when did you move out / and how is the Bay?
Moved out here October 2021 but just to sign a lease, get a lay of the land and check out my new office. I really didn’t have two feet firmly on ground until February 2022 since I worked remote from Thanksgiving through the holidays and New Year.
For my career (fintech and digital payments) this is definitely the place to be. I’ve grown leaps and bounds in my career at just 29 and I’d even say I could probably net another 30-40% in comp going to another firm.
Weather here is amazing and if you enjoy doing things outdoors (soccer, hiking, cycling etc) you can’t beat it. Vibe is very relaxed and people enjoy being generally healthy. The sunny weather definitely lightens people’s moods and makes em more pleasant.
Objectively, it’s one of the best places to live in the US.
However
, subjectively, coming from DC/DMV, the lack of a large, well to do, upwardly mobile black population is hard to come to terms with. Many black professionals that come here from DC, NYC, Houston, Dallas etc all dip after 2-3 yrs. They just can’t “hack” it out here. Oakland makes things a bit more manageable since there are more of us out here but even still.
First time in my American life I’ve really felt like a proper minority.
I’ll still make it back to the East Coast but just got a few more career targets I wanna hit before I dip on out.
Thing about the Bay and Cali in general is you really gotta be all in for Cali. Any city worth a damn is so far away. The Bay to LA is a 6/7hr drive or 1hr flight. Vegas is an hour flight away but that’s really just a weekend turn up spot.
Seattle is a 2hr flight but Seattle ain’t for black people
same for Portland.
At least back in DC I would do weekend trips to Philly or NYC without even thinking. Leave work early on a Friday, hop on the Amtrak and be in NYC by 7pm. If I wanted to visit family in London or Lagos, it was a direct flight from Dulles.
I think if you accept the Bay for what it is and come in eyes wide open you’ll have a good experience. Like all in all, I’ve enjoyed my time out here for the most part.
My biggest gripes just have been the distance, the nightlife not really popping like that, no big affluent black population, it’s always a tad chilly in the evening, lots of homeless/mental people and the women in DMV / East Coast look way better than out here (LA is a different case).
EDIT: A lot of people told me pre-pandemic, the Bay was really popping. Tech money was flowing and the place was really lively. I think this area never really recovered socially after the pandemic. NYC, DC, Chicago and other big cities are “back” but a significant chunk of people that made the Bay lively dipped for good.
I can kind of believe it. Pre-pandemic my company’s holiday parties were very lavish. They’d rent out a museum, order top notch catering, bring in performers etc.
Now, we just have it in house with some light bites and drinks.
I don’t even think about it