Deciding where to live in Bay Area (San Jose, San Francisco: rental, how much)

[MrLiberty]

I am a single, male, 28 and just recently got a job as Software Engineer in a Start-Up based in Fremont, so I am moving from Canada to the Bay Area this March. I don't think living in Fremont is the way to go, because it's a small city and will be boring for someone of my situation. Ideally I'd like to live in a bigger city where there are younger people to socialize with, there is a some culture and things to do, and with a good night life, but commute time is important too. Living in San Francisco seems to be out of the question because of the long commute to work.

The way I see it, I have a few options in terms of where to live:

Oakland: I have heard the commute to Fremont is really bad on i880, is this true? What about crime? Is it worth living in Oakland and commuting to work? BART won't be a good option because BART station is too far from the work.

San Jose: This would be the best option in terms of commute. But I have heard the city doesn't have much to offer to young single people, is this true? What neighborhoods, or towns within San Jose area is better for single, young crowd?

What other options do I have in terms of places that I can live? Any recommendation or help is highly appreciated!

[ccm123]

It would depend on your budget. Downtown Mountain View and Downtown Palo Alto have a vibrant nightlife scene, but are on the high end of the rental range. Oakland has some very nice areas with good nightlife (Rockridge, for one), but you would have to deal with a commute south to Fremont.

For San Jose, I like Willow Glen.

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by MrLiberty

San Jose: This would be the best option in terms of commute. But I have heard the city doesn't have much to offer to young single people, is this true? What neighborhoods, or towns within San Jose area is better for single, young crowd?

I wouldn't write off San Jose. The downtown area has night life - not on the same scale as San Francisco but it's there. San Jose State University is nearby and there are young people in the area. Night Life - Downtown San Jose: Silicon Valley's City Center. There's also light rail in the downtown area for getting around.

[ccm123]

I agree, I think DT San Jose is very underrated.

Originally Posted by humboldtrat

I wouldn't write off San Jose. The downtown area has night life - not on the same scale as San Francisco but it's there. San Jose State University is nearby and there are young people in the area. Night Life - Downtown San Jose: Silicon Valley's City Center. There's also light rail in the downtown area for getting around.

[zitsky]

The commute from Mountain View & Palo Alto to Fremont isn't that great. Yes it's doable, but you'll be dealing with typical rush hour traffic, which can sometimes be stop & start in the Bay Area. As an engineer in Silicon Valley you will have very little free time in evenings. Be glad if you have your weekend to yourself. That's part of the culture. My advice to you would be to live in Fremont to be close to work. Then on Friday night and weekends, get in your car, drive to San Francisco and have a good time.

If you do decide to live in Mountain View or Palo Alto, you will find that both are very nice cities to live in. You will find downtown Mountain View surprisingly active at night. There are many engineers from Google and other companies that live in those two towns.

I really don't think you would enjoy the 880 commute. It's doable if can deal with it and not get stressed out.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by zitsky

The commute from Mountain View & Palo Alto to Fremont isn't that great. Yes it's doable, but you'll be dealing with typical rush hour traffic, which can sometimes be stop & start in the Bay Area. As an engineer in Silicon Valley you will have very little free time in evenings. Be glad if you have your weekend to yourself. That's part of the culture. My advice to you would be to live in Fremont to be close to work. Then on Friday night and weekends, get in your car, drive to San Francisco and have a good time.

If you do decide to live in Mountain View or Palo Alto, you will find that both are very nice cities to live in. You will find downtown Mountain View surprisingly active at night. There are many engineers from Google and other companies that live in those two towns.

I really don't think you would enjoy the 880 commute. It's doable if can deal with it and not get stressed out.

I live in Palo Alto and have commuted to Fremont/Newark for work before. It's not that bad - about 25-35 minutes, depending on the location in Fremont. You can go via 237 or Dumbarton Bridge (84). By contrast, if you live in Fremont and commute to Palo Alto/MV, it's not as good, tends to be more congested. But you can save some $$ and time if you live closer, such as in Fremont, Newark, or Milpitas.

I will also echo that if you want fun, go to SF on the weekends.

[Radical347]

Mountain View & Palo Alto are not that fun for how much more expensive they are than Fremont (especially PA) & how much they'll add to your commute. San Jose, DT-ish, would be a better choice.

I think Oakland is doable but like others have said, the commute can be messy. You can take BART from Oakland to Fremont. Could you get to work from the Fremont BART station?

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by Radical347

Mountain View & Palo Alto are not that fun for how much more expensive they are than Fremont (especially PA) & how much they'll add to your commute. San Jose, DT-ish, would be a better choice.

I think the commute from Mountain View to Fremont is overstated here. I commute from Mountain View to Milpitas (almost San Jose) and in the morning, its not bad at all. I'll admit its pretty bad from about 5-7pm, but if you can leave early and log on from home in the evenings or stay in the office later, you'll be fine. On the occasions when I need to leave around 5:30-6pm, it'll take me 30-45 minutes to come home, depending on traffic. That's not great, but not horrendous either.

I do disagree on the value of MV/PA vs Fremont. Are MV/PA as vibrant and exciting as the city? No, of course not. However, I think they're infinitely better than Fremont. It is nice to have downtown areas with a little urban vibe, as a middle ground to the city. Fremont is just bland and boring in my opinion. I guess downtown SJ is fine, but I think the crowd tends to be a little ghetto for my taste. If you really want the urban vibe, I'd go for the bad commute from SF.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

I do disagree on the value of MV/PA vs Fremont. Are MV/PA as vibrant and exciting as the city? No, of course not. However, I think they're infinitely better than Fremont. It is nice to have downtown areas with a little urban vibe, as a middle ground to the city. Fremont is just bland and boring in my opinion. I guess downtown SJ is fine, but I think the crowd tends to be a little ghetto for my taste. If you really want the urban vibe, I'd go for the bad commute from SF.

Palo Alto and Mt. View have defined city downtowns (University Avenue and Castro Street, respectively) that are walkable. Fremont doesn't have an equivalent city center, because of its history - it was a merger of about 5 small towns (Irvington, Centerville, Warm Springs, Mission San Jose, Decoto) in the late 1950s. It's a nice place to live but doesn't have that vibe, being dispersed.

[eclipxe]

Downtown SJ is fun - San Pedro Square is a good time, nice crowd.