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I'm grimacing with ironic amusement reading this-I actually quit my job in SF for a slightly better paying one in Portland, precisely because its too expensive

I'm grimacing with ironic amusement reading this-I actually quit my job in SF for a slightly better paying one in Portland, precisely because its too expensive to live here (here for me being Fremont, for a few more weeks). San Jose (and Santa Clara County for that matter) is remarkably non dense and very, very suburban. There's so much room to expand, and build an adequate housing stock, so that even a crappy 1 bedroom apartment doesn't cost over 2K. I've participated in FB convos in which even non tech Santa Clara County residents think that's a bad idea-oh noes, Manhattanization! Goddamn SC County needs that. Besides, as anyone who's experienced the recessed 1 story office parks offset from 6 lane roads by massive parking lots that are the hallmark of SV, SC County is so very, very far from being Manhattan.

rayiner 11y ago
I spent a summer working out of an office in Menlo Park. Having just come from Manhattan, it blew my mind that you had to get in a car to just get lunch. How do people live like that?
- cmrdporcupine 11y ago
  It's gross but it's the [sub]urban development model which seems to be the norm rather than the exception in most of North America. At least in SV the weather is nice and the roads are good and the landscaping in the parking lots is pretty. The office park suburbs of northeastern cities are a desolate and disgusting place.
  - ZanyProgrammer 11y ago
    I can imagine that taking light rail down North First and Tasman would be less pretty if the weather wasn't perpetually sunny (and in recent years, warm during most of the year).
- ZanyProgrammer 11y ago
  I suppose if you make a good enough salary, you can at least drive an electric/hybrid that isn't so bad on the old GHG scale, but the car centric nature of the Bay Area in general (outside of Oakland/Berkeley and SF) makes living here that much harder if you have to sink a ton of money into car maintenance and gas.
- leonroy 11y ago
  As a Londoner visiting San Jose - I was appalled at how difficult it was to simply cross the street to go from one section of strip malls to the other. Cars zoom by, there were two sets of lights which took nearly 15 minutes of waiting to navigate and on top of that drivers look at you as if you're some sort of pariah (felt like it at least!). Very, very different to what I'm used to in London and sad to be honest. The valley is an incredibly beautiful part of the world and it seems urban planners decided to cover it with miles of single story buildings and car parks.
  - Zigurd 11y ago
    > ...and on top of that drivers look at you as if you're some sort of pariah (felt like it at least!) In America you're probably a bum, have a drunk driving conviction, or are otherwise outcast or not where you should be. If you are waiting (and waiting...) near a bus stop early enough in the day you might be taken for an honest but low-wage worker. But if you are on a dilapidated bike in some parts of town it's a sure bet you are on your way to a mandated alcoholism recovery program.
    - throwawaygrey 11y ago
      I'm not sure if you're trying to be ironic but just in case you are, I'm sad to report that everything you've written, the majority of the time is true. Most people in America that ride around on dilapidated bikes, hang out at bus stops, etc., are the dregs. The truth isn't politically correct.
    - fennecfoxen 11y ago
      > if you are on a dilapidated bike in some parts of town On the other hand if you're on a $3000 racing bike along the edge of the Bay then chances are you're an "honest" tech-worker commuting down to your job at Google from your swanky apartment in San Francisco's Mission district.
      - umeshunni 11y ago
        "swanky"..."Mission district"
- cafard 11y ago
  California. Long ago I worked with a woman, an Angeleno by upbringing, who would get into her car to drive 50 yards to a 7-11.
  - amorphid 11y ago
    Reminds me of my roommate who would call me from the next bedroom over whenever he wanted to talk, even when my door was open.
BrianEatWorld 11y ago
I think part of that resistance is that by giving in to urbanization, they are subsidizing SF's resistance to the same thing. If SF relaxed their laws and allowed for more density, San Jose could go back to being a suburb. As your post alludes, most of the jobs for people in SJ are further up the peninsula and I imagine most would want to live closer if they could.
roflchoppa 11y ago
Yo how was the commute VIA bart like for you? I assume you got off at Union City?
tropo 11y ago
Nope, the roads can't handle it. There is a chicken-and-egg problem getting actually-useful subway service (under 10 minutes apart, 24x7 including holidays) in a place that is currently low-density. Without the density of Manhatten/Tokyo/London you can't afford good service. Without good service, anything above suburban density is misery. BTW, SF does not have good service. It's much worse than Boston even.

