Moving from Milwaukee to Bay Area (Fremont, Sunnyvale: appointed, apartments, to rent)

[bherald02]

I am relocating for my job in Menlo Park, CA in about 2 months. I was wondering if anyone could give me some recommendations on where to rent a one bedroom apartment. Here is what I'm looking for in an apartment:

-Rent less less than or equal to $1600/month
-Commute to Menlo Park less than or equal to about 30 min
-Something atleast 550 sqft
-Public school system is not important
-Low crime, of course

I would appreciate any recommendations of where or where not to live. Right now I'm considering the following cities: Redwood City, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Newark, Foster City, and Fremont.

Thanks...

[humboldtrat]

I would go for Redwood City - just about any place west of El Camino Real (Hwy 82). The commute would be about 5 miles or less. San Carlos, a town just north of Redwood City would be OK also. Both places are nice middle class suburban type towns with little crime.

With Fremont and Newark, you would need to cross a bridge everyday ($4 toll one way) and traffic slows down a bit on city streets getting to the bridge.

Rents tend to be a little more expensive in the Menlo Park and Palo Alto area because of being close to Stanford U.

[Luke9686]

There are good parts of Menlo Park. I would choose Mountain View or Palo Alto. Avoid living in the east bay, the commute would suck.

Downtown MV is nice and active. Castro Street is the main street. Sunnyvale and Fremont are going to be your typical suburban areas.

[nasu]

I commuted from Mountain View, west of El Camino to Menlo Park for over 20 years and the traffic was a breeze. I avoided freeways totally and took either Central Expressway or El Camino depending on my mood. Usually took 25 minutes - I drive slow.

[san carlos]

Check out the apartments up in Sharon Heights in Menlo Park. I can't remember the actual name of the complex, but I think they're called the Sharon Green Apartments. They're pretty well appointed and feel very park-like. It might be a bit more than your budget, but you'll save a ton of time and money with your commute if you work in MP.

I hope this helps!