Newbie Questions (San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland: apartment, rental, crime)

[Newbie1311]

Hey, thanks for taking taking a look! I accepted a job in the Union City area. Basically, I'm confused about the traffic on the main roads such as 880. If I commute south from Oakland, is traffic still terrible? Is it better to commute north/east to Union city? I used Google maps and heading south seemed to be the better option. Just trying to confirm. Also considering using Bart, but may not be an option everyday as my work is 2+ miles from the station.

I'm in my early 30's and looking for an area that has some nightlife/events. Should I look in the peninsula? Are all the cities around Union City really that undesirable? So many questions...Any tips are appreciated!

I tried to find as much info as possible through searching, but alot of info seems outdated. Thanks again!

[mstnghu2]

Generally, I-880 south is the commute direction in the morning south of Oakland. The freeway is mostly a parking lot in stretches from Hayward-ish all the way down to San Jose. In the evening, I-880 north is a parking lot from San Jose to around San Leandro.

I wouldn't consider the peninsula, personally. It would make your commute unnecessarily difficult and also the rents are typically much higher there. If I were you, I'd focus on looking in Fremont/Union City/Newark. There are plenty of nice neighborhoods to be found. Fremont is the biggest of the three cities and you'll have the most rental options available and the most variety of neighborhoods. Newark has plenty of crappy neighborhoods but plenty of nice ones too (I live there and if you try the search feature in both this forum and the San Jose forum, I've posted many times about Newark). Union City tends to have the most sketchy neighborhoods and the most crime overall, compared to Fremont and Newark. It does have nice neighborhoods too though. I tend to steer people away from Hayward. For the most part, it's just a dumpy and rundown city in most parts.

Since you also say you'd like to be around more nightlife, your best options for that would be closer to either Oakland or San Jose. Personally, I'd focus more on having an easier commute though, since traffic throughout the Bay Area is pretty terrible these days.

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, who said the cities around Union City are undesirable? Fremont is fine. You might be better off renting in Fremont, and BARTing to Oakland nightlife.

[Chuck5000]

Fremont, Newark, Union City, etc - let me try to correct the general misperception that outsiders may have. They are not undesirable, they are regular, ordinary lower to middle-middle class towns with pockets of lower and higher end areas, but are nevertheless not cheap even though they are cheaper than the more desirable parts of the Bay Area. Hayward hills can be pretty nice, actually. These cities are not hip, they are (mostly) not beautiful, they are not anyone's picture-book, dream idea of what moving to the San Francisco Bay Area is. They are diverse, so if one wants to be in a very white and upscale setting, they will not be good choices (really most of the Bay Area is not a good choice for such a person.)

If you can handle the idea that they won't be hip, exciting, and beautiful, then they can be fine places to live, provided you understand the traffic and commute issues, and have the right expectation re: size and quality of the apartment or house you will have for a given budget. I.e., much less than almost anywhere else in the USA, though it can still be fine.

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by Chuck5000

Fremont, Newark, Union City, etc - let me try to correct the general misperception that outsiders may have. They are not undesirable, they are regular, ordinary lower to middle-middle class towns with pockets of lower and higher end areas, but are nevertheless not cheap even though they are cheaper than the more desirable parts of the Bay Area. Hayward hills can be pretty nice, actually. These cities are not hip, they are (mostly) not beautiful, they are not anyone's picture-book, dream idea of what moving to the San Francisco Bay Area is. They are diverse, so if one wants to be in a very white and upscale setting, they will not be good choices (really most of the Bay Area is not a good choice for such a person.)

If you can handle the idea that they won't be hip, exciting, and beautiful, then they can be fine places to live, provided you understand the traffic and commute issues, and have the right expectation re: size and quality of the apartment or house you will have for a given budget. I.e., much less than almost anywhere else in the USA, though it can still be fine.

I mostly agree with this but I have to add that as far as natural beauty and scenery goes, there is plenty to find in any of these cities. They all have easy access to the bay (Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, Coyote hills, etc.). Fremont specifically has quite a few scenic areas (Central Park, the hills around Mission SJ, Mission Peak, Niles, etc.). The view from my work location in south Fremont actually has a beautiful view of the hills and Mission Peak and I've always enjoyed looking at it. The upscale parts of Fremont also rival any other upscale Bay Area location.