tcho82

iTrader: (1)

Hi There,

I'll be moving to the Bay area very shortly, I don't have my Lexus anymore, but still on the boards so I'd figure I'd give this a shot.

I will be working in Hayward, and would like to be within a 30-40 minute commute radius. So far I have been heavily thinking of the Tri Valley area, more particularly Dublin. Rent seems reasonable, relatively safe, and not too far from Hayward. Fremont and San Mateo were also thoughts, but seemed more expensive.

Any suggestions for the Norcal CL group members? Any thoughts are appreciated.

I'm a young professional, but don't HAVE to be near the city life, but within driving distance on the weekends is nice, want to stay under 1600-1700 for rent, garage parking preferable or at least a carport. Don't want my car broken into, and want it to be a safe neighborhood for my gf.

Thanks ahead of time.

uplusd

Dublin/Livermore might work for you. Stay away from Fremont/San Jose unless you want to shell out $$$

J:M

Silicon Valley is way overpriced. I live there, LOL. The city that's within driving distance you're talking about would be SF. That's pretty much the only city you'd want to go to for the "city" stuff. You're in the right area to choose Dublin, Castro Valley may have some stuff also, not ghetto like some parts of Hayward. Use CL as your market research.

timywong

San Mateo! SF, daily city too cold, redwood city san jose too hot... san mateo to hayward is like maybe 20mins just hop on the 92 and close to the city.

sirkfc

+1 for San Mateo. The commute is reverse that way, so you'll have no traffic going to work across the San Mateo Bridge. It'll just cost you $4 a day in bridge toll. San Mateo is a pretty nice town. Close to SF and San Jose and the airport. Gas is more expensive here by as much as 20 cents though, so fillup at work.

I'd stay away from the Hayward, Union City area. In the IS forum, you can search for somebody who got carjacked there, and the replies indicate it happens too often to be considered random and safe.

tcho82

iTrader: (1)

What about the Oakland Lake Merritt area? How is that area? There are some decently priced condo's for rent there.

wolverine

iTrader: (9)

lake merritt is pretty cool. not that ghetto. close to 580 freeway.

tcho82

iTrader: (1)

What is the definition of "not that ghetto?"

Safe enough for my gf to walk my dog at night?

tcho82

iTrader: (1)

I'm thinking of Foster city now, any better than San Mateo? Or just about the same?

Seems like a safe clean place, good distance to SF and to Hayward for commuting. Although $80 a month on tolls will kind of suck.

Much closer to highway 1 though. Man I can't wait to take my S out there.

wolverine

iTrader: (9)

if its a big dog then yes. small dog no. one time my gf sister left the gate open and some bum just walked into the house, we were about to beat his *** if he didnt leave peacefully.

sirkfc

Foster City is very nice. It is safe there for dog walking. There are lots of parks there, though some people might complain it's a little too suburban for them.

The drawback is, it's built on landfill, so some people worry about earthquake safety, but it got through the big one here just fine. The other issue there is... it's so safe, that the cops have nothing else to do except ticket people. So if you drive at the speed limit, no problem. But don't speed, despite the wide roads and low traffic....

tcho82

iTrader: (1)

So far all the comments are great. The trouble I'm finding is that when I start reading reviews on specific apartment communities they are all mostly negative(which is expected), but this makes it difficult to narrow choices down sight unseen.

Does ANYONE have any specific apartment complexes or companies they've dealt with that have been ok? Specifically in San Mateo or Foster City?

sirkfc

I lived at Scotchollow Apartments in San Mateo (near Belmont) a long long long time ago, so even though it was fine for me, it's not relevant information. I live in the houses near it now. The relevant information there is that they allow pets, and it's next to a park where a good group of dog owners meetup every night to socialize with their dogs. Occasionally they are off leash but keep a very close watch for the police patrol. My sister met her husband this way...

Might be relevant for you if your gf's dog is moving in with you.

tcho82

iTrader: (1)

can someone tell me is this a safe decent area?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...4462&z=16&om=1

Cloud9

iTrader: (2)

haha I saw your thread on s2ki
I live at emeryville and it's very safe. $1500 for a 1 bedroom in a highrise tower with multiple security guards roaming, dog friendly, all the amenities but no single garages. ie. everyone has an assigned space at a secure garage structure.