4 ms·

> I think SVs appeal is that you can leave in a quiet suburb close to a lot of easily accessible nature, while still having Amazon 2-day shipping, ridesharing,

by xienze 6y ago

> I think SVs appeal is that you can leave in a quiet suburb close to a lot of easily accessible nature, while still having Amazon 2-day shipping, ridesharing, Uber Eats, and luxury retail. Maybe there’s something you’re not explaining here but there’s plenty of places all over the country that fit this bill. Austin, Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, Denver, etc. And Amazon 2 day delivery is available all over the place...

vmception 6y ago
right? this person is stuck in like 2015
svachalek 6y ago
In some places “easily accessible nature” means you can drive just a few hours. But pull up a map of Cupertino or Mountain View and zoom out just a little. There are dozens and dozens of parks in biking distance. Austin and Atlanta are not like this. Haven’t been to Charlotte or Raleigh in ages but, maybe. It’s a nice climate for sure. Denver is really pretty but it depends how you feel about real winter.
- echelon 6y ago
  > Austin and Atlanta are not like this. Have you been to Atlanta? It doesn't seem like you're familiar. The Beltline [0,1], a paved multi-use trail converted from old railway, encircles the city's major neighborhoods and connects everything. It's one of the city's major features. Dozens of parks, including some of the largest -- Piedmont [2], Old Forth Ward, Grant Park, and the old Bellwood Quarry [3] where they filmed Walking Dead, It, etc. -- are all immediately accessible. The Beltine is being connected to the Silver Comet Trail [4,5], which is a paved bike trail stretching all the way to Alabama (the nation's second longest). Light rail is also being added to the Beltline. Outside the city you've got access to the Chattahoochee River for rafting. The Palisades [6] provide excellent river-adjacent hiking. Stone Mountain [7], a giant granite mountain, is 30 minutes east of the city and provides excellent hiking and running. Kennesaw Mountain [8] is 30 minutes northwest of the city and is great for hiking and dog walking. Red Top Mountain is 40 minutes northwest, and you have a host of lower Appalachian mountains to the north. Allatoona Lake [9] is 40 minutes northwest, where they filmed Ozark, and provides excellent boating. Lake Lanier is an hour away and is even bigger. Atlanta isn't called "city in the forest" for nothing. We have so many trees, parks, and outdoor activities. [0] https://beltline.org/ https://beltline.org/ [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BeltLine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BeltLine [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piedmont_Park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piedmont_Park [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westside_Reservoir_Park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westside_Reservoir_Park [4] https://www.silvercometga.com/ https://www.silvercometga.com/ [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Comet_Trail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Comet_Trail [6] https://www.atlantatrails.com/hiking-trails/hiking-east-palisades-indian-trail-at-the-chattahoochee-river/ https://www.atlantatrails.com/hiking-trails/hiking-east-pali... [7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain [8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennesaw_Mountain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennesaw_Mountain [9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Allatoona https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Allatoona
  - headsupftw 6y ago
    I lived in Atlanta (starting from my GA Tech days) for over a decade and I've been in the South Bay for a few years. As much as I love Atlanta and the gigantic house I was able to afford, landscape-wise it doesn't even come close to what the bay area has to offer. Beltline is pretty neat but you will find it rather disappointing if you have ever been to one of the coastal trails in the bay. Not to mention the lack of skiing options (sorry but Gatlinburg ain't Lake Tahoe).
labcomputer 6y ago
This is pre-Covid: > easily accessible nature From my office in Palo Alto, I can ride my bicycle up Sand Hill Road, past horse farms, and then up a secluded 2000 ft (~600 meters) mountain with virtually no traffic and return during my lunch break. Or I can take a long lunch and ride out to the coast, through rolling farmlands. And I can do that virtually any day of the year, thanks to the local climate. Most of the peninsula (which is, arguably, not SV proper) is like this, with tons of hiking within walking distance of where you live or work. The reason is that almost everything west of I-280 is undeveloped. As you ride or drive around that area, it's very easy to find a view where the only sign of humans is the road you're traveling on. If I want to go skiing, I can leave work an hour early and drive up to Tahoe for the weekend. Or I could drive down to Santa Cruz for the day and go surfing. Not quite "nature", but many people like to drive up to Napa for a day-trip to visit world-class wineries. > luxury retail Then, after work, I can walk over to my choice of Michelin starred restaurants (and I will pass multiple art galleries and branches of private banks). Granted, none of the restaurants in Palo Alto have more than one Michelin star (how gauche!). If conspicuous consumption is your thing, San Mateo, Palo Alto, and Santa Clara each have high-end malls with practically every luxury brand you can imagine. Want to buy Ferrari or a McLaren? There's a dealer for each one within 10 miles of Mountain View. > plenty of places all over the country that fit this bill Many places have some of what SV offers. Very very few have everything, and I would argue that none of the cities you listed fit the bill.
- Apocryphon 6y ago
  > Many places have some of what SV offers. Very very few have everything, and I would argue that none of the cities you listed fit the bill. Ah, but all of them have more affordable housing.
  - pvarangot 6y ago
    I think the point here is that there's things that justify that price and the other downcomings of living in the area. I'm the one that started this discussion and it proved controversial. I tried to just talk about like, the amenities of living in the area and tech jobs, but most people replied saying "wait there's two or three of your list of five or six in...". I may be biased because I'm not a "generalist web developer", I work in either crazy startups or kinda niche embedded/low level roles. I still get two or three really good job offers from big companies per month even when I'm not looking and they are in SV. I was getting one or more per week pre-COVID. Even when actively looking for that type jobs in Colorado and Austin I can't find them. Colorado would be more interesting for me if I was a citizen and could work the government aerospace and defense jobs but unfortunately I can't.

