Moving to Helsinki area from San Francisco (US)

[guigette]

Hello, This is my first time posting to the Finland Forum. I'm happy to have found this website. What a wonderful source for communication.
My husband and I and our kids are probably moving to Helsinki area in Oct. for a work-related relocation. We have two young kids ages, 3 and 1 y.o.
At this point, I think living in Helsinki might suit us better than out in Espoo. Question is...what neighborhoods in Helsinki are "good", "family friendly" neighborhoods? I'd like to live close to downtown, but in a nicer area, possibly near a park and other families with young kids. Would I be more likely to find young families with small children in Espoo?
Thanks,
Jen

[Wheely]

Hi,

We just moved to Helsinki a couple of months ago to an area called Toolo. Of the areas near the centre I think where we live is really nice and for example in this block of flats there are plenty of children and nice nurseries and schools just around the corner as well. There are also nice cafes to go to with other moms around with kids which has been nice for me as I do not really know many people in Helsinki yet and this has offered a chance for occasional chats. Further, the town centre is really easily accessible by the tram or bus - and a walk takes only around 15-20 min. So if you are thinking about living closer to the city then this area is worth a look.

But ... as nice as this is we are too toying with the idea of moving to Espoo at some point. I have heard that it is really good for families and a chance of having a small garden is quite appealing to me as moving the pram from the fifth floor every day makes one think ... Hence I am intrigued myself of possible recommendations and replies of Espoo areas from people living there with small children.

Marianne

Hello, This is my first time posting to the Finland Forum. I'm happy to have found this website. What a wonderful source for communication.
My husband and I and our kids are probably moving to Helsinki area in Oct. for a work-related relocation. We have two young kids ages, 3 and 1 y.o.
At this point, I think living in Helsinki might suit us better than out in Espoo. Question is...what neighborhoods in Helsinki are "good", "family friendly" neighborhoods? I'd like to live close to downtown, but in a nicer area, possibly near a park and other families with young kids. Would I be more likely to find young families with small children in Espoo?
Thanks,
Jen

[Rosamunda]

It's your choice. Helsinki city centre is great with or without kids. There are plenty of parks, beaches, islands etc. Yes, there are more and more families with young kids living in Espoo, because families with kids need bigger apartments (or even a house with its own yard) which are cheaper in Espoo than in the city centre. It's more about which you prefer (city life versus suburbs), whether you have a car or not and/or use public transport, your budget and what you like to do during the day.

Espoo is only a 15 min bus ride from the city centre.

It's difficult to talk about neighbourhoods without talking budgets. Rents vary hugely depending on which part of town you are looking at. Also, October is a strange time to come. All the ex-pats with kids are already here (school started 15th August) so you might not have so much choice anyway.

[raamv]

Hello, This is my first time posting to the Finland Forum. I'm happy to have found this website. What a wonderful source for communication.
My husband and I and our kids are probably moving to Helsinki area in Oct. for a work-related relocation. We have two young kids ages, 3 and 1 y.o.
At this point, I think living in Helsinki might suit us better than out in Espoo. Question is...what neighborhoods in Helsinki are "good", "family friendly" neighborhoods? I'd like to live close to downtown, but in a nicer area, possibly near a park and other families with young kids. Would I be more likely to find young families with small children in Espoo?
Thanks,
Jen

1
Really depends on how much rent you can afford.
Since you are looking for family freindly place, Ruoholahthi is the one of the best places to be. Best connections via tram, metro(2 minutes to downtown) and Bus (connections to espoo) and Opposite Nokia Research Center, K city market for groceries, verkkokauppa for electronics( in a mall etc), gym ( in the mall too). It also has an emglish speaking school (Internaltional school). It also has one of the most scenic parks and a canal with restaurants. I guess that you are coming for Nokia. If you had made a good deal , they could find you an apartment there. Otherwise, you are looking at a rent starting from €1000 for 75-80 sq. meter apartment. Töölö is similar but older buildings. If you had made a ghood deal with your company, then they are able to pay you enuff to cover your rent. Living is close to San Fran's cost. Earning here are very low. Also, be aware of taxes here. Min. 20% and goes up steteply as you earn more. If you are not paying taxes, then its good for ya!!
Also make sure that your transportation cost to ship or bring your stuff here is covered by your company mostly in the US as if they pay you that money here, it is subject to Finnish Tax.
Bring lots of goods from there as everything is expensive here compared to the US. Goods=clothes, electonics(make sure that it is 220v or universla voltage stuff or bring a transformer), furniture ( if you are shipping from the US to here), car ( YES car, unless you company is providing it here...then you ll still be subject to tax for that allowance)..
and more.. Read all the posts before asking more questions..

