3 ms·

It's worth noting that even for folks who have enough income to afford an RV park, there are effectively none in the Bay Area. The ones that exist are either: B

It's worth noting that even for folks who have enough income to afford an RV park, there are effectively none in the Bay Area. The ones that exist are either: Booked solid with a long waiting list, don't allow old RVs (I found this out when I passed through the area with my 34 year old Avion travel trailer), or are so far from everything as to be useless for most of the folks covered in the article. Or, most likely, all three. Also, among the most expensive RV parks in the country. I'm pleasantly surprised the city of Palo Alto isn't ticketing or arresting or towing these folks. They passed a law against sleeping in vehicles a few years ago, as I recall. It's deeply troubling, to me, that the solution to homelessness (or near homelessness) is often to make mere existence illegal. I spent a couple of weeks parking around the University Ave./Downtown area in Palo Alto a few months after I moved into my first RV (a nice/newish motorhome), about eight years ago, to visit with a friend who lived on University, and I didn't have any trouble with police or neighbors, even parked among multimillion dollar homes (it certainly helped that the RV was nice...I got questions from residents but they were of the form "Where've you been?" and "Where are you going next?"), but I'd read there'd been a crackdown on it. I haven't been back in an RV since then. Last time I was in the area earlier this year, I parked way outside of the valley (about a 1.5 hour drive away, which was literally the closest I could get) and rented a car to drive in (rather than driving my very large F250; the fuel savings paid for the car rental), but I saw that there were little RV villages in a few locations in Mountain View and Palo Alto. If I'd been in a motorhome and didn't have a girlfriend that liked having limitless power and water with me, I would have spent a night or two on those streets just to avoid making that ridiculous drive several times. But, with a trailer, it's just not a great idea to park on streets. Even in places that tolerate motorhomes and vans, they might not tolerate a truck and trailer, and its length often makes it subject to other street parking laws.

j_s 9y ago
I vaguely recall an HN discussion recommending rest stops; I wonder if those near SF have near-permanent residents.
- 0xffff2 9y ago
  I can't think of a single rest area that's within a 1.5 hour drive of Mountain View.
  - SwellJoe 9y ago
    There's one just north of San Francisco on 101 (probably a little over an hour from Mountain View if not driving during rush hour), but nobody is living there. It's very crowded every night, and I've heard time limits are enforced. Truckers complain a lot about any routes through the SF Bay area, as there are very few places for them to rest or even park for a short time. There's also a couple on I-5, but they might be a 1.5 hour drive from Mountain View.
- SwellJoe 9y ago
  There are only a couple within an hour or so in either direction. I've never noticed a seemingly permanent population; rest areas in populous areas are patrolled regularly by police, and California has an 8 hour limit on stops. It's actually pretty rare to find folks spending more than a day or two at rest areas even in places where police don't visit often. So, no, I'd bet there is no near-permanent residency happening at rest stops in Northern CA. At least, I've never seen evidence of it. And, I sometimes talk to folks living in weird places when I find them, as I find the subculture fascinating (if a little depressing). I've met lots of Walmart parking lot residents. But, no Walmarts in Northern CA allow overnights, either.

j_s 9y ago

I vaguely recall an HN discussion recommending rest stops; I wonder if those near SF have near-permanent residents.

0xffff2 9y ago
I can't think of a single rest area that's within a 1.5 hour drive of Mountain View.
- SwellJoe 9y ago
  There's one just north of San Francisco on 101 (probably a little over an hour from Mountain View if not driving during rush hour), but nobody is living there. It's very crowded every night, and I've heard time limits are enforced. Truckers complain a lot about any routes through the SF Bay area, as there are very few places for them to rest or even park for a short time. There's also a couple on I-5, but they might be a 1.5 hour drive from Mountain View.
SwellJoe 9y ago
There are only a couple within an hour or so in either direction. I've never noticed a seemingly permanent population; rest areas in populous areas are patrolled regularly by police, and California has an 8 hour limit on stops. It's actually pretty rare to find folks spending more than a day or two at rest areas even in places where police don't visit often. So, no, I'd bet there is no near-permanent residency happening at rest stops in Northern CA. At least, I've never seen evidence of it. And, I sometimes talk to folks living in weird places when I find them, as I find the subculture fascinating (if a little depressing). I've met lots of Walmart parking lot residents. But, no Walmarts in Northern CA allow overnights, either.