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Cannot edit the text anymore. Just wanted to mention that I have a bootstrapped product that I run and ideally would love to stay closer to startup ecosystem. O

Cannot edit the text anymore. Just wanted to mention that I have a bootstrapped product that I run and ideally would love to stay closer to startup ecosystem. Of course, California is out of question again due to the excessive cost of living.

SEJeff 11y ago
Austin has a huge startup culture, the Mayor of Chicago is trying really hard to bootstrap a similar ecosystem with tax incentives, and Portland is really just a smaller and slightly cheaper SF.
heyheyhey 11y ago
I would say Portland, Austin, and Seattle. For startup ecosystem, Seattle probably has the best followed by Austin and then Portland. For cost of living, Seattle is the most expensive. I'm not sure about Austin but Portland has been increasing the past couple years.
- joezydeco 11y ago
  If Seattle is a choice and you are planning to enroll your toddlers in the public school system when they're older you might want to track what's happening with the public school teachers. Just speaking as a parent, which probably makes me a minority in this conversation.
plumr 11y ago
It really depends on where in California. The Bay Area is exorbitant but Sacramento is quite reasonable in comparison. It has good schools and it's a 90 min drive to San Francisco. And I do mean drive... public transportation between metropolitan areas in CA is pretty much useless. But beware, the summers are hot, and quite long. We are in currently the middle of a 4-day 100°+ heat wave. The winters are way milder than you have seen in NJ, some frost early in the morning but no snow.
read 11y ago
What convinced you California is out of the question? If anything was possible, would you want to live in the Bay area, find a co-founder, and grow the bootstrapped product into a company? I say this because your comment is contradictory. You "just" wanted to mention something important to you that may be frightening. And then you doubled up trying to convince us the entire of California, which includes the expensive Bay Area and all the other inexpensive areas, is "out of the question". I think you want to start a company, and it's frightening as it should be. You only live once. The choice is yours.

SEJeff 11y ago

Austin has a huge startup culture, the Mayor of Chicago is trying really hard to bootstrap a similar ecosystem with tax incentives, and Portland is really just a smaller and slightly cheaper SF.

heyheyhey 11y ago

I would say Portland, Austin, and Seattle. For startup ecosystem, Seattle probably has the best followed by Austin and then Portland. For cost of living, Seattle is the most expensive. I'm not sure about Austin but Portland has been increasing the past couple years.

joezydeco 11y ago
If Seattle is a choice and you are planning to enroll your toddlers in the public school system when they're older you might want to track what's happening with the public school teachers. Just speaking as a parent, which probably makes me a minority in this conversation.

plumr 11y ago

It really depends on where in California. The Bay Area is exorbitant but Sacramento is quite reasonable in comparison. It has good schools and it's a 90 min drive to San Francisco. And I do mean drive... public transportation between metropolitan areas in CA is pretty much useless. But beware, the summers are hot, and quite long. We are in currently the middle of a 4-day 100°+ heat wave. The winters are way milder than you have seen in NJ, some frost early in the morning but no snow.

read 11y ago

What convinced you California is out of the question? If anything was possible, would you want to live in the Bay area, find a co-founder, and grow the bootstrapped product into a company? I say this because your comment is contradictory. You "just" wanted to mention something important to you that may be frightening. And then you doubled up trying to convince us the entire of California, which includes the expensive Bay Area and all the other inexpensive areas, is "out of the question". I think you want to start a company, and it's frightening as it should be. You only live once. The choice is yours.