Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thank you to everyone who gave a helpful response. I really appreciate it.
We are originally from the Boston suburbs and are currently living in the Philadelphia suburbs. Right now we are in the #2 district in the state, so I guess when I meant "good" schools, I would specify 8/10 or more. I would of course prefer 9-10/10 but realize that might not be realistic.
We can go above 3k a month but really don't want to, mostly because I'll be staying home and we will be traveling back to the East coast semi frequently to see family. That will definitely not be cheap x4 tickets several times a year.
And yes, my 18 month old, who will be 2.5 when we move, will need his own room. 2 bedrooms wouldn't work for us.
In the East, the prices drop dramatically as one gets into the suburbs, vs the prices in "nice" inner city neighborhoods. One can live relatively close to Manhattan, Center City, etc, and have reasonable affordability, meanwhile the schools are 9s and the demographic is acceptable. Here we don't have that. The prices drop a bit versus the nicest inner city hoods but only just, and they stay that way at least 20 - 25 miles out. One really needs to get 40 miles out to find a good drop, but then ... the schools ... the demographic ... the commute.
In the East, the prices drop dramatically as one gets into the suburbs, vs the prices in "nice" inner city neighborhoods. One can live relatively close to Manhattan, Center City, etc, and have reasonable affordability, meanwhile the schools are 9s and the demographic is acceptable. Here we don't have that. The prices drop a bit versus the nicest inner city hoods but only just, and they stay that way at least 20 - 25 miles out. One really needs to get 40 miles out to find a good drop, but then ... the schools ... the demographic ... the commute.
In the East, the prices drop dramatically as one gets into the suburbs, vs the prices in "nice" inner city neighborhoods. One can live relatively close to Manhattan, Center City, etc, and have reasonable affordability, meanwhile the schools are 9s and the demographic is acceptable. Here we don't have that. The prices drop a bit versus the nicest inner city hoods but only just, and they stay that way at least 20 - 25 miles out. One really needs to get 40 miles out to find a good drop, but then ... the schools ... the demographic ... the commute.
Exactly. One aspect that most people aren't really wise to in this thread so far is that any commute from the East Bay into downtown SF is going to be absolutely miserable from an "affordable" suburb. You'd have to strike lightning in order to find a home that's right by a BART station AND their office be right by a station as well.
OP, we need to know where your husband's office will actually be. When my wife and I first moved here from Orlando over a year ago - we initially lived in Walnut Creek about 3 blocks from BART - except my wife's office was near AT&T park and my office was in Pleasanton. My commute via car/bus kinda sucked, but it was nothing compared to squeezing on BART heading into the city each day. 100 degree temps in the summer afternoons riding in a muggy, completely packed BART car isn't a pleasant experience. And when I'm talking packed, I mean zero room to even bend down. Add to that fact that her office distance from BART required a transfer to Muni buses - which made her total commute about 90 miserable minutes each way, every day.
Forget finding affordable housing - living in the East Bay just isn't feasible anymore from a commute standpoint unless you live right in Oakland and work right off of the BART station in SF and only have to deal with the sardine can for about 20 minutes. Driving is worse and more expensive.
If your husband's office is in the East Bay, then that will be a lot more reasonable.
Sounds like you're just making a lot of personal assumptions there based on the word "good". OP really didn't get specific but either way it doesn't really warrant writing off the entire East Bay when PH/MTZ schools and a BART commute from central Contra Costa County is quite common and doable for a lot of people. Perhaps it's more helpful to throw out viable options so the OP can decide themself instead of going on about unicorns no?
No, I'm from the East Coast originally and I know how different it is in the Bay Area. The OP's budget is too low at 3k a month to find all that she's looking for. You seem to think driving 15-20 mins and spending 45 on BART is a suitable option, but I and others don't. That isn't "public transit friendly", it's just another way of breaking up a long, miserable commute. And this is assuming the OP's husband's office will be right in DTSF. If not, add some more time waiting for MUNI to get him through the city. You're entitled to your opinion, but I think it's totally unrealistic.
Exactly. One aspect that most people aren't really wise to in this thread so far is that any commute from the East Bay into downtown SF is going to be absolutely miserable from an "affordable" suburb. You'd have to strike lightning in order to find a home that's right by a BART station AND their office be right by a station as well.
