Contra Costa or Marin County (San Francisco, Oakland: for rent, condos, how much) - San Francisco - Oakland - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

Rina120 · 05-19-2017, 04:02 PM

Hi Folks!
I saw that someone had posted this exact topic but the OP needs were different than mine, so I felt I needed to start my own thread.

We've been in SF for nearly 4 years now and after multiple horror stories and considering even my last choice in the world (CONDOS), we've decided that we just cant afford to stay in SF.

We are currently looking at the two counties and would like some advice.

Our needs are: We are a lesbian married couple in our 40s. Schools do not matter. We'd like outdoor space and a backyard. We would like a pool. So the fact that Contra County is warm is actually a good thing.
We like bars and restaurants, but are mostly day drinkers now so just need some solid options. We also like the outdoors, but I think it seems both counties are good for that.

Our take is this: Contra County seems to be best as its located in the center of a lot of hotspots (looking at Orinda). not too far from Piedmont, Oakland or Rockridge. Not too far from Walnut Creek which also have some good restaurants and bars. Also, it does have BART if we'd like to go into SF for a festival or concert or something and remember when we paid exorbitant amounts of money for rent...

We went to Marin County and it seems just sooooooooooo white. Went to San Rafael and the town seemed really sleepy with not many options.
However i recently heard that Marin County is full of liberals and Contra Costa is more conservative.
I may not be ultra liberal, but the the of moving to Trump country makes my skin crawl. Is it conservative like that? Or "conservative for the bay area"?
And should I care if I wont really be interacting much? Since we have no children, it wont be required that we interact and get along with everyone, but you know...sure would be nice!!!! (Imaging 4th of July backyard BBQ parties!)

Also: I work in SSF so...I already know that tunnel is going to be problematic, but how much will this be a problem?

Any comments are appreciated.

Thanks!

LuvSouthOC · 05-19-2017, 04:08 PM

Aside from its location and beauty, Marin is expensive because of its demographics, which it in turn does everything to maintain.

Why is it that it bothers you that Marin is heavily white? Are you frightened of white and mostly very liberal people?

Rina120 · 05-19-2017, 04:10 PM

"Why is it that it bothers you that Marin is heavily white? Are you frightened of white mostly very liberal people?"

No. I just LOVE the diversity in San Francisco. Its so unique and amazing. I'd like to keep as much of that as I can. Oh..and I am not white so its nice not to be the only non-white around...Which I immediately felt when I went to a bar in San Rafael.

Also, I wasnt asking about price, so the fact that Marin is more expensive isnt really the answer I was hoping to get.
I was hoping to get details about interactions amongst neighbors in these two counties, especially since one was called "conservative". i am, in fact, frightened of conservatives

BayAreaHillbilly · 05-19-2017, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rina120

"Why is it that it bothers you that Marin is heavily white? Are you frightened of white mostly very liberal people?"

No. I just LOVE the diversity in San Francisco. Its so unique and amazing. I'd like to keep as much of that as I can. Oh..and I am not white so its nice not to be the only non-white around...Which I immediately felt when I went to a bar in San Rafael.

Also, I wasnt asking about price, so the fact that Marin is more expensive isnt really the answer I was hoping to get.
I was hoping to get details about interactions amongst neighbors in these two counties, especially since one was called "conservative". i am, in fact, frightened of conservatives

If you will be coming into the City a lot CC is your best bet. Marin just sucks due to it's poor transportation infrastructure into the rest of the Bay Area. It's great if you're a 9 - 5er riding the ferry with company assistance but much more than that and it would be painful.

Ruth4Truth · 05-19-2017, 04:16 PM

Oh, good grief! Liberal/conservative in the Bay Area tends to be very relative. I think you'll enjoy Contra Costa Co., if you can afford Orinda, Lafayette, or Walnut Creek.

As far as tunnel traffic goes....what about BART? That's a long drive you're setting yourself up for. If I were you, I'd rather let someone else do the driving, if that's an option.

Rina120 · 05-19-2017, 04:19 PM

Thank you Ruth! I was hoping that was the case with the conservative comment!!
I like the options of using both BART and Car to get to work...

Ruth4Truth · 05-19-2017, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rina120

Thank you Ruth! I was hoping that was the case with the conservative comment!!
I like the options of using both BART and Car to get to work...

Orinda tends to have a fair number of UC Berkeley faculty, and other liberal types, as well as conservatives. Re: driving that commute, I hope you can vary your work schedule a bit, to avoid the worst of the traffic. The tunnel was widened recently, which relieved some of the congestion, but the real crush is on the approach to the Bay Bridge, and coming home at the end of the day....ugh! You don't want to get stuck in that, approaching and going through the City, fighting your way onto the bridge.

You have been warned.

capoeira · 05-19-2017, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rina120

However i recently heard that Marin County is full of liberals and Contra Costa is more conservative.
I may not be ultra liberal, but the the of moving to Trump country makes my skin crawl. Is it conservative like that? Or "conservative for the bay area"?

Whoever called Contra Costa "conservative" is clueless and is giving you bad info. Look at the facts, Clinton got 68.9% of the vote in Contra Costa County and Trump got only 25.4%.

California 2016 Presidential And State Election Results : NPR

Rina120 · 05-19-2017, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

You have been warned.

This gave me the heebie jeebies!

Out of curiosity, wouldn't you rank the commute from Marin County just as bad?
Options there would be the Ferry and driving.
And yes, i am lucky enough to vary my schedule a bit.

Ruth4Truth · 05-19-2017, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rina120

This gave me the heebie jeebies!

Out of curiosity, wouldn't you rank the commute from Marin County just as bad?
Options there would be the Ferry and driving.
And yes, i am lucky enough to vary my schedule a bit.

Definitely. But I'm not sure what you mean by "the ferry and driving". The ferry only gets you near downtown. From there, getting to SSF would be a challenge. It's not a car ferry. It's only a people ferry. This isn't WA State, with its glorious car ferry system. But if you can vary your schedule on the days you choose to drive, that could work. A 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 pm schedule would work.