Where to live if working in Berkeley (San Francisco, Oakland: budget, travel)

[nakkenam]

Hi,
I am a 25 year old graduate student,from MN who will be working in Berkeley for a summer internship. I would like to live somewhere that is safe and within walking distance to nightlife and shopping. I was wondering where a good place to live would be? I also wanted to know if I will need a car? I am willing to spend around $1,000 in rent per month, but don't really want to share a room with someone else.

Thank you for your advice! I have enjoyed reading all of the posts on here.

Amanda

[gizmo980]

I changed the title for you - it said "where to live if LIVING in Berkeley," and I assume you meant "where to live if WORKING in Berkeley." To answer your question, why not live in Berkeley itself? It's a very cool town, especially for younger people, and I think you'd be happier there than commuting from another East Bay town... you could also live in San Francisco, and take BART to work if you're near a station. Oh, but that might not be do-able on your budget, if you're not willing to share housing or live in a studio (same thing goes for much of the Bay Area).

[nakkenam]

Thanks for your response and for fixing my post I am looking at both right now, I am open to a studio, but don't know how open I am to living with other people. How long is the commute from San Fran tyipcally? Do you know what it costs to ride the BART?

[gizmo980]

On BART it takes maybe 20-30 minutes from SF to Berkeley, depending on where you get on and off... driving takes about 15-20 without traffic, and 30-45+ minutes with traffic (some of the worst in the Bay Area is in Berkeley!). I drive right past Berkeley every day from the city, and it usually takes me 15 minutes unless I hit traffic. According to the website it costs $3.50 each way, which is sadly cheaper than a gallon of gas!

Here's their site: BART - Bay Area Rapid Transit District
And another GREAT one to study: 511.org - Your Bay Area travel guide

[gizmo980]

I should clarify, the driving times also depend on where you're leaving from (in SF)... I live about 4 minutes from the Bay Bridge, but if you live way out in the Sunset, it adds 15-20 minutes to your trip. So if you do end up living in SF, try finding a place on the East Side - preferably close to BART and/or the bridge.

[artemis78]

I'd recommend living in Berkeley (or possibly the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland)--and if you're here for a summer internship, I'd *strongly* recommend getting a place with roommates who seem your style. If you're living somewhere for a short time, it's nice to have built-in buddies (and if they're terrible--you're only there for a short time!) You can also get some terrific deals on summer sublets from students who themselves are off on summer internships. That said, if you really want to live on your own, you can probably find a sublet for the summer that's on the cheaper side, too.

I'd suggest the following neighborhoods:

- If you're out of college, try Elmwood, North Berkeley, or Rockridge--all near vibrant little commercial districts and walkable to BART depending on where you are in each neighborhood.
- If you're still college-age, you might also add downtown Berkeley and Southside (close to campus) to the list. (Lots of Cal students live there and many of the restaurants/bars nearby are undergrad hangouts, so if you are one that's a plus; if you aren't one, it can be a downside.)

Personally I'd live in the East Bay and then take BART into SF to go adventuring on the weekends. There's also a night bus that comes back through these neighborhoods once an hour if you want to be out later than the trains run. If you live in SF, you can eat away a lot of your earnings in BART fares (and spend a lot of time on the train!)

[18Montclair]

Berkeley is a great place to live. If your working on campus, the surrounding neighborhoods are almost all walkable and provide good transit. Downtown Berkeley is right next to the campus and there are plenty of restaurants, movie theaters, stores etc there, very walkable.

Plus, if you leave right there, you can walk to the Downtown Berkeley BART station which is the unofficial heart of DT Berkeley and be in DT San Francisco in about 15-20 minutes.

[krudmonk]

What's wrong with living in Berkeley?