OP, we need to know where your husband's office will actually be. When my wife and I first moved here from Orlando over a year ago - we initially lived in Walnut Creek about 3 blocks from BART - except my wife's office was near AT&T park and my office was in Pleasanton. My commute via car/bus kinda sucked, but it was nothing compared to squeezing on BART heading into the city each day. 100 degree temps in the summer afternoons riding in a muggy, completely packed BART car isn't a pleasant experience. And when I'm talking packed, I mean zero room to even bend down. Add to that fact that her office distance from BART required a transfer to Muni buses - which made her total commute about 90 miserable minutes each way, every day.
Forget finding affordable housing - living in the East Bay just isn't feasible anymore from a commute standpoint unless you live right in Oakland and work right off of the BART station in SF and only have to deal with the sardine can for about 20 minutes. Driving is worse and more expensive.
If your husband's office is in the East Bay, then that will be a lot more reasonable.
No offense but you're coming off as kind of dramatic. My wife works in Downtown SF within walking distance of BART and most people who commute to Downtown SF can walk to their work from the station. Transferring to Muni is more the exception than the norm.
You can get a seat into SF in the morning on BART from North Concord/Martinez as the trains aren't that full. And also from Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek from the trains that come from the maintenance yard between PH and Concord as they are completely empty when they pull into PH.
Evenings are worse as you have to get on with everyone at Montgomery or Embarcadero but you can backtrack to Powell or Civic Center and get a seat the whole way home.
Again this will be up to the OP and her husband to decide if it's doable but tens of thousands of people in central Contra Costa County do it everyday.
No, I'm from the East Coast originally and I know how different it is in the Bay Area. The OP's budget is too low at 3k a month to find all that she's looking for. You seem to think driving 15-20 mins and spending 45 on BART is a suitable option, but I and others don't. That isn't "public transit friendly", it's just another way of breaking up a long, miserable commute. You're entitled to your opinion, but I think it's totally unrealistic.
That's fine if you don't but you don't know the OP and what their tolerance is and instead of offering a possible suggestion you bring up pet unicorns, so how is that helpful at all? Tens of thousands of people do exactly what you say is unreasonable everyday and many pay a lot of money to live in those areas too, so clearly it's not unrealistic to all those people. The problem with you seems to be that you're too wrapped up in your own personal opinion as a single, childless professional living in Oakland and have trouble fathoming what those with families are willing to do when it comes to commuting and schools.
You can find homes along a BART line for around $3K with schools 8/10 and above in central Contra Costa County. Just because you, again a childless single, might find the commute to long doesn't mean others will as evidenced by the tens of thousands of people everyday that do it from PH/WC/Lamorinda, Concord, Martinez, Pleasanton, Dublin, etc... Families with one or more parents commuting into SF via BART from this area is quite common so I really don't get why some of you are acting like this is such an absurd proposition. Where exactly do you think all those people already on BART are coming from when the train goes through Oakland? Maybe stick with providing info Oakland and the inner East Bay.
"Along a BART line" doesn't mean having to drive for 20 minutes to get to it. What is difficult for you to understand about this? I actually know a couple that live right next to PH BART and they're paying around 3k a month for a 2BR/2BA apartment.
And I may be childless, but I'm happily spoken for. Not that it matters one bit. You seem to think that having procreated makes you somehow better than everyone else. It doesn't.
The OP will need to up her budget to get all that she's asking for. That's it. You are the one trying to move the goalposts and suggest that she can get everything she wants, but then suggesting she lives in Martinez! Why not move to Antioch or Pittsburgh? Those she'd be able to find pretty easily. Oh right. She said she wanted good schools.
"Along a BART line" doesn't mean having to drive for 20 minutes to get to it. What is difficult for you to understand about this? I actually know a couple that live right next to PH BART and they're paying around 3k a month for a 2BR/2BA apartment.
And I may be childless, but I'm happily spoken for. Not that it matters one bit. You seem to think that having procreated makes you somehow better than everyone else. It doesn't.
The OP will need to up her budget to get all that she's asking for. That's it. You are the one trying to move the goalposts and suggest that she can get everything she wants, but then suggesting she lives in Martinez! Why not move to Antioch or Pittsburgh? Those she'd be able to find pretty easily. Oh right. She said she wanted good schools.
According to who? You? Not everyone that drives to BART spends 20 minutes to get there either, for me and my wife it takes about 5. What is so difficult for you to understand that tens of thousands of people that do every day what you think it "unrealistic"? Or is that everyone who commutes via BART east of the Caldecott is "miserable" and their life is totally "unrealistic"?
