Are you planning on moving to San Francisco? In addition to being warm all year round, California or Golden State also has beautiful beaches and parks, vibrant cities, and countless opportunities for entertainment and exploration, from Disneyland to the Pacific Highway. If you are ready to relocate to some of its cities, you will need to find an area that fits your budget and career, and then arrange transportation and relocation. Your West Coast adventures will begin as soon as you decide where in California you want to start your new life!
Maybe you have already decided your future home will be in San Francisco. Known for the fine art, different types of music, delicious food and excellent wines, and stunning architecture, San Francisco is the crossroads of many cultures and a blend of the diversity of people living there who have no intention of changing each other. The mild climate and immigrants from all over the world give San Francisco an advantage over many other cities in the world. The city itself has about 880 thousand inhabitants and its wider area of about 5 million.
What you should know about San Francisco before moving?
Although it sounds like a dream come true to move to San Francisco, there are some things you should know before moving your whole life on its grounds. Apart from its beauty and dazzling lifestyle, San Francisco is also recognized for its shifty climate. Mark Twain once wrote: The coldest winter I have experienced is summer in San Francisco. The weather is changing fast so it is not strange that you will feel like is it summer in one moment and autumn in the other. Summers are usually dry and cool while winters are humid with a mild climate.
The second-largest Chinatown outside of Asia is located here. It is also the most populated part of the city. It is the oldest in North America. San Francisco is also home to the largest and oldest district of Japan in the United States.
Furthermore, you can choose from a wide range of different tastes and flavors, from delicious seafood to yummy pasta delicacies. If you are a big music fan, you can look for rare copies of your favorite artists’ records at the Amoeba Music store, or you can buy some rare books you would not be able to find anywhere else in the Bound Together bookstore.
All in all, a great city that offers everything you will ever want.
What salary do you need to live in San Francisco?
All that exceptional scenery, mild year-round climate, diversity of people, and cool cultural places to explore come with a price – San Francisco is among the most expensive places to live in the US.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, the salary needed to afford to live in San Francisco is $130,000. This is true for the family of two adults and two children. Much of these costs come from the housing and utilities costs and taxes. Rental prices increased since the beginning of 2020 – even for the one-bedroom apartment, you will usually find prices around $3,500. If you are a parent of two, you will spend around $1,000 monthly on food only. Then there is child care of around $1,730/month, transportation around $1,114/month, and other necessities: $1,662/month. And do not forget about taxes that go up to $2,600/ month.
Where should you not live in San Francisco?
Overall the city is ranked as the most desirable place to spend your life in, but some of its parts are not as great as others.
- The Tenderloin – the neighborhood has a high crime rate, especially violent street crimes. According to the San Francisco Police Department, there is a lot of rubbery, drug violence, and other violent acts on the streets.
- The Mission – this part of the city has 140% more crimes compared to the San Francisco violent crime average. The crimes include murder, robbery, and assault.
- The Bayview – the district has low-quality infrastructure and a poorly connected street grid that lead to the decline of the population in recent years.
- Golden Gate Park – besides the higher crime rate, there has been lots of reporting on car burglaries, including window smashing.
- Hunter’s Point – the best thing is to avoid more desolate areas at night
What are the safest neighborhoods in San Francisco?
If you have decided to make San Francisco your home, you may be wondering what are the safest neighborhoods there:
- Sea Cliff – the place is famous for its stunning and picturesque ocean views and tranquil places full of families.
- The Presidio – this is an ideal district for anyone interested in nature and culture as it is famous for its forest trails and lush boutique avenues.
- Pacific Heights – it is not only the safest neighborhood but also one of the fanciest. Its landscape is filled with Victorian homes and classic lifestyle vibes you see in movies
- The Marina – this part carries a vibrant and youthful vibe and offers a wide range of different food cuisines, café, and bars.
- Cole Valley – despite being the smaller district, this place offers everything for families and young professionals. You will find lots of green spaces, galleries, and museums you can enjoy in your free time.
How's the average temperature in San Francisco?
It is not always sunny in San Francisco. Moreover, there is a story that the first souvenir being purchased from San Francisco is a sweater. Due to the cold ocean current from the North, it can be pretty chilly all year round.
In general, the temperature typically varies somewhere between 42°F and 70°F. The bay in which it is located has a very specific climate, so the temperature is almost always the same and there is a lot of fog throughout the year.
What are the benefits of living in San Francisco?
If you are still not sure whether you should move to San Francisco, consider these facts while deciding on your future.
- Business opportunities – San Francisco is all about being in the right place at the right time. If you are into tech, being close to Silicon Valley makes the chances of landing a perfect job even higher. Especially if you consider that after 2000, more than 60,000 jobs in the tech sector we accounted for San Francisco’s economy.
