27 single guy moving to S.F. Neighborhood Suggestions? (San Francisco, Oakland: apartment, to rent) - San Francisco - Oakland - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

xanderpage · 01-07-2008, 04:07 PM

Hey y'all,

I'm moving to the Bay Area from (most recently) Boulder/Denver and would love some input into finding the right part of the city to call home. As of now I am thinking of living somewhere in the city proper although I am open to the surrounding areas depending on cost/commute time/situation/etc.

I really want to find an area that is young and hip with yoga studios, healthy/organic shopping and dining, outdoorsy culture, close to Bart/Muni, not TOO expensive with some funky flavor and warmish weather =)

Any ideas pop into your mind?

Your thoughts are much appreciated =)

Love and light, Xander

City Boy · 01-07-2008, 04:54 PM

That sounds like the entire city minus the not too expensive part, all of SF is too expensive and the warmest weather in SF is in Hunters Point.

hotdogbun · 01-08-2008, 02:41 PM

Which, for the sake of mentioning, is probably one of the roughest neighborhoods in the city (no?), so you don't want to move there.

How yuppie do you want to go? How much grit? And, most importantly, how high is your rent pain threshold?

City Boy · 01-08-2008, 04:10 PM

HP is not as bad as it used to be. They are cleaning up 3rd St. You should see some of the condo's down there now lining 3rd street near china basin. Soon HP will be like the rest of SF. Upper Middle class- Rich, Asian and white.

xanderpage · 01-08-2008, 10:11 PM

I'd like to find a 50/50 balance. My thoughts at this point are either the Mission (closer to Delores/Castro, does that make sense?) or either upper or lower Haight. My rent threshold is around $800 although I would dig a bit deeper for the 'right' place/situation.

Thanks for the feedback =0

sonarrat · 01-09-2008, 12:04 AM

$800? You'll be someone's roommate for sure on that kind of budget. It's even hard to rent an apartment in Oakland for that much.

Both Dolores and Castro go through multiple different neighborhoods. Could you be more specific?

geoengr · 01-09-2008, 11:19 AM

I am not sure you could even get into the Tenderloin for $800. If that is absolutely your ceiling, consider a roommate situation. Everyone here uses Craigslist to shop for housing, so that will be your best bet to figure out the market.

DowNout · 01-10-2008, 06:27 PM

Northbeach! Northbeach!

hotdogbun · 01-10-2008, 07:12 PM

Xanderpage, go straight to craigslist; do not pass Go, do not collect $100

Take a look at the different offerings in San Francisco for the rent you're anticipating to afford. Take a look at some of the listings and see what appeals to you. Then come on back and ask about some of the neighborhoods and I'm sure we'll all offer feedback.

I think there are A TON of neighborhoods that would feel great to you--as is said over and over, this is a very diverse, very interesting city to live in. There's a ton of outdoor activity, tons of places to eat, tons of things to do. It's not a segregated or sectioned off city where there's only 1 or 2 fun neighborhoods with entertainment and life of some sort.

But I think the $800 (as mentioned previously) will be one of the key factors influencing your decision.

Dig around, get some data and then come back and let us know what you're thinking.

Good luck to you!

gizmo980 · 01-11-2008, 01:46 AM

I was about to suggest Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Lower Haight, Castro, or North Beach - until you said $800 a month.

The others are correct, you'll need to get a roommate (or two) for SF and most surrounding towns. I pay considerably more than that, for a shared house near Bayview/Hunter's Point... which is indeed the roughest part of the city, but I found a secret safe pocket.