Is working in Salinas, CA safe? (San Jose, Gilroy: apartments, lease, neighborhood)

[Danicls]

I was offered an one year internship at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital and I'm scared now to take it after reading all the comments on this site. This internship is life changing for me and it is kind of the last train in my professional life. It is 4 days/week.
I live in San Jose, do you think I can commute from there? How realistic it is considering I have to study too! I am also considering sharing an apartment with some other people. You can see I'm really scared, please help with some suggestions!!!!

[blofeld9999]

A commute seems pretty unfeasible. If you need to come to San Jose on the weekends, can you get an apartment in Gilroy or something midway?

If you're stuck in a lease, it's probably worth terminating it. 120 miles round trip a day is going to do be expensive from a gas / depreciation standpoint towards your car, and not to mention your sanity.

[Chava61]

I have relatives who live in Salinas. So obviously there are parts of Salinas that are quite livable.

[sonarrat]

You gotta do what you gotta do.. if you're serious about the professional life, then you take the opportunity and make it work. The commute is a long one so I would suggest to rent a room in Monterey or Salinas.

[coyoteskye]

Yeah, that commute from San Jose to Salinas is pretty extreme.
You'd be going against the heavy a.m. and p.m. traffic but still .... that's a haul.
And back and forth over HWY17 on a daily basis ... ughhh.
I don't really know Salinas but it seems like a good opportunity and maybe one not to pass up.
But perhaps a move to the Monterey area would be wise .... and commute from there?
It's real nice over here on the bay.

[Hawk J]

Originally Posted by Danicls

I was offered an one year internship at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital and I'm scared now to take it after reading all the comments on this site. This internship is life changing for me and it is kind of the last train in my professional life. It is 4 days/week.
I live in San Jose, do you think I can commute from there? How realistic it is considering I have to study too! I am also considering sharing an apartment with some other people. You can see I'm really scared, please help with some suggestions!!!!

Howdy Danicls;

Years ago we lived outside Salinas. Valley Memorial was in a pretty good neighborhood back then. There were lots of apartments in that area.
Maybe you can rent a room from someone else that works at the hospital or share an apt.
Maybe look in the local Salinas Californian newspaper..or maybe there is a bulletin board in hospital.


Best of Luck to You.

[MtnSurfer]

Well,

I work in Seaside and we have ppl commuting in from San Jose for more stable Gov't jobs - SV refugees. We do have vanpools which makes the commute a bit more tolerable. I bet a hospital of that size has some carpool options into SJ.

With regards to the safety of Salinas it really depends. I know three families who live there with children and they are ok with it. That said they are concerned about all the shooting that go on, even though the majority is gang on gang violence. So if given the choice I think they would move.

I'm sure you will be exposed to the effects of the violence if working at the hospital. Most of the time during the day and normal business hours you should be fine. You just need to be aware of your surroundings. I would avoid the night shift and late night shopping.

You can either look at it as limited season of opportunity or simply look elsewhere if still too concerned. It is really an individual call weighing all the pros/cons. I am sure you are not the only medical professional who has wrestled with these same issues. There are a lot of them living near the hospital or who commute in from surrounding towns. Heck you could even get roomates/share an apt. in a nicer area like Monterey or Seaside and drive in. There are a lot of students here with CSUMB, the DLI, NPS, etc... who probably do the same thing.

BTW, if you do decide to do the drive skip Hwy 17 and take 101 directly to Salinas.

Derek

[Danicls]

Thank you for the replies ! I pretty much don't have another choice and I will take the internship and just hope one year goes fast and without problems! I will work only day shifts and that is reassuring. I will look for somebody who works at Valley and who wants to share an apartment, that is a great idea!

[bipolarpunk]

The East Side of Salinas is pretty sketchy, but the North Side is decent..