[raamv]

Hi,
We just moved to Helsinki a couple of months ago to an area called Toolo. Of the areas near the centre I think where we live is really nice and for example in this block of flats there are plenty of children and nice nurseries and schools just around the corner as well. There are also nice cafes to go to with other moms around with kids which has been nice for me as I do not really know many people in Helsinki yet and this has offered a chance for occasional chats. Further, the town centre is really easily accessible by the tram or bus - and a walk takes only around 15-20 min. So if you are thinking about living closer to the city then this area is worth a look.
But ... as nice as this is we are too toying with the idea of moving to Espoo at some point. I have heard that it is really good for families and a chance of having a small garden is quite appealing to me as moving the pram from the fifth floor every day makes one think ... Hence I am intrigued myself of possible recommendations and replies of Espoo areas from people living there with small children.
Marianne

Leppavaara is a good choice for families, mall(Sello), Train station, and Bus stops. Also, MatinKyla( English speaking daycares etc) is good for bus connections and mall (Iso Omena). Both places have reasonably priced rent compared to other places in Espoo. Of course, Otaniemi and Kauniainen are good if you have the money..as Penelope said, Both Hki and Espoo are good if you want urban living. OTOH; if you want to live in the boondocks, you need at least a car, put up with lotsa trees, go longer then 10 minutes for shoppin etc..but it has its own benefits, like having your own space, garden, house etc etc.

[Mark I.]

"Ranking safety"

Turvallisimmat
Kuusisaari 4,6
Lehtisaari 4,4
Suomenlinna 4,4
Jollas 4,3
Tammisalo 4,3
Torpparinmäki 4,1
Ullanlinna 4,0
Paloheinä 4,0
Kumpula 4,0
Munkkiniemi 4,0
Toukola 4,0
Eira 4,0
Lauttasaari 4,0
Kulosaari 4,0
Tapaninvainio 3,9
Talinranta 3,9
Marjaniemi 3,9
Vanhakaupunki 3,9
Kaivopuisto 3,9
Latokartano 3,8
Katajanokka 3,8
Kruununhaka 3,8
Länsi-Pakila 3,8
Ruskeasuo 3,8
Metsälä 3,8
Pirkkola 3,8
Munkkivuori 3,8
Viikinranta 3,8
Käpylä 3,8
Etelä-Haaga 3,7
Meilahti 3,7
Pajamäki 3,7
Taka-Töölö 3,7
Heikinlaakso 3,6
Kaartinkaupunki 3,6
Vartioharju 3,6
Etu-Töölö 3,6
Itä-Pakila 3,6
Munkkisaari 3,6
Maununneva 3,6
Aurinkolahti 3,5
Niemenmäki 3,5
Tapanila 3,5
Punavuori 3,5
Suutarila 3,4
Laajasalo 3,4
Siltamäki 3,4
Pikku-Huopalahti 3,4
Yliskylä 3,4
Ruoholahti 3,4
Oulunkylä ja Veräjämäki 3,3
Hakuninmaa 3,3
Viikinmäki 3,3
Herttoniemen ranta 3,3
Lassila 3,3
Torkkelinmäki 3,2
Alppiharju 3,2
Länsi-Herttoniemi 3,2
Pitäjänmäki 3,2
Konala 3,1
Koskela 3,1
Puotila 3,1
Puistola 3,1
Pohjois-Haaga 3,0
Kamppi 3,0
Vallila 3,0
Hermanni 2,9
Kluuvi 2,9
Roihuvuori 2,8
Vuosaari 2,7
Rastila 2,6
Länsi-Pasila 2,6
Maunula 2,6
Pukinmäki 2,5
Malminkartano 2,5
Kallio 2,5
Kivikko 2,4
Kurkimäki 2,4
Mellunmäki 2,4
Vesala 2,3
Itä-Pasila 2,3
Kannelmäki 2,3
Pihlajisto 2,3
Ylä-Malmi 2,3
Pihlajamäki 2,2
Tapulikaupunki 2,2
Puotinharju 2,2
Meri-Rastila 2,1
Ala-Malmi 2,0
Itäkeskus 2,0
Myllypuro 1,9
Jakomäki 1,9
Sörnäinen 1,9
Kontula 1,8


