Possible move to Bay Area in a year--pros and cons? (San Jose: rentals, crime rates)

[Italian_Flower]

My company has locations around the country and I have the option of having a relative say in where I live out of their 48 options... one of them is the Bay Area (they specifically list Oakland, Richmond, San Francisco, and San Jose). So... what is there to like and dislike about living in this area? I'm trying to narrow down my options--I'm fresh out of college, ready to experience the world, and really open-minded so I'm letting every place be on the table. I am single, female, am not particularly needy at this point. I have a dog and like outdoorsy stuff but what's most important to me is having stuff to do (cultural events, places to go, trails to hike, classes to take, etc) and most most important is having the community be welcoming. I'm very social and make friends easily but I've lived in places where the culture encourages being more isolated--that is not for me! SO... how does the Bay do in that regard? What are summers like? Anything else you can tell me that'll help me make or break this on my list? I have lived in very very poor areas of the country and very rich areas of the country--I'm adaptable. Like I said, the community is the most important, crime rates and quality of my living space is relative to what I can do and who I can do it with. I can always move again to a better area once I get a feel for the place. Thank you so much!

(P.S.--once I can narrow down my options a bit--some of my options are places I never ever would have considered but now I am--I will go through all these threads and inform myself more fully, I'm sure threads like mine come up frequently but any help you locals or ex-locals can give me would be fantastic!)

[Chloe75]

SF has some really nice parks, and the rentals near those parks are a lot cheaper than the ones downtown. Of course, there's tons of stuff to do all over SF. SF is also close to Marin which I hear is great for hiking. Oakland is right across the bridge from SF and it doesn't have the fabulous parks that SF does, but there is still a lot to do and since the rental market is less competitive it would probably be easier to find a landlord who doesn't ind your dog.

This year's summer was mostly nice, which was surprising, because it's usually very dreary here. Mild temperatures (I always wear long pants and a sweater or jacket) and rain all year long. The weather is slightly better in some parts of Oakland, significantly better in Richmond, and I believe it's significantly better in San Jose too.

Don't move to Richmond. It's terrible. Ghetto and boring.

I can't really speak for San Jose because it's a whole other city and I've only been there a few times. BART connects Oakland and Richmond to SF and in general, people that live in one city visit the others (well, nobody goes out of their way to visit Richmond). But nobody really goes to San Jose because BART doesn't go there yet, and it's really far away. I've heard it's nice, it's a fairly rich area because of all of the tech industry and I've heard they have a nice nightlife. It's pretty big, so I imagine it would more than satisfy all of your wants and needs.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by Chloe75

SF has some really nice parks, and the rentals near those parks are a lot cheaper than the ones downtown. Of course, there's tons of stuff to do all over SF. SF is also close to Marin which I hear is great for hiking. Oakland is right across the bridge from SF and it doesn't have the fabulous parks that SF does, but there is still a lot to do and since the rental market is less competitive it would probably be easier to find a landlord who doesn't ind your dog.

What are you talking about? Oakland has tons of great parks? Joquin Miller, Dimond Park, the Rose Garden, Lake Merritt (which is made up of several parks) and Lake Temescal are the top mind ones. There are many more. Oakland tends to have more "big" parks, and not all neighborhoods have good access to "neighborhood" parks. You know the small ones with a couple of picnic tables.

San Jose is a city that feels very suburban. It is harder to go car free there because much of the city isn't pedestrian oriented. San Jose, like every city, has good and bad areas. I grew up there, but it isn't my favorite. It is a little "bland." It is OK. There is stuff to do etc, but I think Oakland and SF ae a lot more "interesting."

Generally speaking, anywhere in the region has good access to hiking and activities. But each city has different personalities.

I have spent very little time in Richmond. There are bad areas and nice areas. But in my book there are a couple of key minuses that preclude me from ever living there. It is under served in terms of walkable areas, cafes and interesting restaurants. And well it is just too close to the refineries. There are too many bad air quality days, and potential for more serious incidents. This week the fire at Chevron called for a "shelter in place" order for Richmond and the nearby areas. This eliminates it from my list, even though there are some cute and affordable areas, and good potential in the waterfront areas.