Can you get an apartment for $1500 in Berkeley, Oakland or Walnut creek? (San Francisco: apartments, for rent)

[gaijin_samurai]

Is that a reasonable figure for rent for a 1 Bedroom to live in Berkeley, Oakland or Walnut Creek?

[ttocs99]

I've seen TWO bedroom apartments in Walnut Creek for $1,500, so it is doable. I would assume Oakland and Berkeley you could find them as well.

Here's a nice 1 bd in WC on Craig's list.

Coming Soon to Diablo Villa! Huge- 795 sqft 1br with 4 closets!

here's another one

Large Beautiful One Bedroom

[jade408]

Definitely. IT won't be super new though. Possibly in Walnut Creek, but not in Oakland or Berkeley.

[gaijin_samurai]

Originally Posted by jade408

Definitely. IT won't be super new though. Possibly in Walnut Creek, but not in Oakland or Berkeley.

Is Walnut Creek a decent place to live?

[ttocs99]

Originally Posted by gaijin_samurai

Is Walnut Creek a decent place to live?

It is awesome. I lived there from 1999-2006, and it was the best 7 years of my life. I was lucky, found a nice 2 bedroom apt 3 blocks from the WC Bart, AND only 3-4 blocks from Downtown Walnut Creek. So where I lived was incredibly convenient. Downtown Walnut Creek has every thing a person could need. Great restaurants, incredible shopping, just a great town to walk around too. I fell in love with it the first day I walked around WC. Virtually no crime, 35 minute Bart ride to San Francisco. To each their own though, some people may find it boring, though it does have some sort of nightlife. I think it's the nicest town in the East Bay. Just a beautiful city. I'd take it over Oakland and Berkeley anyday.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by gaijin_samurai

Is Walnut Creek a decent place to live?

Depends on what you want.

Berkeley and Oakland are pretty similar. These are urban, and you can go car-free. Way more diverse than WC. These places have mild summers. Berkeley is chillier than Oakland in the summer. Berkeley summer highs are about 70-72, and the fog rolls in and out a bit earlier. Oakland summer is more like 75 and sunny. The restaurant scene is very exciting in Oakland these days. New stuff opening like every week.

Walnut Creek is pretty different. It is suburban. A nice suburb, that has parts that are walkable. I think WC is too family for me. I visit every few weeks for shopping though. Way better food scene than any other suburban part of the Bay Area. WC has hot summers and slightly cooler winters.

If you want sort of suburban and family friendly with cooler sunny summers in the 70s, add Albany and Alameda to your list. Albany weather is more like Berkeley. Alameda weather is a a bit warmer than Oakland.

[04kL4nD]

Originally Posted by ttocs99

It is awesome. I lived there from 1999-2006, and it was the best 7 years of my life. I was lucky, found a nice 2 bedroom apt 3 blocks from the WC Bart, AND only 3-4 blocks from Downtown Walnut Creek. So where I lived was incredibly convenient. Downtown Walnut Creek has every thing a person could need. Great restaurants, incredible shopping, just a great town to walk around too. I fell in love with it the first day I walked around WC. Virtually no crime, 35 minute Bart ride to San Francisco. To each their own though, some people may find it boring, though it does have some sort of nightlife. I think it's the nicest town in the East Bay. Just a beautiful city. I'd take it over Oakland and Berkeley anyday.

Indeed, to each his own.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Your budget is do-able for any of the towns you mentioned. For best quality of life here, live close to where you live. All three towns have great areas. Oakland most crime, Walnut Creek least.

[ilkhd2]

There is also Alameda.Probably similar to WC in terms of price.

[tstieber]

Walnut Creek is way nicer than either Oakland or Berkeley, in terms of it being cleaner, safer, more upscale, more scenic, and a lot sunnier and warmer, but it's cheaper because it's farther from the City. And it's very suburban, despite a bustling, dense downtown. If you like hiking, tennis, golf, swimming, biking, horseback riding, shopping, walking around, and you don't mind a lack of cultural diversity, then WC is your place. If you like urban pleasures like flea markets, funky little art galleries, interesting people watching, coffee, cool neighborhood restaurants with unique menus, a denser city environment, older architecture, cooler weather, proximity to SF, and great urban parks for reading and picnicking, then Berkeley or Oakland are your better bet. I really like all of those things, and I live in the Berkeley/Oakland area, but I often visit WC to enjoy the quieter pace, the warm evenings, and the cheap thrill of valet parking.