A quick Question...

[kjnava]

Solnavitas,

What Catlady wrote about not really knowing in San Francisco and San 
Jose I can answer. I live half way in between the 2 cities. Just off 
highway 101 near Palo Alto. The weather has been really bad this year 
with all the cold weather/warm weather. 

We do have earthquakes here along with wild fires in the hills around 
the Bay Area, and floods. In some areas you have to have flood 
insurance to live. 

We do have good transportation right now but because of the budget 
cuts that may change. There is traffic no matter what time of day you 
go anywhere but it's really bad during rush hours in the morning and 
afternoon. 

The beach is about 45 minutes away from us. There are about 10 major 
shopping malls all over the Bay Area. 

The rent is really bad. A 1 bedroom can go for about $1,000.00 a 
month depending on what city you are in. Renting a bedroom can even 
run about $500.00 a month. Some people have turned their garages into 
studio apartments. Sometimes its hard to find a place when the 
Stanford University students come back in August and September. 

Kathy

P.S. If you need anything more info please feel free to email me 
privately. 


--- In HP4GU-California at yahoogroups.com, "Catlady (Rita Prince 
Winston)" <catlady at w...> wrote:
> --- In HP4GU-California at yahoogroups.com, "solnavitas" 
<chal0001 at s...> 
> wrote:
> > I joined this group because I live in Minnssota right now and 
I've 
> > been thinking about moving to California.  I was hoping somebody 
> > here could just give me any information at all about the climate, 
> > the people, and anything else.  What are the pros and cons of
> > living in California?  Any information would be great.
> 
> It depends on what *part* of California you're thinking of, because 
> this is a *big* state and even the climate is very different from 
> place to place.
> 
> All parts of California have earthquakes, as far as I know all 
parts 
> have wild fires, many parts have floods and landslides, but IIRC 
only 
> the northern part has active volcanoes. Most working people have 
long 
> commutes, but I think there are some areas [rural] which don't get 
> terrible traffic jams, and I'm under the impression that San 
> Francisco and San Jose have adequate public transportation. 
> 
> At the present time, we are shutting down all our emergency rooms 
and 
> libraries due to lack of income tax revenue due to lack of income 
to 
> be taxed. I gather that the economy is dreadful, judging from the 
> number of stores which have suddenly gone out of business after 
> having been there since forever, and now their premises are 
standing 
> vacant, with For Rent signs, like back in '91.... 
> 
> I live in Los Angeles, on the Westside, in Venice. Here the beach 
is 
> in walking distance, the climate is almost perfect, finding a 
parking 
> place is impossible, and the cost of housing -- to buy some little 
> fixer-upper house is half a million dollars, and I think rent for a 
> one-bedroom apartment in the new developments is $2000/month. My 
rent 
> is lower than that because I've been in the same apartment a long 
> time, and I have a nice landlady.
> 
> Another part of the city of Los Angeles is named the San Fernando 
> Valley, located inland and northerly of me. I would never submit to 
> live there, as the weather is terrible! All summer days are over 
100 
> degrees, up to 116,  and some winter nights are below freezing --- 
it 
> even *snows* once every ten years or so, and one time the snow 
stayed 
> on the ground long enough for the CSUN students to make a snowman! 
A 
> number of my friends do live in the Valley, because some parts of 
it 
> are kind of run-down and have almost-affordable rents.
> 
> Pippin lives far east of me, in the desert, but IIRC still in LA 
> County, and still a place of commuting to jobs in LA, and perhaps 
she 
> will be amused to tell you how nice the weather is in the Valley is 
> compared to where she lives.