Northern VA or SF Bay Area?

[MaryE]

Good morning, everybody!

 

My husband has been approached by a few different companies for a new job (computer/web development), and the first interviews have gone well. Because I'm an obsessive planner:D, I've already started researching the locations. I'm looking for opinions of the following areas: Western Fairfax Co./ Loudon Co., VA (job would be in Reston) and Lafayette/Orinda/Walnut Creek, CA (job in downtown San Francisco).

Can anyone help me out with things like general vibe of the areas, school options (I have a daughter in public HS and a homeschooled son.), neat things to do and see, etc.? I really appreciate it - it's always so much better to get a boots on the ground perspective instead of just reading websites. Thank you!

[Faithr]

I'm near Reston. Reston is very family friendly. There is a huge homeschool community, the public schools are considered excellent and there are many private schools to choose from. The housing is expensive and the traffic is awful. But Virginia is very pretty and there are lots and lots of things to do and see. You are very close to Washington DC. Lots of historical sites to see, good museums, just everything you could want, basically! Loudon County is just booming right now. I have lots of family who live there, and are involved in the school system. One is a special ed teacher and the other a bus driver with kids in the school system. In fact I have a sister who worked in Reston and lives in Leesburg. She got a new job now and has to commute to the Fair Oaks. Traffic is a bummer! They are putting in an extended line of the metro right now which hopefully will alleviate some of the traffic eventually, though Loudon county isn't doing that.

 

I think this area rocks, but it is home to me. It is a vibrant, fast-moving, cornucopia of options if you have the money! If you don't, that can really wear on you because this is a very expensive area.

[Guest inoubliable]

I'm near Reston. Reston is very family friendly. There is a huge homeschool community, the public schools are considered excellent and there are many private schools to choose from. The housing is expensive and the traffic is awful. But Virginia is very pretty and there are lots and lots of things to do and see. You are very close to Washington DC. Lots of historical sites to see, good museums, just everything you could want, basically! Loudon County is just booming right now. I have lots of family who live there, and are involved in the school system. One is a special ed teacher and the other a bus driver with kids in the school system. In fact I have a sister who worked in Reston and lives in Leesburg. She got a new job now and has to commute to the Fair Oaks. Traffic is a bummer! They are putting in an extended line of the metro right now which hopefully will alleviate some of the traffic eventually, though Loudon county isn't doing that.

 

I think this area rocks, but it is home to me. It is a vibrant, fast-moving, cornucopia of options if you have the money! If you don't, that can really wear on you because this is a very expensive area.

 

 

^ All of that. Lots of people love how beautiful Virginia is and how close it is to so much cool stuff like D.C., Baltimore Aquarium, the shore, civil war exhibits and battlefields, etc. If you don't have the money to put towards all the admission, it can be frustrating. Traffic can be nasty, too. I'm in Frederick County. Lots of people live here and work in NoVa. Less expensive to live here, but you've got a 45 min+ commute. Worth it for most, though.

[NotSoObvious]

Well, they are both super expensive, so I bet there isn't a huge difference there. (I'm from So Cal and live in Charlottesville, VA now).

 

Someone can correct me if I'm way off base, but according to my Fairfax Co. friends, it's like living in a huge suburb. DC is accessible, but your immediate surroundings are sprawling suburb. The schools are excellent.

 

Things in SF seem a little closer to me- like, you are never too far from the next city area or neighborhood. I guess it depends on where you live.

 

CA is in the toilet financially. 200 school districts have bonds that are due and can't pay them. It's a tricky time for schools there, so check that thoroughly. We had the option of moving to CA a few years ago and we chose not to, even though that's where my family is. It's just a tough time. I'm a teacher and I want to be able to work if I need to.

 

In VA, you'd be able to access so much for your homeschooled son! That's one of the things I love about living here! Everything is so close! But, I love CA and honestly wouldn't want to live in the DC area because of the traffic (although we are spoiled now, we live in a dirt road in the middle of nowhere).

 

They are both great places! Tough decisions! I'd probably start looking at specific schools and neighborhoods to get a better idea of opportunities available.

