28 year old relocating to Bay Area- San Francisco? Palo Alto? San Jose? (Oakland: apartment complexes)

[Rachel_K]

Hi,

I'm a 28 year old single female who is moving to California from Philadelphia this summer, and I would love any advice.

I'm going to be working for an arts agency in San Jose, and I don't know anyone in the area. Ideally, I would love to be around other young people (i.e. not families and married couples). I'm not into the hard-core clubbing scene, but I like to go to cafes, bars with friends, art galleries, movies, poetry slams, etc. I also love to bike, hike, and go camping.

I've been told NOT to live in San Jose (hard to meet other young people, not much to do, etc.). I love San Francisco so I was thinking about looking for a place in Berkeley or Oakland, but I don't know if the commute will be horrible. If I live in San Francisco or the east bay, how bad would the commute be? Would it be a reverse commute? How long would it take?

Or would it be better to live in Mountain View, Palo Alto, or Cupertino? How are those areas for younger (20's and 30's) people? Are there other areas that would be better?

Any suggestions, recommendations would be appreciated!!!

Thanks so much!

Rachel

[humboldtrat]

I wouldn't totally rule out San Jose. While most of San Jose has a suburban feel to it, the downtown area has most of things you want.

Commuting in the Bay Area can be awful and gas is $4/gal now. San Jose has Caltrain which runs north to San Francisco caltrain.com - home, so living along the Caltrain tracks in Sunnyvale, Mountain View or Palo Alto is a possibility. Also check out Santana Row which is not in the downtown area.

[marin]

I previously lived in Philadelphia (center city) prior to moving out to Northern California. I worked in the South Bay / San Jose however I elected to live in San Francisco because:
- I wasn't ready for the 'burbs,
- If I was going to move to the area, I wanted to seize the opportunity to live in San Francisco, one of the most desirable destinations in the world to live.
- The city is REALLY where the action is.

If you will be commuting to the S. Bay, try to find a place that provides convenient access to Highway 101, 280 or the Cal Tran. You have a number of options available however check out the following neighborhoods: Noe Valley, Potrero Hill, SOMA, Mission as viable options.

Good luck!

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by marin

I previously lived in Philadelphia (center city) prior to moving out to Northern California. I worked in the South Bay / San Jose however I elected to live in San Francisco because:
- I wasn't ready for the 'burbs,
- If I was going to move to the area, I wanted to seize the opportunity to live in San Francisco, one of the most desirable destinations in the world to live.
- The city is REALLY where the action is.

If you will be commuting to the S. Bay, try to find a place that provides convenient access to Highway 101, 280 or the Cal Tran. You have a number of options available however check out the following neighborhoods: Noe Valley, Potrero Hill, SOMA, Mission as viable options.

Good luck!

What you're suggesting is a 90 - 100 mile round trip commute everyday which will be time consuming and at $4/gal for gas, an expensive commute.

[NH2008]

I have friends who have commuted from SF to SJ but it's horrible - 60 miles each way from SF. Many people commute to Silicon Valley from SF but San Jose is significantly further from SF than Redwood City, Palo Alto, etc. You would need the flexibility to work off hours if you wanted to spare yourself an absolutely hellish rush hour commute and you'd still be spending 2+ hours/day in the car.

I agree with PP that Santana Row could be fun for a single person - sort of a Disney version of city life but very pleasant. There are some good and very un-mall-like restaurants, lots of shops, a movie theater, and a weekly farmers' market.

However, if I were you I'd consider downtown Mountain View, which is centered around Castro Street. It's certainly funkier than Santana Row and within easy commuting distance of SJ. There are lots of bars, awesome ethnic restaurants, and a fair number of post-grad school singles. They also have a weekly farmers' market and various street festivals. There are a number of apartment complexes designed for young professionals that are within walking distance of downtown, but be sure to see it in person before you sign a lease as some areas of MV are a little sketchy. Cal Train runs right through MV to SF.

In contrast, both Palo Alto and Cupertino are famed for their public schools and thus are extremely family-oriented. Because of Stanford there are obviously some singles in PA and Menlo Park, but if you walk around you'll see mostly young families and there's a more suburban feel. There are a few Stanford bars but there's not much nightlife.

[Katimae]

Originally Posted by NH2008

I have friends who have commuted from SF to SJ but it's horrible - 60 miles each way from SF. Many people commute to Silicon Valley from SF but San Jose is significantly further from SF than Redwood City, Palo Alto, etc. You would need the flexibility to work off hours if you wanted to spare yourself an absolutely hellish rush hour commute and you'd still be spending 2+ hours/day in the car.

I agree with PP that Santana Row could be fun for a single person - sort of a Disney version of city life but very pleasant. There are some good and very un-mall-like restaurants, lots of shops, a movie theater, and a weekly farmers' market.

However, if I were you I'd consider downtown Mountain View, which is centered around Castro Street. It's certainly funkier than Santana Row and within easy commuting distance of SJ. There are lots of bars, awesome ethnic restaurants, and a fair number of post-grad school singles. They also have a weekly farmers' market and various street festivals. There are a number of apartment complexes designed for young professionals that are within walking distance of downtown, but be sure to see it in person before you sign a lease as some areas of MV are a little sketchy. Cal Train runs right through MV to SF.

In contrast, both Palo Alto and Cupertino are famed for their public schools and thus are extremely family-oriented. Because of Stanford there are obviously some singles in PA and Menlo Park, but if you walk around you'll see mostly young families and there's a more suburban feel. There are a few Stanford bars but there's not much nightlife.

I agree with the Castro street area of Mountan View. The commute to SF from SJ is insane, and remember... SF is still there on the weekend, you don't have to live there to go there. The other good thing about Mountain View is the light rail starts there and it covers a lot more San Jose than the Caltrain. Palo Alto has a cute little downtown, but it's all Stanford students and families... but hop on the train and check it out (4 stops I believe)

[Rachel_K]

Thank you so much for everyone's responses!

So it looks like it's between Palo Alto or Mountain View. I love college towns though so I'm leaning more toward Palo Alto.

At first I considered taking the Caltrain to work, but the closest San Jose stop is about five miles from my work. Has anyone taken their bike on Caltrain? Is it feasible?

Thanks again!

Rachel

[humboldtrat]

If you move to Mountain View, you could use the VTA light rail that goes to many places in San Jose Light Rail 902 - Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

[krudmonk]

Originally Posted by Rachel_K

At first I considered taking the Caltrain to work, but the closest San Jose stop is about five miles from my work. Has anyone taken their bike on Caltrain? Is it feasible?

Yeah, you can, but they boot you off during busy hours to make room for more bodies. At least that's what I've heard.

[Katimae]

TONS of people take their bikes on Caltrain, it actually has a bike car on it that has just a few seats and lots of room to tie your bike. I think it's a pain to haul my bike up there, but your bike might be much lighter than mine. Check out the light rail though. Keep in mind Palo Alto is way more expensive than Mountain view and their downtown is 3 stops from the Mountain view downtown on the train, so it's no big deal. Also, Mountain view is 3 stops closer to San Jose. I live in Palo Alto, I think it's mostly families here, but the Stanford campus is really nice to have right there.