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apharmdb · 05-05-2009, 10:22 AM

I was born and raised in San Francisco so feel free to PM me with some questions. I'll try to address some here though.

*Car scene is good. More people = more cars and more shops. The last Z meet I went to with my local club drew over 200 cars. 80% of which were modded Nissans from lightly modded to crazy show car levels.

*There isn't anything really cheap and nice near San Francisco. Only some parts of Richmond are OK, some are pretty dangerous. You might be able to find a decent deal in Oakland. Despite what people say (most who have terrible opinions have never been / lived there) there are some very nice neighborhoods at a lower cost. Just stay well away from east or west oakland - a part of east Oakland is known as the "killing fields" for a very real reason. Emeryville - just next door has some nice areas. There are a bunch of lofts and low rise condos around the Pixar campus there. I also like and have lived in Berkeley.

*Personally think it is cheaper here than the Bay Area at least for housing. We get hit harder here on things like groceries, income tax, and lack of tax benefits, but I do think it is cheaper here dollar for dollar in terms of just housing. But if you buy in the US you get the tax write off of course.

*Auto insurance is much better in the US IMHO. I cannot stand ICBC for several reason. You have choice in the US for both liability and extended coverage and can shop either around. And it will almost certainly be much cheaper than it is here if you can provide documentation to your entire driving history (something I had to do when I moved here from SF).

* You can always get a visitor's visa - but to stay long term you'll need something else. Work visa, student visa, etc.

05-05-2009, 10:22 AM	#9
apharmdb Need my Daily Fix of RS Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Richmond, BC Posts: 286 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Failed 0 Times in 0 Posts	I was born and raised in San Francisco so feel free to PM me with some questions. I'll try to address some here though. Car scene is good. More people = more cars and more shops. The last Z meet I went to with my local club drew over 200 cars. 80% of which were modded Nissans from lightly modded to crazy show car levels. There isn't anything really cheap and nice near San Francisco. Only some parts of Richmond are OK, some are pretty dangerous. You might be able to find a decent deal in Oakland. Despite what people say (most who have terrible opinions have never been / lived there) there are some very nice neighborhoods at a lower cost. Just stay well away from east or west oakland - a part of east Oakland is known as the "killing fields" for a very real reason. Emeryville - just next door has some nice areas. There are a bunch of lofts and low rise condos around the Pixar campus there. I also like and have lived in Berkeley. Personally think it is cheaper here than the Bay Area at least for housing. We get hit harder here on things like groceries, income tax, and lack of tax benefits, but I do think it is cheaper here dollar for dollar in terms of just housing. But if you buy in the US you get the tax write off of course. Auto insurance is much better in the US IMHO. I cannot stand ICBC for several reason. You have choice in the US for both liability and extended coverage and can shop either around. And it will almost certainly be much cheaper than it is here if you can provide documentation to your entire driving history (something I had to do when I moved here from SF). * You can always get a visitor's visa - but to stay long term you'll need something else. Work visa, student visa, etc. Last edited by apharmdb; 05-05-2009 at 10:51 AM.