Moving to SF for grad school from Massachusetts! (San Francisco, Berkeley: apartment, lease)

[cole9903]

I am looking to move to SF from Massachusetts and wondering which neighborhoods are the safest to live in and which to definitely stay away from. I know the tenderloin is a no go, but how far north does that extend, ie, into lower nob hill? All while trying to be cost efficient!

Also, since I am going to be a full time grad student I most likely won't have a full time income when I move to SF. What are the chances that a landlord will take paperwork of an incoming loan or a part time job as proof of income for an apartment?

Any help would be appreciated!

[bayarea-girl]

If you are renting in San Francisco or Berkeley it is very common for landlords to take into consideration that your money will be coming from a loan and or a part-time job. But expect them too also have you provide a co-signer and or a parent to be put on the lease. If you have a roommate it might not be an issue. Any other parts of the bay I think they will want you to have a job.

[rah]

The tenderloin isn't really a "no go" area, except for maybe a few intersections in the middle of the night. For the most part the tenderloin, while gritty and even pretty nasty and sometimes intimidating in spots, is fine to walk around in, as long as you have any kind of street smarts. The worst parts of the TL would be south of O'Farrell, east of Larkin, west of Taylor, and of course north of Market, as that's the southern border (also 6th street, though it's not nearly as bad as it used to be). As i said though, late at night it gets quite a bit more sketchy overall. But as it goes for any sketchy neighborhood in any city, you're in the most danger if you're a drug dealer or gangbanger, or you're flashing your money and expensive stuff around.

The real no go zones in SF are most of the housing projects and in some cases the areas surrounding the projects. most of those areas are way in the south of the city though. The projects in the Fillmore are right to the west of Civic Center/the Tenderloin/Downtown, but they're much better than the past. It's kind of the same as the tenderloin. Keep your eyes open, and don't be stupid or nervous looking and you're likely to be completely fine.

[cole9903]

what is the feel of lower nob hill? any thoughts?