[bettyandbob]

OK, I live in Reston so I'm biased. Years ago I researched a move to the Bay area. We live in a large townhouse. I couldn't find housing (smaller) within an hour commute that we could afford. Dh did not pursue the job. A good friend of mine moved to the Bay area 3 months ago. In preparation she had to sell or give away 2/3 of her furniture. I have a decent dining table finally, but I miss my friend. She is enjoying the perpetual outdoor lifestyle. Her son's winter swim program is outside--she learning how to keep him warm when he gets out of the pool.

There is a huge range of housing in and close to Reston. So it is possible to have little or no commute. There is a large homeschool community. I would rule out loudoun if there is any chance of enrolling in public school, especially if any of your dc have special needs.

Being in Reston means you will be close to DC and the free Smithsonian museums. I think this area has a lot of positives.

I think if you have no anchor or family on either coast and the job promotion prospects are equal the housing costs make northern Virginia a lot more doable

[Giraffe]

I grew up in No. VA and loved it. It's sprawling, yes, but there is so much to do! Every weekend we were in DC at the Smithsonian (which is free) or the monuments (also free). Traffic is a nightmare, cost of living is a b***h, but I still miss that area. I moved away as an adult when I just couldn't take the traffic anymore. Now I'd be willing to brave the traffic again, but life hasn't worked out that way.

 

I haven't been to the SF Bay Area since I was a small child, but I'd take DC over it any day.

[MaryE]

Bump! Thanks to all that have responded so far. Anyone who wants to make a case for the Bay Area?:)

[TravelingChris]

Sorry, I am for Northern VA too. A few years ago, dh contemplated retirement and he was being offered a job in the SF area. It just wouldn't pay enough- a small house would cost over half a million dollars. We couldn't afford that even with his military retirement and his job. We could afford northern VA.

[Ellie]

The Bay Area of California is beautiful. Although Cali doesn't have the history that Virginia does, there are still many places to visit that would be within a short drive. The City itself is fun--museums and whatnot--and there are boatloads of other things you can do (a book called Bay Area Backroads is a great resource) that are close by. Homeschooling is a snap: file an affidavit annually and call it a day...no testing, no minimum # of school days, no accountability at all.

 

Can't speak to the public schools, though. Calif public schools are not known for their excellence. OTOH, the state college and university system is very affordable.

[Tess in the Burbs]

Well I love N VA. We lived in Loudon/Leesburg for 16 months and I would go back in a heartbeat. Dh worked in Reston. I won't lie.....he hated the commute and was a factor in his choosing to leave the area. I would have stayed LOL But honestly, Reston is a nice place to live and some parts of Fairfax county I would have liked. We just couldn't afford that area and ended up in Leesburg. I think N VA is just one of those areas you either love or hate. The kids and I loved the people we met and all the cool field trips around us. Traffic is bad but it didn't bother me like it did Dh.

[Freckles]

I lived in San Francisco for almost 2 years. It's crowded ,cold, foggy, beautiful, littered, and wicked expensive. It has been 13 years since I lived there for what it's worth. The burbs are nice. You will have a lot more sunny days. It's still expensive and CA schools are not that great. I live in So. Cal now, and wish all of the time I could be back in Tx, Tn, or Ok. I've also lived right outside of D.C in Maryland. It is also crowded and expensive, but for some reason I really liked it. I would go with VA, but that's just me.

[Spy Car]

Places like Orinda have great schools, are community minded with friendly progressive people. The neighborhoods and physical surrounding are beautiful with a lot of parks and open spaces. Being near Berkeley (and not terribly far from the City) means having easy access to very rich cultural experiences. Unlike the City, East Bay weather tends to be glorious much of the year.

 

It is pretty much a paradise IMO.

 

BTW, never refer to California as "Cali" *shudder* or to the City as "Frisco" unless you want people to think you're a rube :D

 

Bill

[Ellie]

Places like Orinda have great schools, are community minded with friendly progressive people. The neighborhoods and physical surrounding are beautiful with a lot of parks and open spaces. Being near Berkeley (and not terribly far from the City) means having easy access to very rich cultural experiences. Unlike the City, East Bay weather tends to be glorious much of the year.

 

It is pretty much a paradise IMO.

