Can you live in SF and commute to downtown Oakland? (San Francisco: affordable apartments, for rent)

[Lindasuedallas]

I'm applying for a job in Oakland and from what I've been reading, not sure I want to live there. Are there any other places for middle aged singles that I should be looking at for safe, walkable housing? I don't mind staying around the Oakland area, just don't want an awful commute and have no idea what going across the Bay Bridge in the morning to Oakland would be like. Thanks.

[cji_work]

public transit is a good choice from San francisco to oakland.

[daepro]

Why don't you want to live in Oakland?
I strongly suggest that you visit before you make the decision to take the commute. I feel there really is no reason to live in SF if you work in Oakland.
Go to Lake Merritt and see for yourself. Just a suggestion....

[Huckleberry3911948]

no problem the commute is not bad, but i dont know any other combo to maximize crime and high rent this good. fyi people bart that commute they dont drive it.

[ssmaster]

i agree with daepro- the dangerous parts of oakland are in east and west oakland not downtown .downtown oakland is much safer than downtown san francisco which includes the tenderloin and market street.downtown sf has a lot more homicides than downtown oakland.if you disagree please site your source.i can't wait to prove you wrong.

[artemis78]

I'd look in the Grand Lake, Lakeshore, and Adams Point areas in Oakland, where there are a significant number of middle-aged singles and lots of smaller relatively affordable apartments for rent if you want to live alone. Your commute will be practically walkable (or a very quick bus ride in the rainy season) and your rent will be a fraction of what you'd pay in SF. Uptown and Jack London Square are also possibilities, depending on what you're looking for in an apartment/neighborhood. (Uptown is the emerging arts district and still very much a work in progress, but full of interesting places and one of the few areas of Oakland that has SF-style "full service" apartment complexes; JLS has lots of condos and lofts with a cluster of dining and entertainment at the square itself.) All of these areas are relatively safe---which isn't to say they're crime-free, but if you keep your wits about you, you'll be fine.

If you want to live in SF simply for the experience of living there, the BART commute is quick (20 minutes, give or take) and easy---but remember that your commute alone will cost several hundred bucks a month, and SF rents will be higher to boot. I generally think it makes sense to live on the side of the bay where you work, and spend the money you save on commuting on fun trips to the other side of the bay.

[Shelacious]

There are a few folks at my job who live in SF and work in Oakland, but the majority live in Oakland, the outlying burbs (Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Walnut Creek, Concord, Pleasanton) and few in the deep edges (Antioch, Pittsburg, Tracy, Stockton).

One of the best advantages of working in Oakland is being able to have a short commute by living here (AC Transit, BART, biking, walking, or even driving is totally doable). There such a diversity of housing on Oakland, I think it's really hard to not find a neighborhood you wouldn't enjoy. The key to finding one is to find a person familiar with Oakland to drive you around from North to South, West to East to get a better feel of the city's diversity of housing and neighborhoods. Even the worst areas in Oakland are not as bad as the slums, projects, and row houses I've seen in older cities like Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago, or Phili.

And I do think the adjacent East Bay cities near Oakland (or at least on the other side of the tunnel) will usually satisfy folks who are looking for other things like good test scores or a less urban environment.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Lindasuedallas

I'm applying for a job in Oakland and from what I've been reading, not sure I want to live there. Are there any other places for middle aged singles that I should be looking at for safe, walkable housing? I don't mind staying around the Oakland area, just don't want an awful commute and have no idea what going across the Bay Bridge in the morning to Oakland would be like. Thanks.

Like others have said, unless you're one of those people who just must live in SF, I would look for a neighborhood in Oakland or nearby suburb. Oakland has a lot of scary areas, but there are definitely some nice neighborhoods as well. In many ways, Oakland can provide a nice urban experience without the extreme congestion of San Francisco.

Berkeley, although technically a suburb, is really more of an urban area as well, and has lots of cultural offerings because of UC Berkeley. You can easily take BART to downtown Oakland from Berkeley.