Commute SF to FAIRFIELD--does that make sense? (San Francisco, Vallejo: neighborhoods, living in)

[tont]

1. Does it make sense to even consider commuting from downtown SF to Fairfield?
2. If NO, what are some GOOD (GOOD for me means SAFE, nice, easy access to freeway, lowest crime, etc.) alternatives to live as close as possible to SF and commute to Fairfield?

Thanks!

[sonarrat]

1. God no.
2. I'd say probably Pinole, though you can find pockets in Fairfield that are as nice. Hercules would also be acceptable. Oh, and there's a commuter bus from El Cerrito del Norte BART to Fairfield by the way..

[MJinAustin]

Actually, I know someone who used to make that commute. I think it took him an hour because he was going against traffic. That was 10 years ago though...not sure what things are like there now. Wish I still lived there...

[gizmo980]

I commuted from SF to Napa for 4 months, which is about the same distance & direction, and it took 50-60 minutes each way - OFF HOURS, since I worked 12-9pm. So if you work normal (9-5ish) hours, plan on spending a good 3-4 hours a day in the car. Not worth it IMO, especially considering gas costs around $4.50/gallon right now. Plus you'll be spending $8/day on bridge tolls, since you have to cross the Bay Bridge & Carquinez to get there.

I'd agree with the recommendations sonarrat gave, and would add El Sobrante to the list... you might also find something nice in Vallejo, though I don't know it well enough to recommend neighborhoods. Berkeley is another possibility, but you might as well commute from SF if you live there. Good luck!

[tont]

Thank you All for the responses, I appreciate.

gizmo,
1. you say if I chose Berkeley would be almost the same like SF--but wouldn't this save me the bridge tolls and some significant commuting time?
2. you say 3-4 hours of commute--but don't I go against the traffic each way? Or in Cali it doesn't really matter?

Thanks.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by tont

Thank you All for the responses, I appreciate.

gizmo,
1. you say if I chose Berkeley would be almost the same like SF--but wouldn't this save me the bridge tolls and some significant commuting time?
2. you say 3-4 hours of commute--but don't I go against the traffic each way? Or in Cali it doesn't really matter?

Thanks.

Well, this is Interstate 80 we're talking about. It goes all the way from San Francisco to New York City, so it is a busy busy road. And yes, there is a bridge toll as you go south from Vallejo over the Carquinez Bridge on your way home.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by tont

Thank you All for the responses, I appreciate.

gizmo,
1. you say if I chose Berkeley would be almost the same like SF--but wouldn't this save me the bridge tolls and some significant commuting time?

Yes, it will save you the $4 Bay Bridge toll, and about 15 minutes of the commute... I guess that's something, but I've been struggling with this decision myself (whether to move from SF to Berkeley or Richmond), and it's almost not worth the difference. Especially when you consider the cost of living in Berkeley, which is nearly on par with SF! But yeah, I suppose it might be worth living there instead of the city.

2. you say 3-4 hours of commute--but don't I go against the traffic each way? Or in Cali it doesn't really matter?

If you were going with traffic, it would be more like 4-5 hours. There's still traffic in any direction, it's just heavier if you were heading the other way.

[tont]

Thank you again for the information, I appreciate it.