San Jose or Sacramento? Which is more Vandweller Friendly?

[matrixdutch]

Hey all,

I'll be headed to Cali shortly as it's getting unusually hot in Vegas.  Can members give their thoughts between San Jose or Sacramento in terms of their vandwelling experiences?  Honestly the only issue at the top of my list is the ability to find safe places to sleep overnight and not have to worry about law enforcement knocking.  Also note I'll be in Cali for a couple of months till the summer ends.

 

[Michael4104]

Sacramento Is hot in the summer, San Jose only few days, maybe 8-10 at the most. I see campers parked on side streets. Have no idea what the laws has to say about them.

 

[MrNoodly]

Housing costs in Silicon Valley have become so outrageous that a lot of people -- even well employed ones -- can't afford anything. So there are a LOT of RV and vehicle dwellers. The last time I checked, Mountain View seemed the least hostile to vehicle dwellers. The advantage of a van, of course, is that you they're less obvious and less likely to piss off the taxpayers. The key is to not stick in one spot, unless it has proven to be hassle-free.

Meanwhile, Sacramento gets mighty hot.

 

[highdesertranger]

if you are trying to escape the heat go up in elevation. what about the Sierras after all you have to cross them to get to either of those cities. highdesertranger

 

[steamjam1]

Yeah Mt. View is alot friendlier to van dwelling and RV dwelling then San Jose in many spots. Santa Cruz is good too. (where I am) No one cares here unless your drawing attention to yourself. I couldn't imagine van dwelling in Sac heat in the summer. That's krazy...​

 

[matrixdutch]

Thanks for the input everyone.

Looks like I'll check out both places, but Mountainview / San Jose seems to be sounding a bit more promising.

Not too concerned about the heat in Sacramento as it cools down to normal temps at night.

 

[DLTooley]

Sacramento is close to the Sierra and San Jose is close to the Ocean (to the South!). Definitely do both.

 

[BigT]

As others have stated, Mountain View seems like a pretty dweller-friendly town. I have a coworker who regularly sleeps in his Class B RV in MV and says he's never been hassled by anyone.

There are some streets in the MV area that are literally lined with RV's travel trailers, campers and vans, and they're there every single night.

Even streets that have signs saying "no parking between 2AM and 6AM don't get enforced. The guy I work with parks on just such a street.

 

[Fivealive]

San Francisco is where you escape the summer heat in Cali. Sacremento summers, you might as well be in the desert and San Jose is not much cooler. Parking in any of the major cities in Cali is easy as long as you don't mind a little grit in the neighborhood.