Job in Tracy or Patterson / where to live (Livermore, Pleasanton: house, living)

[gogeta110]

Ok I am looking at jobs that could take me to either Tracy or Patterson. I'm trying to decide which would be the best for me to go to, and where I should look to live.

1. I'm not a huge fan of commuting, I would like it to be less painful than it seems most people in this area can stand.
2. I'm single with no kids so I don't need a family atmosphere....actually i don't want to have a ton of kids near me in general, if possible XD
3. I know that most of the excitement is going to require going to San Fran... but I would prefer whichever place has the best quality options as far as just hanging out/drinking/sports/single people/etc
4. I would like to feel safe
5. I guess i'm middle class in terms of money at the moment

is anyone able to offer some 2cents based off this? <3

[pears]

Whatever you do stay out of Patterson. It is a community that has completely gone to pot. Even without kids I would not feel safe living there.

Tracy is definitely your better choice.

[JGC97]

I'd live in Tracy before I'd live in Patterson. That's just my preference since I spent 40+ years in Tracy. I like the access to the bay area from Tracy. Patterson is accessible, as well, but it's a bit farther south (down I-5). I-580 out of Tracy takes you right over the Altamont Pass.

Also, Tracy cools down on summer evenings - thanks to the breeze from the Carquinez Strait, whereas Patterson will stay pretty warm. Having bounced around that particular area most of my adult life, I'll take any place from Tracy and north.

Good luck with the job. Hope it works out for you.

[gogeta110]

i really appreciate the comments and wishes.

so Patterson isn't very popular huh? lol, i was kind of getting that feeling.
If I can stay inside of Tracy and still access SF easily, I guess that would be ideal. But if anybody has perimeter options that they think are better I am open to those comments as well

[JGC97]

If you're going to work in Tracy, you can live in Tracy or Mountain House. Mountain House is a relatively new city established in the mid-90's. I haven't been there in years and the last time was when it was just rolling hills in the Altamont.

Tracy is just a hop, skip and a jump to Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin and the rest of the bay area. It's very quick to get there (20 minutes) on a non-work day. Traffic heading from Tracy to the bay area is horrible. A snail's crawl over the hill at about 5-10 mph.

I can't say anything good about Patterson so I won't say anything at all.

If you enjoy the city but don't want to drive there, you can always drive from Tracy to Pleasanton, catch BART into SF. I have a friend who attends all the Giants' home games and takes BART for every trip.

Not sure where you are right now but if you can, make a trip to check out each area before deciding.

[ilovegarlic]

Although it will likely never happen due to logistical and political reasons, the extension of BART to Tracy would totally change the city and the area around it.

The is talk of something called eBART that sort of fills the gap but that too is years/decades away.

[gogeta110]

whoa so i am definitely not getting a pro-patterson vibe hahahahaha.
i'm going to make short visit out to the area... i just want to make sure its focused on the most productive/relevant options possible.

thanks!