Possibly moving to California, what's the knifemaking climate?

sunshadow

sunshadow

Joined
Oct 2, 2006
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I just had 2 levels of job interview with a major computer and electronics manufacturer in the Cupertino/San Jose area of California and they are flying me out to see how I fit in with the team I would be working with if I get hired tomorrow. So I need to get an idea of what the situation is as far as setting up forge space, what kind of regulations there are to deal with etc.

Thanks ahead of time for your help

-Page
 
Man I wish you luck. Never made knives in the Bay Area. I know there are makers there but all my Ca adventures were much further north. Try not to move into the city proper. They have all kinds of noise, fire and other ordinances that can make a home business miserable. Good luck in the job, anyplace with employment is good.
 
Hi Page . keep it all quiet . Do not start a business . So many EPA rules and regs. dealing with oil quench . Way back when Paul Bos quit doing the oil quench steels due to the EPA , fees , permits and insurance .

Now for a heads up , my son works in that area for Yahoo . That place is sooooooooo crowded and home prices are out of this world ( to us anyhow ). You are from NY so it may not be a shock . Last year we looked at a 1200 sq. ft house sitting on a major , busy road , $850,000.00 . I laughed and offered $ 175,000.00 and then they laughed . High sales tax , high state income tax .

My wife and I think Calif. sucks , attitude , laws and fees . But a lot of people love the place . Pay is good but needed as the cost of living is high .

Our son found a place out in Morgan Hill , 2 acres , 2600 sq. ft old ranch style home for $675,000.00 but it is an hour drive to work .
 
The weather is outstanding. The food is great. Cost of living is high anywhere in close proximity to the bay.

As for the home business aspect I am not too sure about that. Good luck either way.

I'm about 20 minutes north of Apple.
 
I was raised there and raised my kids there. Live in the quiet of the mountains now. Very different today. Very crowded rat race and expensive. Everyone wants to live there. I don't like going there anymore, but that just a cranky old guy:grumpy:. Understanding neighbors help as far as grinding, forging noise. Keep low key.

On the plus side The weather can't be beat, Close to the Ocean and 3 hours to the Mountains for hiking and skiing.

Oops forgot, lousy commute traffic.

Good luck on the job.
 
SCAQMD regulates emissions. I hope your forge doesn't fall into their jurisdiction.

New York is probably the one plpace you could move here from, and enjoy a TAX Break. ;)
 
Good luck Page! I'm from there but don't know current conditions. Given
your contacts I'd push for some info through SCA channels.
 
I dont think you will find regulations any different than other states, most of the regs have mimimum sizes which we fall below. As with any area its more about neighbors and you need to be respectiful of their needs. The good news is the from the San Jose Cupertino area there is alot of different living opportunities, mountains, plains, farm, beach, or just a regular neighborhood. The housing market is a buyers market so you will have alot more options than a few years ago.

I think it is easy to say negative things about CA but have enjoyed living here, you get to pic your lifestyle from city to farm its just up to you.
 
Not bad if you don't mind hearing gunfire, day, and night. High taxes, and business unfriendly to the max. Businesses are fleeing every day. Most going to texas. Mexican gangs are everywhere. Theft is high. I lived there for 39 years, and couldn't wait to leave. My car was broken into four times, the last two years I lived there. Even had my license sticker scraped off because poeple don't want to pay for license fees. My apartment was broken into, while I was in there sleeping. Fortunately I had a pistol, and scared him off. Housing is very expensive. When I moved there in 1960, I thought I had died, and went to heaven. It was a beautiful place, until the liberals took over, and ruined the place.

EarlFH
 
You couldn't pay me enough to live in the Bay Area. In Marin County, you can get fined for smoking a cigarette outside your house or car. Buck that stit!

For the record... I live in Fresno.
 
Page, not to be a spoil sport, but a heads up.
My wife lived there for a long time before moving east. We go back to see her family from time to time. What I hear from the family out there is that the the state laws on knives, sizes, selling, no ivory allowed at all ( state law with steep fines), EPA rules ( which apply to everybody), and the general attitude toward weapons, makes it not the best place for a knife maker who wants to be above board. The bigger cities are worse than the rural areas, but the work is usually in the urban areas. Crime varies from place to place, but it will be an eye opener. Prices are much higher,and homes are ridiculously expensive - but the huge number of foreclosures make it a bit better right now. Taxes are high, and with the state on the verge of bankruptcy, it may get worse.
 
