Look to areas around SFO. Yes the taxes are high but the income opportunity being close to base will more than offset that. Plus walking to your own car when the brakes are set is invaluable. I've done both and the adage is true... Driving to/from work makes it a totally different job.

I have a guard buddy in Reno who says it's taken him upwards of 6 hours to drive home in winter when chain controls are up.

 

I lived in Sac and commuted to my Guard unit in Reno for about 7 years. With 4WD it was very manageable. Chains are only required for trucks and 2WD. If it gets too bad even for 4WD, then they usually just close the freeway. I drove over the hill twice a month or more for the entire 7 years I lived in Sac and only got caught by a long 5+ hour closure once, and that was on my way home. The caveat is, my Guard job was probably a little more flexible than an airline job. I could usually plan around the weather a little bit and adjust my travel accordingly.

As for living in Reno/Tahoe vs Sac....I live in Reno now and it was the best decision I ever made. Instant $5-6k/year pay raise just by ditching the CA taxes. Can't speak to the commute to SFO, but Reno is a great place to live and it's getting better every day.

Truckee would be great, but your cost of living is much higher (especially with CA taxes), and the mountain pass is still between you and SFO. If you look for a place on the other side of the pass, you don't have to go far to get past the chain controls, but there isn't much until you get down closer to the central valley. Places like Grass Valley, Colfax, Auburn, or even Rocklin/Roseville are a nice balance between being in (or close to) the mountains without the travel hassles of being east of the pass.

Travel time from Roseville (NE of Sac on I-80) to SFO is still 2-2.5 hours without traffic, though.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

The advice so far is pretty much correct. I spent a few years in Tahoe and miss it every day. About the only negatives besides those already discussed are that you will not actually be living on the lakefront, unless you somehow get lucky, know someone, Etc. That's for the gazillionaires. Around the lake in the summer you can also have driving delays due to tourist traffic, bicyclists and road construction. You cannot leave anything that even smells like food in your vehicle. That is an open invitation for the bears to do their handy work, and they will. If you can deal with all that, the place is awesome.

 

Guys I really appreciate the insight. It's a tough decision no doubt. Just getting real tired of the East coast and we're looking for a change. Not sure the lack of opportunity DEN has is better or worse than the issues SFO has.

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The problem is your late to the party. Count on several jumpseaters trying to get on any one flight out of RNO to any base in reach. SFO, DEN, SLC, LAX & LAS with soon to be OAK are all heavy commute routes. RNO has trended the way of fewer flights and less seats last over the several years. Not sure what your answer is but driving in from somewhere seems to be the best option as of now. Have you thought about Chico or Paradise?

 

Auburn is W of Tahoe on Hwy 80 a bit, still E of Sacramento--still in the foothills, sparsely populated, wooded much like Tahoe but without the lake. Very nice, a little closer to SFO and not nearly the WX problems and road closures of 80 in the mountains. But, it is in CA and taxes are there...

 

In over 20 years I have not been able to get to work exactly 1 time...airport and all passes closed due to weather. (That same day people could not make it from SAC and most flights from SFO were a WX cnx)

 

Late to the party... my wife and I actually feel extremely lucky we got in this early. Amazing that there are a 1000 behind me already. And sounds like we'll be middle of the pack in 10 yrs. (No need to post all the doom and gloom that we're all aware that "could" happen).

It also "looks" as if commuting may get better if we actually start using more 737s and 320s and scale back on the regional flying. We'll see, huh?

I'll have to look at Chico and Paradise. Thanks for the ideas.

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Yeah, spent a little time in Auburn
I'll have to look more at it.

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A move to most any 'boutique' city almost always involves taking on a hideous commute. Rent for a year first and make sure you're up to the task before signing a contract to buy a place there.