, please tell me how so many people can afford houses here. If the jobs didn't pay well enough, why are there 5 people waiting to buy every house that goes up on the market. Isn't that the basic law of supply and demand?

30 Love, your serve

Craig

[/ QUOTE ]

If you don't have an attitude where the hell did you get that I was talking shit about California. As for how people afford houses, it's simple, massive debt. The debt to income ratio is much higher there. Where here I plenty of money left over to do stuff. There I would spend much more on a mortgage and have less liquid income. It would be much more affordable for me to rent there than to buy. To me quality
of life includes being able to own your own home, that includes a decent size lot and a shop out back.

30 all...

 

Doesn't a 500,000 dollar house ...as a general rule of thumb....have a 5000 dollar a month payment?....I'm sorry, but my mind can't fathom that. I have never lived in CA, but I did live in Hawaii..same crap there...I left. I am now faced with the terror of a low house payment, no traffic jams, fantastic school system, no pressing need for my wife to work, and the option of taking a month or two off this winter if I feel like it....the only problem I see is that it gets cold in michigan for six months....six months to build more stuff out in my small but comfortable shop. For me, there is NOWHERE in the world worth living that will put you in financial ruin if you, or your wife call in sick at work for a week...Which brings up one of my pet peeves....Two working adults in the same house means the kids are free to grow up exactly the way the babysitter determines.....Quality of life doesn't mean "More money"

 

Same answer. If it was as bad as you imagened, no one would be willing to live here. No, my house payment isn't $5000 a month. Yes, I have a shop out back. And I enjoy my quality of life very well. I don't have to shovel snow to get to my shop. I can go to rod runs just about all year round. And I don't need to board up my windows 3 months out of the year.

Craig

 

This started as a request for opinions, I didn't say CA was all bad....there is good and bad to every every place we can live. If you find all positive and no negative to California, you are living in a dream world. No place is perfect.

Everyone has priorities, different priorities...for example, rod runs aren't one of mine....but if someone asks about a move, MONEY always is a consideration....and should be discussed....especially if family are involved....This board isn't needed to spell out the high cost of CA...it's common knowledge.

 

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Yeah, taking the Pacific Coast Highway is nice, yeah driving through the farm land in the north on the way to Stockton was scenic, but I can get those kinds of views all over the country.

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Few places in the world have the awesome demeaning power of beauty that one feels on Highway 1 from Morro Bay up to Monterey and beyond. It is a unique area and to deminish it in any way by saying that it is even in the slightest way common is wrong. Highway 1 should really be considered a great wonder. I'm in no way a "religeous" man but I feel some greater presence standing in the redwoods on a cliff, hundreds of feet above the boiling surf and looking out at the edge of the earth. I didn't even feel as insignificant in the rainforests of South and Central America or at the Grand Canyon.

Nowhere on earth is there a greater diversity of ecosystems than in California. Pretty much all are represented in this one state. Northern california is the most beautiful part unless you really love deserts (I do).

...And if I could find a job there that paid me enough for my family and I to live like we wanted there, I'd be there faster that it took you to read this post.

The problem is that everyone who has negative things to say about it are also right. Is some of the most awesome scenery on the planet worth it, cosidering you're realistically looking at $800-$1MIL for a good sized house in a good area up there? Probably not.

Hell, even in my suburban LA neighbohood with basically none of the natural beauty of NorCal, you'd be hard pressed to find a NICE house for less than $600k.

I agree that it's no place to raise a family unless you have ass-loads of money. Therefore I too am working my way out.

Unless you and your wife can realistically make around $200K a year, I don't think I'd move there. And I mean that in all honesty. I just don't think a comfortable, minimum-debt, lifestyle, comperable to what can be had in other parts of the country for a fraction of that, can be had there for less.

 

"And we'll SINK with CALIFORNIA,
When it falls into the SEA....."

 

A friend's wife sells real estate in "Silly cone" valley. She showed us a house she had just listed. Built in about 1950-something, it had 850 sq.ft. and was listed at $585K, and sold in just a few days at $640K. This was 10 months ago, and it was in a very modest neighborhood...not an upscale locale!

