Safe housing close to SF Airport?

[jade408]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

San Mateo Br may actually be faster to SFO and only costs $5 (no congestion pricing scheme).

That's a tough one. It can take up to 30 minutes to get from San Leandro to the toll plaza during commute hours and that's about 6-7 miles. And if it is commute time, 101 and 92 are really backed up once you finish with the San Mateo bridge. (Happened to me this week, when I left Oakland around 7:45-50. It took me 50 minutes to get to San Mateo, and my office is about 1 block from the off-ramp.) It usually takes 15-20 from 238 to the toll plaza during the commute.

Off peak it would take around 30-35 minutes. During the commute, I'd count on at least an hour.

[bmw335xi]

Your budget is probably going to be a problem. Try checking San Mateo, Foster City, Belmont, and Redwood City. If your husband has to visit SFO multiple times a day, commuting from Alameda would be AWFUL. If he is doing an 8 hour shift, then it's not too bad, but still bad if you aren't used to commuting.

[gone down south]

The good news is that pretty much everything on the Peninsula from San Francisco to San Jose is no more than 30 or so minutes from SFO - if you can avoid driving at rush hour.

The bad news is that you have one of America's most expensive city to rent in directly north of you and Silicon Valley directly south of you. If you want clean, modern, roomy, outdoor space, safety AND good schools, your budget is woefully low. Which of those are you willing to compromise on?

[twins4lynn]

Originally Posted by aswens

My husband is considering a job at SFO airport and we don't have much knowledge about the bay area. What are some safe areas with a good public high school. We will probably have to rent, but don't need more than a two bedr, 1 ba home/townhome. My husband does not want to have a very long commute to the airport as he will be needed there a lot, but we can sacrifice time for a safe neighborhood for our family. Any suggestions? Also, is there a lot of humidity because of the water nearby? We have animals and know we will have to pay a lot for them, and our price range is $1500-$2200.

Will your husband be using the SFO employee lot (free parking)? If so, I would stay on the peninsula (and eliminate the extra expense crossing the bridge or by using BART). If you up your rental limit a couple of hundred (and settle for a 2-bedroom apartment), you will be able to find something nice in Millbrae or Belmont (which are both safe cities and have excellent high schools. Mills (in Millbrae) is the #1 ranked school (using API scores) in San Mateo County (and is very academic and very safe). Carlmont HS (in Belmont) is just behind. Both excellent & safe schools, safe cities, nice places to live. Millbrae, driving to SFO, would take just minutes.

[castleguy47]

You can also check out Redwood Shores, about 12 miles south of SFO. You may be able to find an older townhome/condo for $2500. I know that is at the top of your range, but you don't have to pay for tolls, additional gas mileage and commuting time. It is a very nice community, with tons of trails and a great dog park. The schools are rated 9-10 on the greatschools.org website.

Just my two cents.