I have lived in CA my whole life (31 years). I have never lived in the Bay area so my experience may not apply. I have never been murdered, raped, robbed, or anything of the like. I hear plenty of gunfire, but it is always from my muzzle. I have never even thought about emission regulations for my forge, and would get a good laugh if someone told me I should worry about it. I think patricknives is right when he says you should worry more about your neighbors than anything. If you can swing it, try to live in a rural area.

With all that said, I believe this state is falling apart at the seams and will soon (already???) be too far down the tubes to be saved.

-Mike
 
I must not live in CA!!!

I agree about higher cost of living in some ways but not all. I was born and raised in SoCal; moved away for ten yrs and have been back for 5. In considering moving back we compared the prices of things and it became a wash. Yeah homes are higher but a lot of everyday items and in our case insurance and such are lower. I have not been raped, murdered, robbed, pillaged or the like. The only gun shots I have heard recently were generated by me last Saturday. That being said, as stated above financially the state is a mess, and not very new/old business friendly.

I know quite a large number of makers. The only problems related to me have been noise associated (Bladesmiths in Long Beach area). I makes knives and have done everything I am aware of to be legal. So far nobody has bothered me.

David Sharp
Sharpwerks
 
I live in OC. There is crime and gangs in some parts, but others are just fine. The only guns I have ever heard, ever, in over twenty years here is when I'm at the range. Fiscal problems are severe, as in many, many other states, but there are serious efforts to resolve them, more so than anything in the last decade. Whether or not they succeed will remain to be seen. If you've lived through Albany at it's worst, this is slightly better right now.

Housing prices will stun you, compared to Syracuse. You need to figure your increased mortgage payments against your raise; I know folks who did that and it queered the deal.

Weather will equally stun you. Compared to upstate NY (I did undergrad in Buffalo), this place is unbelievable. A really, really cold day is 45 degrees. No snow and continuous sunshine.

Other amenities include glorious supermarkets filled with fresh produce year round. Tons of cultural opportunities.

Above all, in your area, you will be in a place that is thriving and exciting, rather than the struggles of upstate to remain viable. That counts for a lot in my book.

I still love NY--going back to the city next month--but I'm very glad I moved here.
 
There are a lot of knife makers here, large and small operations. I don't think you will have much if anything to worry about as far as running a business. As has been stated neighbors and your noise level could be your major issues.

This state is amazing if you love the outdoors, I dare say probably one of the most varied and beautiful in the country. Only bad thing is people are EVERYWHERE. You will never cease to be amazed at how many people you can find even in the most hidden desolate corners of the map, or at least traces of them.
 
I'm a CA native, live about 1.5 hours north east of S.J. and lived in San francisco and Oakland. I find that if you are in one of the more quiet towns and keep the loud noise from 7am to 10pm you shouldn't have too much of an issue. I don't know about city proper down there, but S.F. has some serious restrictions on knives in the city limits for carry but they can and are sold legally all the time. Home prices drop the further from the coast/bay you get, oh and people out here measure commutes in hours, not miles. My commute from north bay across the bridge to downtown S.F. was only 17 miles but sometimes took 2 hours. San Jose isn't that bad, but none the less its everywhere you go.

Check into BAKCA to see who is in the area. Some great smiths a few hours south near Fresno as well. I am in the Bay Area quite often and wouldn't mind gettin together with Carl, Jonny, you and other bay locals.

Good luck in your interview, and be ready for year round outdoor activities! No snow in the bay! At least like NY anyways.


Looking forward to seeing you out here!
-Xander
 
haha.. i knew this thread would turn into a "lets bash Ca." topic.. go figure..

we have a small band of misfits, that get together fairly regularly, some knifemakers, that all live in and around the bay area.. like most folks have said, i don't think you should have to much of a problem making knives here.. Ban Tang lives in San Jose..
yes, it's expensive to live here, but there are also a lot of positive attributes to living here as well..

we live in small rural mountain town in the Santa Cruz mountains, which is about 35-45 minutes from San Jose.. a lot of folks live here and commute to work, my wife included..

drop me a line if you ever have any questions..:thumbup:
 
Why in the hell would you want to move to the Peoples Republic of California? Everything here costs 5X as much, gun laws are a joke, if you are an outdoors person then camping soon becomes an RV kind of thing not to mention pollution, the people (by and large) are unwelcoming and always scared, crime rate ridiculous etc, etc, etc. I have lived in the Bay Area because of work and personal obligations the last 10+ years BUT can't wait to leave.

Who cares what the pay is...

No, I am not simply bashing CA just to bash. It's a beautiful state BUT in absolute horrible disrepair.
 
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