Safe Neighborhoods (San Francisco, Oakland, Hayward: gated, apartments, work)

[LadyRanger]

Hi there,
I'm moving to SanFran from Miami and need advice on where to look for housing. I will be working downtown and want to commute by Bart. I like the suburbs and quiet living. I have a large (but super friendly) dog and am used to living in a gated community. I don't really know anything about the city or where to begin searching. I'm looking for something below $1800/mo. Any advice?

[gizmo980]

Are you talking IN the city, or are you considering the outskirts? Because if you prefer a suburban setting, the only SF neighborhoods fitting that are probably the Sunset, outer Richmond, Marina (probably too expensive), etc. - and they aren't accessible to BART. But you can take the light-rail (like the N Judah) from that area, and get downtown fairly quickly. Also, you might be able to find something under $1800 in Noe Valley or Bernal Heights, which are kinda suburban in a city way. Outside of the city, maybe you could look in Millbrae, South San Francisco, North Oakland... and if they're not too far, Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill are nice. All of these places I listed have BART, and the farthest (Pleasant Hill) would probably take 45-50 minutes to SF. I'm not an east bay expert, so I'll let somebody else fill you in on the details.

As for the dog, be prepared to have trouble finding a dog-friendly place... my dog is only 38 lbs., and the choices were VERY limited. And are you expecting to find a place with a yard? I have a little "yard" which is basically a large patio w/ a few tiny trees, but that was a rare find. Most places with actual yards are quite expensive, so you'd have better luck with that in the suburbs. But if the pooch is fine without one, that will definitely give you more options in SF. Good luck!

[LadyRanger]

Thanks! I was really expecting to live in the suburbs...30-45 min. commute (on a typical day) I've heard mixed views of oakland...affordable and fun but sketchy. Puppy is okay indoors but needs a lot of walking and as early as 5am so safety is key for me.

[gizmo980]

In that case, I'd suggest looking in the mid-north Peninsula or East Bay... some towns to consider on the Peninsula are Millbrae, Brisbane, South San Francisco (has a few sketchy spots, but mostly very safe), Burlingame, San Mateo, Foster City, and maybe as far as Belmont or San Carlos. It would be ideal to live near a BART station, if BART comes close to where you work - there's a station in Millbrae, at the SF airport, SSF, San Bruno & Daly City. In the East Bay you should look into Berkeley, Alameda, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, and possibly Concord. And yes, Oakland is very sketchy in certain parts, but also has a lot of nice areas... for instance Lake Merritt, Piedmont, Montclair, Oakland Hills, and even the Fruitvale district (not "nice" per say, but fairly safe). Hope this helps!

[sonarrat]

Don't forget about the Colma station, which is in a nicer part of Daly City than the DC station. Foggiest part of the whole peninsula though.

[Rochellepotter]

We live in Pleasanton-about 45 min on Bart. It's beautiful and super safe and we live across from the Bart. THere are some gated communties in Dublin (across the street). It's all super super safe. Don't move to Oakland, I wouldn't. Check out all the city data info for all the places you are looking at and you'll see that.. San Ramon, Pleasanton, Dublin are all really safe. Another option that's closer to the city-not sure where exactly the bart is, but it's close- Pacifica, right on the beach, lots of fog, pretty safe. Pleasanton area is warmer bcs it's in the valley. I'd be happy to answer any questions about other areas too. Just don't move to Oakland, Hayward area. It's pretty dangerous. I'm sure there are nice 'areas', but Pleasanton, Dublin is ALL safe, which I think is important.

[Rochellepotter]

We pay a little over $2030 for a gorgeous/8 year new 3 bedroom/3 full baths near lots of safe parks. We have a big dog too. You can get a 2 bedroom for 1500-1800 easy, the nicer places included. Look on Craig's list for dog friendly places. Also, we live in an Archstone community and they're nice/new/clean/dog friendly. I'm attaching the link....
There prices are alwys advertised higher than they are, most places around here do that. Once you get into the office and talk to people they "find" cheaper apartments that are up for rent.

Apartments in California from ArchstoneApartments.com

Archstone Emerald Park in Dublin (across the highway) is really nice too and gated. It's near 'Hacienda' which is everyone's hang out-Regal, Barnes and Noble, restaurants galore. It's totally suburbs, so not dangerous and I'm super paranoid.
Have fun!

[Ultrarunner]

Since BART is a factor... I would use proximity to BART stations as my guide to find a home.

BART runs the gamut from financial, industrial, manufacturing and a full range of residential neighborhoods with several new Transit Villages recently built.

I live in Oakland and have never had any problems... although, my home is not within walking distance to BART.

Hayward and Oakland have new housing adjacent to BART...

[LadyRanger]

Thanks for all the great information everyone! I certainly have something to start with.

[Alisande]

Originally Posted by LadyRanger

Hi there,
I'm moving to SanFran from Miami and need advice on where to look for housing. I will be working downtown and want to commute by Bart. I like the suburbs and quiet living. I have a large (but super friendly) dog and am used to living in a gated community. I don't really know anything about the city or where to begin searching. I'm looking for something below $1800/mo. Any advice?

Hate to bring tidings of woe but you won't be living in the city with those amenities for 1800. You'll have to move to the burbs to get anywhere near that and be careful which ones you move too.