 

Here's how I look at it....New guy moves to California with 100,000 cash in his jeans...If I remember correctly, the banks will only let you borrow about 25(not sure) percent of your monthly income to spend on a house.....A 500,000 house with 100,000 down (yeah right!) for 30 years at 8.25 percent is 3000 a month payment which means you need to make 12,000a month,(144,000 yearly) to get a mortgage...math is an exact science..(unless your are the gov't)....and I don't know anybody that makes that kind of money that actually works for a living. I'm sure there are people that do, I just don't know any....I am just puzzled how you can enjoy life with that kind of a house payment....or even buy food.

 

You are correct sir. There are very few middle income people making that kind of income either.
Take that same loan and make it a more reasonable 6% loan. Your payments are closer to 2000. You only need to take home about 3200 to afford that. And there are plenty of people making that kind of money.
The cost of housing is way higher, but the food and other things are not as bad.
Again. If it wasn't possible, we wouldn't have a population problem, causing folks to offer 640 K on a 550 K house.

 

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I've lived in Northern Ca most of my life, and in the Bay Area for the past 15 years. It is incredibly, horribly expensive- Its depressing. A decent starter home, maybe 1200 - 1500 sq feet starts at around $650,000 now in a decent neighborhood in the East Bay. Silicon Valley will be priced even higher. Its gone up about 20% just in the last year!!!!! We pay more for groceries, gas, bridge tolls, tickets, you name it. They've milked the lower and middle class into poverty around here.

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That's absolutely forking insane. Plenty of people get by on 15-20K a year in the midwest....

 

They are not that high.
I scanned this from todays San Leandro Times.
San Leandro is a medium sized city in the bay area.
Right on the bay, Pretty much in the middle of the Bay Area.
Very middle class. Not slums, but not High Roller either.
As you can see, the claims of every house in California costing at least $600K is bullshit.
And if you are willing to go further out, you can get plenty of housing under 300K.

Here is a link for a better view.
San Leandro Home Sales Dec 2004
Craig

 

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Go and check it out for yourself. Northern Californios are the nicest, most tolerent people you might meet. Real estate prices are insane, but it's nice to rent and see if you like it. I will warn you not to let them think you are from Southern California. Everybody there hates the people from So Cali. Maybe they can explain why, I sure can't…

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UNTILL you get then on the Freeway!!! Im not Bashing Ca.I just think its too damned expensive any more.I'll always be a Ca. native and Im proud of that(Tennessee chicks dig it too)Most of my family is still there.I was offered an opportunity to transfer through my job to TN. and keep my Ca. wages.Needless to say I make good money.It just goes ALOT further here.Why? because the cost of living is LOWER.I love Ca.I just think its OVERPRICED and OVERPOPULATED My 2 pennies. BTW ..I still have the 63 Ca.lic plates on the Buick

 

I can understand someone owning a 4 or 5 hundred thousand dollar house if they are born and raised there...with some help from their parents and some leverage at the bank. I don't see how someone that is new to the area could possibly do it, and I was not being realistic with the down payment figure.(100k). Tell me the name of one young couple that has ten thousand extra laying around...much less 100k...it just isn't happening in the US today. The majority of people in this country are deep in debt with zero savings...not opinion....but fact.

I live in a normal nice neighborhood in a town of 45,000...a nice house with garage and a yard big enough for kids, dog, and a pool runs just over 100k....great schools, no gang bangers, and a few jobs still left.

My point still is....how do people do it?...I have one kid in College and the next one starting next fall....I don't work at taco bell and feel very fortunate for what I have...I just dont understand where the money comes from for even a 300k home...and food...and clothing...and cars...and plasma tv's...and harleys...and so on and so on and so on....sign me "Confused"

 

I lived in san Mateo and union city for a number of years.. Unless you work for a Computer company the salaries are not that much higher then other places unless you compare it to the poor ol south. Not enough to make up for the cost of living. When we transferred out to SC I made the same rate (stayed with the same company) but my wife went from making $20 hr as an Optician to making $13. but our housing cost went from $400,000 (this was back in '98) to $145k for the same thing and gas today cost $1.72 a gallon compared to $2.29 in Cal. My company has been talking about transferring me back but not really looking forward the commute 70 miles each way to work and spend 2 hrs aday on the road each way (because that will be the only place to afford a house) I will look forward to the car scene as the one in SC sucks so bad.. worse then anywhere i have ever lived. so for a car nut, that is a wonderful thing.. just may not be able to afford to have a hotrod..