 

BTW, never refer to California as "Cali" *shudder* or to the City as "Frisco" unless you want people to think you're a rube :D

 

Bill

:iagree:

 

...although I do tend to write Cali or Calif on the Internet because I don't use CA except when writing postal addresses. I would never, ever write that for an actual letter or more official e-mail. And I would rather cut out my tongue than say Frisco when referring to the City. 0_o

[anabelneri]

We're south of SF, and as everyone says, it's wicked expensive. Orinda is lovely, and it's likely to be in one of the areas with good schools because the residents are well-to-do there. Other nearby areas won't be the same. Oh, and generally that area is full of unschoolers; finding classical homeschoolers can be a serious challenge. Where I am on the Peninsula it's not so hard; I know a handful of unschoolers but most folks follow some kind of plan/curriculum.

 

Perks of living here... the roads are really very nice (that was my very first thought after moving here 10 years ago, and it's still true), most folks are nice, & generally they're pretty liberal (works for my family, anyway). I've never lived anywhere with such a high caliber of well-educated stay-at-home moms (lots of Masters' and PhDs, plus a handful of really smart moms who didn't finish college but are here for the tech industry). The weather is generally fabulous; people complain about the occasional drizzle, but it's really no big deal. It doesn't get humid. We get thunder & lightning maybe once a year. It generally doesn't rain from May through September, so you can plan any outdoor events you want all summer without thinking about rain options. We all remember the time it hailed two years ago; we don't get tornadoes. We don't get snow, which makes Christmas interesting, but 'tis the season to see the hibernating monarch butterflies and the elephant seals give birth, and soon the whales will start migrating up the coast. Outdoor life is fabulous -- the people hike and bike with a will, and sometimes take the drive up to Tahoe for skiing. We have excellent museums, and there are a lot of classes and activities for homeschoolers. We have people from all around the world gathered here, which is fun and exciting for the kids and us. If you're studying a particular world region, there's a good chance you can experience part of that culture somewhere nearby. You do have to plan for earthquakes, but that isn't that hard to do. A random perk of the seismic activity is that there are volcanoes up closer to Oregon, which makes for fun geology studies.

 

It sounds like both of your options are pricey, though I'm guessing the Bay Area is more expensive. (Oh, and our produce here is beyond compare -- it grew just down the road, so it's fresh & beautiful!) It's expensive enough that it shapes the way we think about space. The threads on this board about how much space a family of 4 needs in a house is mind-boggling to me; we've spent years in small apartments, and now the 4 of us are in a 1700sqft townhouse, and it's way, way too big. We're aiming for something smaller for our next home, even if it's outside the Bay Area.

 

One thing a lot of homeschoolers do in our area for high school is enroll their kids at the community college. Unlike other places, the community colleges here are great, and well worth the time to look at. One friend has a daughter who took community college classes in high school, then transferred to Brown & finished in 3 years. She is quite clear that her time at the community college taught her more than her time at Brown. At least where we are, there is a program in the high schools that allow some of the students to take classes at the community college.

 

General list of neat things to do/see:

 

Museums:

-California Academy of Sciences

-The Exploratorium (now being renovated/rebuilt)

-Monterey Bay Aquarium

-lots of art museums, including modern art, Asian art, Jewish art, classic art, including touring art exhibits

-Tech Museum of Innovation

-while not standard museums, the universities also have programs & exhibits that are interesting.

-Aquarium of the Bay

 

Things to See:

-Migrating/hibernating monarch butterflies

-Elephant seal birth & mating seasons

-year round sea otters, seals, & sea lions

-Migrating whales (you can see them from dry ground, or you can go out on a boat)

-Flowers year-round

-Tidepooling

-Seriously fun/odd geology

-Lots of protected lands to hike in

 

Things to Do:

-Various international grocery stores, clothing shops, & cultural events

-Along with the international flavor, lots of language classes for kids. Mine takes Japanese at a local Buddhist temple.

-Lots of harvest festivals, depending on the town. Nearby towns have a garlic festival, a strawberry festival, an artichoke festival...

-Outdoor activities. Hiking & biking are everyday activities; sailing & skiiing are also popular and not far away.

 

I'm sure there's more, but that seems like a good start. In my experience, it's easy to move here, but it's hard to leave. It's just that nice.

:)

[dangermom]

I used to work at an elementary school in Orinda! It's a lovely town full of very very wealthy people who can afford to keep a lovely town. Also a really great fancy bakery (I worked there too). The schools there are quite good as CA schools go.

