San Francisco is a beautiful city, but it is only a small piece of what makes up the Bay Area of California. I may have grown up in the Bay Area, but I don’t know much about S.F. California is a gorgeous state, filled with many places for adventure. If you are planning on visiting, or possibly living, in Northern California, then here are some things you should know.

1. Perfect weather in the Bay!

If you have been to San Francisco, you may know that it is always cold. The closer you are to water the colder it gets. If you travel across the Bay Bridge and away from the city, you will experience beautiful weather. Most of the year it is 75 degrees, depending on where you live.

2. B.A.R.T. is life!

Bay Area Rapid Transit. It is like the metro, but more expensive. To get to B.A.R.T. you may need to take the bus or have a friend drive you. B.A.R.T. does not travel to Fisherman’s Wharf, or as locals call it, Pier 39. If you are planning on taking B.A.R.T. to do tourist activities, be prepared to walk.

“The B.A.R.T. will connect riders to Oakland and Berkeley if they wish to check out those areas, and it will pass by many of the art museums and cultural attractions in downtown San Francisco’s Civic Center neighborhood. The B.A.R.T. fails to connect riders close to the Golden Gate Bridge, or Golden Gate Park. S.F. Chinatown can be accessed with several blocks of the Montgomery B.A.R.T. Station. The Oakland A's stadium has a station nearby, the 49ers and Giants don’t have a station close to B.A.R.T. System.”

3. You may live in the Bay Area, but there is also East Bay, North Bay, and South Bay.

The best part about living in the Bay Area is the less crowded it is, the more you go out of the city. If you are planning on living in the Bay Area, it all comes down to how much is your income. You may live in some beautiful houses but be two to three hours away from San Francisco. Living in the bay area is expensive.

“[It cost] $84,133 for a family of four to live in San Francisco comfortably. The numbers are similar, but slightly lower, for San Jose-Sunnyvale at $79,261 and the Oakland-Fremont area at $75,064.” Most of your money will go into housing.

4. There are beautiful rolling hills everywhere.

You can’t drive anywhere without driving over gorgeous luminescing hills. With the recent drought they are more brown than golden. The Bay Area is also filled with gorgeous red wood trees that spread throughout the state. In the Bay Area, Mount Diablo is the “large” mountain we all love. The longer you live in the area, the more you will see it begin to cut down. The population of the Bay Area is increasing rapidly, and for this reason they have started to chisel some of the mountain. Help stop the demolition of our beloved mountain.

5. Sports teams are a big deal!

Everyone in the Bay is very spirited about their favorite team. The teams of the Bay are: Oakland Warriors, San Jose Sharks, San Francisco Giants, Oakland A’s, San Jose Earthquakes, San Francisco 49ers, and the Oakland Raiders. Tickets to any of these games are not cheap unless you have season passes.

6. Traffic is horrible.

If you are familiar with L.A. traffic, this traffic may seem mild for you. Although the distance to get to work or school could be as easy as 30 minutes, you need to plan for at least an hour of traffic to get there. You will see a lot of people getting ready in the car as they still have an hour until they need be at work. The only way to make the drive less painful and not worry about all the gas you are draining is jamming out to 94.9FM or 99.7FM for the Bay Area’s best pop stations.

7. Only tourists drive the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Oakland Bay Bridge, or San Mateo Hayward Bridge, are the most common bridges to get into the city. If you have Fastpass and a full tank of gas, then enjoy the view as you drive in to the city.

8. Every city outside of S.F. has its own culture.

I grew up in the East Bay, so most of my life I was surrounded but well off, suburban families. The cities I recommend any interested family wanting to visit would be Martinez, Danville, Walnut Creek, San Jose, Santa Cruz, and Monterey; all of these areas have their own unique vibe and are great areas to live.

9. Look into the different school districts.

There are a lot of good and bad schools in the Bay. If you are looking into schools for your kids to attend from elementary to high school, look into safety of the area, the overall income of families that attend that school, the average cost of a tutor, and location to your home. Personally, I think private schools are worth the extra money if it comes down to having your kid go to college or not. Growing up in the East Bay and attending public school, all of my friends and I would have tutors after school. Keep this in mind.

10. Activities beyond the Bay.

If you wanted to do a weekend trip with friends or a family vacation, Northern California has several options for you. Sacramento is California’s capital city and is a really fun place to visit if you love history. Napa is for all the big kids, aka 21 and up. Drive through the vineyards or ride on the wine train for a relaxing weekend. Yosemite is a great place to go hiking or camping. Lake Tahoe is the place where everyone goes for skiing or boating. If you have some extra cash and want to rent a summer home or a winter cabin, Tahoe is the place to be. Santa Cruz is where all the best beaches are. If you love Boardwalks, or closed beaches, Sea Bright is the beach for you. Lastly, make sure to travel to Gilroy for their garlic festival every July!

11. We hate being compared to L.A.

San Francisco and L.A. are two completely different cities, and poor Fresno is stuck in the middle. L.A. wishes they were NorCal because we have all the water, the Golden Gate Bridge, and no smog. The second you visit the Bay you will realize we have our own language. No valley girls here, we are hella dope.

I hope you found this helpful. For me, growing up in the Bay Area has been a unique experience that I will never forget. Make sure to check out all of these great cities the next time you visit Northern California.