Where to live - Commuting to Berkeley (Oakland, Richmond: apartment, rent)

[mf2]

I will be beginning a PhD in Berkeley in the fall and am looking for recommendations as to where to live. I would love to live in Berkeley, but the areas I find appealing are way too expensive. My rent budget is $1300 max and I would like to find something for $1000-1100. I need a 2 bedroom and have a medium size dog (about 50 lbs.). Schools are not important as my youngest will be graduating from high school. Ideally I will be able to ride BART and get to campus in 30 minutes or less. At this point in my life - quiet is good.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[artemis78]

I'd try:
- Oakland near MacArthur BART---look in the Temescal or Mosswood neighborhoods east of the freeway to stay in a safer area; it gets sketchier as you move to the other side of the freeway. Also try to stay at least a few blocks away from MacArthur Blvd, as it gets louder/dirtier/sketchier along that stretc. [Under 10 min station-to-station; trains every 10-20 minutes]

- Oakland along Telegraph Avenue near 59th or Alcatraz---this is actually not especially close to BART (a long walk to either Rockridge or Ashby stations) but it is on a Rapid Bus corridor (stops are at those two cross streets) that will take you directly to campus in a short time. The area east of Telegraph is nicer than to the west (but also more expensive). [10-15 min to campus once you're on the bus; buses theoretically every 12 minutes]

- El Cerrito near El Cerrito Plaza BART---To the east of San Pablo Ave, there are some nice areas that are walkable to both BART and Solano Avenue in Albany/Berkeley, and there's also a bus to campus. Same deal for San Pablo Ave as for MacArthur; area gets nicer as you get a bit farther away from this major corridor. [Under 10 min station-to-station; trains every 10-20 minutes]

All of those neighborhoods should have 2 BR places to offer in that price range, although the nicer places still often go for more than that, so you may have to think about where your tradeoff points are (e.g., are you willing to have a less-nice apartment in a better neighborhood?) There are also some older fourplex-style buildings that may have yards and thus be more likely to allow dogs. Each of the Oakland neighborhoods has a dog park nearby (Mosswood and Hardy, respectively); not sure about El Cerrito, though you're not a far drive from the larger dog-friendly spots (Point Isabel in Richmond, the Albany Bulb, and Cesar Chavez Park in Berkeley are all popular off-leash destinations in that area).

Good luck!

[E14]

i bet you could find something decent in west or south berkeley for 1300
in addition to the places artemis listed you could look at san leandro/hayward