Moving to work in San Mateo County (Los Angeles, San Francisco: apartment, for rent)

[santeli]

Hey all! This forum seems really helpful, so I figured I'd give it a shot on our situation. My girlfriend and I are getting transferred up north for work. We're currently in Redondo Beach, south of Los Angeles. She'll be working in San Mateo and I'll likely be working in Redwood Shores (not city).

We've started reading the forums and doing our research, but I wanted to get some additional feedback. We're late 20's, no kids, going to rent. We are big foodies and like to occassionally go out on the town for some nightlife or dancing as well. We are looking at a budget of ~2,000 for a 2br apartment, which seems reasonable for the area. We're open to anywhere between the city and Palo Alto, but don't really want to go south of Palo Alto or we risk being a little too close to her mom (yea yea, I know).

We're wondering if anyone has suggestions on some neat neighborhoods to look at that offers options for nice restaurants and decent and varied nightlife in the San Mateo county area. If we could get some cultural advantages (museums, theatre?) that would be great, but we're already kind of resigned to using caltrains to the city for that kind of stuff. We're also kind of hesitant to end up in an overly "suburban" area.

If it helps at all, we really like areas like 2nd St. in Long Beach, Old Town in Pasadena, and Uptown/Nicollet in Minneapolis (having lived near all of them in the past)

There's also the remote (but small) chance that I'll end up working out of Emeryville, but if that happens I'll just post again.

Thanks for all of your help!
S.

[aklein]

I think you would enjoy the downtown areas of Palo Alto and/or San Carlos and parts of Redwood City. They all have a nice little downtowns with shops and restaurants. Both have easy access on Cal Train to the city about 1/2 hr for your culture. San Mateo does have quite a few small theater performances as well that are quite good. Foster City, Redwood Shores, Belmont are probably too suburban for you.

[hsw]

For those w/o kids who enjoy food and some nightlife, would choose SF (esp newer condos for rent in Soma) over any of Peninsula suburbs

Like suburbs anywhere, restaurants/bars on Peninsula are weak, but, unlike most classic bedroom suburbs, most of jobs in SF region are btwn Redwood Shs and SJ

Commutes on SF Peninsula btwn SF and SV are some of fastest of any major urban region in world

Suspect rents in SF are no more costly than comparable places in PA

[santeli]

Thanks for the responses! We'll check out Palo Alto and San Carlos for sure as well as San Mateo downtown. Any neighborhoods in the southern SF? We'll check out prices in Soma as well.

Thanks again, these are already really helpful.

[sonarrat]

Potrero Hill is as far south as I would venture in San Francisco, personally. Don't like the Mission as a place to live, though it's great fun to visit. Northern San Mateo County (Daly City, South San Francisco, San Bruno) would be totally unsuitable.

[santeli]

That's great feedback, as we were talking about Daly and S. SF as being possibilities. Sounds like we should stick to San Mateo, San Carlos, and PA as the best options for commute + lifestyle considering where we work.

Sounds like if I end up in Emeryville, Soma would be a good compromise. If we both end up in Redwood Shores / San Mateo, the Penisula works best for commute and neighborhood.

Are there suburbia neighborhoods that a youngish (almost 30) couple should avoid in the Peninsula area?

Thanks again for your help,
S.

[sonarrat]

I would steer clear of East Palo Alto, the part of Menlo Park that's east of 101, and the part of Redwood City that is designated as North Fair Oaks.

[jaypee]

Originally Posted by santeli

Hey all! This forum seems really helpful, so I figured I'd give it a shot on our situation. My girlfriend and I are getting transferred up north for work. We're currently in Redondo Beach, south of Los Angeles. She'll be working in San Mateo and I'll likely be working in Redwood Shores (not city).

If it helps at all, we really like areas like 2nd St. in Long Beach, Old Town in Pasadena, and Uptown/Nicollet in Minneapolis (having lived near all of them in the past)

Downtown San Mateo (B St. x 3rd Ave) is a nice area for restaurants, movies, coffee shops, and such. The guideline is the further west you go of El Camino, the sketchier the area. The further east you go, the more expensive the housing.

Downtown Burlingame (Broadway x California St.) also has a nice downtown area.

These areas will give you good commute options to RW Shores and San Mateo.