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Moving to Silicon Valley: What do I need to know?

3 points by icu ↗ HN
I'm considering moving to Silicon Valley from London.

I'm an American so while I won't have immigration issues I have a 9 week old son with a partner who is Polish. I know I can get my son American citizenship, however I'm guessing getting my partner a visa will be a challenge. We may even have to marry before we go (but I was planning on doing this anyway, I just haven't popped the question).

1) How harsh is it living in Silicon Valley? Is it super expensive? How much savings would I need to burn through before landing on my feet?

2) Is it really start-up heaven? I get this sense that it is THE place to be in the world for tech start ups.

3) What is the good, the bad and the ugly?

4) What are my blind spots here? What will I need to know or consider before I make the leap?

Thank you for your answers.

4 comments

[ 3.7 ms ] story [ 34.0 ms ] thread
lun4r
2: the bay area is a large area. there are plenty of startups around, but except for some meetups and events you won't see much of it. don't expect a big warm fuzzy community close together in one area or smth.
jdubya
1: Not harsh. I hitch hiked here with no money and lived on Ocean Beach in SF for the first month I was here. I found a job, yes found, no nepotism or anything involved. I knew no one here.

2: There are a lot of startups here if that is what you define as startup heaven. Keep in mind that if you are starting a company you need to execute. If you are not executing and evolving your vision, no one will be interested in your shit unless they just want a paycheck and paycheck people are unreliable as hell. I have started and sold two companies here and this is what I have seen several times.

3: Good, bad, ugly... State income tax? You can make it as ugly or as awesome as you want.

4: Apartments in San Francisco are pricey. Buy vegetables in chinatown or sunset/parkside area. Chinatown is probably more convenient. Beer is good and cheap at the toronado room from 4 - 6 pm (I think)

If you are actually in Silicon Valley then I recommend ISO Beers, Bierhaus, Original Gravity and Whole Foods in Cupertino for good beer.

Beer is important.

Other than that I would say that you alone define your destiny. Fuck the tips. Just move and make shit happen. Nothing will fuck up your plans as nicely as life happening while you are planning some shit.

That is my platitude injection for the month.

tptacek
1. It's extremely expensive, even out on the Peninsula or South Bay. Apartment prices have doubled and tripled in the last 5-10 years. San Francisco is more expensive than Manhattan. It'll be even more expensive for you, because your family situation will probably rule out most roommate situations and may determine which areas you can live in --- if that puts you outside the city, your commute budget is going to go way up.

2. It's definitely a start-up heaven. The start-up community in SFBA is unlike any elsewhere in the world. It is probably safe to call it the place to be to get a job at a startup, and if not the place to be to get one funded, it's at least in the top 2. That does not necessarily make it the place to start a startup. For me, it's one of the worst places to do one.

3. Good: Lots of access to other people doing tech startups. A tremendous tech job market for employees. Decent food, approaching the quality of the best cities in the country. Bad: Truly awful public transportation. Vast distances between SF and Mountain View/South Bay, connected by wall-to-wall traffic. Neither the Peninsula nor South Bay are casually navigable without a car (you can get almost anywhere without one, but you'll need to plan well in advance). Pretty much everything south of SF closes at 9:30, even on weekends. San Francisco is surprisingly small. Very little industrial/commercial diversity.

4. Expect visa drama.

akg_67
a partner who is Polish... however I'm guessing getting my partner a visa will be a challenge.

As a US citizen, you can bring your partner on K1 fiancé visa and get married within 90 days in US. K1 is quicker than marrying outside US and bringing your partner on Immigrant Visa or K3 spouse visa.

Start the K1 process now as it can take few months for the process to complete and permission to bring your partner.

http://www.immihelp.com/visas/kvisa/compare-fiance-visa-k3-v...