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Old 05-20-2013, 04:33 PM
 
Location: San Francisco
622 posts, read 1,146,323 times
Reputation: 392

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It really depends on your personality. Walnut Creek is nice but it's clean-cut suburbia read = very white. I like it there to visit their downtown, but I think I'd be bored and just out of place living there.

Emeryville is between Oakland and Berkeley, and it's also closer to San Francisco. If I had to choose, I'd choose Emeryville.

It really is about preferences and lifestyle. I don't know anything about you except your age, that you have a car, and that you're moving from Atlanta. However, as others have mentioned, consider Berkeley too. I lived there for just over a year and really liked it.
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Old 05-20-2013, 06:28 PM
 
Location: San Diego, California Republic
16,588 posts, read 27,394,395 times
Reputation: 9059
Quote:
Originally Posted by Natural510 View Post
Emeryville...you're a lot closer to Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco....basically anywhere you'd want to be. It's also a straight shot up I-80 to Richmond, and even better, you'd be going against the morning commute to SF.
The residential area of E-ville (away from Hollis and toward San Pablo) does share neighborhoods with sketchy areas of North Oakland, but the Emeryville Police Dept patrols much harder than OPD, so most people doing crime tend to stay on the other side of the border.
^That right there. Emeryville police don't put up with much. For a person in their 20's WC may be a bit mind numbing where as E-Ville is closer to everything as mentioned. What's really cool is that you don't even have to go all the way to Berkeley for a marina as Emeryville has it's own marina.
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Old 05-21-2013, 02:00 AM
 
3 posts, read 8,803 times
Reputation: 10
Thank you so much to all of you for your valued input. I came home tonight thinking that I would forward my lease agreement to a rental property in WC in the morning but apparently that would be ill-advised. Being single in a new state that seems to have so much to offer (and looking to meet new people), it seems that I would be better off where the action is (Emeryville or even Berkeley).

In general, I enjoy the nightlife and I love trying out new restaurants so Berkeley seems to be fitting. I had read somewhere on this forum that, after SanFran, Walnut Creek offered the best nightlife in the bay area; that kinda made me push harder for WC.

I guess I am back to looking at Emeryville and Berkeley. Time to spend the big bucks!

Thanks a bunch! Additional comments or suggestions are still welcomed.
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Old 05-21-2013, 02:36 AM
 
24,408 posts, read 26,964,842 times
Reputation: 19977
Quote:
Originally Posted by pproby View Post
Thank you so much to all of you for your valued input. I came home tonight thinking that I would forward my lease agreement to a rental property in WC in the morning but apparently that would be ill-advised. Being single in a new state that seems to have so much to offer (and looking to meet new people), it seems that I would be better off where the action is (Emeryville or even Berkeley).

In general, I enjoy the nightlife and I love trying out new restaurants so Berkeley seems to be fitting. I had read somewhere on this forum that, after SanFran, Walnut Creek offered the best nightlife in the bay area; that kinda made me push harder for WC.

I guess I am back to looking at Emeryville and Berkeley. Time to spend the big bucks!

Thanks a bunch! Additional comments or suggestions are still welcomed.
Hmm I think whoever said Walnut Creek had the second best night life in the Bay Area was under the influence at the time. It sounds like Emeryville would be the better choice for you, but I think Berkeley would be even better both for social and practical reasons.
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Old 05-21-2013, 08:37 AM
 
Location: SW King County, WA
6,416 posts, read 8,280,262 times
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I have to agree. Walnut Creek nightlife is exciting for those that live 30-45 mins from SF in suburbia, but compared to SF/Berkeley/Oak it's not really even comparable.

Have you considered Oakland at all? Lake Merritt, Rockridge, Piedmont Ave and Uptown have a lot of action going on, access to public transit is WAYYYY better than Emeryville (probably about the same as Berkeley, but you're closer to SF), rent is usually cheaper than Berkeley, and the weather is generally nicer than Emeryville and Berkeley and not as extreme as WC (WAYYYYY hotter in the summer). You definitely have to do your research and pick the right neighborhood for you in Oakland (crime can be an issue), but it's definitely worth considering if you're looking at Emeryville or Berkeley...
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Old 05-21-2013, 08:59 AM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
28,226 posts, read 36,883,248 times
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Agree about adding Oakland to the list. Lots of young people, stuff to do, restaurants to try.....

The biggest caveat for you on Oakland and Berkeley is finding a building to transfer your lease to. Not many buildings owned by those big property manaement companies.

The neighborhoods listed above are good for your needs and offer good value (mostly) and are safe and convenient.
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Old 05-21-2013, 09:05 AM
CTC
 
Location: Pagosa Springs, CO/North Port,FL
668 posts, read 1,467,122 times
Reputation: 612
My Dad lives in Oakland a couple of blocks from the Emeryville border (Stanford and San Pablo). There are some pretty sketchy places in that area. He plans his walks at the Emeryville Marina and surrounding neighborhoods pretty carefully (ie right time of day etc). That being said, there has been a lot of growth in Emeryville (Pixar etc)-and like someone said the Emeryville Police are on top of their game-great service.

The weather is just about ideal in Emeryville-I would vote for Emeryville, but be careful and be aware of where you are. but on a positive note Emeryville has improved quite a bit since the '80's when he first moved there.
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Old 05-21-2013, 09:16 AM
 
3 posts, read 8,803 times
Reputation: 10
I really liked Oakland. Buildings are newer, cheaper, and more luxurious than Berkeley. However most people I have talked to made me feel that the area might be too safe. As a black guy from Atlanta I felt I could handle it, but after so many references to crime rates from so many different people, I removed Oakland from my list. Then again, I have mainly talked to peers at work who are in their 40's-50's (who live in WC lol). I am guessing with a budget of about 1.8-2.5K a neighborhood in Oakland that falls within that range should be fairly safe... (?)
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Old 05-21-2013, 09:39 AM
 
Location: SF Bay Area
18,982 posts, read 32,663,382 times
Reputation: 13635
If I was a young, new a transplant I wouldn't choose the Walnut Creek area. I like it and have fun in the WC area (I just turned 30) but I already had an established group of friends in the area. Go with Oakland or Berkeley, I would pick Oakland personally as I don't care for Berkeley too much. There is lots of info people have put on here about neighborhoods that would work for you. With that budget you can definitely find a safer area to live in imo.
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Old 05-21-2013, 09:50 AM
 
Location: Springfield, Ohio
14,682 posts, read 14,652,852 times
Reputation: 15415
Don't listen to the suburbanites about Oakland. Both Oakland and Atlanta make those "Top Ten Dangerous Cities" lists, but as I'm sure you know, it all depends on the neighborhood. 04kL4nD listed the neighborhoods which have a lot going on (Uptown/Downtown are especially growing), and don't have the crime problems of East & West Oakland. Berkeley used to have the second-best nightlife in the Bay Area after San Francisco, but that honor definitely goes to Oakland now. The last nightclub in Berkeley closed a few months ago, and a few key bars are now gone too. Unless you're a UCB student or New Ager, I wouldn't choose Berkeley over Oakland, except that it would shave your commute to Richmond by ~10 minutes.
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