Better coast for GA?

Todd82 said:
Do you have to have a physical 5 day a week presence? If not, then NYC, BUT live way out in the Lehigh Valley (ABE area). GA friendly area, you can still buy a house with a yard and not spend 7 figures, PA taxes a little less than NY/NJ. The drive on 78 to EWR area isn't bad at all, then train the rest of the way to the city as needed. Also good access to Philly from the LV as well.
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Word on the street is 3 days/week in office. Good info, thanks! The commute goal into midtown / downtown is “under 2 hours”.

AA5Bman said:
I strongly recommend east coast. I mean it sucks, but unfortunately the west coast is full.
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I understood there was a bit of a “Wagons East” situation going on.

AKBill said:
I would say go to the coast that will give you the best standard of living. Housing in both area are most likely high. Look at state taxes and such to determine how far your money would go.
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That’s the plan with my analysis. I’ve been able to calculate everything except opportunity cost for GA. With the information I have now, there’s a slight advantage to SF. But I suspect I don’t have enough information to make a good decision at this point.

AlleyCat67 said:
Different strokes for different folks - I love both SF and NYC. I’ve semi-retired to the Hudson Valley and think it’s pretty great for GA - lots of small airports and a plane makes it easy to tour the whole northeast. Winter sucks but if you are from Chicago then you know about that. One advantage of NY/CT/NJ is that when you do need to travel to the city, you can grab a train. Driving from Tracy or Sacramento into SF seems like a nightmare.

edit: btw, in our area you might look at MGJ or DXR. Avoid SWF unless you like paying landing fees & Signature.
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I’ve definitely been watching the weather these last few weeks. Chicago might actually have better winter weather than New England! Maths on both locations will require drive+train type commute. Thanks for info about SWF.
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tspear said:
However, from a weather perspective, I know my wife would prefer CA hands down. I know I would prefer the east coast where we actually get four seasons and do not have drought issues that keep getting worse.
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Yeah, my wife is worried about fire season. I told her we could just jump in the plane and evac ;)
 
Since you're in Chicago now perhaps you've heard of "Local H". Have a song called "California songs". Essentially it's screw both California and New York.
 
Having lived and played in both NY and Cali, the flying out West is great. If you are asking strictly based on the GA scene, I would go for Cali.

If you are at all concerned about your life outside the cockpit then I would go with Dallas. It has all the things, except the ocean obviously, in a state that does not charge income tax. On the downside, there are "dry" counties in Texas still...
 
I kept my C172 at KOAK (Oakland) for a couple of decades before moving to KSTS (Santa Rosa) a couple of years ago, and if you're thinking about working in San Francisco I'd consider KCCR (Concord). I moved my plane there for a few months right after 9/11/2001 to be able to fly VFR after OAK was limited to IFR traffic. The commute into S.F. was pretty easy on BART (in the late 70s and 80s I lived in San Francisco and commuted traffic-free to my job at the BofA data center in Concord on BART), and CCR is outside of SFO Bravo. I don't know what the hangar rental situation is at CCR, but I'm guessing there's a long waiting list.

NorCal is an amazing place for GA. The proposed 100LL ban at RHV by Santa Clara County is getting a lot of pushback by the GA alphabet organizations.

Just my $.02.
 
Rgbeard said:
Raised in Illinois and migrated West almost 30years ago.

SoCal and NorCal are both very GA friendly. You have great and diverse destinations all within a short flight from anywhere.

turbos truly make it easier to enjoy more fun places.

California is also far better for motorcycles than many other places.
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California is Mecca for scooters. Much of it anyway. The flatlands of the Central Valley are pretty boring. Traffic jam? Pfft. @kaiser , if you're a rider and you are thinking of commuting in the city to work, lane splitting being legal in CA is a big factor.
 
kaiser said:
I’m in the process of a job change which may result in a move. Among other places where I am more familiar, the new gig could take me away from the best coast (Chicago) to either the greater NYC metroplex or San Francisco. I’ve been allowed to make GA a big part about this decision by my better half.

