Coming from TX to the Bay Area…want to ensure I find myself in an area where I don’t have to drive very far (if at all) for long rides…and accessibility to a tri club is always nice too. Any neighborhood/town suggestions (i.e. Palo Alto, Burlingame, Los Altos, etc)? We don’t have a company location yet, but I’m the CEO, so I kind of get to decide that too. Any input is appreciated.
Two words - East Bay, a great mix of everything, flats , hills, open water. There is the Forwrd Motion Tri and running club. Club Sports is also a great gym system with good swimming as well as Heather Farms. And since coming from Texas, you will even see cows
I moved out of the bay area 20 years ago and never looked back. Being in the sierra foothills in the Auburn, Grass valley
area is heaven for training out of the smog and traffic.
Dave
The Waterboy’s comments prove that you want the bay area.
Question - how many millions can you spend on housing? If it’s less than 1.X, then stay in TX. If it’s 1.5, the east bay. 2.0ish and you can squeak by in Marin (God’s country and the center of the universe), and with 3.0 you can do Woodside/Portola. There’s NO better riding than there (excellent climbs).
I live in Livermore, and from my front door, I can go on rides from 50 to 200 miles with little or no traffic.
If you want access to long rides, the wine country (Sonoma, Napa) counties is as good as you can get. It’s not as great for access to the corporate culture of the bay area proper though. It depends on what you’re looking for in your company’s headquarters.
J
having lived on the Peninsula (Mountain View) and now in the East Bay (Danville) - I much prefer the East Bay for riding. Varied terrain is more easily accessible. You’ve got great climbing in the Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga area and Mt. Diablo. You’ve got access to flat areas.
Whatever you do - minimize your commute, or you won’t get much riding time in.
The East Bay (Pleasanton, etc.) can also be a very good location for your company as well. Might depend on what type of industry your in, but there is a good mix - from Chevron HQ all the way down to start-ups.
John, even in the dead of summer when it is hot?
I spent 20 years growing up in Livermore. Heat never bothered me as a kid.
Dave
pm me if you need help finding a place to live, I know a good realtor.
Dutchy
Why in the world would you move to a location where all costs (labor, living, taxes, etc.) are several times greater than virtually anywhere else? Have you actually looked at real estate here?
Try this for example:
http://www.mlslistings.com/Reports/Main.aspx?propertyId=774691
$1.6 milliion for a dinky house on a 5000 sq. foot lot. That’s right, the lot (not the house) is 5000 sq feet.
–jens
Great weather choices, depending on where you are.
Dave
It’s really hot only one or two weeks a year, the rest of the time it’s quite nice, especailly compared to Texas. Of course, if it’s hot, you can always go for a swim in one of the two lakes here that are triathlete friendly.
Livermore today is nothing like it was when you left. From my front door, I can run on the newly integrated trail system for 5-50 miles, on bike paths, fire roads, single track, through vineyards, around Del Valle, even all the way to Sunol. This weekend I’m running from Danville to Livermore, with 16 of 17 miles on paths. It’s pretty much an ideal location for training, and with our newly revitalized downtown that’s a short bike ride from here, it’s an even better place for living.
Sounds pretty nice. There was always such great areas you could get to via car. If you can get to via bike trails, etc. now,
that is real cool.
Still love being living in the foothills, being minutes from the snow, or a short drive to Tahoe, etc.
Everytime I drive back to the Bay area I just can not believe the cars, traffic and smog.
(I can not stand even driving around Roseville, or Sacramento, again too many cars compared to being
in the pine and oak trees of the sierras.
Now, Livermore is much better than lets say San Jose.
Dave
Although I read in the paper the other day that Placer and El Dorado counties are two of the fastest growing counties in the state and will soon look like the Bay Area…Everything nice always gets loved to death.
As for OP, I would avoid the North Bay. No good riding here and people are mean. If you are coming to the Bay Area I hope you pay your people well…it will be a shock from Texas.
I moved out of the bay area 20 years ago and never looked back. Being in the sierra foothills in the Auburn, Grass valley
area is heaven for training out of the smog and traffic.
Dave
I would avoid the North Bay. No good riding here and people are mean.
Grape stomping bastards.
Ya know there is a winery up here that puts on a womens only grape stomp for breast cancer and female team building. You should try it…I am told purple feet are very sexy!
Interesting you say that. When I was looking to move her 20 years ago, I said I was not going to cross any bridge over water
to get to work. So, that said no El Dorado county, which can have real traffic issues trying to get into the valley.
And yes, folks have been trying to get out of the valley traffic and have been moving up the hills into Placer.
Luckily, the traffic on 80 is still a non issue since I get on at Hwy 65. But, if I were having to get on just 1 mile
more to the west and go through Roseville, it is a zoo!!!, both east and west.
Luckily, in Nevada county where I live, it has not gotten too crazy yet, but Hwy 49 can only handle so many cars before
it could become a zoo also. Do not want to move up anymore since at 1500 feet, I am above the fog, and below
the snow.
What is neat for Nor Calif, within a few hours driving, you can find climates, costs, etc. that are quite unique.
Dave
damn i used to live off murrieta and i was a lazy fat pos back then. now i live in flatsville. grrrrrr.
Sounds like fun, but I think I’d prefer a co-ed stomp.
Since you’re CEO some of your decision will depend on what type of company you have and whether you’ll have the right mix of applicants for the job openings you will have. Paying more encourages people to commute farther but could be a factor for them.
There are lots of great spots to live in the Bay Area in general. If you’re looking for easy access to rides, runs and pools just stay out of the largest cities and you should be OK. Think about schools if you have kids too.