Moving to SF in May, help! (San Francisco, Oakland: rent, neighborhoods, living in)

[seattlestylist]

I'm almost 25, currently live in Seattle and am moving to SF in May. I am wondering where a good spot to live is. I don't want to take my car either. I think i will be working in pacific heights? thoughts? I can afford about 1000 a month on rent.

I like to workout, so on runs, eat good food, listen to all sorts of music, dance, and catch happy hour for cocktails.. I'm single, and only know 1 person in the SF who I met through a mutual friend in Seattle. This being said, I want to live somewhere that is fairly easy to meet people. I am very outgoing, and not shy.

Thoughts?!

[Isebiel]

What is your budget? Any other details? (Pets?)

[seattlestylist]

I can afford like 1000-1100 a month.

[seattlestylist]

Originally Posted by Isebiel

What is your budget? Any other details? (Pets?)

I dont have pets myself. but i like animals.

[Isebiel]

Doh, sorry. Missed where you mentioned the budget!

That's not enough money to get a place by yourself in San Francisco. Are you open to roommates or living in a surrounding area?

... and in that case I'm not going to be much help. I don't know much about getting roommates or living elsewhere. I'm going to guess that people will recommend certain areas in Oakland.

[seattlestylist]

Originally Posted by Isebiel

That's not enough money to get a place by yourself in San Francisco. Are you open to roommates or living in a surrounding area?

... and in that case I'm not going to be much help. I don't know much about getting roommates or living elsewhere. I'm going to guess that people will recommend certain areas in Oakland.

1200 per month could get me a studio though right? i have about $12,000 saved for a little cushion, and I will be starting work right when I get there, so I can give a little more on rent if that is the case.

Finding roommates is an option.

I guess my main question is what neighborhoods are legit and which ones are creepy? Where is it easy to meet people and where are areas that are a little more closed out hermit status?

[mayorhaggar]

You'd probably want to live with roommates, if you have decent ones it's a good way to meet people and expand your circle of friends without much effort. Rents are going up a lot here. A basic studio in SF was like $1200 a year ago, now it's probably more like 1500 and up. Roommates are probably around $700 to $1000 for something basic depending on what neighborhood. You could always do Oakland and Berkeley which are way cheaper but you'd have to take BART, and there aren't any BART stations very close to Pacific Heights.

Mainly avoid these areas:
- Tenderloin
- the Mission on or east of Mission Street
- the SE corner of the city, basically Bayview/Hunter's Point and Visitacion Valley
- parts of the Western Addition (mainly an area on Fillmore south of Geary)

Otherwise pick an area that would be pretty convenient to get to work, find Muni bus lines that would drop you off near work and find neighborhoods that are on those bus lines. Probably the Inner Richmond, Lower Pacific Heights, Hayes Valley, and the Marina would be best for you. Maybe the Lower Haight too.