New Job in SF Where to Move? (San Francisco, Oakland: apartment, for rent)

[JimmyJameson]

I know this type of question has been asked before but I did a search and did not find quite what I was looking for.

I have lived in Los Gatos for 4 years now and I am starting a new job in downtown San Francisco. So I would like to move to shorten my commute. I have a pretty tight budget of $1300 a month for rent. I would like to live somewhere quiet and safe that is near public transportation. Also I have a rather ostentatious car which I do not wish to have stolen or vandalized.

I know my budget is pretty limiting. I do not feel safe in Oakland at night so I do not wish to live there. I do not want more than an hours commute in and out of the city so I would like to consider San Rafael, Daly City, San Mateo, San Bruno, and Redwood City. I am not very familiar with any of these places so I would like to get some feedback on them. I know none of these places will be like Los Gatos but I want a place where I can feel comfortable.

Thank you

[mayorhaggar]

Any of those places would be fine but they are suburban. Daly City is a bit more urban but you get the cold air from the Pacific. By and large the Peninsula is pretty safe except for a few pockets like East Palo Alto, but it can be expensive and commutes can be long if you take Caltrain or drive. It's kind of the same for Marin, it is mostly safe but even more expensive and commuting is even more problematic.

I would take a look at the East Bay, if you hop on BART the commute can be 25-30 minutes from some areas which is really not bad. The Rockridge area in Oakland is really nice and a good mix of upscale and funky neighborhood shops. I know you said no Oakland but if you went to the area around Rockridge you might like it. It is still a bit urban though in that it is denser than the outer suburbs and there are a lot of shops. Further down the BART line are towns like Lafayette and Orinda which are much more suburban, and Walnut Creek, etc. Walnut Creek or Pleasant Hill are maybe a bit more affordable while Lafayette can be expensive but I have seen some good apartment prices around there.

San Bruno, South San Francisco and Millbrae have BART stations. Most of this area is alright but it can be a bit rough around the edges compared with parts of the Peninsula that are further south and the houses can be small, but Millbrae is supposed to be nice in the residential areas, though it is near the airport which is noisy.

BART is good from the East Bay or some parts of the Peninsula like South SF and San Bruno etc because it takes you right to the middle of downtown SF and has several stops. If you take Caltrain from the Peninsula it drops you off over a mile from downtown SF, and if you take a ferry from Marin or whatever you have to walk a while from the Ferry Building to your job. So I would look at places near BART in the East Bay or the Peninsula. If you are really tied to living further out in an area that isn't accessible by BART you'll have to put up with a more inconvenient commute.