Those points pretty much reflect also price levels.

http://www.city.fi/artikkeli/Helsinki+ranking/1643/

[Rosamunda]

raamv.... where is the scenic park in Ruoholahti? I can only think of the graveyard (which is really Töölö) or the sledging (sledding) hill behind the brewery on Bulevardi. But in Ruoholahti.... I must've missed something. The school in Ruoholahti (ISH) is a private fee paying (circa 10 000 euro a year) but it does take pre-K from 3 or 4 yrs. And yes there are lots of English speaking families in that area. Personally I find Ruoholahti bitterly cold and windy in winter. It takes full brunt of the wind off the sea and those tall buildings (Nokia, PriceWaterhouse et al) make the wind chill even worse. But the apartments in that part of town are mostly new and bright and reasonable and parking isn't soooo bad and shops are good. Ruoholahti is a good compromise between Espoo and Hki cos it is on the edge of both.

[Xochiquetzal]

Hi. I relocated from Los Angeles and have lived here for 6 years. I live in Espoo and have a 3 year old daughter. My husband and I were just saying that we are so glad we live out here and not the city (or in an apartment) because this gives our daughter somewhere to run and play.

I have a friend who lives in Toolo and now they are having to go through the hassle of moving to Espoo. They were fine with the city until they also had a child and now there simply isn't enough room. Then there is also the massive parking problem that hounded them for years. I'd say the big plus of living in the city is if you are social and like to go to the bars and clubs. But once you settle down with a family, that pales quickly.

The things I like about Espoo are that it is out of the concrete jungle of the city, the grocery markets are large and well stocked (it's hard to find a decent sized supermarket in the city since space is such a consideration), and transportation is very good if I ever feel like I want to go into the City. Adults with a child in a stroller ride ALL the transporation free in Espoo-Vantaa-Helsinki: buses, metros, trains. So I can jot down to the City and be there in 25 minutes by bus if there is a reason I want to go down there. I also like that it has a stronger centralized infrastructure compared to an area like Vantaa.

I could make a comparison that Helsinki downtown is a lot like living in the City areas of San Francisco (sans hills). Espoo is like the Saratoga/Los Gatos area and Vantaa is like the Santa Clara/Sunnyvale areas. The difference is that unlike San Jose to San Francisco commuting, Espoo is only a 10 minute drive from Helsinki (Espoo-Vantaa-Helsinki is a relatively pindot size area compared to California cities).

So yes, I believe you would be much happier in Espoo. As a general rule, you want to be in Eastern or Southern Espoo for the best transportation connections and infrastructure density.

[Mark I.]

Two examples from South-Helsinki:


Castle on Foreigner Street

More modern apt on Parkstreet

(tx guys)

[Rosamunda]

Since MHH has already messed up the screen I might as well add to it

Espoo

Rental properties in Espoo

(thanks for the "URL" tips... )

[sinikala]

[quote="MHH"]Two examples from South-Helsinki: (How do I get those links shorter?)

press the button which says URL that gets you

Code: Select all

[url]

click your cursor after the l and before the ] and type "=" so now you've got

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[url=]

paste your link after the =

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[url=https://www.finlandforum.org/]

type the text you want on the screen e.g. Finland forum

Code: Select all

[url=https://www.finlandforum.org/]Finland forum

finally hit the URL* button

Code: Select all

[url=https://www.finlandforum.org/]Finland forum[/url]

on screen that appears as Finland forum

[Jussi]

Not Quite...should be like this...(edited by me)

Two examples from South-Helsinki: (How do I get those links shorter?)

press the button which says URL that gets you

Code: Select all

[url]

click your cursor after the l and before the ] and type "=" so now you've got

Code: Select all

[url=]

paste your link after the =

Code: Select all

[url=https://www.finlandforum.org]

type the text you want on the screen e.g. Finland forum

Code: Select all

[url=https://www.finlandforum.org]Finland forum

finally hit the URL* button

Code: Select all

[url=https://www.finlandforum.org]Finland forum[/url]

on screen that appears as Finland forum

[sinikala]

Not Quite...should be like this...(edited by me)

Yeah, real work came calling before I could edit it

I hate it when work get in the way of things!

[Jussi]

Nice...I hate that too...

[Rosamunda]

That's so easy! Thanks!!