[KrissiK]

I used to live in Concord (next door to Walnut Creek). It's nice. Weather is great. However, I wouldn't move to California for anything right now. We'd love to get out, but we have family here and that's the only reason we are staying.

[ChristineW]

I love being in the East Bay. The Lamorinda/WC (Lafayette/Morage/Orinda and Walnut Creek) area hasn't been hit nearly as hard as the rest of California in this recession, and the schools are top notch due to community involvement and fund-raising. The Acalanes High School District is among the best in the country. The area is affluent and most residents are well-educated but also very down to earth. The weather is definitely better than DC.

 

If your husband commutes to SF, the BART system (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is a big plus. We live within walking distance of the BART station, and DH is able to work on the train.

 

Feel free to pm me with any questions. My kids are small--the oldest is in first grade so I won't be able to answer everything about the schools. It is wicked expensive to live here, but I do agree with SpyCar that it is practically paradise.

 

Christine

[bbmom]

I agree with the above-the Lamorinda area is lovely and you have high school choice within the district, so three top rated high schools that you can choose from. There are also good home-schooling groups around (not so much in the Lamorinda/Walnut Creek area, although they do exist, but just through the tunnel in Berkeley.) Elementary schools are also quite good if you are thinking about possibly going that route for your younger child, although there is one elementary in Orinda I would avoid like the plague as they have significant, long-term bullying problems that it seems like they don't care to do anything about (you can PM me if you want the name of the school.) Otherwise, lots to do-museums, symphony, opera, ballet, theater, musical theater, etc. all very close-the Orinda Shakespeare theater they run during the summer months is a wonderful way to spend a summer evening.

[Crimson Wife]

Places like Orinda have great schools

 

Orinda's schools are not quite as bad as others in the area, but they aren't "great". I have a good friend who moved to Orinda on the hopes that if any PS in the area would work for her kids, it would be there. She wound up pulling them out to HS again within 6 months.

[Spy Car]

 

 

Orinda's schools are not quite as bad as others in the area, but they aren't "great". I have a good friend who moved to Orinda on the hopes that if any PS in the area would work for her kids, it would be there. She wound up pulling them out to HS again within 6 months.

 

Sorry, but Orinda is famous for having fantastic schools. All the public schools in Orinda get a "10" ranking from great school.com, a ranking that is not common.

 

Bill

[bettyandbob]

Sorry, but Orinda is famous for having fantastic schools. All the public schools in Orinda get a "10" ranking from great school.com, a ranking that is not common.

 

Bill

 

 

A district that gets a decent rating can adequately serve the majority of students who fit within in a narrow range of typical learning styles and development. That leaves a lot of students out who may or may not be served well. And that does not mean the students who fit the best profile to be served by the district will be provided opportunities to reach their best potential.

[Spy Car]

 

 

 

A district that gets a decent rating can adequately serve the majority of students who fit within in a narrow range of typical learning styles and development. That leaves a lot of students out who may or may not be served well. And that does not mean the students who fit the best profile to be served by the district will be provided opportunities to reach their best potential.

 

 

It is not a district that gets a "decent" rating. It is a district that gets OUTSTANDING ratings. The area is famous for having great schools.

 

Bill

[bettyandbob]

It is not a district that gets a "decent" rating. It is a district that gets OUTSTANDING ratings. The area is famous for having great schools.

 

Bill

 

 

 

Are you saying that every child enrolled is served to the point of maximizing their potential. No child has ever been bullied. No child with LDs is missed. Any child with gifted potential has the need met even if that child is twice exceptional.

[justLisa]

It is not a district that gets a "decent" rating. It is a district that gets OUTSTANDING ratings. The area is famous for having great schools.

 

Bill

 

 

 

I happen to know that is true.

 

I am parital to Seattle, hence why we are here. HOwever my husband lived in Pleasanton for quite some time and if there was anywhere else on Earth I'd live it would be that area. It is beautiful, the culture is rich and diverse, and they have REAL Polish food. <end of rant> You can find some amazing food there too.

[hippiemommy]

We live in the SF Bay Area. We moved here about a year and a half ago, because my husband's company was acquired. I didn't want to leave our old state (Colorado), so I certainly didn't come with a rosy vision of California.

