Moving to SF from NYC with three small boys--need preschool and neighborhood advice (San Jose: hardwood floors)

[Water 4 the Pool]

I've written in here before but now have an offer in hand (in Sunnyvale) and it's pretty agreeable.

My wife and I have three boys (4.5, almost 3 and 1) and intend to live in SF. We plan to rent for a year to figure out where we want to live out there. Budget for a 3BR is $4 up to $6k per month. What neighborhoods should I consider?

Schools are critical, but only preschool at this stage. What are the best preschools and how long is the "wait list"? Can we still get in for this fall? I'm willing to pay private tuition, as we did that here in NYC.

Thoughts on good management companies or particular buildings would be appreciated.

Excited, but really nervous/uncertain about extricating ourselves from our comfortable NYC den.

[OrangeSunset]

Have you mapped how far away Sunnyvale is from San Francisco? Are you sure you want to commute 40+ miles everyday? From what I understand, public transportation from SF to Sunnyvale is less than desirable and cost of living is also higher, but I'll let others make more specific comments since I am not very familiar with transit options & cost of living in SF vs Sunnyvale. Also, San Francisco's public schools are in a lottery system so there's no telling what schools your children will be attending once they enter school. And I don't think your budget is high enough for private schools. Have you considered living in the south bay, near Sunnyvale? The public schools in that area are generally very good. If you are interested in getting more information about living in the south bay make sure to post in the San Jose forum.

[dmode]

If you can afford private school, SF should be fine as long as you are ok with spending 2hrs in commute every day. In SF, I would look at family friendly neighborhoods - Noe Valley, Pac Heights and Lower Pac Heights. Area near Dolores Park or Bernal Heights may work as well. Closer to 101 or 280 ramp, easier will be life for you. You can also check out if your company has shuttles from a nearby Cal Train station (Mountain View?). That can be an alternate form of transport.

If you decide not to do the commute, Palo Alto will be a great place to live within your budget and a much shorter commute. You should be able to rent comfortably and live in a desirable neighborhood in Palo Alto or Los Alto hills.

[clongirl]

You'll never see your children if you try to do this commute every day. Very stressful! Like the above poster suggested, look into Palo Alto, Woodside, Los Altos or any of the nearby cities down in the South Bay. They are all REALLY nice towns. Better choices for schools and more family friendly overall, imo.

[jaypee]

What's your budget?

[Water 4 the Pool]

Originally Posted by jaypee

What's your budget?

Budget for a 3 bedroom rental is $4k to $6k. Budget for preschools is similar to NYC, so likely in the $15k range per child. We are looking at Pacific Heights, Noe Valley, Russian Hill and possibly the Marina. Are my estimates realistic for these hoods? And if so, does anyone have any school recommendations?

I know the commute will not be great, but this is intended to be temporary until we get our bearings out there and decide where to settle. One bonus is that I will have paid transportation to work every day via a shuttle, so I will try that for a while.

I will likely not move to a suburb right off the bat--the suburbs are not what's drawing us there at all. It's the job and its proximity to SF. When it's time to evaluate public schools, we will likely feel differently.

[Isebiel]

I just got back from visiting the city to check out various neighborhoods, and I bet Noe Valley would be great for your family. Super cute, safe, clean, great stores and restaurants, nice transit options, and a truly ludicrous percentage of women with strollers and little ones. No husbands around. I think they must all be off working!

I haven't carefully looked at prices for rentals with that many bedrooms, but it doesn't sound unreasonable. Don't know anything about preschool options, sorry.

[dmode]

Originally Posted by Water 4 the Pool

Budget for a 3 bedroom rental is $4k to $6k. Budget for preschools is similar to NYC, so likely in the $15k range per child. We are looking at Pacific Heights, Noe Valley, Russian Hill and possibly the Marina. Are my estimates realistic for these hoods? And if so, does anyone have any school recommendations?

I know the commute will not be great, but this is intended to be temporary until we get our bearings out there and decide where to settle. One bonus is that I will have paid transportation to work every day via a shuttle, so I will try that for a while.

I will likely not move to a suburb right off the bat--the suburbs are not what's drawing us there at all. It's the job and its proximity to SF. When it's time to evaluate public schools, we will likely feel differently.

6K is probably what you are looking at for 3bd. I just selected Pac Heights and put 6K is the maximum range and a found a couple of nice ones. However, if you increase further to 7 and 8K you get the grand ones with GG bridge views and high quality hardwood floors. Good luck.

[doncorazon]

We have a 2 year old and had been living in Russian Hill. I don't think it's great for kids - too touristy around Lombard and restaurants are too formal and high end. We looked a lot in Noe since everyone says that's the family friendly place in S F but the places we saw seemed way too expensive for what you got and it felt a little too hippy/grungy (?) to be what I'd consider family type neighborhood.

We ended up getting a place in west portal. We'll be moving in September. I am surprised more people don't mention it. It is right near a public transport hub, easy access to 280, great public school and library, right next to a street with lots of restaurants, book store, even a first run movie theatre. Close to the Stonestown mall, the zoo, and stern grove. Only downside is fog but most the times I've been there it burns off in the middle of the day.

Anyway we'll see how it works out but I am excited to try it out and be in a bigger place!

[mayorhaggar]

West Portal and the area around St. Johns Wood are definitely nice but the gray weather puts me off. I always liked spending time around West Portal, there are some decent places to eat there and it's a cute little area.