Possible relocation to Richmond, CA. Would I like it? (Oakland: RV park, for sale)

[Nineties Flava]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

In Richmond, you want to stay the heck out of the Iron Triangle and North Richmond. The Federal Building at 1221 Levin is within the Iron Triangle, but it should be secure enough. It should even be fine to walk from the BART station. Just don't wander into the neighborhoods.

^That. I would not live in any of the neighborhoods between Cutting, 23rd and Richmond Parkway. Everything else ranges from acceptable to very nice.

[ssmaster]

first of all renting in rockridge (even with a roomate) would be a good choice.
the federal building in richmond is within 1-2 blocks of the bart station

2nd marin is also an option(even with roomates) as it is right across the richmond-san rafael bridge

[JackBauer24]

Thank you everyone for your opinions and advice and keep them coming. I'm leaning towards a suburb for now. If I were to get this job (good chance) it would start at $41k at first but after two years I would be making $50k and it would take a few years after that to reach near $70k.

I know this is not much money but it has been a dream of mine to live in this area for a long time. I want to do it before I get more older. A question about California. Are all cars required to have a front license plate?

[Mark Fitsburgh]

Yes you must have a front plate. Police will constantly pull you over without one. It's one of the most ridiculous laws there is.

[DocGoldstein]

Originally Posted by Mark Fitsburgh

LOL You can't live in Rockridge on 40K Mr. Rockridge Real Estate Agent.

Yeah, apartments in Rockridge, even 1 br, will run over $1,000, more realistically $1,100 to $1,200.
Bright, Cozy One Bedroom in Lower Rockridge -- Wood Floors!

Your take home pay in California at $40k would be around $2,300 a month off the top of my head (maybe less). For a 1 br you'd be paying pretty close to half of your take home pay just to live under a roof, and then whatever bills/entertainment/etc is left. That doesn't sound super comfortable to me. Why not rent a room in someone's home? Get a roomy. Then you can get down to the $600 range easily.

[sliverbox]

I guess the thing to keep in mind is that just because the job is in Richmond doesnt mean you have to live in Richmond. All the cities in the Bay Area run together. Richmond is right next to Berkekley. Berkeley is right next to Oakland, and so on. So you have a lot of alternative options to consider as well.

As far as living here in 40-50k, I did it for years but I limited the expense by always renting a house with other housemates. As a result my rent was never much over $600 a month and I got to live in a big house.

[DocGoldstein]

Originally Posted by sliverbox

I guess the thing to keep in mind is that just because the job is in Richmond doesnt mean you have to live in Richmond. All the cities in the Bay Area run together. Richmond is right next to Berkekley. Berkeley is right next to Oakland, and so on. So you have a lot of alternative options to consider as well.

As far as living here in 40-50k, I did it for years but I limited the expense by always renting a house with other housemates. As a result my rent was never much over $600 a month and I got to live in a big house.

That's exactly what he should do. Rooming saves lots of money. I did it through undergrad, and through medical school until the last few years. Came out of school with much less debt because of it.

[ASpec818]

OP: My parent's house is actually right across the street from the Federal Building on Nevin Street. The immediate area is fine and is not as horrible as some may put it. You might see some shady characters here and there but generally, the area is ok. The federal building is a very short walk to BART so if you're inclined to commute, you can live elsewhere in the bay. The immediate area has seen somewhat of a recent development. New townhomes (maybe 5 years old or so) were built right outside the BART station and across from the fed building. This has helped the area develop somewhat as most of the homes in the area are a little older. You won't find any nightlife or anything else to do in the area. I think since you're single, Oakland might suit you better as it has good nightlife out there. See if your new job will pay for public transportation.

[510bessy]

The "Awesome" Rockridge 'hood has crime too or did you conveniently choose to ignore it? See the police log below for Rockridge, Oakland:

Incident Report, Police Beat 12Y (lower Rockridge), Jan. 14-20
Attempted commercial burglary, Jan. 21, 3:40 a.m., California College of the Arts, 5275 Broadway.
Auto burglary, Jan. 21, 8:30 p.m., 6200 block of Telegraph Avenue.
Arson and burglary, Jan. 21, 10:30 p.m., 500 block of Martin Street.
Auto burglary, Jan. 22, 9 p.m., 5200 block of College Avenue.
Residential burglary, Jan. 23, 1:55 p.m., 5100 block of Lawton Avenue.
Commercial burglary, Jan. 23, 4:45 p.m., Safeway, 6310 College Ave.
Assault with a deadly weapon and attempted robbery, Jan. 24, 7:30 a.m., 400 block of Alcatraz Avenue.
Auto theft, Jan. 24, noon, 6200 block of Hillegass Avenue.
Attempted grand theft (from auto), Jan. 24, 11:25 p.m., 5900 block of Broadway.
Shoplifting, Jan. 25, 10:40 a.m., Cactus Taqueria, 5640 College Ave.
Residential burglary, Jan. 25, 2 p.m., 300 block of Glendale Avenue.
Burglary, Jan. 26, 9:30 p.m., 300 block of Hudson Avenue.
Incident Report, Police Beat 13X (upper Rockridge), Jan. 14-20
Theft, Jan 21, 12 a.m., 5000 block of Proctor Avenue.
Theft, attempted burglary, Jan. 23 12:23 p.m., 14000 block of Broadway Terrace.

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

I did it on 36k in an $850 studio there.

Calling me the "Rockridge Real Estate agent" is exactly the same thing that a pro-Oakland fanatic here used to call me because I didn't recommend the crappy parts of Oakland. Hmm.

I really must apologize to you that Rockridge is an awesome neighborhood.

[bmw335xi]

Here you go, crime stats, demographics etc...

http://www.city-data.com/city/Richmond-California.html