rayiner 11y ago

I spent a summer working out of an office in Menlo Park. Having just come from Manhattan, it blew my mind that you had to get in a car to just get lunch. How do people live like that?

cmrdporcupine 11y ago
It's gross but it's the [sub]urban development model which seems to be the norm rather than the exception in most of North America. At least in SV the weather is nice and the roads are good and the landscaping in the parking lots is pretty. The office park suburbs of northeastern cities are a desolate and disgusting place.
- ZanyProgrammer 11y ago
  I can imagine that taking light rail down North First and Tasman would be less pretty if the weather wasn't perpetually sunny (and in recent years, warm during most of the year).
ZanyProgrammer 11y ago
I suppose if you make a good enough salary, you can at least drive an electric/hybrid that isn't so bad on the old GHG scale, but the car centric nature of the Bay Area in general (outside of Oakland/Berkeley and SF) makes living here that much harder if you have to sink a ton of money into car maintenance and gas.
leonroy 11y ago
As a Londoner visiting San Jose - I was appalled at how difficult it was to simply cross the street to go from one section of strip malls to the other. Cars zoom by, there were two sets of lights which took nearly 15 minutes of waiting to navigate and on top of that drivers look at you as if you're some sort of pariah (felt like it at least!). Very, very different to what I'm used to in London and sad to be honest. The valley is an incredibly beautiful part of the world and it seems urban planners decided to cover it with miles of single story buildings and car parks.
- Zigurd 11y ago
  > ...and on top of that drivers look at you as if you're some sort of pariah (felt like it at least!) In America you're probably a bum, have a drunk driving conviction, or are otherwise outcast or not where you should be. If you are waiting (and waiting...) near a bus stop early enough in the day you might be taken for an honest but low-wage worker. But if you are on a dilapidated bike in some parts of town it's a sure bet you are on your way to a mandated alcoholism recovery program.
  - throwawaygrey 11y ago
    I'm not sure if you're trying to be ironic but just in case you are, I'm sad to report that everything you've written, the majority of the time is true. Most people in America that ride around on dilapidated bikes, hang out at bus stops, etc., are the dregs. The truth isn't politically correct.
  - fennecfoxen 11y ago
    > if you are on a dilapidated bike in some parts of town On the other hand if you're on a $3000 racing bike along the edge of the Bay then chances are you're an "honest" tech-worker commuting down to your job at Google from your swanky apartment in San Francisco's Mission district.
    - umeshunni 11y ago
      "swanky"..."Mission district"
cafard 11y ago
California. Long ago I worked with a woman, an Angeleno by upbringing, who would get into her car to drive 50 yards to a 7-11.
- amorphid 11y ago
  Reminds me of my roommate who would call me from the next bedroom over whenever he wanted to talk, even when my door was open.

BrianEatWorld 11y ago

I think part of that resistance is that by giving in to urbanization, they are subsidizing SF's resistance to the same thing. If SF relaxed their laws and allowed for more density, San Jose could go back to being a suburb. As your post alludes, most of the jobs for people in SJ are further up the peninsula and I imagine most would want to live closer if they could.

roflchoppa 11y ago

Yo how was the commute VIA bart like for you? I assume you got off at Union City?

tropo 11y ago

Nope, the roads can't handle it. There is a chicken-and-egg problem getting actually-useful subway service (under 10 minutes apart, 24x7 including holidays) in a place that is currently low-density. Without the density of Manhatten/Tokyo/London you can't afford good service. Without good service, anything above suburban density is misery. BTW, SF does not have good service. It's much worse than Boston even.