 

That said, I'm really impressed with the opportunities for homeschooling. It is easy to homeschool, and there are a lot of class opportunities for homeschooled kids -- everything from weekly classes at the science museum, out-of-the-box math classes, co-ops, language immersion classes, nature awareness classes, you name it.... The local museums offer free days for homeschoolers. Mass transit is excellent. I much prefer the weather here to the weather in DC.

 

If your husband is in the city, it may be worth considering living on the peninsula, if it is in your budget. We are mid-peninsula, and it is really lovely here. You are not far from the beach, but you don't get the fog. The summers are mild and heavenly. It never gets too hot or too cold. There are a fair number of homeschool groups, especially as you get closer to the Mid-Peninsula and South Bay. The school districts here are very good (all of our zoned schools at our house get a 10 rating on greatschools.com), and there is SO MUCH culture available in the city. :) My husband bike and/or train commutes, and it is not bad at all. :)

[Spy Car]

 

 

 

Are you saying that every child enrolled is served to the point of maximizing their potential. No child has ever been bullied. No child with LDs is missed. Any child with gifted potential has the need met even if that child is twice exceptional.

 

No. I'm saying Orinda is know for OUTSTANDING schools.

 

Bill

[MaryE]

OK, all...I'm resurrecting this thread. My apologies to those who responded later on...I just barely saw them. Thank you!

 

So, the DC job did not pan out, but we have a solid offer from a company in San Francisco. Actually, they're on the peninsula, near San Mateo.

 

Anyone who could speak specifics to that particular area, I would be beyond appreciative. We'll be taking a house hunting trip over spring break and making the move in June.

 

We're looking for a safe area (of course), good public schools (elementary on up), someplace that has a sense of community, good farmers markets and libraries. We'd be renting for the foreseeable future. And a commute of less than 45 minutes. Help!

[Guest inoubliable]

Bumping for you. Hopefully someone here can get you the particulars that you're looking for. Good luck in your house hunt!

[JenneinCA]

I lived in San Mateo for several years, but I don't know of any areas with really good schools in San Mateo itself.

 

Palo Alto and Cupertino both have good schools, but housing there is expensive. I am in Sunnyvale. We have most of your list. I don't know about the commute.

 

I hope that helps...

 

And welcome to California.

[Arcadia]

Palo Alto - both high schools are considered good with Gunn High being the one with higher academic scores

Los Altos

Cupertino - Lynbrook High and Monte Vista High

 

Farmers Market and libraries are generally good up and down the peninsula.

 

The Santa Clara County library system is good.

[Crimson Wife]

We used to live in Foster City, and the schools there are not horrible but not great either. The school board rejected a parent petition a few years back (that I was not involved in organizing but supported) for Singapore Math and instead adopted the horrendous Every Day Mathematics. :ack2:

 

I have heard really good things about the San Carlos Charter Learning Center and Christa McAuliffe Elementary in Saratoga. Also North Star Academy in Redwood City but that is a magnet program with selective enrollment.

[MaryE]

Thanks, guys! Does anyone have an opinion on Half Moon Bay? It seems far (but is only 1/2 an hr. from work), but looks beautiful! Oh, and one other...Burlingame?

[Arcadia]

Half Moon Bay is cold and famous for the pumpkin festival. CA-92/highway 92 is narrow and curvy at parts so be prepared for a longer than 30mins drive at peak hours. Burlingame would be an easier commute down El Camino Real even if US 101 is jammed.

 

Schools wise I do not know. Farmers market are okay in both cities.

 

 

ETA:

Don't know how old your son is but we like Hillsdale Shopping Center as a rest point. It has Lego store, Barnes & Nobles, Trader Joes and Guitar Center and others.

 

Also San Mateo County Library homepage. We also use LINK Plus to request books from other libraries.

[Orthodox6]

No horse in the race, just memories of DH being offered a job in San Ramon. If OP currently does not live in a high-priced area, California is going to blast her socks off! The prospective company insisted that DH bring me out for a 4-day weekend, confident that I would fall in love with CA and want to move there. We knew we could not afford to move there, but the free trip was appealing. At the time we were living in a beautiful house -- 2700 sq.ft., 3 BR, 2BA, plus enormous finished basement (think 4th BR plus an office), and very large wooded yard -- for which we had paid $117,900. After a solid day of being dragged around California neighborhoods by a realtor, we had learned to look at small, rundown dumps priced at $450,000 and think that they were bargains. At that time we were praying for me to quit working outside the home, and clearly that was not going to happen if we moved to CA. This is NOT commentary on whether or not California is a pleasant place to live. We have friends and relatives there who love it, for good reasons.