What’s GA like in these areas? I’ve heard about them killing 100LL at RHV. What are the quirks of which I need to be aware? I’ve been watching weather mostly lately and know icing won’t be as much a part of my life in SF as NY. Any thoughts on number of flyable days? Is there a difference in club/partnership availability? I’ll likely purchase soonish so I’ll want a gap plane. I’m sure hangars are scarce everywhere (as they are here), but what other considerations should be a factor in this decision?

ok… FIGHT!
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East or west coast of Florida would be the only options....
 
Hate to be political, but if you sway left you will probably love NY or San Fran. Remember, you will not only be flying from said area, but living there. I’d be seriously concerned about my safety and security and that of raising a family in those areas,, to include the rest of CA also. As for flying, the costs will be about the same…HIGHER than other parts of the country, but what you are probably used to in the Chicago area.

Luckily, I left NYS years back after retiring, it has truly become a cesspool, even upstate nowadays. Good luck to you where ever you decide on…
 
kaiser said:
Well - I won’t be in either city. Definitely waayyyy in the boonies. I don’t like sharing walls with neighbors anymore. Say, 1.5-2 hr commute to the office (into each city center). I was trying to avoid listing airports to try and get a good independent view. But let’s say SF near HWD, LVK, TCY, CCR, VCB or NY near BDR, DXR, SWF, CDW, MMU, SMQ, 39N? I purposely skipped TEB and HPN under the assumption they are just inaccessible to us little people?
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You're not going to have that kind of commute living in the Bay Area.. As a reference point, I lived in Plainsboro, NJ (Princeton area) and my commute to Manhattan (Penn Station) was about an hour each way and then a 15 minute walk to the office.

You could even consider the Philadelphia metro area as this is about an hour and a half train ride to Penn Station - then you can really get in the boonies quick.

In the Bay Area, it will take you two hours to get from Fremont/Hayward area to just over the Oakland Bay Bridge...
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
Have you been to Bakersfield? :eek: :D
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The whole Central Valley is in accelerated subsidence. It’s sinking faster than south Louisiana in fact. In 50 years, it will be renamed to Central Lake. The fishing will be great I hear.
 
I know this isn't what OP was asking but for GA I'd want to live in the gulf coast area. Lots of good weather, lots of airports, and avgas prices/fees tend to be reasonable.
 
Jim K said:
Jim's list of places I don't want to live:
1)San Francisco
2)Los Angeles
3)New York
4)Chicago
5)Peoria :D

Good luck. I'd guess the west coast is a better environment for flying, but they'll ban it sooner than New York. If I had a skill like yours that's in demand literally everywhere, I'd pick where I want to live first, then find a job.

Better yet, consult. Then you can buy a tbm and legitimately call it a business expense.
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JEB's list of people he is glad don't live near him
1)Jim
 
For me, it would be California. I just finished walking 18 holes of golf in shorts and a polo shirt. Pretty sure nobody did that in New York today. Tons of options for flying. RHV banning 100 LL was a local thing (still really bad) not something that was being driven by the state. Don't let the guys talking about "Big Rocks" scare you. I fly a NA airplane and there is nowhere I can't go. Turbo is nice, but it's something that is sometimes nice to have and sometimes not worth the extra cost and maintenance.
 
I lived in New York state as a kid and moved to California before college. Every time I go back to the eastern seaboard, for business or whatever, I wonder how people still live there. Horrible weather for six months of the year, taking its toll on the appearance of everything, annoying personalities in many areas, high population density for hundreds of miles in every direction and not a lot of interesting geography.

