Utah or California?
Posted in Life on Friday, December 22, 2006
I thought that I had everything planned out before, but this job opportunity at meebo has made me have to re-evaluate everything and decide where I want to take my life in the next few years. I’ve been asked for a face-to-face interview (via web conference at this point) with meebo the first week in January, and of course I don’t want to stress over it too much until I know that I’m actually getting an offer, but I’ve started evaluating the options anyway.
Many people have asked me why I would want to move to Utah, and I though I have numerous logical reasons, every time I visited I just felt like I belonged there. No I’m not Mormon nor do I have family in Utah right now, but the area is tremendously beautiful with an unbeatable quality of life in my opinion. My main criterion for choosing a place to live is the quality of recreational opportunities, namely skiing and other winter sports. No, I’m not a talented skier, but I can say that skiing is probably the activity that makes me the most happy. So, that leaves mostly cities in the Western US. Most people would logically choose Denver, but every time I have visited I have not been impressed. The city is incredibly flat, there are very few trees, the city is enormous, so traffic is bad and the neighborhoods are very densely packed. It’s also more expensive, about 25% more than Austin. Denver is also an hour and a half away from even the closest ski resorts, making it difficult to ski without staying at a hotel in the mountains, negating any advantage of living near the slopes. Boise was another opportunity, but it is also very dry there with limited skiing very close by. Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, etc, are all way too expensive. Salt Lake City is right in a valley surrounded by snow-capped mountains with 8 ski resorts within an hour drive. Four resorts are just 10 miles from Salt Lake City’s suburbs. The cost of living is within 3% of Austin’s, there are a fair amount of trees, traffic isn’t as much of a problem, neighborhoods are pleasantly spacious, and the people seem more welcoming (Coloradoans seem to hate Texans and Californians and growth in general; in fact Denver was chosen to host the 1972 Olympics and rejected it). A light rail system makes downtown easily accessible, with several concert venues hosting touring acts. No there isn’t a huge bar or club scene, but I hate clubbing anyway. Job opportunities could be better, but there is a thriving software and technology industry mostly centered in the Provo/Orem area around BYU.
Now with the opportunity at meebo, I’ve had to contemplate possibly moving to the San Francisco Bay area. If there’s any city in the US that’s the polar opposite of Salt Lake City, it is probably San Francisco. Housing costs are the highest in the nation, taxes are astronomical, the population is extremely dense, traffic is horrendous, and the area is anti-growth with negative population growth. Skiing is three to four hours away in Lake Tahoe, and from what I have read, there are a good amount of recreational opportunities in the area. The only reason I would move here would be for a job, however. Job growth, with so many established technology companies and start-ups, would be the best of anywhere in the world. The cost of living in the San Jose area is about 110% what it is in Austin, however, and the housing bubble is beginning to pop there. The only way I could justify living there would be buying a house and then being able to sell it to take advantage of lower housing prices in other areas. At this point, there’s the risk of having to sell your home for less than you paid, not even covering the loan. I believe I would really enjoy my job, but I would likely be working at least 60 hours a week, so I’m not sure how much time I would have for other enjoyable things.
So I’m faced with the dilemma of moving somewhere for my career or for my life. I don’t doubt that I could find a job in Utah that I would love, but it wouldn’t be likely to hold the same prestige or salary as in California. I’m fairly certain that I would be happier in Utah, but I’ve never even been to California so I don’t know how accurate that is. Any thoughts?
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