Single Mom, $85k a year, One Child, Where to live? (San Francisco: hardwood floors, apartment complex)

[Provencia]

I'm looking at $1500/mo rent for a 2 bedroom in a decent school district. My kiddo is in Middle School. I'll be commuting to the Finance District via BART. Would Albany or Alameda be a good choice?

We are moving from Texas where he has lived all his life. Its going to be culture shock for him, so I'm looking for an area that has a kid-friendly, community-oriented feel to it.

[mayorhaggar]

Sure, either should work if you can find a place at that budget, I'm not really familiar enough with prices in either to say. Alameda should be a bit more affordable but Albany should have the better schools.

[lmk1707]

That rent is do-able in those areas, but you can get more bang for your buck by heading out east a little more. Would you say it's more important for you to be closer to work, or would you rather have a nicer apartment?

[Provencia]

My list of priorities:

Good schools/safe neighborhood
Reasonable commute
Really nice apartment/duplex

[gotigers123]

Originally Posted by Provencia

My list of priorities:

Good schools/safe neighborhood
Reasonable commute
Really nice apartment/duplex

A really nice 2BR apartment for $1500 in those areas might be tough. I'm not sure Alameda has the greatest schools, but I have heard good things about Albany's school district. You might want to look out in the Pleasanton/Dublin area - your commute will be hellish but the schools are solid and the area is very safe.

[mayorhaggar]

Alameda and Albany while nice are older suburbs so their housing stock is pretty old. I think the main appeal to them is they are on the Bay so their weather is cooler than places that are to the east of the Oakland Hills, they are pretty close to SF, and they are older so they're a bit denser and have quainter older architecture, Alameda especially has a lot of grand old Victorian homes. If you want newer housing and are willing to put up with more sprawl and warmer weather, you might want to look at Walnut Creek, Orinda and Lafayette, they are safe and have good schools. Orinda and Lafayette are more scattered around the hills while Walnut Creek is more compact and typical suburban sprawl with a central downtown type of area. I've seen some apartment listings for Orinda and Lafayette that looked pretty affordable compared to San Francisco (which is expensive) but they do have a reputation for being pretty wealthy suburbs. Walnut Creek is more middle class and affordable I think.

[Provencia]

Thanks for the info. I will check out each of these areas.

[mayorhaggar]

Sounds doable in WC if you are ok with an apartment complex:

Large 2 Bed. Hardwood Floors. Quiet Complex. Downtown WC. Garden View

Welcome to the Spanish Castles! 1183 Saranap Avenue.

Moving to Walnut Creek? Come take a look at The Retreat!

[lmk1707]

I would check out Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill. The chance of finding a 2 bedroom place in Orinda or Lafayette I'd venture to say is slim to nonexistent. Concord schools are not very good, so I'd skip there. Sequoia Middle School in Pleasant Hill is very good, so you might want to aim for that neighborhood. The adjacent neighborhood is a cute area called "poet's corner" with lots of trees, families, etc. It's basically the area between Boyd Rd. & Oak Park Blvd. You would have to drive to Pleasant Hill BART & park to commute into the city, but it's the best place I can think of given your criteria. If you nudge your budget up by $200 or so, you may even be able to rent a small house, e.g.Home in Pleasant Hill (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/2213083806.html - broken link)

[Hemlock140]

Catsro Valley is much closer via BART, and has good schools. Not as good as Lafayette/Walnut Creek but better than Alameda or Albany, and
still pretty affordable. My 3 kids did well there until we moved north.