Convenient spot for both Larkspur and Berkeley? (San Francisco, Richmond: house, transfer)

[bigmovewest]

Hi everyone
My partner and I are considering moving from London to San Francisco. If we make the move I'll be working in Berkeley and he'll we working in Larkspur. I've been reading the other threads to try and figure out if there are places we could live that wouldn't be a commuting nightmare for one or both of us. I'd really appreciate opinions on the following ideas, bearing in mind we have a budget of around $2000 for a 1 bed, and safety returning in the late evening is a primary concern. It would also be nice to be somewhere walkable with good restaurants nearby.

1. Live in Albany/El Cerrito and both commute by car.
2. Live in either downtown Berkeley or Larkspur/San Rafael so one of us walks/bikes and the other drives.
3. Live in San Francisco (North Beach/Russian Hill/Telegraph Hill?) and use MUNI/BART or Golden Gate Transit to Commute.
4. This one is a bit half baked, but maybe somewhere further down to BART line, or an easy transfer onto a MUNI line such as Glen Park or Noe Valley???

Cheers for any advice you can give us!

[ImRandy]

1. It's an OK solution but I'd probably go with #2.
2. Probably the most reasonable and cheapest route. Slightly less traffic Berkeley to Larkspur than Larkspur to Berkeley. Not a deal breaking difference though.
3. Nightmare... it's about a two hour commute each way via public transportation to Larkspur. Berkeley isn't that bad but neither of you would be happy campers for long.
4. Same as above but longer

[bigmovewest]

Thanks for the advice. My current commute is 1h45 and I wouldn't wish that on anyone! I'm guessing Berkeley would be the most fun of the two?

[ImRandy]

I suppose that depends on your idea of fun. Neither one is a big city. Larkspur is about a 10th the size of Berkeley. Larkspur is more affluent with much fewer poor and homeless. Berkeley has much more ethnic diversity, Larkspur is 90%+ white. Larkspur has greater access to outdoor activities (others my disagree) and is slightly warmer and wetter. Berkeley has more and more diverse dining options. Berkeley has much more nightlife options especially when you consider that it's a quick BART ride into San Francisco. Both are left leaning towns but Berkeley leans much further to the left.

[danking27]

Bigmovewest...San Francisco would be a fun place to live in but coming home late from work may not be...really depends how well you can tolerate homeless, bums and trashlike streets... but the traffic isn't great......it's about 30mins going from either berkeley/SF to Larkspur...since your looking for safety...I wouldn't live in San Francisco...I wouldn't live in Richmond/El Cerrito (BAD areas)...Berkeley is OK to live in but there is certainly room for improvement...I would recommend living in Orinda which borders Berkeley. (bordered by a few mountains) which really keeps both cities seperated (Berkeley - more rural, Orinda - All Urban) Orinda is a great area to live and BART runs in that city too...So you can take the BART to work in Berkeley and your partner can drive to Larkspur...Or if you both have cars, you could just drive to work in Berkeley and your partner drives to Larkspur...But if you are only trying to do it with one car, do as I recommend....(Orinda is a great suburb)...Also, avoiding San Francisco completley will dimish the traffic and that traffic makes me want to committ suicide sometimes

[nooneknowsmyname]

You might also consider Point Richmond. Even though it is part of Richmond, it is remove-- spatially, economically, and psychologically--from the parts of Richmond that are dangerous. Point Richmond is close to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, which means that it is short drive to Larkspur. And Point Richmond is right off of 580 which is the highway that runs into 80 and goes into Berkeley. Point Richmond is a funky little community, parts of which are located on the SF Bay has with beautiful views of the 3 bridges. You don't mention a price, so I assume that isn't a big concern.

[bigmovewest]

Hi
Thanks so much for all of your input. Its great to be able to narrow things down for next time we come out to take a look around, and have a few new suggestions in the bag as well. Looking at these places I think we need to decide how important an easy commute is vs being able to go out in the evenings without always taking a car (big change from our current no car lifestyle!).

Cheers again, and if anybody else has any thoughts I'd love to hear them too!

[BearBranch]

Point Richmond is actually a great inbetween location. Very cute town, with nice little restaurants. Its also waterfront. On the other hand, perhaps its a bit too close to the refinery.

[BearBranch]

Larkspur also isn't that bad of a drive into Berkeley.

[tahoesash]

Larkspur by a mile if you want quality of life. Forget trying to live in between - there is nowhere you'll want to stay long term. My dad lives in San Pablo and spends equal time in Berkeley and Larkspur. However, his house has been broken into 3 times, he's had cars crash into his yard, it's just bad. As bearbranch said, it's very feasible to commute from Larkspur to Berkeley. Also that way you're both not gone from the house all day every day. That is difficult to handle! You want the best of the Bay Area coming from London - living in Marin County will do that. You may even be able to find a 1 bd for $2K. You might also look at San Rafael/Mill Valley.