Job relocating to Kensington--many questions (Berkeley, Richmond: apartment, for rent, how much)

[theh]

I was recently informed that my job will be relocating to Kensington in August. With the state this economy is in and my fiance being unemployed and absolutely no jobs to be found here, it looks like I'm going to have to follow my job. I expect to only be making $30k a year by then, maybe a little more than that if I can convince my supervisors...but as I understand it, $30k doesn't get you very far in the Bay area. However, we'd be more screwed staying put and both being unemployed, so this may be our only option. I would love to move to the Bay area and would normally be a little more excited about it than this, but the cost of living is a little scary when we're not in the best financial situation!

I do not know how much to expect my fiance to make once he finds a job. He earned a bachelor's degree in english in 2007. He has experience doing office work, sales, writing/editing, web design, and video production. He is great with kids and used to work at a camp, so teaching might also be an option. Sorry this is pretty vague. Could someone give me a ball park estimate on how much he might make--best and worst case scenerio? How hard has the economy hit the Bay area, compared to the rest of the country? What jobs are fairly plentiful in the area that he might be qualified for? How many months should we prepare for him to be jobless when we move?

Are there any safe, fairly quiet, and remotely affordable areas (rent-wise) within a 45-minute commute to Kensington? Right now we live in a rural area in Massachusetts and rent a one-bedroom apartment. Our rent is about $900 a month when winter utilities are tacked on. We are used to living on a tight budget. Assuming my fiance finds a job that at least pays what I get paid after we move, we could afford maybe $1100 for rent. Does this exist?

How much might we expect our utility bills to be? I would say we are pretty conservative with utilities, and I don't expect we'll be using the heat or AC on a frequent basis when we're accustomed to 20 degree weather in the winter and 90 degree weather in the summer.

And here is a question that's a bit weird and I'll understand if it goes unanswered! My fiance is a pro-wrestler and hopes to continue training after we move. Does anyone know of any pro-wrestling schools in the area? I know there is at least one school called All Pro-Wrestling. Does anyone have feedback on this school? Are there any others?

Much help and advice is GREATLY appreciated!!

[valkyrieh]

I didn't know there were jobs in Kensington. :-) Kensington is very expensive. 30K will get you nowhere in the Bay Area, not to put too fine a point on it. But you may be able to find something affordable in the Richmond or El Cerrito Hills. Everyone is scared of Richmond (for good reason), but the hills are a secret gem. It's beautiful, close to regional parks and not so expensive just because you are in Richmond and no one wants to live in Richmond. Also, El Sobrante ooorrrr, if you are willing to drive a bit, another hidden jewel is Crockett. Crockett is an adorable small town, where everyone knows each other. Very friendly people, and inexpensive. I rented a beautiful two-bedroom there with spectacular view for $850/month ~4 years ago. Without traffic, it's about a 20-minute drive to Kensington. With traffic, it can take 45 minutes.

[theh]

Originally Posted by valkyrieh

I didn't know there were jobs in Kensington. :-) Kensington is very expensive. 30K will get you nowhere in the Bay Area, not to put too fine a point on it. But you may be able to find something affordable in the Richmond or El Cerrito Hills. Everyone is scared of Richmond (for good reason), but the hills are a secret gem. It's beautiful, close to regional parks and not so expensive just because you are in Richmond and no one wants to live in Richmond. Also, El Sobrante ooorrrr, if you are willing to drive a bit, another hidden jewel is Crockett. Crockett is an adorable small town, where everyone knows each other. Very friendly people, and inexpensive. I rented a beautiful two-bedroom there with spectacular view for $850/month ~4 years ago. Without traffic, it's about a 20-minute drive to Kensington. With traffic, it can take 45 minutes.

I will have the only job in Kensington. I work for a very small business that hosts alternative therapy education programs and courses all over the country, the most successful of which has been in Berkeley. The founders are a married couple who have set up an office in their home--my office. We have week-long courses out in Berkeley about once every two months and naturally they're getting sick of flying back and forth all the time. They found a good deal on a house in Kensington, so they bought it.

Thank you so much for the suggestions! They all look perfectly reasonable on craigslist. Richmond would be convenient and it's good to know there's at least one area that's safe. Crockett sounds like our type of place--we're young, but we've always preferred small towns to cities. We will definitely check out those places whenever we get a chance to make a visit before we move. Thank you!

[kander63]

I have friends who live in the Richmond hills and it is actually pretty nice and quasi-rural in feel.

[naomisday]

The Richmond Hills are safe..or Point Richmond...by the Marina