from Hacker News

Why I Moved My Startup to Oakland

by brennenHN on 9/24/13, 10:55 PM with 60 comments

• by VonGuard on 9/25/13, 4:11 AM

  As a long time resident of Oakland, I'd like to relate some awesome things about Oakland, none of which the author touched on. Well, I guess the diversity and "Real-ness" count.

  Oakland is a hell of a lot cheaper to live in. Groceries, restaurants, rent, drinks, office space, hotel rooms, air fare: everything is cheaper.

  In Oakland, we have a burgeoning uptown scene, punctuated by the Art Murmur, an event which started in 2005, and has blossomed into a giant street festival that very accurately reflects the diversity of Oakland. It's a First Friday roll call for the city, and the Bay Area.

  That "Beer Garden" mentioned elsewhere, was a hipster coffee shop before that, and a cheap cafe before that, all willingly handed with great care from owner to owner. Gentrification has room to spread in Oakland, so while some complain about it, it mostly removes empty lots and vacant windows, not mom and pop businesses.

  The Mission, on the other hand, sees gentrification at the cost of existing businesses. And speaking of the Mission, Oakland's Fruitvale district is the cheapest, most active place you can live for under 4 figures, while still being 30 minutes from downtown SF via BART or car. Fruitvale has become quite the destination, for the adventurous.

  I could go on: The Chapel of Chimes is a Julia Morgan masterpiece, a labyrinth of death located in the hills. The Rose garden has a resident turkey. There's a couple breweries that host quiet BBQ's, Jack London Square, the various parks in the hills. The Hills.... The Fox and the Paramount. Van Kleefs.

  And my own personal favorite: http://www.themade.org

• by drags on 9/24/13, 11:29 PM

  It's easier to make this work when the company is smaller.

  One of the big advantages of SF (and especially the financial district) is that it's possible for most people in the city, the East Bay _and_ the South Bay to get to work in less than an hour. I want to make the commute decent for as many employees as possible.

• by jaredhansen on 9/25/13, 12:03 AM

  Welcome! Breezy's been based in Oakland since starting in 2009 (or 2011 if you prefer to count from initial funding), and it's great.

  There are more people than you might think who are happy to live and work here here, and you just can't beat the rent or the weather. Feel free to swing by sometime and say hello - we're always happy to meet others in the small club that is the Oakland startup world.

• by guelo on 9/25/13, 1:53 AM

  Yea, the gentrification is spilling over from SF to the east bay. Long time residents are being pushed out while "beer gardens" and other businesses that cater to 20-something yuppies are popping up all over.

• by Apocryphon on 9/25/13, 1:51 AM

  There was a story last week about a startup moving to Berkeley. At this rate, there will be startups in Vallejo to revitalize that city's economy.

• by chudi on 9/25/13, 12:56 AM

  I'm not from San Francisco and never been into, but I cant understand how is this something important. Oakland is a bridge away from SF, is there a real change?

• by spo81rty on 9/24/13, 11:37 PM

  Why not just not partake in all of these startup events and meetings instead of moving? I have the same opinions as the author about all the startup noise and groupies here in KC. Which is why I avoid most of them.

• by benblodgett on 9/25/13, 2:38 AM

  Let me start by saying I like the sentiment here. The hardest thing about living in NYC is knowing too many people. They distract you and give a false sense of comfort towards your situation. I get that.

  But, I have a problem with this, is moving an hour outside of a city really relocating? I'd argue if you don't want to be comfortable move to a city where you have no connections. Focus on somewhere not particularly welcoming to tech entrepreneurs and really get out of the comfort zone. Otherwise, I don't think you really moved your startup anywhere.

• by jchrisa on 9/24/13, 11:34 PM

  We started in Oakland and it was great from a community and creativity perspective.

• by venportman on 9/24/13, 11:22 PM

  If you want me to leave Fruitvale to take the Bart to SF, you better be paying me to do so.

• by avty on 9/25/13, 1:20 AM

  Move to Texas!

• by yeahrightoak on 9/24/13, 11:15 PM

  Did you factor in the risk of dying when you made this decision?

  This kid is naive.