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Ask HN: East bay vs SF vs Palo Alto

5 points by ashton77 16y ago

So I'm moving to the bay area in July.. I'd like to live in a hacker friendly area where it'd be convenient/easy for me to network with other hackers. Does it really matter? Or are there certain areas in the bay that are much more convenient for networking/startup related events than others.. I've been leaning towards the east bay but only because it looks like it offers the best combination of afford-ability and city living with good proximity to the city. Any suggestions?

mbenjaminsmith 16y ago
Don't have any suggestions as I was going to ask the same thing (looking at July as well).
russell 16y ago
Web type jobs are in SF. The Peninsula has web jobs and non-web jobs but still cutting edge. The East Bay much less so. I would NOT recommend commuting from Berkeley to Palo Alto. I've lived in all 3 places and much prefer the Palo Alto area. My son OTOH prefers SF.
codenerdz 16y ago
Id definitely focus on San Francisco & Peninsula(area between SF & Palo Alto). Most of the jobs will be in these two areas(sorry east bay,but emphasis is on most). While living in San francisco is convenient, the areas with nice climate are generally more expensive(SOMA, Portrero Hill). But youre in the middle of startup hustle and bustle... If you get a place in the Peninsula near a Caltrain or a Bart Station, you can get to South of Market/Downtown in no more than 25 minutes(Baby bullet express from San Mateo to SF).
drudru11 16y ago
Sf is slightly more hipster than PA. More networking events are in SF. Pa has more of a stanford feel. Both are very strong, for starting a company.
BenSchaechter 16y ago
I live within walking distance of downtown Palo Alto and really enjoy it. It's cheaper than San Francisco in most instances and you still have a high concentration of startup people. You can't go more than a few blocks without seeing a YC-er. Of course, you don't have the massive social scene of San Francisco, but you're a quick ~30 minute CalTrain ride away.
deleted 15y ago
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flignats 15y ago
SF has great places like SOMA, but if you stick around Mountain View and Palo Alto you will be in the heart of Silicon Valley. You'll find a lot of meetups in those three places. East Bay is where I live. It also has meetups, but not nearly as many. However, It takes me 15 minutes to get into Palo Alto and it is a lot cheaper to live over here than in those other places. When I go to SF I would rather take Bart in than drive. Parking can be such a huge bitch if there is a game going on. So, I am close to Bart and it takes me 40min to get into SF when I need to, which is a couple times a week. It's around $80 for a monthly pass on Bart.
keefe 15y ago
I've lived in Berkeley, SOMA, Mountain View, now in san jose. I'd recommend you live at the tail end of bart in the peninsula. Technical networking tends to be better in sbay but the most interesting events are in sf. East bay doesn't compare unless you're somehow involved with ucb.

5 points by ashton77 16y ago

mbenjaminsmith 16y ago

Don't have any suggestions as I was going to ask the same thing (looking at July as well).

russell 16y ago

Web type jobs are in SF. The Peninsula has web jobs and non-web jobs but still cutting edge. The East Bay much less so. I would NOT recommend commuting from Berkeley to Palo Alto. I've lived in all 3 places and much prefer the Palo Alto area. My son OTOH prefers SF.

codenerdz 16y ago

Id definitely focus on San Francisco & Peninsula(area between SF & Palo Alto). Most of the jobs will be in these two areas(sorry east bay,but emphasis is on most). While living in San francisco is convenient, the areas with nice climate are generally more expensive(SOMA, Portrero Hill). But youre in the middle of startup hustle and bustle... If you get a place in the Peninsula near a Caltrain or a Bart Station, you can get to South of Market/Downtown in no more than 25 minutes(Baby bullet express from San Mateo to SF).

drudru11 16y ago

Sf is slightly more hipster than PA. More networking events are in SF. Pa has more of a stanford feel. Both are very strong, for starting a company.

BenSchaechter 16y ago

I live within walking distance of downtown Palo Alto and really enjoy it. It's cheaper than San Francisco in most instances and you still have a high concentration of startup people. You can't go more than a few blocks without seeing a YC-er. Of course, you don't have the massive social scene of San Francisco, but you're a quick ~30 minute CalTrain ride away.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

flignats 15y ago

SF has great places like SOMA, but if you stick around Mountain View and Palo Alto you will be in the heart of Silicon Valley. You'll find a lot of meetups in those three places. East Bay is where I live. It also has meetups, but not nearly as many. However, It takes me 15 minutes to get into Palo Alto and it is a lot cheaper to live over here than in those other places. When I go to SF I would rather take Bart in than drive. Parking can be such a huge bitch if there is a game going on. So, I am close to Bart and it takes me 40min to get into SF when I need to, which is a couple times a week. It's around $80 for a monthly pass on Bart.

keefe 15y ago

I've lived in Berkeley, SOMA, Mountain View, now in san jose. I'd recommend you live at the tail end of bart in the peninsula. Technical networking tends to be better in sbay but the most interesting events are in sf. East bay doesn't compare unless you're somehow involved with ucb.