Moving to SF from Petaluma (Richmond, Sonoma: rentals, crime, dorms)

[countrymouse88]

Hey there! Im a 20-something female, lived in Sonoma County my whole life. I lived on Sutter and Taylor in SF for about 4 months in the dorms for the Academy of Art and HATED it, but I fell in love with the city anyway.

That was 3 years ago, and Im ready to try city living again. I was neighborhood shopping lat weekend and I think I've narrowed it down to Inner Richmond, Panhandle, Lower Pac Heights as good areas to live. I also drove through Glen Park, but the commute from downtown seems like it would be pretty far.

Can anyone give me some advice on which neighborhood a country girl moving to the big city for the first time might best transition to? Im artsy and love the indie/hipster scene - I like the mission too but not sure...My budget is $2000 tops for a 2bd (sharing with a friend and his wife).

Thanks!

[mayorhaggar]

Those are good to start with. Add in the Inner Sunset and Noe Valley. Glen Park is actually pretty good for getting to downtown because BART is really fast. Muni kind of sucks. If you were in the Inner Richmond you'd be dependent on buses like the 38L which are really packed. Even the Panhandle and the Lower Pac Heights can be a pain because you'd be dependent on crowded local buses that stop on every block. BART from Glen Park would be like 15 minutes even if it's further out in distance.

[countrymouse88]

Thanks! I'll check out Noe Valley - Inner Sunset is nice too. Good to know about the muni busses from richmond/pac...

[mdwstrnkid]

I think that you're going to be hard pressed to find a BR in Lower Pac Heights for $2K/month (I assume that's the total budget for you and your roommates.)

[bmw335xi]

If you're total budget is $2k, you probably can forget about lower pac heights. I was going to recommend the marina district, until I saw your budget for a 2 bedroom.

I used to attend USF which is between the panhandle and geary. I had a car, but I used MUNI a lot to get around. It actually isn't that bad and the buses run later than BART. There's a lot of good restaurants around Inner Richmond, it's also nice having the park right there. I used to jog from the panhandle through golden gate park to ocean beach and catch the MUNI back home. The buses do get crowded, but I never had to wait for a second bus, I was always able to get on, sometimes I'd have to stand though. I'd recommend the areas around panhandle, inner richmond and inner sunset. You might find a 2 bedroom you like for $2k in one of these areas.

[mayorhaggar]

2K is a little low but I've seen 2br's in the Inner Richmond for $1900 but that was unusual plus that was about 3 or 4 years ago, prices in SF seem to keep going up no matter what. You're probably more likely to see a very basic and possibly grungy 2br for more like $2000-2400 or above.

The Mission is my favorite part of the city but only if you stay west of Mission and stick closer to Dolores Park. Mission and anywhere east of it is really grubby and has a lot of crime and frequent shootings. But Valencia, Guerrero, Dolores, Church streets etc are all really neat, great weather and lots of great restaurants and bars. 2K will probably be pushing it though plus the Dolores Park area is always really in demand when it comes to low-priced (by SF standards) rentals.