The majority of the people who will tell you they love Northern cal are ones who already own a home.. They have made a fortune.. Thou I do not see the prices doubling again like they have. they cant as there are only a few % fo the people who can afford 1M homes..

 

Hey HotRod, don't take things as a personal attack on you and "your" state. Everybody is entitled to an opinion. I lived there, I made good money, but found most of it going to mortgage and gas. I think the question was "If you had the chance to move to Northern Cali, would you?" If they answer no, that's them. When I left there, I had 230k in equity on my home. I didn't sell the house because I know that I may someday move back. It is a great place to live, "if you can afford it". Check out the listings in the Tenderloin area of SF and see how much a studio goes for in the Ghetto. Well over 1k a month. It is expensive no matter how much you argue.

 

I'm with Hatch in not understanding how people do it, and thinking it's all gotta be debt.

Taking home 3200 a month, and sending 2000 of it to the bank is 60 percent of your income! You're going to live on the remaining $300 a week? Gas, car insurance (god forbid you have a car payment! Or a "fleece" car), tags for the car, phone bill, utilities, food and clothing. How do you budget $1200 per month to cover all those things through the year, and have money left over for anything? Let alone if you have a kid?

Those cliff-side views are nice, but I'm pretty sure we have another ocean and coast somewhere in this country--you know, back East? Redwoods? No. Okay--redwoods and.....um, that might be the only thing I can think of that I can't see somewhere else. Car cruises? All year 'round in Florida, Texas, Georgia, etc.

I guess it's what you're used to. I don't think it's normal to see a sign on a bridge saying the name of the river you're crossing, and to look down and see a concrete ditch that's 100 yards wide. I don't think it's normal to see razor wire on highway overhead signs to keep people off of them. I don't think an 1000sq ft house with no yard for half a million dollars is normal. I think for $500-600K you should be getting a brick 2-story on a full finished basement, on a couple of acres with a helluva big building out back, not a 800sq ft fixer-upper.

Why are so many people doing it? Herd mentality, and I seriously think for the ego or vanity of saying "I live in California" right after taking the big gulp of CoolAid. Maybe ego and vanity aren't exactly the right words, but it's certainly a mindset I don't get. Very much like those who live in New York City--another place I don't understand. It is nice, though, that you've all decided to go there--removes you from us poor dumb schmucks here in FlyOver Country who just don't get it.

-Brad

 

Well, thank you all for your opinions and suggestions. To be honest, I'm not as concerned about the cost of living as I am about raising my two kids there. I didn't realize that there was such a problem with schools there. The company that is courting my wife is in Mountain View. Any comments on that particular area?

Thanks again for your time. I just wanted to get some views from a hot rodders prospective.

Chris

 

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I'll sell ya a nice fixer upper about 1 hr from san jose (easy commute) probably go about 600K ...but I have a nice view of 3 different oil refineries!!!! and some nice scenery past those.
I'll sell ya a nice 7000 sq. ft. shop too....I'm moving to Texas! Too fucking expensive here...oh yea...if you have kids...the school systems are broke,the teachers are leaving for cheaper areas,they have even cut the honors classes at my kids high school...just more reasons to say screw this place!
Great people though...all the rodders here are great!

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He aint shitting you about his view of them oil refineries either.....
oh and then theres the METH labs and the DYKES

 

[ QUOTE ]
I can understand someone owning a 4 or 5 hundred thousand dollar house if they are born and raised there...with some help from their parents and some leverage at the bank. I don't see how someone that is new to the area could possibly do it, and I was not being realistic with the down payment figure.(100k). Tell me the name of one young couple that has ten thousand extra laying around...much less 100k...it just isn't happening in the US today. The majority of people in this country are deep in debt with zero savings...not opinion....but fact.

I live in a normal nice neighborhood in a town of 45,000...a nice house with garage and a yard big enough for kids, dog, and a pool runs just over 100k....great schools, no gang bangers, and a few jobs still left.

My point still is....how do people do it?...I have one kid in College and the next one starting next fall....I don't work at taco bell and feel very fortunate for what I have...I just dont understand where the money comes from for even a 300k home...and food...and clothing...and cars...and plasma tv's...and harleys...and so on and so on and so on....sign me "Confused"

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We all be sellen rock in the hood yo