Affordable places to live in California (San Francisco, Fresno: apartments, rental, crime)

[alexcoryb]

Hello,

I currently live in Buffalo, NY (try not to laugh) and I need a change of scenery. California is ideally the spot I want to move to because of their industries (music and photography in particular) and also due to the weather. I have no family or ties to California so I'd be willing to move/live anywhere. I'm in my second year of college and I turn 18 next month but this semester I'm not that interested in schooling so don't take that into account. I'm looking in the $750-$950 monthly range for an apartment or a house (I'd consider moving parents/siblings out of NY if possible) in the $2000-$3000 range. Based on internet searches, Fresno would be a good spot in terms of monthly rent as I found some apartments in the $745-885 range although I'm not sure how authentic it was. I would prefer a big city like LA but obviously the rent is sky high and $800 can maybe get you a cardboard box.

Also I'm really interested in music because I'm a music producer (and by "music producer" I mean I make instrumentals for pop, house, hip-hop, etc) and I'm looking for musicians to collaborate/work with. Let's be honest, New York is declining in music and California is on the rise. I need female pop/house singers and Upstate NY just doesn't have it. I also need people who can mix and/or engineer music. I'm looking for ideas/recommendations and if someone with knowledge can help me out I'd greatly appreciate it.

PS: This is my first thread so not sure if I posted it correctly

[Ruth4Truth]

And apt. at $750-$950? Near the music industry? Where's that rolling-on-the-floor-laughing emoticon when I need it?

But seriously, OP, I just found a good niche of affordable rents near some action. Parts of Monterey county (on the south end of Monterey Bay, check it out, south of San Francisco Bay) have cheap rents. You could definitely find something there. And it's within a drive of the Bay Area, where there's lots of music happening, your kind of music.

Photography? There's a photog industry in CA? Who knew?

You're considering moving your whole family to CA? Are you sure they're interested? Don't your parents have to earn a living? And you're throwing away your schooling?

Anyway, you can look for good rents in the towns along Hwy 101 east of Monterey Bay. There's a music scene of sorts in Santa Cruz, a college town in the area, though you can't afford Santa Cruz. Try Salinas, etc. You don't want to be in Fresno, trust us. It's far away from anything you're interested in, and is a hole. You have better options.

[FRESNOTOUGH]

come to fresno - the buffalo of california :P
750 could get you a nice apartment in fresno. only issue could be finding other musicians. try reddit/fresno and ask them for advice

look into bakersield, too
there should be some decent studios there because of the country music scene and you're not too far from the la music scene.

santa cruz = too pricey and isolated
salinas = ew. fresno is much better than salinas

[Ruth4Truth]

NO! No Fresno, no Bakersfield, OP! Be careful of the advice on internet forums. You will HATE Fresno and Bakersfield! And they're out in the middle of nowhere.
You can try Watsonville, which is closer to Santa Cruz, closer to Monterey Bay (and the SF Bay Area), and occasionally has studios or small 1 br. for $950. Also, the small towns in the Santa Cruz mountains occasionally have a studio in that range, too. Places like Ben Lomond and Felton. You can get a room in a shared place in that area for around $650.

In SoCal you can find studios in your range in Oxnard, Ventura and Ojai.

Do you have money for 1st + last month's rent and deposit? Will you be able to demonstrate ability to pay rent until you find a steady gig?

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by alexcoryb

Hello,

I currently live in Buffalo, NY (try not to laugh) and I need a change of scenery. California is ideally the spot I want to move to because of their industries (music and photography in particular) and also due to the weather. I have no family or ties to California so I'd be willing to move/live anywhere. I'm in my second year of college and I turn 18 next month but this semester I'm not that interested in schooling so don't take that into account. I'm looking in the $750-$950 monthly range for an apartment or a house (I'd consider moving parents/siblings out of NY if possible) in the $2000-$3000 range. Based on internet searches, Fresno would be a good spot in terms of monthly rent as I found some apartments in the $745-885 range although I'm not sure how authentic it was. I would prefer a big city like LA but obviously the rent is sky high and $800 can maybe get you a cardboard box.

Also I'm really interested in music because I'm a music producer (and by "music producer" I mean I make instrumentals for pop, house, hip-hop, etc) and I'm looking for musicians to collaborate/work with. Let's be honest, New York is declining in music and California is on the rise. I need female pop/house singers and Upstate NY just doesn't have it. I also need people who can mix and/or engineer music. I'm looking for ideas/recommendations and if someone with knowledge can help me out I'd greatly appreciate it.