I realize it’s a very personal thing, and that people have all sorts of a valid reasons for living where they do. Also, within California SFO wouldn’t be my first choice but there are areas not too far away which are awesome. Other than that, and given a good job, it’s basically inconceivable to me that somebody would choose to live in New York given a choice to live and fly on the west coast. Referring to a comment above, I’d definitely choose Bakersfield over New York. Lots of interesting places to go from Bakersfield - on the road it’s 2-1/2 hrs to Cambria, less to the Sierras. Or a short 80 nm flight to Paso Robles where the friendly FBO has rental cars to explore one of the nicest areas of the country (better than the Bay Area BTW).

It was short sleeve weather for my flight today over the mountains to the So Cal desert, dead calm winds, perfect weather for flying.

Re motorcycling, I’ve ridden since 1974, on the street for 100s of thousands of miles in California since 1982, and there is no place in the US that compares in terms of twisty roads and weather. The only place that’s better (and it’s much better) is the Alps for 5 months a year, and despite recent CV-19 hassles I keep a bike there for that reason. In the US there’s been no attraction for me to ride a motorcycle east of California since 1999 when I went to a rally in Taos.

The reason to leave California is shortage of money, or living in too urban an area. People are surely under those pressures and so they leave, as they probably should. But it’s still a nice place to live if you have the opportunity and can work your way into a living/commuting situation that suits your needs. My commute is 15 minutes.
 
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SF Bay Area. Base at Concord (CCR), which is a decent sized GA field. Good suburbs nearby, and decent rail transport into the city when you need it. CCR stays VFR when many of the others go IFR. There seemingly always a crosswind, but manageable. Tracy is a good field, but getting into the city from there is brutal. Of course, real estate values near CCR are close to the stratosphere.
 
There is a reason these places have high populations, they both are great and have lots to offer which makes them expensive and global tourist destinations.

btw, I loved living in wrigleyville but, wouldn’t move back.
 
> But let’s say SF near HWD, LVK, TCY, CCR, VCB

LVK is a great airport. Tons of experimental, aerobatics, and fun, interesting aircraft. If you fly aerobatic, the aerobatic area is just over the hill. I got a hangar at LVK a couple months ago after about 9 months on the wait list. So not terrible.

Just note that if you have to make a commute at commute times, some of those airports are way more than 1.5 - 2hrs away.
 
I appreciate everyone’s feedback, even if I didn’t respond directly. Here’s what I understand:

If I choose NY, move to PA
If I choose SF, buy a Ducati Panigale V4S for my commute
Dallas is humid
But I really should move to Florida.
;)

But seriously, thanks all for the info!
 
kaiser said:
I appreciate everyone’s feedback, even if I didn’t respond directly. Here’s what I understand:

If I choose NY, move to PA
If I choose SF, buy a Ducati Panigale V4S for my commute
Dallas is humid
But I really should move to Florida.
;)

But seriously, thanks all for the info!
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Or at least further south than NYC, if you want the weather to compare favorably to San Francisco's weather! :)
 
I’ve lived in both NY and CA and definitely prefer NY. I prefer the lifestyle on the east coast.

for GA the NY area certainly has some challenges, especially as it relates to proximity of airports from the city (long drive or train ride) and lack of available hangar space. That said there are many fantastic destinations that are a short GA flight away from the NY area including Martha’s Vineyard, cape cod, bar harbor maine, etc. These are places that are a a pain to drive to but you can get to within 1 - 3 hrs flying GA.

The flying weather isn’t nearly as bad as other have made it out to be. Yes the winters are cold but are usually still very much flyable with a little planning.
 
There are lots of cool and diverse flying destinations on the left coast. Shelter Cove. Tahoe. Monterey. Oceano. Catalina Island. Chicken Strip. Baja Mexico. Seattle. San Juan Islands. Sun river Oregon. Not so sure about the right coast…I guess you have the Bahamas and Florida.
 
I would suggest Dallas, but if you're seriously considering SFO and NYC and a 2-hour commute sounds peachy, then you may not be Texas material. Of course, with a 2-hour commute from Dallas, you could have a nice house on acreage with a runway.
 
