Commute from Orinda to South San Francisco - am I crazy? (San Jose: buying a home, neighborhoods)

[Star66]

I am moving from New York and have been looking in Orinda and Lafayette (we have kids, so good schools are a must). My question is, I am very interested in a job opportunity in South San Francisco. Is it ridiculous to try to attempt this commute? Any idea how long this would take? I'd have some flexibility with what time I'd have to be there. I'm used to a lot of traffic in New York, but I don't want to be regretting my choice to live in Orinda.

[twins4lynn]

That's quite a commute, not impossible, but avoidable by living elsewhere! Why not check out Burlingame? The schools are excellent, the neighborhoods safe , and such an easy commute to South San Francisco!

[fizbin]

Orinda and Lafayette are great, but if I was working in SSF my first thought is I'd check out some of the upscale communities on the peninsula such as Hillsborough, Atherton, etc.

On the other hand, one big plus for Orinda & Lafayette over the peninsula is that they are warmer weather-wise, if that makes a difference for you. Depending on how far your employer is from a BART station the commute might not be too bad.

[sonarrat]

The SSF BART station is not where the jobs are, though there are shuttles to Genentech etc. I'd go for Millbrae, Burlingame, or Hillsborough.. each has their own character, so take your pick!

[humboldtrat]

Orinda to South San Francisco is a lousy commute. You would spend too much time commuting.

Try to find something closer to S San Francisco, such as Daly City, San Bruno or Pacifica (which is by the beach). The problem is, being this close to the ocean, there will be a lot of fog and wind - more so than if you lived inland away from the ocean. Also check out towns south of SSF such as Burlingame and San Mateo which are further in from the coast and get less fog and wind.

[gizmo980]

Burlingame & Hillsborough have excellent schools, and you'd be spending a LOT less time in the car... plus the weather is warmer than SSF, though a bit cooler than Orinda. I'm not one to talk about crazy commutes, since I drive from San Francisco to Napa 4x/week , but I wouldn't recommend it long-term - especially to someone with children at home.

[NorthernCalifornia]

BART connects Orinda and SSF but it's a long ride, probably 45 minutes to an hour each way. It's also not particularly cheap. If your employer is flexible and you can work from home occasionally that might improve things greatly for you. If you're not driving you can probably use your time on BART to a degree at least. Riding BART is more like riding the subway than it is commuter rail, though, so working in that environment is tricky.

[Gr33nArcher]

The commute will be terrible, at best. I second the motion on Hillsborough and Aetherton. Millbrae may be another option. Homes in good school areas in the Penninsula can easily run you up in the low millions. You may also consider buying a home in Daly City, SSF and just sending kids in private schools.

[Peninsula gal]

The Lamorinda area is very nice but if you can afford that area look in Burlingame, San Mateo, Foster City for good schools. Foster City has top elementary and intermediate schools. Any of these areas are under 30 minutes tops to South City and no bridge to have to deal with. The weather is very similar, having lived in Moraga for years before returning to the mid-Peninsula. Lamornida is effected by the fog in the summer as the winds flow through the Richmond gap and it can get very cold at night in the summer. Unless someone has lived both places they assume Orinda and Lafayette and Moraga are much warmer, but not true.

[tennis368fan]

I don't know of the accuracy of Google Maps, but they estimate that the commute from Orinda will be 1 hour and 20 minutes to South San Francisco! With these commute durations, might as well commute from the Central Valley!

If you take that job opening, you should consider the Peninsula if you can afford it. There are other East Bay cities such as Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon, Sunol, Castro Valley, Alameda, and Fremont that you can consider for its schools, but none of those cities can compare to commute durations from Peninsula cities.

If you could take a job opening elsewhere, such as in San Ramon, Pleasanton, Dublin, or Livermore, Mountain House can be an option. It has good elementary and middle schools, plus commuter bus service to those cities. You could also work in Fremont and the Silicon Valley via the Altamont Commuter Train service toward San Jose. You can get a home that is twice the size as the homes in Orinda for the same price, or, you may get a similar sized home for half the price. Mountain House Villages is a community-run website where you can ask for more details.

DataQuest (CA Dept of Education) and GreatSchools.net allows you to search for school ratings.