by xienze 6y ago

vmception 6y ago

right? this person is stuck in like 2015

svachalek 6y ago

In some places “easily accessible nature” means you can drive just a few hours. But pull up a map of Cupertino or Mountain View and zoom out just a little. There are dozens and dozens of parks in biking distance. Austin and Atlanta are not like this. Haven’t been to Charlotte or Raleigh in ages but, maybe. It’s a nice climate for sure. Denver is really pretty but it depends how you feel about real winter.

echelon 6y ago
> Austin and Atlanta are not like this. Have you been to Atlanta? It doesn't seem like you're familiar. The Beltline [0,1], a paved multi-use trail converted from old railway, encircles the city's major neighborhoods and connects everything. It's one of the city's major features. Dozens of parks, including some of the largest -- Piedmont [2], Old Forth Ward, Grant Park, and the old Bellwood Quarry [3] where they filmed Walking Dead, It, etc. -- are all immediately accessible. The Beltine is being connected to the Silver Comet Trail [4,5], which is a paved bike trail stretching all the way to Alabama (the nation's second longest). Light rail is also being added to the Beltline. Outside the city you've got access to the Chattahoochee River for rafting. The Palisades [6] provide excellent river-adjacent hiking. Stone Mountain [7], a giant granite mountain, is 30 minutes east of the city and provides excellent hiking and running. Kennesaw Mountain [8] is 30 minutes northwest of the city and is great for hiking and dog walking. Red Top Mountain is 40 minutes northwest, and you have a host of lower Appalachian mountains to the north. Allatoona Lake [9] is 40 minutes northwest, where they filmed Ozark, and provides excellent boating. Lake Lanier is an hour away and is even bigger. Atlanta isn't called "city in the forest" for nothing. We have so many trees, parks, and outdoor activities. [0] https://beltline.org/ https://beltline.org/ [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BeltLine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BeltLine [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piedmont_Park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piedmont_Park [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westside_Reservoir_Park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westside_Reservoir_Park [4] https://www.silvercometga.com/ https://www.silvercometga.com/ [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Comet_Trail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Comet_Trail [6] https://www.atlantatrails.com/hiking-trails/hiking-east-palisades-indian-trail-at-the-chattahoochee-river/ https://www.atlantatrails.com/hiking-trails/hiking-east-pali... [7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain [8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennesaw_Mountain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennesaw_Mountain [9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Allatoona https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Allatoona
- headsupftw 6y ago
  I lived in Atlanta (starting from my GA Tech days) for over a decade and I've been in the South Bay for a few years. As much as I love Atlanta and the gigantic house I was able to afford, landscape-wise it doesn't even come close to what the bay area has to offer. Beltline is pretty neat but you will find it rather disappointing if you have ever been to one of the coastal trails in the bay. Not to mention the lack of skiing options (sorry but Gatlinburg ain't Lake Tahoe).

labcomputer 6y ago

This is pre-Covid: > easily accessible nature From my office in Palo Alto, I can ride my bicycle up Sand Hill Road, past horse farms, and then up a secluded 2000 ft (~600 meters) mountain with virtually no traffic and return during my lunch break. Or I can take a long lunch and ride out to the coast, through rolling farmlands. And I can do that virtually any day of the year, thanks to the local climate. Most of the peninsula (which is, arguably, not SV proper) is like this, with tons of hiking within walking distance of where you live or work. The reason is that almost everything west of I-280 is undeveloped. As you ride or drive around that area, it's very easy to find a view where the only sign of humans is the road you're traveling on. If I want to go skiing, I can leave work an hour early and drive up to Tahoe for the weekend. Or I could drive down to Santa Cruz for the day and go surfing. Not quite "nature", but many people like to drive up to Napa for a day-trip to visit world-class wineries. > luxury retail Then, after work, I can walk over to my choice of Michelin starred restaurants (and I will pass multiple art galleries and branches of private banks). Granted, none of the restaurants in Palo Alto have more than one Michelin star (how gauche!). If conspicuous consumption is your thing, San Mateo, Palo Alto, and Santa Clara each have high-end malls with practically every luxury brand you can imagine. Want to buy Ferrari or a McLaren? There's a dealer for each one within 10 miles of Mountain View. > plenty of places all over the country that fit this bill Many places have some of what SV offers. Very very few have everything, and I would argue that none of the cities you listed fit the bill.

Apocryphon 6y ago
> Many places have some of what SV offers. Very very few have everything, and I would argue that none of the cities you listed fit the bill. Ah, but all of them have more affordable housing.
- pvarangot 6y ago
  I think the point here is that there's things that justify that price and the other downcomings of living in the area. I'm the one that started this discussion and it proved controversial. I tried to just talk about like, the amenities of living in the area and tech jobs, but most people replied saying "wait there's two or three of your list of five or six in...". I may be biased because I'm not a "generalist web developer", I work in either crazy startups or kinda niche embedded/low level roles. I still get two or three really good job offers from big companies per month even when I'm not looking and they are in SV. I was getting one or more per week pre-COVID. Even when actively looking for that type jobs in Colorado and Austin I can't find them. Colorado would be more interesting for me if I was a citizen and could work the government aerospace and defense jobs but unfortunately I can't.