Housing for TOURO student-Vallejo (house, neighborhood, school)

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by pammybear

Really saying that I am not getting the message is unkind and not necessary. We are using City Data as but one resource. We have contacted a friendly realtor who is also willing to help them find something to rent. I was really hoping to find other students to see what creative solutions they have found and what is exactly realistic about the bridge and how far away one can comfortably live. They are looking at some very promising long term air bnbs so we are looking at this from multiple angles and setting up appointments for when they they come to visit next month. Within 30 minutes there are yurts, campers, tiny houses, guest houses, studios all sorts of housing situations and I am confident we will find one that will meet their needs. Even though I used the word casita, seems that most people understand what that means. In the listings I see MIL suite, guest house, studio, tiny house etc. which is really what casita means anyway. People are smart enough to understand and if they don't and they want to know they can look it up like I do.

I am curious though about the area and why the island fell on hard times. Aren't islands usually upscale and desirable areas to live? I guess I will try and find a resource to read about the history of the island and how it fell on hard times. They will be there 4 years and honestly they are smart resourceful young people and can live anywhere for four years. They live in a major city in Texas and are aware of watching out for personal safety. Good news is the school is planning to have a meeting for the new students so the topic of housing is sure to come up, we are just trying to get a jump start. Thank you everyone for your help!
Pam

This sounds promising. And if you're considering a radius of about a 30-min. commute (your second post gave a different impression), there will definitely be options, but 20-30 mins away will not be Vallejo. So it seems like you and some of the posters here are actually on the same page. Thanks for clarifying.

The island was a naval base, as you probably know, and the navy decamped. That's the bulk of the history. The city has been looking at development plans for it, but the city was in no position to deal with the development question for a long time. Furthermore, sea-level rise is expected to flood parts of Vallejo and Mare Island as soon as 2050, so it's a tricky environment in which to try to do RE development. Especially when the sewage treatment plant there will also be underwater.

Menacing threat to Vallejo (and Benicia): Greenland’s rapidly shrinking ‘zombie ice’ | The Benicia Independent ~ Eyes on the Environment / Benicia news & views

[MechAndy]

I replied as nicely as I could and I did you a disservice by that.
I apologize for that .

Vallejo is a dangerous place and you should not underestimate how bad it can get.
There has been multiple shooting deaths at what would seem like a somewhat safe area.
I’m talking about the gas station minimart near the 780/80 intersection just off the east side of the freeway.

I am not one that scares easily and I don’t think it is safe.
If you are not in alert mode all the time you will probably pay the price for that.
If you are a young college female you will be targeted.

11 miles to be safer?
Sounds like a great idea because I was thinking the safe zone would be further.
Good luck to you and for Heavens sake don’t let your kid/kids live there.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by MechAndy

I replied as nicely as I could and I did you a disservice by that.
I apologize for that .

Vallejo is a dangerous place and you should not underestimate how bad it can get.
There has been multiple shooting deaths at what would seem like a somewhat safe area.
I’m talking about the gas station minimart near the 780/80 intersection just off the east side of the freeway.

I am not one that scares easily and I don’t think it is safe.
If you are not in alert mode all the time you will probably pay the price for that.
If you are a young college female you will be targeted.

11 miles to be safer?
Sounds like a great idea because I was thinking the safe zone would be further.
Good luck to you and for Heavens sake don’t let your kid/kids live there.

When is the last time you actually visited Vallejo? The 780/80 interchange is a known dangerous area and close to the triangle of roads in south Vallejo I said to avoid in my previous post. I always enjoy visiting Vallejo when I am in the area. It feels much safer than San Francisco where people in deluxe areas with four million dollar homes can get attacked just outside their front door.

https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco...-of-control/#x

The problem with that 11 mile commute is that it will take them through the dangerous area of south Vallejo everyday. However if they live close to the medical school they would have no reason to ever go through that area. Note how the route from Martinez or Benicia uses Curtola Pkwy.

https://goo.gl/maps/W7U3a4h4sSvnfkQ77

Touro will have resources for housing that are not advertised to the general public. I think this will be the best option for the med students.

https://tu.edu/campus-life/

"Through our "Marketplace" tab on Campus Groups(opens in a new tab), it is easy to find a range of housing options near the Touro campus, many of which are on Mare Island itself and within easy walking distance from the campus.

Marketplace has everything from rooms for rent to complete condos. Students can even post rooms wanted ads if they choose. The region immediately surrounding TUC is among the most affordable in the entire Bay Area, as well."

