Relocating to South San Francisco from Midwest...Please help! (San Jose: real estate, apartments)

[chicagoIL]

I am relocating to south San Francisco from Midwest. I don't know much about south SF at all. Please give me some advices as to where to live in that area. I am looking for a one-bedroom apartment. My rent budget ranges from $1000 to $1600.

Below is a list of what I'm looking for:

1. Safe neighborhood.
2. Whithin 25-minute driving distance (even during rush hour) to south San francisco.
3. I can walk to the coffee shop, grocery store, movie theater, post office, book store, gym etc.
4. Night life. I can meet other young professionals.

It would be a big plus if it is by the ocean. But this is not essential. Please advise.


Thank you in advance.

[gizmo980]

Hi! I grew up in San Mateo, which is 12 miles south of San Francisco, and currently live closer to San Jose. Based on your budget (which is a pretty good amount) and "criteria", I'd suggest the following...

Pacifica: I lived here for one year, and it's a great beach town! Prices are mid-range (about $1100-1300 for a 1 bedroom), it's very safe, and most homes/apartments have an amazing ocean view. It's a quick 10 miles to the city, where the real nightlife is, and just a few minutes from South SF... Pacifica itself has lots of cute shops & restaurants, and is an easy town to walk around. Downside? The fog can get EXTREMELY thick, and it's a little inaccessible to parts of the Bay Area.

The city: There are some "affordable" & safe neighborhoods in San Francisco itself, such as Sunset, inner-Richmond, Western Addition, SoMa (South of Market), Castro, and Noe Valley. If you really like the ocean, look at the outer-Sunset neighborhood, near Ocean Beach & Judah St. It's pretty far from downtown SF, but has plenty of dining, shopping, etc.

Burlingame: This is right next to where I grew up, and it's a really nice suburban town... Burlingame Ave. is the "happening" street, where you'll find clubs, restaurants, coffee-shops, and upscale retail stores. Most of the town is quite safe, especially near Burlingame Ave., but also a bit expensive (usually $1300-1500/mo). The commute can be longer than 20 minutes, depending on exactly where you're going, but it's easy to take the train from here.
Hope this all helps, and good luck!

P.S. I just thought of something... are you relocating to the town of South San Francisco, or just the southern part of San Francisco? These are two different places, and I was assuming you meant the town of SSF. They're not far apart, but let me know if you want specifics on the city's neighborhoods.

[ColinC02]

Honestly, I hate to say it, but your budget is pretty low for the area. I recently had trouble finding a one bedroom for under $2k in the Pacifica, South San Francisco area. I do have a dog though, which definitely complicates things. With the economy booming, rents have gone up basically anywhere within an hour of san francisco. You might be able to find something if you're lucky though. Just look on craigslist and search for private real estate companies to see if they have any special listings. The cheaper areas are definitely going to be Pacifica, South San Francisco, Daly City, and San Bruno. The north end of Pacifica gets a lot of fog. The further south you go, the better if you don't want fog. Pacifica is a cool little beach town though. Daly City gets tons of fog. San Bruno can be sunnier. If you can't find anything in these areas, you may need to get roommates..which would be best in SF or San Mateo based on what you are looking for. One bedrooms are close to $3k in even the more affordable areas of SF these days..i know..it's kind of disgusting. Anyways, good luck!

[jade408]

This post is from 2006. I am sure he found a place.

[ColinC02]

Yeah, I don't know why all of these old threads keep showing up on the main forum page if they have been inactive for so long. Weird.