Off topic: for CA residents

[tombo74]

My current employment contract is ending soon and there?s not much going on anymore here in my field of work. I?d have a possibility to go and work in Santa Clara, CA. So I?m trying to gather info on this area. Thought I could get some personal insights here as well.

So if you know this area please share. Things like cost of living, safety, weather, distance to the beach!!!...
And will I need to make 1M$/year to get a decent house and sustain a family there??

Thanks (really off topic, I know?)

[Derek DeFields]

It's pretty much Silicone Valley I guess. Suburban CA life. Nice area, 45 minutes south of San Francisco. Traffic would be a bitch but hopefully you'd have a close commute.

Housing costs in CA right now are at record breaking highs. Renting would be easier. Don't know how much you make though so maybe it's easier for you than me. :-) Music scene in the Bay Area is not what it once was but it's still good and there are some cool clubs near Santa Clara.

[peter c]

Speaking on the economic front, Tombo, that housing has startled up again and with the other market factors that exist, right now, it's possible that in a year, things will slow down a little but for this moment, it's top dollar, wherever you go that's worth living in.

Good luck.

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[drum4fun]

Hi Tombo,

Derek's advice is right on the money. (Sorry for the pun.) Silicone Valley has the most expensive real estate prices in the United States. The traffic can be awful at times but it is a pleasant place to live weather-wise and things to do and see. I have several friends, who live there.

I read an article somewhere saying that Boston may become the new "Silicone Valley". I don't know how true that is but it may be worth your while to check into the Boston area for hi-tech jobs too.

[beat Hit]

Out of curiosity... How's California's economy? Picking up? With the recent elections, I was under the impression the State was in a financial mess.

PS: Tombo.... Have you checked Toronto?

[ladanny]

Tombo,

What line of work are you in? What level?

[tombo74]

Thanks guys for the CA infos!
As photonic design engineers we were gods for the very few years that the telecom bubble inflated; working wherever we wanted for good money and got zillions of stock options (that eventually?never materialize). Now it?s like it?s the most useless specialization you could have. As for Boston, for what I know, it could have been the new Silicone Valley, but it was built on new startups and most of them are dead (or close to). I had somewhat of an offer there last year but the company couldn?t complete its 2nd round of financing and fell into bankruptcy. In Toronto, there?s nothing in this field. The best place in Canada would have been Ottawa, I?ve been there a short while. But now there are more unemployed than employed people in the fiber optics field. With Nortel that went from 100 000 to 30 000 employees within a year and JDSU from 30 000 to 3000. Looks like the only companies still hiring a bit are the older ones that were wise enough to diversify at the right time to offer something else than telecom products. There are some in Silicone Valley. Now, I was under the impression that since lots of high tech jobs were lost there too, that housing costs would have dropped. But I?ll see if it gets further.

Anyway, before it gets into a Lightreading.com type of thread, I?ll conclude by saying that I?m very much tempted by another full-time shot in music?I MISS IT!!!