Advice for recent grad moving to SF (San Francisco, Oakland: appointed, apartments)

[MiamiU08]

Hi all,

I am graduating from college in May 08 and moving to the Bay Area to begin work at a South City biotechnology firm in Summer 08. I am excited about the transition from my roots in the Midwest to California, but I do not know much about the Bay Area. If anyone can answer a few of my questions, I would greatly appreciate the input!

1) What are some good neighborhoods for a single, young professional who enjoys a decent nightlife scene and relatively safe living?

2) Should I bring my car to the city (I will be commuting to SSF daily)?

3) I have seen a great amount of data on apartments and rent, but not as much on utilities/cable/phone/internet. What can I expect to pay in these categories?

4) BONUS: Are there any Cleveland sports fans in San Francisco?? Browns, Cavs, Indians fans - let me know if you're out there.

I look forward to hearing everyone's responses. Thanks in advance!!

[WannaBNorCal]

Originally Posted by MiamiU08

1) What are some good neighborhoods for a single, young professional who enjoys a decent nightlife scene and relatively safe living? San Rafael, San Mateo

2) Should I bring my car to the city (I will be commuting to SSF daily)? Take BART or ride a bike.

3) I have seen a great amount of data on apartments and rent, but not as much on utilities/cable/phone/internet. What can I expect to pay in these categories? Depends on if you get DSL, land line, some companies offer 'packages', opbviously the less usage of your lights and water, the cheaper your bills will be..

4) BONUS: Are there any Cleveland sports fans in San Francisco?? Browns, Cavs, Indians fans - let me know if you're out there. Negative

I look forward to hearing everyone's responses. Thanks in advance!!

This message was too short?! Alllrightttyyy then LOL

[babykiller]

Have you decided to for sure move into the actual city of SF as opposed to somewhere on the peninsula?

[babykiller]

If you are anything like me you would hate living anywhere but the city.

[MiamiU08]

Originally Posted by babykiller

If you are anything like me you would hate living anywhere but the city.

I think we're probably on the same page, babykiller. If I'm making the move to San Francisco, I definitely want to be in the city, as compared to lower on the peninsula. I want to be close to everything that is happening and be near those my own age.

Thanks for the reply!

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by MiamiU08

Hi all,

I am graduating from college in May 08 and moving to the Bay Area to begin work at a South City biotechnology firm in Summer 08. I am excited about the transition from my roots in the Midwest to California, but I do not know much about the Bay Area. If anyone can answer a few of my questions, I would greatly appreciate the input!

1) What are some good neighborhoods for a single, young professional who enjoys a decent nightlife scene and relatively safe living?

In the actual city, it totally depends on your budget... but with an "average" (by our standards) one in mind, I'd suggest looking around North Beach, SoMa, the Mission (has some sketchy parts), Noe Valley, Castro, Bernal Heights, Potrero Hill, and maybe a few others. How much can you spend, and will you be renting or buying? Also, how close to downtown & public transit would you want to be, and what type of weather do you prefer? SF might be small geographically, but it has a huge variety in neighborhoods!

2) Should I bring my car to the city (I will be commuting to SSF daily)?

Depends on how often you plan to leave the city & SSF, where exactly you'll be living and working, etc. If you live near BART, you can take that all the way to SSF - if your work isn't near the station, you could hop on SamTrans (bus), walk, or bike the rest of the way. Just remember it's a hilly town! I do have a car here, but I'm in a neighborhood with bad public transit, and go to the South Peninsula a few times a week... plus I have my own parking space & garage, so that's not something I need to worry about. If your place doesn't have that luxury, plan on $200/month for parking, or endless searching for street spots.

3) I have seen a great amount of data on apartments and rent, but not as much on utilities/cable/phone/internet. What can I expect to pay in these categories?

Like Wannabe said, you can get bundles through certain companies (like Comcast), which include cable, DSL & phone for a decent price - maybe $100 total, but each specific package is different. Gas & electric are pretty cheap when you live here, since the weather is so temperate, unless you're a particularly cold or hot person. I live in a 3-bedroom house with 3 people, and we average about $50/mo. in the spring & summer, maybe $75-80 during the winter. Water and garbage should be included if you live in an apartment, otherwise you'll pay around $25/mo for that.

4) BONUS: Are there any Cleveland sports fans in San Francisco?? Browns, Cavs, Indians fans - let me know if you're out there.

Sorry... this is Niners & Giants country out here! You're likely to get booed wearing anything Cleveland at an SF game - and definitely if you're in Oakland for a Raiders game.

[MiamiU08]

Haha, thanks gizmo. I'll steer clear of wearing my CLE gear outside of the apartment.

I should be able to afford at least a decent apartment from what I've seen. The "rule of thumb" as I've heard it, is: no more than 1/3 your monthly income. Based on that, I'm looking for an apartment at under $1950/mo. (I'd probably like to pay less than that, though - I'll say more like $1600).

My major requirements for a neighborhood would be:
- Young people (22-30 range) [top priority]
- Relatively safe
- Nightlife nearby

And also, thank you for the advice on BART. My company has a BART stop on its campus, to that would be very convenient.

[sonarrat]

You should be able to rent anywhere for that amount. There's the Archstone complex right off of 380 in San Bruno which is more expensive than comparables, but also much better appointed than the usual 40-year-old apartments you'll find on the peninsula, not to mention the even older ones you'll find in San Francisco.

[marshamarsha]

I think it is safer to say every other paycheck for rent. When I first graduated, I underestimated taxes and fees off my paychecks.

[18Montclair]

If your working east of 101 or far away from BART, I would definitely drive. The Oyster Point area is not pedestrian friendly at all.