Help! Wife works in San Francisco; I work in Sacramento. (Oakland: apartment, lease)

[greymoon]

Any ideas on where to live and how long the commute has to be to make this possible? Thanks in advance. We're coming from the East Coast, so we're really clueless. We have a pretty high tolerance for a long commute, but I'm not sure how long long this one would be.

[sms1967]

Something in the middle would be Vacaville or Fairfield. Both are mostly commuter towns. Suisun City is also in the area. I don't know the commute trends or times but all 3 cities are 'affordable' housing relative to areas around it. Probably looking at $325-$425k for a 3-4 bedroom house. Weather is pretty mild but can get windy. Good news is those areas are pretty close to Napa.

There is no easy commute into San Francisco. Even Sacramento freeways have gotten bad the last few years because of explosive growth.

[NewToCA]

I'd go along with the Fairfield and Vacaville suggestion. I'd rent an apartment for the first year, to make sure you actually find the commute acceptable. Sometimes, a long drive gets real old real fast.

[clongirl]

Originally Posted by greymoon

Any ideas on where to live and how long the commute has to be to make this possible? Thanks in advance. We're coming from the East Coast, so we're really clueless. We have a pretty high tolerance for a long commute, but I'm not sure how long long this one would be.

I feel for you.. that's a nasty commute.

You'll want to be somewhere in between the two. Benicia's a nice town, Vacaville is a good option. Fairfield would be a good compromise (just be sure to look to West Fairfield (much nicer, imo). Vallejo's alright (but some areas not so nice). The distance between San Francisco and Sacramento is about a two hour drive- that's not factoring in rush hour traffic.

[sms1967]

clongirl has some good ideas... Benicia is pretty nice with good schools... but pricey. I'd disagree with Vallejo... for the most part it's pretty scary. I'd consult someone that lives there for specifics because I just know it from business travel.

I also agree with the renting idea... but right now there are a bunch of houses for rent in CA. Primarily because there are people wanting to sell but won't take the loss... thus renting for a year or so 'til things turn. I'd explore that first.

[DMenscha]

Live somewhere near the end of the BART lines in Pittsburg. I think Amtrak runs a commuter train to Sac as well.

Good luck!

[wburg]

The Amtrak Capitol Corridor doesn't go anywhere near Pittsburg--it stops at Fairfield, Martinez, Richmond, Berkeley and Oakland. There is a BART/Capitol Corridor transfer point at Richmond, but you don't want to live there--or Pittsburg either, for that matter.

[jguillot]

As clongirl said, the driving time between Sacramento and San Francisco in normal driving conditions is about 2 hours. In rush hour traffic, it would probably be 3 hours each way. Think about the weekly cost of gas and the mileage and depreciation on your vehicle. The commute alone would wear you out very quickly. The recommendation that you live in between the two cities is a good recommendation. I recommend that your wife consider obtaining employment in Sacramento as soon as possible, or that you consider doing the same in San Francisco. The cost of living in Sacramento is probably going to be a little less than in San Francisco. If I had to pick between the 2 cities, I would choose Sacramento without any hesitation. Good luck!

[NorCal Dude]

That commute will be bad. But if you're wife can take public transit to work and does mind having to take different forms of it and have to "transfer" at various points than you can do Vacaville. Catch the train at Fairfield and transfer to Bart. The commute from Vacaville to sac is not bad, but 1 accident can really throw everything off and make a day hell.

[Damnitjanet]

I would sign a short lease when you get here and live some place in between. After 6 months you will have a really good idea of what life is like in Sacramento, in SF and your tolerance for the commute. Additionally in 6 months you probably have a really good idea of what your employment prospects might be in SF and what your wife's employment prospects might be in Sacramento. At that point, either you or your wife can get a new job in the city you like better. SF has a better climate, but is much more expensive. If you don't have kids, my hunch is you will end up in SF, if you have kids or are planning on doing so relatively soon, I suspect you will probably end up here because its easier to buy yourself into a neighborhood with better schools here than in SF.