Young Professional Moving to the Bay Area (San Francisco, Concord: best neighborhoods, real estate)

[Wufflez]

Hey There,

I am looking to start my new life and new career in the Bay Area. I am a single male and my salary will be $65,000. I was raised in suburbia all my life, I consider myself friendly, easygoing, and enjoy the simply things in life.

I value safety and a quiet place to stay more than nightlife and the social scene. Not to say that I’m afraid of having fun but I’ll be working a lot during the first few years of my career. I’m not afraid to commute and am expecting up to a 1+ hour commute both ways. My plan is to live around San Bruno/WC/Millbrea/Berkeley with a car, drive my car to BART, then take BART to work in the financial district.

My questions:


1. How reliable is craglist’s listing for the Bay Area? What are some tips to avoid scams?

2. I might get off work late sometimes around 12am, is it safe to take BART at night then drive my car home from the parking lot?

3. People say that cost of living is insane but by my calculations with a rent up to $1500 I can live pretty comfortably. I do drink but very sparingly, cook my meals at home, and live pretty frugally. I do have student loan payments of about $300. Is there something I am not calculating correctly here?

4. What's the best way to meet new people friends in addition to co-workers? I'm thinking it's easier since many people might not be from the Bay Area but correct me if I'm wrong.

5. Any other advice for an aspiring professional moving out to the Bay Area?

Thanks!!

[bmw335xi]

1) Craigslist is the number one source for apartments. Don't give out your bank account information, social security number or money.

2) BART closes at midnight. It's safe to use late at night at most stations.

3) The expensive part of living in the Bay Area is rent/real estate. $1,500 is a small budget for rent, expect a studio.

4) Meetup.com is a good way to meet new people. I met some friends that way when I moved here. People here are pretty friendly for the most part (San Francisco).

5) I think you would like Millbrae, Burlingame, Foster City, and San Mateo.

Good luck!

[ttocs99]

Originally Posted by Wufflez

Hey There,

I am looking to start my new life and new career in the Bay Area. I am a single male and my salary will be $65,000. I was raised in suburbia all my life, I consider myself friendly, easygoing, and enjoy the simply things in life.

I value safety and a quiet place to stay more than nightlife and the social scene. Not to say that I’m afraid of having fun but I’ll be working a lot during the first few years of my career. I’m not afraid to commute and am expecting up to a 1+ hour commute both ways. My plan is to live around San Bruno/WC/Millbrea/Berkeley with a car, drive my car to BART, then take BART to work in the financial district.

My questions:


1. How reliable is craglist’s listing for the Bay Area? What are some tips to avoid scams?

2. I might get off work late sometimes around 12am, is it safe to take BART at night then drive my car home from the parking lot?

3. People say that cost of living is insane but by my calculations with a rent up to $1500 I can live pretty comfortably. I do drink but very sparingly, cook my meals at home, and live pretty frugally. I do have student loan payments of about $300. Is there something I am not calculating correctly here?

4. What's the best way to meet new people friends in addition to co-workers? I'm thinking it's easier since many people might not be from the Bay Area but correct me if I'm wrong.

5. Any other advice for an aspiring professional moving out to the Bay Area?

Thanks!!

Sounds like you have your head screwed on straight, you sound very fiscally responsible, so you should do fine in the Bay Area. BMW has given some fine advice. When I moved from NY to the Bay Area in 1999, I found a great apartment through Craig's List in Walnut Creek, and wound up living there for 7 years (I loved living in Walnut Creek, it was a 35 minute ride by BART to SF). The Apartment I live in now in NY, through Craig's List. It's a great system for finding apartments.

I was lucky enough to find an apartment in Walnut Creek within walking distance to BART, because I didn't have a car when I moved to WC. BUT, driving to and parking at WC's BART is quite easy. Walnut Creek has so much to offer, great restaurants and shops, a decent night life, I can't say enough good things about it. Talk about a small world, the guy who works next to me where I work in Jersey City, NJ, has a friend who moved to the Bay Area, she rented an apartment for a year, and now has decided she loves WC so much, she's buying a home there.

[Tor_Nado]

Unfortunately, it will be EXTREMELY difficult to live in San Francisco on that kind of salary. 1br apartments generally start at $3K per month in safe neighborhoods. I would recommend finding a roommate when you first move there.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Concord is cheaper than Walnut Creek, and there are some really nice areas. It's kind of the blue collar suburb, whereas Walnut Creek, which is right next to it, is the white collar suburbs.

I punched in the BART stations for crime on spotcrime.com for both Concord and Walnut Creek, and there was actually less crime listed for Concord. So, if you just want a decent place to live that's cheaper, check out Concord. You can drive to downtown Walnut Creek in just a few minutes, to enjoy everything there.

[mayorhaggar]

Might be hard to call yourself a yuppie on $60,000 in the Bay Area! But yeah somewhere like Walnut Creek should be fine.

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

I punched in the BART stations for crime on spotcrime.com for both Concord and Walnut Creek, and there was actually less crime listed for Concord.

[04kL4nD]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

Concord is cheaper than Walnut Creek, and there are some really nice areas. It's kind of the blue collar suburb, whereas Walnut Creek, which is right next to it, is the white collar suburbs.

I punched in the BART stations for crime on spotcrime.com for both Concord and Walnut Creek, and there was actually less crime listed for Concord. So, if you just want a decent place to live that's cheaper, check out Concord. You can drive to downtown Walnut Creek in just a few minutes, to enjoy everything there.

For the last time, PLEASE STOP spamming this forums with that website! In no way is it a reliable metric to look up crimes. Concord has MUCH more crime than Walnut Creek and the area by the BART station is nowhere near as safe as downtown WC. Are you by any chance a realtor or property manager in Concord? There's no other reason to keep soliciting the city as a 'safer' alternative to WC, unless you are trying to sell something.

[Wufflez]

Thanks for the responses all!! I feel better about my decision now. I'm coming to the Bay!

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

For the last time, PLEASE STOP spamming this forums with that website! In no way is it a reliable metric to look up crimes. Concord has MUCH more crime than Walnut Creek and the area by the BART station is nowhere near as safe as downtown WC. Are you by any chance a realtor or property manager in Concord? There's no other reason to keep soliciting the city as a 'safer' alternative to WC, unless you are trying to sell something.

I'm not here to please you. I'm here to help the OPs. Concord is cheaper than Walnut Creek, and the crime factor is minimal when deciding between the two. That was my point. Now go ahead and blow a gasket. It's your heart pressure.

Welcome to CA OP!

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by Tor_Nado

Unfortunately, it will be EXTREMELY difficult to live in San Francisco on that kind of salary. 1br apartments generally start at $3K per month in safe neighborhoods. I would recommend finding a roommate when you first move there.

This is a big exaggeration! A young single professional can't live in SF on $65k!? $3k is definitely not the STARTING point for a 1 bedroom. $3k will get you a great 1 bedroom in one of the best neighborhoods in the city. I have a ton of friends that live in the city on $50-60k salaries.