Moving to San Francisco

Hi ladies, can i reopen an old thread?
Me, my husband and my little 3 year old will be moving to San Francisco early next year.
We have lived in Australia & UK before.

We would want to live close enough to the downtown - my husband's office is there but still amongst fellow Indians in SF.

What are some good locations?
also - what are the best sites to look for rental accomodations?

Rental price is not the biggest concern, so far as it's 'reasonable'.

 

Timsi,

I remember posting a similar question almost 4 years back on this board! To begin with welcome to SF, it's one of the most exciting and wonderful city to be!

Since we were in a similar situation ( my husband was working in downtown SF and I was in school at SF state) we decided to stay in the city. As far as rentals sites are concerned it's craigslist all the way. You could also check out SF rentals ( I think that's the name) for apartments/ units in historic locations ( the rents might be a bit over the market price though!). There are many wonderful neighborhoods in SF with for families I would suggest checking out noe valley ( wonderful family friendly neighborhood, a bit quirky and great for commute.) Then there are other like hayes valley, north beach, parts of mission ( near dolores park), inner richmond that have older historic units. For folks looking for newer apartments ( high rise etc) I would suggest Soma. In short a lot depends on what you are looking for and the rental prices you can afford when it comes to living in the city. On the whole, the rentals are pretty high but that's the price you pay for living in such a wonderful city! Be aware that a lot of neighborhoods tend to be cold and foggy most of the time, so if you are looking for sunny climes the city mightn't work for you.

The only catch with living in the city is that there aren't many fellow indians or specific Indian neighborhoods. We ended up making a few friends in the city but it wasn't very easy. Many inevitably move to the suburbs especially when kids enter the picture. But having said that there are Indians , people of Indian origin in the city but they mightn't be "desi". What I mean is if being around fellow Indians is really important to you then you might want to consider the suburbs. We have decided to hang around the city till we our girl is still young ( we have a 3 year old) and eventually move to the burbs.

Hope I have answered your questions. Let me know if you need any help. Unfortunately I can't leave my id or phone number here ( due to site regulations) but would gladly respond to any query you might have.
-deepa

 

Hi Deepa
Nice to hear from you and thank you for your detailed answer.
I did read your post from 4 years ago
Pretty similar situations our son's a 3 year old as well

We were actually in the city in September for a couple of weeks to get the 'taste' of it (wish we had caught up then!). Overall, we loved it! Incidentally, there was no real fog at the time.

About where we want to live...
1. With the experience of Melbourne & UK, we do want to be around fellow Indians but, given my husband's work, still close enough to downtown (near Powell Station). Ideally, it would be walkable distance but I understand that there wont be any 'indian' neighbourhoods that close to the downtown.. so, in that case, perhaps a 15-20min non-stop public transport ride (or worst case.. drive).

2. Coming from Delhi, we are not really huge fans of 'super quiet' neighbourhoods and love a little bit of buzz around. We saw Sunset District, San Mateo and San Jose and they appeared too quiet although we didnt spend a lot of time in any of those... just an hour or so.

3. As for rental, we dont have a figure in mind but it does appear more expensive than anywhere we've seen. Is $3-4k a safe bet for a nice 2-bedder?

4. We'd also prefer to live in a newer apartment and parking space is a must.

Is there any suburbs that sort of meet our criteria?

Thanks for ALL the help Deepa.

Also - i think I found you on fb. Did you post recently about a earthquake? I'll send you a request.

 

continued...
I'm also aware that some parts of San Francisco aren't as safe as others (like Tenderloin) and safety is obviously top of the list for us.

 

Glad to help! I think you found me on FB

Based on your preferences Noe valley and Soma might fit the bill. Noe is around 10 min commute via Muni and Soma is probably even closer. Soma has newer apartments while Noe is more of victorian houses/units with a few new apartments.

I am from Delhi too, believe me you wouldn't find that kind of buzz anywhere here! Suburbs on the whole tend to be quieter than the city. Noe has a good vibe but SF in general tends to be relaxed and quieter the hippies never left you see .

