From what I read he made 35 g's a year before taxes, that's not how much he has saved up. And he has no job lined up. He made no mention of his savings. 35 grand a year in the bay=better have a roommate and live on the bus line, even if you have no debts. And this dude doesn't have a job. I made my case bro, do your thang, I'm not gonna derail your thread. But let me be clear: my opinion, based on a lot of experience, is that if you just randomly roll up with a few G's and a shitty resume as a construction dude to one of the most expensive(and simultaneously, as God has a sense of irony and torture, the most economic depressed for blue collar workers) places in the world- on the other side of the country with no contacts- you're headed towards: A) a revisit back to moms house in a few months, best case scenario B) Homelessness, in-between scenario C) gay porn in the valley- worst case scenario(?)
^ damn gay porn lol it could never get that bad haha but for reals though, the bay is expensive but dudes still make it out here, some people sleep in their cars and shit, if u wanna live here the oak to hayward area is the cheapest area to live in and accessable to the rest of the bay pretty easily
don't be sorry about the negativity, just keep it to yourself. i don't want to hear that bullshit. your friend was a bum, because your friend was a bum. I feel confident i can easily succeed anywhere. A) the cost of renting and apartment in the bay area is no more expensive than Philly. Just go look around on the apartment sites and craigslist B) i don't even want to work construction anymore, i'm going to try and get a job as a mechanic, and i am really open to just about anything. And I bet i could get by fine on 20k or less out there. I get by fine in the hood. C) i can't stand the 9-5 life. and hope i never have one again. but if i do you'll catch me at work, , on time with a smile on my face. C+) i have well over 20k cash stashed my in a safety deposit box. I also have fatty fat stack in my pocket and a big ol current balance in my checking. i've got way more than i need to get started. trust me. oh yeah, i'm currently collecting unemployment, so that'll help me getting started too. D) i fit right in, in the hood. I'm not saying thats where i want to be. But if that where i end up, I'm sure i'll get by fine. But i've read that the area from lake merrit to berkley is really nice. and the listings for apartments in that area seem really affordable, compared to any decent neighborhood in Philly. I'm seriously in Dallas right now, and i'll be leaving monday morning for the bay. No turning back. Feel free to offer more advice, just leave the negativity out. There are many reasons why i am moving to cali, learning to grow(legally) is probably the biggest. I am not set on living in the bay area, i just figured it'd be the best place to get started. Is the bay area the best place for me to start? Is Oakland the best place to start in the bay? if not, where?
I'd either go bum fuck country norcal, or beaches in socal. Edit: you wanna learn how to reallly grow weed. go to norcal.
i live in San Jose... if you don't feel like paying an arm and a leg to live near SF.... San Jose is pretty nice and not too expensive... 30 minutes from Santa Cruz... and if you get your med card, plenty of dispensaries
Based on the information you provided (35K salary and no mention of savings) I made an assumption that you would have mentioned your bankroll if you had one. That was incorrect; your 20 large is a game-changer. That's a lot of scratch for a man breaking home a mere 35K, scratch I didn't think you had, because you made no mention of savings. Thus, my feeling you're making a mistake, and subsequent advising to re-think your plan. It's night and day. Craigslist is full of spam and misleading advertising. If you don't mind living with dope boys armed to the teeth who don't give fuuuuck and crack whores, yeah, you can find a 2 bedroom in the Tenderloin and get your grow on for a good price. When I was getting my feet wet in Oak-town roughly 3 years back, my boys renting a hood rat house, 3 bedroom, in East Oakland. They had to have one person stand fucking guard at the house to watch the grow at all times. 1300 a month. But that's just getting started. You got a whip? DMV out here is no joke, to start. It'll also be a few hundred to get your paper work for your grow, as you'll need a state cert, doctors apt fee(they rape you), local mj id card, caregiver cert., etc. Car insurance is insane out here, as your car will probably get fucked with at some point. Electricity is some of the most expensive in the country. If you're growing, it can be more than the rent. Groceries? I know it sounds petty but it adds up out here man. No doubt you can at least give yourself a real head start with 20 large and then some, I'm merely suggesting you erase any comparison to Philly pricing. Cost of Living Comparison: compare Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to San Francisco, California If you don't like clicking links, housing is currently listed as 429% more expensive in San fran than Philly, for example. Minimum wage in san fran is 9.80 an hour; there is a reason for that. It's like a completely different wage system, almost. Oak-town will test that shit. Believe. I'm not talking shit or speaking down to you, or suggesting you're not ready for hood shit. I'm just trying to keep it real; I promise you dude, Oakland-particularly East Oakland (affordable), is the Wild West. Oakland is the best place to start for a city boy, for sure. You will fit in and adapt way better than in Nor Cal. Nor Cal (The Triangle in particular) is a place that is perhaps the diametric fucking opposite of Oakland in every way. You will also have a lot of options in Oakland relative to other locales in CA- on the street and in the cafe's- to get rid of your harvest if it's any good. The biggest downside to growing in California statewide is the competition. It sounds crazy coming from a non-legal state, but you've gotta understand that everyone out West grows. I've seen beautiful organic sativa's have to go out of state for 2500 an elbow, just because the market is so saturated. Even some of the little high school kids who post on this site can find cheap, awesome weed for great prices. It's not the type of game like it is in the Midwest, or East Coast, where if you've got the balls to grow, you're set. I know a farmer in Arcata right now who is sitting on 15+ pounds of good outdoor. Just can't get rid of it at a decent price. The market is saturated. Alllll that shit said, Oakland is affordable (relatively speaking, obviously), street (sounds like you; you don't strike me as a country hippy with a pick-up headin' to Humboldt, hehe), has clones everywhere, and lots of dispensaries. Good luck man.
Norcal=culture shock to most people. Arcata is beautiful and all, but if standing the woods smoking gets old, you're kind of fucked. It's not exactly popping off, dude. That, and a lot of it's charm has been ruined by out-of-staters looking to grow IMHO (all due respect to locals). It's flat out "hot" to be a grower from out of town these days. You read about that bust in The Triangle a few months back where the couple was a few plants over limit and got 3 years? They were snitched on. Ask around town up there in Arcata and elsewhere, locals are fed up with out of towners rolling up and causing trouble, and saturating the market. The Triangle ain't what it used to be, even a few years ago. It's sadly changing. And I don't know why you'd mention Oregon for a would-be commercial grower. It's hard to get a medical license in Oregon, and even when you get one the plant limits blow ass. If he's looking to grow illegally, what's the point of even moving?
where did op say he was moving there to grow commercialy? i only suggested or. cause its much more chill, less crowded, wayyy cheaper to live, just as good of bud and plenty of it, and for the most part oregonians are really nice and not stuck up like a lot people in cali are. (not talkin shit to anyone on here from cali. just sayin..)
Oakland, out of all the places ... why Oakland? There is nothing to do here, literally. But there is sure good weed! SF would be your best bet, check out stores on Haight, there's a head shop there. Spark up a blunt while walking around, 5-0 won't do anything.
South Bay is more affordable... Oakland is fucked up... the surrounding area as well - I hear about people getting shot up there just about every week.
If you don't know how fucked up oakland is, don't say "you'll fit right in" because trust me you wont. Try the South bay or upstate .