What's the positives of living in the Bay area? (San Francisco: rental, credit)

[marilyn220]

Originally Posted by clongirl

That really sucks asnboy, but I'm curious... where did you get the idea that you could afford to rent a place on one income in one of the most expensive cities in the US without having to at least split the cost with roommates?

Unfortunately, I think it's very common misconception and overly romantic notion--that you can just live where you want. It seems to cause a lot of heartache, anger, and disappointment for people moving to the City specifically. We all read about it on these boards all the time.

Well, what are the surrounding areas that are less expensive for him to live in?

Where public transportation works just as good and you don't need a car.

[clongirl]

Originally Posted by marilyn220

Well, what are the surrounding areas that are less expensive for him to live in?

Where public transportation works just as good and you don't need a car.

Most of the East Bay. Alameda, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Fremont, Oakland, Berkeley,Concord, Dublin,El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Castro Valley, etc. Even parts of the South Bay..Daly City, Brisbane, San Bruno,South City, etc. There are apartments in ALL cities throughout the Bay Area---it's not that complicated.

It's what thousands of people, making all kinds of income that work in the City manage to do every single day.

[mayorhaggar]

Originally Posted by marilyn220

Well, what are the surrounding areas that are less expensive for him to live in?

Where public transportation works just as good and you don't need a car.

Nowhere in the Bay Area has public transit that is as good as SF, and even SF's public transit isn't all that great in a lot of ways. You can get by without a car in parts of Berkeley and parts of Oakland, but mainly only because you can walk to local shops and use a bike to go anywhere further than a mile, and use BART to commute to SF. The AC Transit bus system doesn't run often enough to be as useful as Muni.

Berkeley is expensive though, it can be cheap with roommates but getting your own apartment is pricey.

Oakland is definitely a great alternative to SF. But riding BART into SF definitely adds up, you're looking at $140 a month compared with a $70 monthly Muni pass if you lived in SF. But with the way rents in SF are going up it's probably worth it.

[dalparadise]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Try Emeryville for affordable rents, and Fremont.

What's good about the Bay Area:

Perfect weather, except during an El Nino year (torrential rains)
The best entertainment outside of NYC, huge variety of events day and night on weekends, many of them free
Beautiful natural environment: beaches, redwoods, many state parks, wildlife
Some areas have a wonderful small-town feel
Great public transportation, no need for car ownership
Endless great restaurants
The scenery: Bay views, ocean views
Top-notch universities and science institutions

As clongirl said: it's HOME! What can we say? It's in our blood, it's in our hearts.

Don't forget Wine Country and the close proximity of the Sierra.
Also the unique combination of laid back California style with real big city energy and opportunities.
The neighborhoods and ethnic enclaves are charming, diverse in their offerings and appeal.
There are national parks located within the city limits of SF, with stunning scenery.
The street food culture is vibrant and offers cheap access to fine food.
The City is largely local in its restaurants, giving it a special appeal unmatched by most cities.
The air is crystal clear.
The tap water, drawn from the Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite is clean and pure and runs cool right out of the tap. The weather is: 9 months of Spring and 3 of Fall. No A/C or bug repellant necessary. Ever.
Festivals happen almost every weekend.
Silicon Valley adds an air of ingenuity that drives the economy and contributes to an entrepreneurial mindset.
Fresh seafood, bread and produce unlike anywhere else in the country makes for farm-to-table creativity in even mid-range restaurants...oops I started talking about food again.
Seriously, it's the most intriguing mix of culture, energy, earthy, excitement, relaxation, scenery, romance and ambition available in the country. That's why I'm here.

[ccm123]

Why I am here:

* Natural beauty
* Compact and fairly easy to get around
* If you work in technology (like I do), most of the top technology companies are based here, so the opportunities are significant.
* Generally, a very educated professional population.

[asnboy1084]

Originally Posted by clongirl

That really sucks asnboy, but I'm curious... where did you get the idea that you could afford to rent a place on one income in one of the most expensive cities in the US without having to at least split the cost with roommates?

Unfortunately, I think it's very common misconception and overly romantic notion--that you can just live where you want. It seems to cause a lot of heartache, anger, and disappointment for people moving to the City specifically. We all read about it on these boards all the time.

Well I figure if I made 97k I'd be able to afford a tiny place in a decent neighborhood, but honestly I think the minimum salary is 150k for a single guy in the city. I am looking in Oakland for places and so far I've lost every single apartment I applied to. Just b/c it's advertised on craigslist doesn't mean you're guaranteed a rental right away, this market is ridiculous.
Today I wrote a personal check for a place in Jack London square after being the first to look at it. I have excellent credit however I lost the unit to a lady that was willing to offer a 2 year lease.

I will keep being bitter and trying...

[marilyn220]

Originally Posted by asnboy1084

Well I figure if I made 97k I'd be able to afford a tiny place in a decent neighborhood, but honestly I think the minimum salary is 150k for a single guy in the city. I am looking in Oakland for places and so far I've lost every single apartment I applied to. Just b/c it's advertised on craigslist doesn't mean you're guaranteed a rental right away, this market is ridiculous.
Today I wrote a personal check for a place in Jack London square after being the first to look at it. I have excellent credit however I lost the unit to a lady that was willing to offer a 2 year lease.

I will keep being bitter and trying...

Why don't you try the other places posters listed in this thread and commute in?

This is what thousands of people do in NYC. Manhattan rents are unaffordable and not worth it (in my opinion), but thousands of NYers commute from jersey, LI, and the other five boroughs to work. I'm sure there's something similar in San Francisco.

[gone down south]

So, you want a big apartment in good condition, in a desirable neighborhood, with easy access to public transit.

In any city in the world, that would be the most expensive apartment out there. What gave you the impression you could swing that in SF on a starting salary? This is one of if not the most expensive rental market in the USA. You've got to work your way through all the crappy apartments first.

[Isebiel]

Reasons I picked SF over other cities. (Not the Bay area, as such, obviously.)

Walkable
Safe
Good weather
Nice international airport
Open-minded people
Focus on technology
The ocean
Widespread interest in doing good and making things better
Several unique SF-only institutions
Excellent burritos

Okay, the last one is a joke. I did not actually evaluate cities by their burritos. But SF would have won.

[jupiler]

Originally Posted by marilyn220

Seriously. I'd like to know.

From my research, it's super expensive, need to have several roommates to survive, travel a distance to get to your job, unless you're lucky enough to live close to it and the homeless situation rivals LA, except San Francisco has better programs in place to help them.

What are the POSITIVES? I don't care about "diversity". I come from NYC, so diversity isn't new to me.

I agree with Nineties Flava that the super expensive multi-roommate situation you describe isn't going on in all of the Bay Area. 1br apartments can be found for under $1500 in some nice areas of the BA. You certainly don't need several roommates to survive there, unless you only make $40,000.

Diversity and progressive thinking are 2 of the biggest draws for me. You say you don't care about diversity, but I wonder if you're taking that for granted. What if the diversity here is replaced with the homogeneity of, say, North Dakota, would that make any difference to you?

The immense natural beauty is another draw for me.