- Cultural diversity – San Francisco is a city that boasts ethnic, cultural, and historical diversity. Not only it is a birthplace of the hippie movement, but it is also a city that cherishes notable and progressive values like pro-choice policies, free migration, and marijuana legalization.
- Transportation – whether you want to drive on a bike or enjoy the city in a vintage streetcar, you have a variety of transport you can choose every day. Rides with Uber and Lyft are more affordable as they were “born” in the city. You can avoid traffic jams with different ways to get around San Francisco.
- Laissez-faire lifestyle – living in this city means doing lots of different outdoor activities in your free time. You can walk your dog in Dolores Park, kayak the Bay, hike the Marin Headlands, or jog on the Golden Gate Bridge. And whenever you are up for the adventure, you can go and visit the famous Alcatraz.
What is the culture like in San Francisco?
There is probably no place that celebrates diversity in terms of art, music, cuisine, and architecture like San Francisco does. The area is heavily influenced by Mexican culture thanks to the roots in Hispanic history. SF’s diversity and its eccentricities have helped it to be voted as America’s best city in 2012 in the magazine Bloomberg Businessweek. Long considered the capital of arts and culture on the West Coast, San Francisco is known for its performance scene. The city has a world-famous orchestra, opera, film festival, theater, and ballet, but the cultural offer does not end there. You will find state-of-the-art dance, comedy, and music in places across San Francisco and the Gulf.
California’s Shakespeare Theater in Berkeley holds the fantastic tradition of Shakespeare (and other classic) productions, with the season running from June to September. The Grammy-winning San Francisco Symphony sets the pace of modern classical music with guests such as Jessye Norman, Metallica, and Rufus Wainwright. Unlike rare classical arts, jazz and blues regularly appear in bars and clubs across the city. For rough blues in New Orleans, it’s hard to beat the Boom Boom Room, which was owned by the famed musician John Lee Hooker. The San Francisco Main Library has an excellent series of author readings and lectures, and authors traveling through the city on tour make Booksmith a literary destination.
What is the food like in SF?
The unique, varied, and delicious food of San Francisco also firmly established the city as a culinary mecca. Among the most delicious and unique food trends in the city are Dungeness crabs, bay shrimps, and crusty French bread. During the Dungeness Crab Season (November to June) every chef who keeps to himself offers them on the menu, so it is definitely seafood that you will enjoy in this city. Also, many local restaurants will serve Joe’s Special, which is a mix of spinach, eggs, mushrooms, and beef.
The Ferry Building in San Francisco is a microcosm of shops, farm products, cheese makers, butchers, fishmongers, bakers, and butchers, but also bars and restaurants that prepare ultra-fresh meals every day. It is definitely a go-to town with yummy food trends that will satisfy all food junkies. You should try the rich fish stew called cioppino made of calamari, Dungeness crab, and other seafood. And if you want to experience the real mixture of tastes, try the sweat and fluffy Swedish pancake.
To conclude, the city offers a variety of cuisines and food choices to have a healthy, rich, and delicious diet every day. It is not strange that many people choose to eat outside.
How is transportation like in SF?
Transportation in San Francisco can sound a little terrifying for the newcomers. The 49 square miles of streets and hills are making San Francisco’s transportation system a bit complicated. However, using public transport is easy and affordable. As driving in the city in your own car can end up in long traffic jams, public transportation can be a more convenient choice plus it is much cheaper as parking fees are too pricy. If you need to go somewhere very quickly, you can always call Lyft or Uber and share a ride to save some money. Be aware that calling a taxi is not always an easy job in SF so it is better to go with the apps.
For the more entertaining drive, there are cable cars that are somewhat slower but will provide you with a unique way to get around the city. If you need to go to the airport or the surrounding areas, you can use a high-speed rail service called Bay Area Rapid Transit. Also, there is a ferry that connects SF and several other towns and communities.
Conclusion
If you have decided to move to San Francisco, you will be excited to explore all of its hidden corners and charming places. Despite being expensive and dense, the city offers a unique lifestyle with different cultural, historical, and nature-friendly sites that you will not get bored with even after many years of living in the town. The city is a symbol of defiance of nature. In this area, the Pacific and North American lithosphere plates touch, forming the San Andreas tectonic fault. Because of this, strong earthquakes are frequent here, the largest and most destructive of which were recorded in 1906 and 1989. In those years, an earthquake and fire destroyed most of the old houses built in the Victorian style. But none of these earthquakes destroyed the spirit of the people of that city, which even today defies nature with its beauty and the spirit of its inhabitants.
To make the whole moving process easier, you may want to consider hiring a professional and trustworthy company with the experience and knowledge of moving your precious belongings to a new home. Start your moving process by daydreaming about your new life in San Francisco and not worrying about how will you transport your furniture and other belonging.