[MechAndy]

I get it,
you like or live in Vallejo or think bad areas are not that bad.
Ok I got that and that you think a reasonable commute of 11 miles is not doable.
What is acceptable to some may not be for others though is all I can say, but you do you .

I’ve known Vallejo since I was a kid.
I go by (through)several times a year for business or holiday, this how I get to the Napa Valley or the North Coast.
I used to drive by daily to deal with clients and union issues as well.

I do know that their police department is still in the ruins of mismanagement.
Their police and city departments are always at the bottom of the Bay Area barrel.
I don’t think this area is fixable anytime in the near future.
The area lacks funds to run properly.
Ghettos are not great areas to find tax money and situations such as this town happen.

This is an area where legally carrying a concealed weapon is not a bad idea.

[davdaven]

Touro University (never heard of it) is on Mare Island. Can they live on Mare Island? It's a nice part of Vallejo and probably the one area my wife and I would consider if we had to live on that side of the Carquinez Bridge.

If Mare Island doesn't suit them, I recommend looking into Benicia. A friend's sister lives there and likes it. Sleepy but not too sleepy. Much cleaner, safer, and more appealing than Vallejo. Vallejo lacks a lot, and safety is a huge issue there.

I see no particular reason to live on the south side of the Carquinez Bridge, as it is more expensive (generally speaking) and requires a $7 bridge toll every day.

If the world is their oyster, they can commute via ferry from SF to Vallejo and live a truly urban lifestyle. Some people definitely prefer this, although personally I don't think it's worth it for most folks.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by MechAndy

I get it,
you like or live in Vallejo or think bad areas are not that bad.

I live in San Francisco. Compared to SF and Oakland, Vallejo is not that bad. It still has its issues and that is why I wrote "However this is not for everyone and they must carefully check out the area to make sure they like it."

I also recommended American Canyon and northeast Vallejo however living right on Mare Island close to the medical school sounds like the best option.

Originally Posted by MechAndy

I got that and that you think a reasonable commute of 11 miles is not doable.

For an office worker 11 miles is a short commute. For a medical student living very close to campus is ideal. Also it was shown that the 11 mile commute would give them more exposure to the bad areas of Vallejo than living very close to campus.
__________________________________________________ _____________________

A former regular poster moved to Vallejo a few years ago. I wonder how he likes it now.

https://www.city-data.com/forum/san-...-heres-my.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/san-...ar-review.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/san-...t-vallejo.html

[MechAndy]

Ok, I guess didn’t consider much about med student needs.
My bad on that.

I recently took a 6 week power class for employment that was nowhere near my house so they put us up at the Marriott.
I was darn glad that the school was only 2 miles from the hotel.
I can see that a med student would be drained too.
All the best.

[MechAndy]

Just to add,
I spent most of my career in San Francisco.
For me it is safer than Vallejo even the nasty gritty parts.

Vallejo’s nastiness is right about par with Stockton.
Yes there are a few small areas that are not the worst but that poverty ghetto thing they share is not to be underestimated.
Those two towns have declared bankruptcy more than once if I remember correctly.
Both have serious issues when it comes to personal safety.
Comparing to San Francisco is not a fair comparison.

[davdaven]

Originally Posted by MechAndy

Vallejo’s nastiness is right about par with Stockton.

That's the reputation. However, the northern part of Stockton is generally pleasant in a highly suburban sort of way. My brother-in-law lives in Stockton, and until I became familiar with it, I had a similar impression. Overall I would say Vallejo has more bad than good, while in Stockton you can drive for miles and still be in a good area.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by capoeira

I live in San Francisco. Compared to SF and Oakland, Vallejo is not that bad. It still has its issues and that is why I wrote "However this is not for everyone and they must carefully check out the area to make sure they like it."

I also recommended American Canyon and northeast Vallejo however living right on Mare Island close to the medical school sounds like the best option.



For an office worker 11 miles is a short commute. For a medical student living very close to campus is ideal. Also it was shown that the 11 mile commute would give them more exposure to the bad areas of Vallejo than living very close to campus.
__________________________________________________ _____________________

A former regular poster moved to Vallejo a few years ago. I wonder how he likes it now.

https://www.city-data.com/forum/san-...-heres-my.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/san-...ar-review.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/san-...t-vallejo.html

I've been wondering about Pix Therapy myself. We could use her on this thread. I hope she's enjoying Vallejo still. She was living around a cluster of artists in an area around downtown full of old Victorians. An update from her would be informative.