[nova mama]

Just read your update! Hope all goes well in SF!!

---

Hi there! I have lived in Northern VA most of my life and Loudoun Co for 10 years. I can't speak with any expertise on SF, but I would guess that the two areas are comparable for cost of living, great schools, access to educational resources, and natural beauty. I think it will come down to lifestyle and preference more than anything. Do you like seasons (humid summers and sometimes cold winters) and fall foliage? Then we would love to have you! Traffic can be bad, but if DH works in Reston, there are plenty of places you can live and avoid the worst of it. We live in Ashburn and DH can be at work in 20 minutes if he takes the Toll Road (you can put that on the list of reasons not to move here :)). Someone else who has lived on both coasts can comment on some of the cultural differences that I think may be the biggest consideration. Best wishes wherever you end up!

[jen3kids]

The towns on the peninsula, south of San Francisco are all right next to each other, so Burlingame is in there, just south of SF and north of San Mateo. Houses are crazy expensive in that entire area.

 

We lived in Redwood City (just south of San Mateo) and rented for 2 years. We looked at buying and the cheapest thing we found in our area was a 3 bdr, 1 bath for $600,000 - starting price only. That house went for nearly a million. Our neighbours sold their house for just over a million - it had 2 bathrooms! There are no basements there either - something that totally threw me for a loop. That was back in 2000, so the house prices may have come down since the dotcom bust.

 

We ended up buying a house in San Ramon, east of Oakland - a huge house with 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, way too much house for us at the time, but we were star struck. I cannot remember how much it was, but it was less than the houses in Redwood City - a lot less!

 

If you're working in San Mateo but living in the East Bay, you'll have a wicked commute across the San Mateo Bridge.

 

Strangely, I don't ever remember going to a library while living there. We spent all of our time outside at the various parks and playgrounds.

 

I don't know anything about the schools, but I think some were going to a year round model.

 

My advice is that when you are there looking around, make the drive to and from the office at the time of day your dh will be doing it. That's the only way you'll get an accurate picture of the commute.

 

And yes, go to Half Moon Bay. It is beautiful, but a long commute.

 

Enjoy the long months of sunshine, 80 degree days, and clear blue skies. I do miss that! Oh, and there's (or there used to be) a really cool little science center in San Mateo - Coyote Point, I think it's called. Oh, it's been changed to CuriOdyssey. And there was a great little airport museum too, called the Hiller Aviation Museum. It's in San Carlos. I don't know how old your kids are, but both places are pretty cool.

 

Have fun. I'm excited for you!

[Ellie]

I would *love* to live in Half Moon Bay!!!

 

Yes, real estate is crazy expensive :ack2: but you probably already know that.

 

I lived in San Jose for 16 years and loved it. I'd much rather live along the Peninsula and I-280 than along Hwy. 101. 101 is like Los Angeles, or Seattle; when you drive 280, it still feels like country. :-) And Half Moon Bay would be between the City and Santa Cruz/Monterey. Wonderful! And you'd still be not so far from all the shopping and sightseeing along 101.

 

Can't tell you anything about schools, though. Sorry.

[MaryE]

We currently live about an hour south of DC, so aren't too shocked by rental prices. OK, a bit:) But not as much as if we were coming from a really inexpensive part of the country. Ellie, my husband agrees with you about the 280 vs. 101 corridor. When he was out there interviewing, he was really put off by the 101, but then got back on the 280 and said it was like a whole other world.

[Ellie]

We currently live about an hour south of DC, so aren't too shocked by rental prices. OK, a bit:) But not as much as if we were coming from a really inexpensive part of the country. Ellie, my husband agrees with you about the 280 vs. 101 corridor. When he was out there interviewing, he was really put off by the 101, but then got back on the 280 and said it was like a whole other world.

 

Indeed. That whole other world is where you want to live, lol. And you're still close enough to appreciate the good things you'll find on the 101. :-)