Where to live if I work in Foster City (San Jose: subletting, apartments)

[cal123]

I am relocating to the Bay area to work for a company there. The office is in Foster City. Any recommendations for a nice city or community to live? I am a single male.

# a quiet, low-crime and safe neighborhood.
# under $850/month. I don't mind sharing an apartment with a roommate or subletting.
# I don't want to spend more than an hour a day commuting unless the rent is really low or the house/apartment is in a really nice neighborhood. Looking at areas like Foster City, San Mateo, Burlingame, Belmont, San Carlos and Redwood City. Also looking at Union City and Fremont, but concerned that I will have a long commute.
# I will be pretty busy during weekdays. I am not looking for a nightlife city.
# A nice public library, grocery store, a park where I can walk or jog, and affordable restaurants would be nice to have.

Thank you.

[humboldtrat]

Under $850/month won't get you much - probably a studio. An average 1/bed apartment in the area is about $1500.

Check out the area around downtown San Carlos. A nice downtown with lots of apartments, stores, restaurants, bars, a library, a couple of parks, a commuter train station to San Francisco or San Jose, all within walking distance of each other.

Living on the other side of the bay, such as Fremont, would be a longer commute. Traffic getting near the bridges can get backed-up much of the time.

[lmk1707]

A friend of mine rented a 1 bedroom in Belmont off El Camino for around $900 - wasn't the greatest area, but it worked for her. You may just have to dig a little. You should also check out craigslist and find roommate situations in the area - 3 bedroom house rental in San Mateo might be a good way to go, or you could check out Pacifica, where prices are cheaper.

[cal123]

Thank you for your advice. I am looking to share a room to save cost.

Another question:
I heard and read that 101 has one of the worst congestion in the country. Is it congested in both directions? Which is worse, heading south or north (when you go to work in the morning)? If I drove to San Mateo from Redwood City, how long would it take?

[lmk1707]

Originally Posted by cal123

Thank you for your advice. I am looking to share a room to save cost.

Another question:
I heard and read that 101 has one of the worst congestion in the country. Is it congested in both directions? Which is worse, heading south or north (when you go to work in the morning)? If I drove to San Mateo from Redwood City, how long would it take?

North and South are both pretty crappy, as there is no real "reverse commute" from the Peninsula - it's sandwiched between two major job hubs (San Jose & San Francisco). That said, if you're working in Foster City and living in Redwood City, you would only have to be on 101 for a couple miles, and the total commute would probably be around 10-15 minutes. Try using google directions from the addresses of potential places you'd live to the address of your office, and note the "Up to X minutes in traffic".