Best San Francisco suburbs to live and raise a nine year old girl. (Oakland: apartments, rental)

[Mardelplata]

My wife recently got a management job offer in San Francisco -at UCSF Medical Center- and I'm hoping to also find work in the city. I believe I'm easily employable so hopefully getting a job for myself is not an issue.

We have a nine year old daughter and would like to live somewhere where the schools are good and there's not too much commute.

We are living in Tustin, Orange County right now, I'm an immigrant from Argentina and my wife is from Vietnam.

Our idea is to rent for a year or two and then hopefully if things go well buy a three bedroom condo. For now we'd settle for a nice two bedroom apartment in a safe area, and as I said good schools. Hopefully no more than two thousand a month for rent, if possible. Where should we start looking?

Thanks.

[bmw335xi]

greatschools.net

[gizmo980]

Marin County has some beautiful towns, and the commute isn't bad into that part of SF... you do have to pay a hefty bridge toll, though, and of course the nicest towns are the priciest. Places like San Rafael, Mill Valley & Sausalito are great for families, but would probably cost well over $2000/mo for what you'd need.

That being said, you'll probably find more for your money in the East Bay or north Peninsula. Off the top of my head, I'd suggest you check out Alameda, certain parks of Oakland (ask the Oakland experts for advice), the Westlake area of Daly City, and maybe San Bruno or South San Francisco. Those last three cities have iffy schools, so you'd want to research the specific districts before deciding on a neighborhood. Oh, and what do you consider "too much commute?" If you don't mind stretching that a bit, also look into Walnut Creek, Burlingame, San Mateo and Foster City. Good luck!

[uptown_urbanist]

I'd concentrate on the north Peninsula and save yourself bridge commutes and tolls.

[LisainCalifornia]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

I'd concentrate on the north Peninsula and save yourself bridge commutes and tolls.

That is what I was thinking as well--look at the Peninsula areas. Burlingame is a small town/city that has great schools and should be a manageable commute to UCSF. It is pretty pricey, though. Other cities for you to consider along there are San Mateo (great older homes in many areas, apartments, and very good restaurants--especially Asian), Redwood City, and San Carlos. All have good school districts and are very nice places to live.

San Mateo is a pretty diverse city if that appeals to you. Since your wife is Vietnamese, there are some great restaurants there. We like to go to Saigon City when we are in San Mateo for Pho.

Good luck to you!
Lisa

[nmnita]

I would check out the San Mateo area, but also check Marin courty. Both would fit what you are looking for, of course the usual question is: what is your housing budget? That will determine what would work for you.

Nita

[twins4lynn]

Originally Posted by Mardelplata

My wife recently got a management job offer in San Francisco -at UCSF Medical Center- and I'm hoping to also find work in the city. I believe I'm easily employable so hopefully getting a job for myself is not an issue.

We have a nine year old daughter and would like to live somewhere where the schools are good and there's not too much commute.

We are living in Tustin, Orange County right now, I'm an immigrant from Argentina and my wife is from Vietnam.

Our idea is to rent for a year or two and then hopefully if things go well buy a three bedroom condo. For now we'd settle for a nice two bedroom apartment in a safe area, and as I said good schools. Hopefully no more than two thousand a month for rent, if possible. Where should we start looking?

Thanks.

Congrats to your wife on her job offer .

If you are interested in living in a safe middle class/slightly upper middle class area with good schools (which are somewhat culturally asian), Millbrae would be a good choice. It's within your budget and is close to all forms of transportation (bart, trains, bus, etc) to SF.

[Mardelplata]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I really appreciate it. It gives me something to start with. And my wife will give me credit for doing some research.

As far as my housing budget, we now live in a three bedroom townhouse about 2400 square feet in Tustin, and it's worth close to 750K or so. I'd like something similar, no more that that in cost, hopefully newer, but I understand in the Bay Area I'd probably have to get a smaller place to get that price. At any rate, for now I'm looking at renting out my place and renting something smaller up there, until we get to know the area better and also hopefully save a bit of money.

I'll let you all know if I have more questions after i start following these leads.

Cheers!

[sonarrat]

$750K.. could you sell your place in OC and buy in San Francisco? You could easily get a house on the western side where the schools are better. They do have a lottery system, but in practice most people get into the schools they want that are in their area.

[Mardelplata]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

$750K.. could you sell your place in OC and buy in San Francisco? You could easily get a house on the western side where the schools are better. They do have a lottery system, but in practice most people get into the schools they want that are in their area.

Yeah, the idea if all works out is to sell our home and buy in the San Francisco area. But we want to take our time, get to know the area first. From visiting, I know I'm going to love it, but it has to be a family decision.

Plus I am able to rent out my place down here for a couple of years and get a positive cash flow, and I can build some equity. So, if we get a cheaper rental for ourselves in the San Francisco area for the short term we can both save money and test the waters, see if we like the area, the jobs and so on.