PS: This is my first thread so not sure if I posted it correctly

You are 17 and you are saying "I'm not interested in schooling" - so you are going to quit school at 17 and run off to California to pursue your hobbies? How are you going to pay your $750-$950 rent because I doubt whether it will be through your music or photography. And how do your parents /siblings feel about you dragging them out to Fresno?

Maybe a more sensible solution would be to stay where you are and finish school, perhaps look for a room to rent with some people your age who share the same hobbies as you do- then when you graduate you will be better prepared to embark on this grand adventure. In any case, at 17 you won't even find a landlord to rent to you so it seems a waste of time to offer suggestions as to where you might move.

[FRESNOTOUGH]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

NO! No Fresno, no Bakersfield, OP! Be careful of the advice on internet forums. You will HATE Fresno and Bakersfield!

he's coming here to work and build roots, not for a vaycay.
fresno and bakersfield are fine starting spots for someone in his position.
once his business grows, he could easily up and move to more a desirable location(LA county is THE place to be for music)
paying obscene rental fees for some small isolated community is much worse advice than i gave.
nt

edit: fresno=3 hour drive to la county
bakersfield = 1.5 hr
santa cruz = 4.5-5 hour drive :|

sacramento is decent, too, but it's about a 5 hour drive

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

You are 17 and you are saying "I'm not interested in schooling" - so you are going to quit school at 17 and run off to California to pursue your hobbies? How are you going to pay your $750-$950 rent because I doubt whether it will be through your music or photography. And how do your parents /siblings feel about you dragging them out to Fresno?

Maybe a more sensible solution would be to stay where you are and finish school, perhaps look for a room to rent with some people your age who share the same hobbies as you do- then when you graduate you will be better prepared to embark on this grand adventure. In any case, at 17 you won't even find a landlord to rent to you so it seems a waste of time to offer suggestions as to where you might move.

That's true. Even though you've been in college for 2 years already (or 1-1/2), landlords would consider you a HS student. They don't rent to kids. Maybe if you had serious money backing you up, you could pull it off. But still--it's a better idea to stay in college. Study music, and get student jobs working with the music school archivists, recording concerts and so forth. (A good source of recommendations, for future jobs. And connections, too.) Get more experience behind you, so you'll be in a better position to promote yourself and do the work you want to do in CA.

You've already got a head start in life, being in your sophomore year at age 17. Don't throw that away. In 2 more years, you'll have a degree. Just get it out of the way, get the piece of paper along with any experience you can get, internships, etc., then come out to CA. CA isn't going anywhere in 2 years. Hang in there.

[pistola916]

You could try the East Bay suburbs near Oakland like North Berkeley, El Cerrito, Hayward or Dublin/Pleasanton. Oakland is popular for hip-hop, rap, house music. It is very diverse, some great neighborhoods like Rockridge. Crime is high however. But if you're only going there to work and school then Oakland is not bad of a choice. The BART subway lines have stations all over the East Bay, meaning you'll have the whole Bay Area music scene to your disposal.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by pistola916

You could try the East Bay suburbs near Oakland like North Berkeley, El Cerrito, Hayward or Dublin/Pleasanton. Oakland is popular for hip-hop, rap, house music. It is very diverse, some great neighborhoods like Rockridge. Crime is high however. But if you're only going there to work and school then Oakland is not bad of a choice. The BART subway lines have stations all over the East Bay, meaning you'll have the whole Bay Area music scene to your disposal.

Right now, though, the OP would be lucky to find a room in Oakland in his price range, much less a studio. That's always something he'll have to bear in mind. The OP may have to adjust his expectations, if he really wants to be in the thick of the scene.

With a BA behind him, the OP could apply for a job at UC Berkeley or UC Santa Cruz in the music or ethnomusicology depts., as an archivist, or other music industry jobs, and live on that, while doing his other work in his spare time. Full-time staff jobs at the UC's pay well enough to cover decent rent.

[pistola916]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Right now, though, the OP would be lucky to find a room in Oakland in his price range, much less a studio. That's always something he'll have to bear in mind. The OP may have to adjust his expectations, if he really wants to be in the thick of the scene.

With a BA behind him, the OP could apply for a job at UC Berkeley or UC Santa Cruz in the music or ethnomusicology depts., as an archivist, or other music industry jobs, and live on that, while doing his other work in his spare time. Full-time staff jobs at the UC's pay well enough to cover decent rent.

I didn't suggest the OP should move to Oakland. I said he/she should consider moving near Oakland's/East Bay suburbs. Yes. Possibly obtain a job or internship at Cal, Berkeley City College's music department, CSU East Bay, San Francisco State University, Academy of Art, etc.