Job at SanQuentin Prison...Where should we live? (Richmond, San Rafael: apartment complexes, to rent)

[sweetmebri23]

Hi Everyone,

I accepted a job as an RN at the prison. Any ideas on a safe place to live around there that wouldn't require too long of a commute? I don't mind driving an hour there and back. I am looking for a place that is safe, kid friendly (14 y/o) and not too expensive ( I know that is probably a joke around there right?) I am just looking for a place to rent right now. Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks So Much!

Sweetmebri23

[RandalR]

Originally Posted by sweetmebri23

Hi Everyone,

I accepted a job as an RN at the prison. Any ideas on a safe place to live around there that wouldn't require too long of a commute? I don't mind driving an hour there and back. I am looking for a place that is safe, kid friendly (14 y/o) and not too expensive ( I know that is probably a joke around there right?) I am just looking for a place to rent right now. Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks So Much!

Sweetmebri23

Avoid the Canal area of San Rafael - other than that, almost everything in Marin is safe enough. While it isn't cheap, you should be able to find something relatively inexpensive to rent. Look into the apartment complexes at Larkspur Landing - it's a nice short commute (you could almost walk to San Quentin). Corte Madera/Larkspur/Greenbrae are nice, too, and only two or three miles away.

[artemis78]

You might also check out the small city of Albany on the other side of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, which has a great middle and high school and reasonable rents. While I-80 is not exactly known for being a painless commute, you'd be doing it in the reverse direction, so it wouldn't be too bad (definitely better than a 101 commute towards SF at the same hour!) Without traffic it's maybe 15 minutes, but a bit longer during rush hour.

Marin County is generally nicer, but less affordable. San Rafael's high schools also lag behind some of the other Marin high schools (Redwood, Novato, etc.), too, so that's something to consider.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by artemis78

You might also check out the small city of Albany on the other side of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, which has a great middle and high school and reasonable rents. While I-80 is not exactly known for being a painless commute, you'd be doing it in the reverse direction, so it wouldn't be too bad (definitely better than a 101 commute towards SF at the same hour!) Without traffic it's maybe 15 minutes, but a bit longer during rush hour.

You can avoid I-80 altogether with that commute... just take Buchanan St. to 580W, and that will get you to the San Rafael Bridge. I've done that commute in reverse (from Richmond to SF), and it's really easy! You would actually be with traffic on 580, but I've never seen it backed up on 580 east of the bridge. Then you'd only hit minimal traffic on the actual bridge, and would get off before the Marin mess on 101. If I were you, I'd study 511.org (traffic map) for a few weeks to get an idea of the traffic patterns.