You can get across the Sierra at Truckee at 8500 feet, I've done it in a 90 hp Champ. The central coastal mountains are no higher than 5k. The northern coastal mountains, nobody goes there, that's where Bigfoot lives.
 
kaiser said:
I appreciate everyone’s feedback, even if I didn’t respond directly. Here’s what I understand:

If I choose NY, move to PA
If I choose SF, buy a Ducati Panigale V4S for my commute
Dallas is humid
But I really should move to Florida.
;)

But seriously, thanks all for the info!
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Also, if you have not noticed, there is a disorganized effort to kill GA in California going on. KSMO is in hospice, and a silicon valley airport has banned 100LL. I suspect they want to sell the land to build something that makes far more money than an airport generates. Wait till other cities decide 100's of acres of land could be sold off for beaucoup dollars and a tax revenue stream. It's like Christmas every month. It's coming.
 
jbDC9 said:
News flash; non-conservatives can live in the Gulf Coast area too, it’s allowed.
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Right, but honest we're getting flooded with people who want to change what we've got and that's not an improvement to the locals. My family's been running a ranch in Central Texas since the 1870s and the times aren't getting friendlier to the rural folk.
 
I must have missed the part where the OP asked for advice on politics.
 
AlleyCat67 said:
I must have missed the part where the OP asked for advice on politics.
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Serious question? You think politics don’t have an impact on GA? I tend to think they have an enormous impact on GA including taxes, EPA regs, land use, FAA rules and regs, I can go on. In fact, I think politicians and lawyers are what has caused GA to be so expensive.
 
kaiser said:
I appreciate everyone’s feedback, even if I didn’t respond directly. Here’s what I understand:

If I choose NY, move to PA
If I choose SF, buy a Ducati Panigale V4S for my commute
Dallas is humid
But I really should move to Florida.
;)

But seriously, thanks all for the info!
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Not positive, but pretty sure, if you work in NY and live in PA, you're going to end up paying income tax to: the city of NY, the state of NY, and the state of PA. I don't know how much sense that makes. PA isn't all that much different than Hudson Valley NY. Housing expenses a bit higher, but commute will be shorter. And while everyone mentions how quick and easy the train is, check to see if they're talking about NYC metro vs Amtrak. Believe the costs are significantly different, but I could be wrong. And some do commute from CT, NJ or PA to NYC.

I think maybe the biggest thing east/west may be that it's dreary in NYC in the fall and winter, but I've been to Chicago, and it isn't what I'd call a bucket of sunshine in the winter, either.
 
Tom said:
paying income tax to: the city of NY,
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… there hasn’t been a NYC (city) income tax for non-residents since the ‘commuter tax’ was repealed in 1999.
A resident of PA or CT or NJ, working in NYC, pays NYS (state) income tax, and receives a corresponding credit on their resident state return.
 
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MikeNY said:
… there hasn’t been a NYC (city) income tax for non-residents since 1999.
A resident of PA or CT or NJ, working in NYC, pays NYS (state) income tax, and receives a corresponding credit on their resident state return.
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Good to know. When I fill out my NYS taxes each year, to this day, I have to fight through the menus to keep me from getting charged the NYC taxes. Makes perfect sense that they'd exempt other states but not NY.

That may tip the balance to commuting out of state. I'd still check the numbers, though. I got stuck paying 2 state taxes when I first moved up here, and while on paper you can deduct one from the other, in practice you're still paying two states for one set of income.
 
Dave Anderson said:
Serious question? You think politics don’t have an impact on GA? I tend to think they have an enormous impact on GA including taxes, EPA regs, land use, FAA rules and regs, I can go on. In fact, I think politicians and lawyers are what has caused GA to be so expensive.
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The OP is trying to make a choice between SF and NYC. I don't think the politics as it relates to GA is going to be much different between those choices. I've flown GA in both areas, and I personally think the flying is superior on the west coast.
 
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