The San Francisco Moving Guide
The complete moving to San Francisco guide - Your San Francisco relocation information source.
Where does everybody want to live? You won’t make a mistake if you say San Francisco. This is where you will find a career in technology or in green energy, or in the arts. If these are some of your potentials, then you are looking to relocate to California, and to narrow it down, to San Francisco. Let us start with what is the most important prior moving to that remarkable city. This would be to find a job and a new rental. San Francisco is known for its amazing opportunities for tech and green jobs, but also for its expensive apartments. Yes, San Fran is among the most expensive cities in the US and it will take some time to find your apartment, especially if you are unemployed at the time of moving. Thus, if it is not job opportunity that leads you to this fantastic city, then optimistically you will find the fantastic job soon. There is a lot to learn about San Francisco, yet since you are moving, here are the most important things to know before moving to San Fransisco:
- Career Opportunities & Climate
- Apartment & Neighborhood Hunting
- Local Moving Companies
- City Data and Must Know Facts
Moving to San Francisco City Data
Career Opportunities, Moving and Living
The City of Lights or The City of Bridges, whatever suites you, is magnificent, day and night. Still to enjoy this wonder city you need a steady income. Depending on your level of education, there are many opportunities. San Francisco is the Mecca for tech jobs, but if you are coming here to land that dream Google job, know that there are many like you. If you are from those making up the geek community of the world, in San Fran you will feel like you are with your kind. A software engineer in San Fran can make around $80,000 a year easily. Yet there are other popular professions as well. A Marketing Manager can make around $66,000 while a Project Manager too can make around $80,000. You can start as an Administrative Assistant and expect to make close to $40,000 a year. So, the pay scale varies based on your experience and education level.
San Fran Weather
The weather in San Francisco is deceiving. Because it is California, it doesn’t mean it is sunny and warm all the time. San Francisco’s particular weather requires you to stock up with more than t-shirts. You will definitely need a sweater, as it is chilly in the evenings. In general, the climate is mild; the summers are hot and dry, and the winters wet and chilly. Spring and autumns are considered quick transitions to the subsequent season, not as expressed as they should be. Some summer days can be foggy, but most of the time the fog is only in the morning and this should not surprise you as San Francisco is surrounded by water. It is always foggier closer to the water. If you are planning a relocation to San Francisco you need to know that the weather is strongly influenced by the cold currents of the Pacific Ocean. Thus, after the winds drove away the fog, the chill settles in and you will need a jacket in the evening. The city’s distinct topography creates sharp changes and San Francisco is where you can experience some of your coldest summers in comparison to other major cities.
Apartment Hunting in San Francisco
Here comes the difficult part in your what to know before moving to San Fransisco guide. The cost of living in San Francisco is extremely high and in most cases you pay double the rent you would pay anywhere in the country, for twice older building. Perfectly, you will have done a pre-move trim to check out the neighborhoods for yourself. And even more perfectly that be a week-long trip so, you can be sure you’ll find your place which is our advice and recommendation if you are planning your San Francisco moving soon. When the apartment hunting starts, long before the actual move, you should be ready to sign a lease on the spot. Have in hands a print out of your credit report (and better be good if you don’t have a job yet), check book and be ready to change your priorities regarding the square footage and the amenities. It will also be good if you have internet on your phone so you can be online to track every new posting on Craigslist or any other apartment rental website because rentals in the good neighborhoods go fast.
The San Francisco has the world's last permanently operational manually operated cable car system. It is an icon of the city.
Guide to San Francisco neighborhoods for moving
Good neighborhoods are considered, the Mission (restaurants and Spanish flavor), Downtown/SOMA (best public transportation access), NOPA (the most space for your bucks), Presidio (park with hiking trails within the city), Pacific Heights (the most walkable), Sea Cliff (the most luxurious) and many more distinct spots with Chinatown being popular tourist destination.
So, get yourself together and prepare for the big hunting that will challenge your ideas and test your mentality. Yet it’s worth it because when you find the place that suites you will be ready to relocate to San Francisco. No matter if you are moving to San Francisco from DC, NYC, Boston or any big US city – you will love SF once you settle. It is a different city with a lot to be seen.
Moving Companies
San Francisco relocation guide
After exploring the city in depth and finally renting that apartment of yours, now you are ready to wrap and pack. Choose your moving company carefully. Surely, a priority will be to save some money after all the spending on pre-move trip, rent and security deposit for the new home in San Fran. Make a San Francisco moving checklist to organize your move even better. Think about what you are taking from the old place to the new home. Go through your rooms and belongings, and decide what you will keep and what you can sell or donate. Then call a few moving companies to get free moving estimates. Compare and contrast what all companies offer and do not ever trust the lowest quote. Research the moving companies’ customer satisfaction rate by reading California moving reviews and ask for references. Most San Francisco movers will supply you with reference contacts, but you should also ask friends and family. Ask the movers for any additional fees like travel and packing materials fees. Many companies offer full moving service that would include everything in the moving cost. You will only have to be present at pick up day to make sure everything is wrapped the way you need it and the movers do not pick up things that go with you. Collect all valuables like jewelry and documents with you in your car, never leave them with the movers as they the moving liability do not cover eventual damage or loss. Read our top packing tips article for more info on that. Most moving companies offer additional moving insurance if you would like to insure your goods. So there is a lot going into a move, especially if it is a cross country moving job. Make sure you ask all questions you may have and stay in touch with your movers. Whether you are about to do a San Francisco moving from NYC, DC or any other location in the USA the transition will not be always easy, but a professional cross country moving company can make it go smooth.
San Francisco Must Know Facts
In 1934 the Alcatraz island became a federal prison. During the 29 years of operation in held notable criminals as Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud and George "Machine Gun" Kelly. Today, the island is open to tours.
San Francisco is the most densely populated big city with approximately 17,000 people per sq mile. That is a lot of people in one square of a mile, yet it is not a surprise since the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most beautiful places in the US and in the world. This population explosion has begun back in the Gold Rush Era when thousands of people fleet to California to look for their riches. The city is greatly diverse and there you will find the largest population of Asians outside Asia. The city never stopped growing, even during the Great Depression. In fact at that time is when its famous landmarks were built – The Golden Gate Bridge and The Bay Bridge. After the World War II urban planning helped once again the expansion of the city and its population. After the war the Federal Government built the prison on Alcatraz Island. Also during that time, San Francisco formed as a center of counterculture and the hippie movement. The summer of 1967 was called The Summer of Love when nearly 100,000 people gathered in one of the neighborhoods, and this was a defining moment for the counterculture or the hippie revolution. San Francisco turned as the place where new ideas, ideals and behaviors were born and that summer had a profound and lasting impact in the US and around the world.
See the best rated San Francisco moving companies here. Also check out our other moving guides for some of the biggest US cities: The Boston moving guide, the Los Angeles moving guide and more in our guides page.
Are there any other things to know before moving to San Fransisco you would like to learn about? Let’s know, make a comment!
