Looking for nice place to live in extended Bay Area...suggestions? (San Jose: apartments, rentals) - San Francisco - Oakland - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

langenfeld82 · 01-05-2009, 09:47 AM

Hello all! I've been impressed by the feedback in this forum and was hoping to gather some advice myself...

My husband's job will be moving us to the Bay Area, and neither of us have ever been there. Needless to say, we're very excited to be leaving the Wisconsin winters! He'll be working as a territory manager and will travel all over the wider Bay area (approx. Napa down to Santa Cruz) daily, so "commute" for him is not an issue. I'll be attending college classes and have my choice of schools in Sausalito, downtown SF, and western San Jose.

I plan on working full-time while attending school and would love to work in a library or bookstore (what I do now), but am willing to take a variety of other jobs as needed (waitressing, retail, reception, etc.). How is the job market in the Bay Area for hourly-type jobs? (I have a BA in German, which I doubt will lead to much.)

We are in our mid-twenties, no kids (and none planned anytime soon). We aren't big clubbers or bar hoppers...we'd simply like to live in a pretty area with a few restaurants. We can always drive into SF, etc. for "culture" on weekends. Obviously, we don't earn a massive amount of money and are hoping to find a 1-bedroom apt. for up to 1200/mo. This seems unlikely in SF, but I was wondering what other areas might cost less near the locations I mentioned? (No ghetto, please!) I've heard Marin County is beautiful, but outrageously priced.

Sorry for the long, choppy post, but any feedback would be appreciated...thanks so much!

humboldtrat · 01-05-2009, 11:56 AM

$1200 for a 1 bedroom apt is a little bit on the low side. And what college will you be attending? That's important to know to keep the commute down. It's 50 miles between San Francisco and San Jose. I didn't know there was a college in Sausalito

alohakat · 01-05-2009, 03:05 PM

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There's some apartment listings in the Walnut Creek area. You can also look up the San Jose area, but if your husband is managing the entire Bay Area, unless he'll be spending a larger amount of his time in the South Bay, you'll probably want to be in the East Bay to easily go South or to the City or North. Living on the Peninsula is another option to be centrally located, but I'm not sure you could find a place for $1200 on the peninsula. You could check the Foster City area of the peninsula or North of there, but I bet the rents are higher than the Walnut Creek area. $1200 is on the low side for a decent 1BR with a good living situation.

llowllevellowll · 01-05-2009, 03:19 PM

I'm going to come out from left field, but I've found apartment prices cheaper and more for your money in Vacaville and Fairfield (Vacaville is a much better community than Fairfield but it's about 10 minutes further toward Sacramento.) Maybe you could take some college classes at Davis? I'm renting a really nice 1-bedroom apartment in a gated community for $1,100. I felt like having a better apartment with more amenities (Vacaville is retail store central -- everything you need within a few blocks) was more important than me being close to the Bay since I don't need to go there for work. Anyway, there are other neat communities I was looking at -- Walnut Creek, Martinez, Benicia, Concord -- but I felt that getting more apartment for my money was worth the increased driving time. Good luck!

langenfeld82 · 01-05-2009, 05:14 PM

I'll be taking classes for a Waldorf teaching certificate, and there are classes for that certificate offered in the three locations mentioned. I know...Sausalito seems like a weird place for it! However, there are also classes offered in Sacramento, but I hadn't considered that because it seemed too far east. Is the commute to Sacramento from the Bay area pretty bad, or is it doable? Or from the locations you mentioned (Fairfield and Vacaville)? Those seem like great spots. Sorry if I seem clueless, but like I said, I've never been to the area! Thanks again so much for your help...

humboldtrat · 01-05-2009, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by langenfeld82

Is the commute to Sacramento from the Bay area pretty bad, or is it doable? Or from the locations you mentioned (Fairfield and Vacaville)? Those seem like great spots.

A trip between Sacramento and the Bay Area is about 90 minutes (unless the traffic is bad and it often is). Fairfield or Vacaville would probably be the best place (about 40 min to Sacramento, about the same to San Francisco) for a central location. Rents are a little cheaper there than in the Bay Area itself.

Is this the school you'll be attending ? www.bacwtt.org

langenfeld82 · 01-05-2009, 05:50 PM

That would be the Sausalito school, yes. I haven't decided on a school yet...wanted to check out the different areas first.

langenfeld82 · 01-05-2009, 10:24 PM

...and thanks for the link, alohakat! Walnut Creek seems like a good option for us...what's the town itself like?

san carlos · 01-06-2009, 05:38 AM

San Carlos is probably the midpoint between Napa and Santa Cruz -- maybe a shade south of the mid-point. Great restaurants, nice downtown area, close enough to everything you need. There are apartments of all price ranges in the city, but I don't know the availability. It's a pretty popular place, so rentals are usually in demand. Check craigslist to see what's there.

I've lived here for many years and love it. Good luck!