Chicago to Oakland 30s single male, where to live and should I go? (Lakeside: apartments, rent)

[Badger_JML]

Single guy in my earlish 30s thinking about moving to Oakland/East Bay from Chicago. I’m currently in the Bucktown/Logan Square area of Chicago. I can transfer offices and make around 80K a year. Office is in downtown SF, close to BART. I’ve got family in the East Bay, have a car, and am not really interested in SF life with high rents and jammed living spaces. I’d like to be close my family and closer to outdoor activities that the East Bay has to offer. Here are my concerns:

1. Cost of living: I’d like to keep rent under 1200. Is that possible? I’d like to be somewhere relatively safe, close to commuting options, and relatively walkable like my current hood in Chicago. I don’t want to feel isolated. Any suggestions? I’ve heard Lake Merritt and Rockridge are good options.

2. Single scene: Is it as bleak as I’ve heard? Chicago has a pretty good mix of singles and easy dating options due to great public trans. However, most of my friends have gotten married or engaged, and the scene starts looking a lot worse in your early 30s. I’ve done a lot of online dating with mixed results. Certainly not hard to get a date here, but I’ve had a hard time getting one to stick. People are relatively closed off here due to the fact that this is a big, urban environment, and much of the year is spent indoors due to extreme weather. I’ve heard the Bay Area is a nightmare due to too many guys. Is this true? What should I expect?

3. Social Scene: I’ve got a few friends out there, not anyone I’m that close with besides my brother. How easy is it to make friends? I’m willing to push myself a bit and go to meet ups, etc. Not a big outside playing sports guy but would be open to a running group or something similar.

Thanks for the input from everyone.

I’m really attracted to the better weather, more laid back way of life, and bigger and better job scene (I’m in marketing/ecommerce/tech).

[DocGoldstein]

Why not try Uptown?

[jsba]

I would also say try Jack London area that has newer apartments with amenities.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by jsba

I would also say try Jack London area that has newer apartments with amenities.

For $1200????

[jsba]

Originally Posted by sav858

For $1200????

Well then maybe Adams Point.

[eastbayhopeful]

From personal experience I would suggest Lake Merritt. You could get a pretty nice apartment for $1200, I saw a lot I liked when I was looking with the same budget. I had to rule it out because it was too much of a commute for me or I would have ended up there. The lake itself is really nice and great for walking or jogging so it would be good for you if you like the outdoors. I've also heard great things about Rockridge but never got a chance to extensively check it out myself. You're definitely in the right industry for living in the Bay Area.

Just so you know, I wouldn't worry about the dating life. The only place you really find people complaining about it is on the internet which kind of speaks for itself.

[Badger_JML]

Good to know. Yeah, there are a ton of horror stories online about dating there. Several of my friends that lived there previously found their spouses, so that's sort of reassuring. In spite of the cost of living, people seem a little less materialistic out there compared to Chicago.

I was also thinking Lake Merritt. How's the commute to the city? I haven't seen a ton of listings on craigslist in that range, I could probably go up from there, but don't want to go much further, especially with commuting costs being so much higher.

[ccm123]

During rush hour, commuting from Lake Merritt into the City, would involve going through the Bay Bridge, which is heavily congested during the morning commute from the East Bay. Take BART from Lake Merritt station or West Oakland Station.

[athleticsfan72737489]

Originally Posted by jsba

Well then maybe Adams Point.

I would second this. Look in Adams Point. You might be able to walk to 19th Street BART depending on where you are in Adams Point.

I would also look at other areas around Lake Merritt including Cleveland Heights, Grand Lake and the Lakeside District.

[Natural510]

Yeah, if you live somewhere between Perkins and Harrison on the north side of the Lake, it's a 10 minute walk tops from 19th street BART. You'd also be halfway between Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. There's a ton of apartments in the Adams Point area, a lot of them in cool Art Deco style buildings.