How Can I... (San Francisco: loans, work, college)

[rw2006]

Can a single black male straight out of college making $40K a year without a car can live comfortably in San Francisco and/or the Bay Area?

[DowNout]

If you work in SF, stay in SF. Without a car you are limited to Bart & bus, but that add's $$, and @ 40K you should definately keep any extra costs down! The longer you able to go without a car, the more you will save/pay off loans. The SF scene for singles is probably one of the best in the nation, regardless of any demographic profiling you might fall into. My brother has lived there for a few years, as well as some close friends, and they love it. So many things to do, people to meet, etc. all without a car. Finding roomates and renting a place is the best way to go, if you don't mind living with others. It really depends on what you are looking for. I would suggest living in the Northbeach area, as it is close to the Financial district, as well as close to bars & clubs.

[rw2006]

But are there other neighborhoods that are clean, safe, diverse, reasonably affordable, and close to public transportation?

[DowNout]

Pretty much everywhere in SF is close to public transportation (Muni), which by the way is probably the most diverse part of SF. It really depends on what you want out of the area in which you live. Northbeach does tend to be more Euro-saxon, I guess you can say, and I know there are other parts of SF that predominantly have other ethnicities. Clean and safe are pretty much all the same outside of the Tenderloin. The farther from the financial district you get the cheaper the rent, so to speak. Sunset is nice and generally quite, foggy, but more laid back. Check out CraigsList for SF, it should give you a good idea about rents, and areas.