So what does what your friend's rent prove? That they live in a shiny, new overpriced Avalon apartment complex? Fact is that you can find townhomes and SFH's within a 15 min or less drive to BART in the OP's price range with "good" schools. Nor what goalposts I moved but parts of Martinez are within a 5-15 min drive of BART and have good schools. Yeah obviously I didn't suggest Antioch/Pitts for the schools just as I didn't mention Concord at all. PH, Martinez, and even Walnut Creek have 3-br for around $3K, not sure what is so hard to understand about that.
LOL, calm down on the defensiveness. I was only pointing out that you lack the perspective that parents with children have. Maybe wait for the threads from an OP that is a DINK before you start spouting off on stuff you know little about nor have any experience with.
It will be up to the OP to decide what is best that fits their needs. And to help the OP make that decision I along with others have thrown out several options and scenarios for her to think about and decide. While you and a few others have basically just gone on about lottery numbers and unicorns and not provided any useful information but rather more annoying single/childless, DINK perspectives from Oakland. Maybe stick to helping people avoid the ghetto in Oakland rather than chiming in on schools and suburbs.
Ad hominem attacks/name calling aside (real mature btw), we just have different opinions/perspectives on what "good schools" and a "good commute" mean. The initial post and query by the OP asks for excellent schools, safe, and an easy commute. You played fast and loose with these definitions, while other posters didn't think getting all three of them at once for 3k a month was realistic. So yeah, for some of us, getting everything she asked for does sound like hitting the lotto or finding a unicorn.
Sorry, but part of living in the Bay Area is coming to terms with how outrageously expensive it is, given how seemingly little you can get for your money compared with other parts of the country. It's better the OP realizes this now than just thinking it's going to be just like back East. You've never lived outside of CA, so you don't know how big of a sticker shock it can be for others, so it's kinda hypocritical for you to suggest that your limited world experiences trump other posters'...
Ad hominem attacks/name calling aside (real mature btw), we just have different opinions/perspectives on what "good schools" and a "good commute" mean. The initial post and query by the OP asks for excellent schools, safe, and an easy commute. You played fast and loose with these definitions, while other posters didn't think getting all three of them at once for 3k a month was realistic. So yeah, for some of us, getting everything she asked for does sound like hitting the lotto or finding a unicorn.
Sorry, but part of living in the Bay Area is coming to terms with how outrageously expensive it is, given how seemingly little you can get for your money compared with other parts of the country. It's better the OP realizes this now than just thinking it's going to be just like back East. You've never lived outside of CA, so you don't know how big of a sticker shock it can be for others, so it's kinda hypocritical for you to suggest that your limited world experiences trump other posters'...
I never called you any names, not sure what you referring to.
Since you have seem to forgotten, here is what the initial post said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by jesslauren310
Hi everyone!
We are possibly being transferred to San Fran for my husband's job and I was wondering if anyone could give us a little insight on a good location. We are looking for somewhere safe and with good schools with a reasonable commute to the city (public transit preferred). We have two kids, a 10 year old and a one year old, so 3 bedroom is what we'd need. We are looking to pay about 3k a month or less, but might be able to stretch it a little. I'm not sure if this is even possible in the Bay area, but I figured it would be best to post here and ask!
Thanks!
Nowhere does it say "excellent schools" and "easy commute". If the OP had said "excellent" schools I would not have recommended PH/Mtz. The definition of "good" was up for debate obviously as people had differing opinions but the OP clarified that an 8/10 rating was considered "good" in her opinion in a subsequent post for which PH and Mtz would qualify for. And even WC with better schools is an option.
Yeah considering the OP didn't really specify what they meant by "good" and "reasonable" I thought I would throw out a few options that might work for her to think about rather than just completely write her off and talk about the lottery and unicorns. So what approach do you honestly think was more helpful to her? Yours?
I suggest you read the initial post a bit closer, clearly the OP is aware how pricey the Bay Area is based on her last sentence so not sure why you and others think she is completely oblivious to this fact. Though cute trying to pull some angle that she or I are not aware of how expensive the Bay Area is simply because you got defensive of the fact that you don't share the same viewpoint that those with families have. You don't think parents are willing to put up with longer commutes so their family can have the life they want them to? Do you know how American society works in general?
She wanted to see if it was possible, me and a few others threw some options out there for her to consider. Not sure why you and others telling her to go play the lottery or ask for a pet unicorn was even remotely helpful in the least.
Fact is she can find 3-br's with what she considers "good" schools along a BART line for around $3K. Fact is thousands of parents with children commute from these areas everyday and live there for the schools and BART access. Again, it may be too long of a commute for the OP but maybe let her decide that rather than decide for her based on your very different perspective.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
