Work in Novato - Live in SF or San Rafael? (San Francisco: for rent, house)

[camlee]

Hi everyone,

I’m considering an international move to San Francisco for a job in Novato and I’m weighing up the pros/cons of living in SF or San Rafael.

I’m a single 34yo and the things important to my lifestyle are; nightlife, shopping, meeting new friends, the occasional crazy night out and good food. I’m equally at home in hipster dive bars or a classy VIP booth in big clubs. Not that I'll be going out every night but I'd like to have options on the weekends and meeting new people will be important for an expat.

I’ve visited SF four times over the last few years, staying 1-2 months at a time so I’m a little familiar with the vibe though I haven’t explored the North Bay at all.

So here are my questions:
- How long would it take to commute from SF to Novato for work if I were renting in Marina or North Beach?
- Is there much of an 18-35yo nightlife in San Rafael? Or am I going to be bored on the weekends?
- What’s the vibe like in Marina? Is there many young professionals or mostly an older community?

I’d also really appreciate any other ideas on where I should look for renting.

Thanks in advance!
Cam

[roadwarrior101]

- How long would it take to commute from SF to Novato for work if I were renting in Marina or North Beach?

Probably 45 min or so from the Marina, a bit longer from North Beach. The good news is that you are going against the commute, so traffic typically won't be as bad (as long as there's not a storm). From North Beach, it'll take some time to go through all the lights on Van Ness/Lombard, before you exit the city.

- Is there much of an 18-35yo nightlife in San Rafael? Or am I going to be bored on the weekends?

Probably not a ton. There are bars up there, but there's not the same scene as in the city. Its probably a better place to live if you are married and with kids.

- What’s the vibe like in Marina? Is there many young professionals or mostly an older community?

The Marina tends to be pretty wild. However, it is a younger crowd. Its mainly 20 somethings, so you may feel a bit old there. Also, it tends to be more of the former frat/sorority type scene. I think that North Beach would give you more diversity.

[camlee]

Thanks roadwarrior

[thecooler]

I used to commute with a carpool group from SF to the north end of Petaluma and from GG park, it would take us 50 minutes, so I would expect the commute to Novato to be more like 30 minutes. I have a friend who lives in Novato and she made it to North beach in 25 minutes one evening.

As the other poster stated, San Rafael does have some good restaurants and bars (in a very charming downtown), but it is a bit sleepy. The younger people who live in Marin county tend to be the kind who enjoy either hiking or biking, so they'll do happy hours and such, but not likely to stay out too late.

Marina is definitely skewed to 20's frat/sorority types, but I have a couple friends in their early 40s who live there and love it. Nightlife there is plentiful, but you're not going to find dive bars, its more yuppie kind of places-and almost exclusively Caucasian. North Beach has much more variety in different kinds of bars and different crowds of people.

If you move to either of those neighborhoods, I would recommend that you get a place that has parking, as these 2 neighborhoods are extremely difficult to find parking in. Also consider your budget, the city right now is booming rent-wise, and both these neighborhoods are expensive. Marin county will be significantly cheaper, so it might be worth it to live there and come into the city for nightlife. There is a bus line with Golden Gate transit that goes from Marin to the city, and I think it runs 24 hours, or close to it.

[NJudah]

Where are you coming from?

The Marina is really your best bet for what you are describing. You will not be too old for the Marina in your 30s. There are a lot of yuppies in the Marina who are in their late 20s and 30s. The Marina to Novato will not be a bad commute (because of internal city traffic). There will be some mileage but there's never any traffic and it's actually a nice drive. Any other area will add significantly to your commute and it's not like you're not allowed to leave the Marina if you decide to leave.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Nasty toll on the GGB.

[SFComutr]

Hi - I'm considering a similar commute - from SF to Novato and was wondering if you made the move. If so, how is the commute between the two cities? Thanks for your update - helps me make my decision.

[Charles22]

If you are a hippy then move to Marin.

[Ruth4Truth]

Take a look at Santa Rosa. Staying on the north side of the Bay would make life a lot easier, commute-wise, and would be cheaper. You can still enjoy nightlife in the City.

[eastbayhopeful]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Take a look at Santa Rosa. Staying on the north side of the Bay would make life a lot easier, commute-wise, and would be cheaper. You can still enjoy nightlife in the City.

You would definitely want to consider your working hours if you looked at Santa Rosa. Petaluma also has pretty good nightlife but the commute from Marin to farther north is HORRENDOUS at night. Right outside of Novato it merges from an already congested 4-lane freeway down to two lanes. I commuted from Corte Madera to Santa Rosa area for a couple weeks while house sitting and it took me an hour and a half every night. For a relatively short distance, Novato to Santa Rosa would probably be about an hour if you left work any time from 4:30-6. I have coworkers who start work at 6am to avoid the traffic at the Narrows. It's awful.

I lived in San Rafael for a while and for someone in my early 20s it was a little too boring. The bars are decent, but you see a lot of the same people since there's only one real place for night life and that's downtown. If you don't really care about how small it is, it could really work for you and the reverse commute would be amazing. I think it would also be a bit better for you than Santa Rosa or Rohnert Park because it's more expensive and not necessarily a college town - Dominican is a really small, private school and College of Marin students don't overrun the place either. I saw a lot of people in their early to mid 30s, I was usually the youngest person around. Plus it's only 20 minutes from the bridge so you could definitely see a lot of the city if you wanted to.

Also, keep in mind that even though living in SF would technically be a reverse commute, any time there's a Giants game or anything going on in the city it is horrible to get across the bridge at night. Not to mention, bridge toll is $6 every day. That really adds up!