Another suburb close by is burlingame with a great downtown and all. But is around 30 min commute if not more to Powell. We used to live up on Twin Peaks and Diamond heights in SF and quiet loved it. It's very quiet but close even to commute and generally fit our bill. In the end it all depends on the kind of neighborhood one prefers. We stayed in a hotel before finding the apartment since back then we didn't know anyone. I would recommend just spending some time looking around to get a feel of the place before committing to it.

I don't think there are any recommended places walkable from Powell. Safety becomes a concern near downtown areas. But that said we know of a couple that stayed near the embarcadero area and really loved it. The rent though might be really high. Also check out the avalon by the bay, and some apartment called Marina apartments, newer apartments right in the heart of downtown. Put quiet simply the south side of markets have newer places while the north side is more historic and prettier . We absolutely adore the historic places hence the bias . Hope this helps!

-deepa

 

I have not read the whole thread. If you are looking for a night life, perhaps, Palo Alto can be a good option. I have never lived there but it does seem lively.

 

Thanks Deepa... our top priority is to be in a safe neighbourhood with fellow Indians. Given what I've been reading, it looks like we'll have to relax that commute time requirement a bit.
Is it just Fremont then or is there other places with Indian population that are closer to downtown and tick all the right boxes?

PS: Will send you a request...

 

Hi, not so much the night life - we dont mind travelling a bit for night life but we want to be living in an area that is safe but stimulating enough not to get bored. We also want to be among other Indians. Proximity to downtown will have been nice but sounds like that's not a real option..

 

Hi Timsi,

Welcome to the Bay!

I am going to +1 whatever Deepa said in regards to finding an Indian neighborhood within the city. SF is a melting pot when it comes to culture. There is no one race present predominantly in any area

The advantage of the Bay area is that we are well equipped when it comes to public transportation. Not as well equipped as Delhi or Mumbai or even NYC. But good, nonetheless. Which is why a lot of desis decide to settle down in the suburbs. We are spread all over, but a majority of us would be in the South Bay (given the number of IT companies there).

You will also find Indian neighborhoods in Fremont and Pleasanton. I am sure there are neighborhoods in and around Hillsdale and Palo Alto. All of these neighborhoods are connected to the city via BART or Caltrain. Its a 40-50 minute ride door to door depending on location. And Powell happens to be on of the main stops, which makes commuting easier.

The suburbs are cheaper when it comes to accommodation. And a lot of people just prefer to take BART or Caltrain to commute to the city from the suburbs. I live in Dublin, which is Pleasanton's sister city (and have been here for over 4 years now) I have started to see a lot of Indians move to this area too, which I like. I like diversity. But I also like having my desis around I am in SF almost every other weekend because I love the city so much. I work in Oakland, which is just across the Bay Bridge and commute to the city with my coworkers just to grab a drink. And then BART it back home in under 50 mins

I hope this gives you a different perspective of living in the Bay.

Ranjani.

 

Hi Timsi,

Welcome to the Bay!

I am going to +1 whatever Deepa said in regards to finding an Indian neighborhood within the city. SF is a melting pot when it comes to culture. There is no one race present predominantly in any area

The advantage of the Bay area is that we are well equipped when it comes to public transportation. Not as well equipped as Delhi or Mumbai or even NYC. But good, nonetheless. Which is why a lot of desis decide to settle down in the suburbs. We are spread all over, but a majority of us would be in the South Bay (given the number of IT companies there).

You will also find Indian neighborhoods in Fremont and Pleasanton. I am sure there are neighborhoods in and around Hillsdale and Palo Alto. All of these neighborhoods are connected to the city via BART or Caltrain. Its a 40-50 minute ride door to door depending on location. And Powell happens to be on of the main stops, which makes commuting easier.

The suburbs are cheaper when it comes to accommodation. And a lot of people just prefer to take BART or Caltrain to commute to the city from the suburbs. I live in Dublin, which is Pleasanton's sister city (and have been here for over 4 years now) It is a much younger community, with the average age around 35. You will find newer apartments here. This is probably the only city that has space to expand in the Bay now A lot of IT & non-IT companies are moving offices here. And as a result, I have started to see a lot of Indians move to this area too, which I like. I like diversity. But I also like having my desis around
I am in SF almost every other weekend because I love the city so much. I work in Oakland, which is just across the Bay Bridge and commute to the city with my coworkers just to grab a drink. And then BART it back home in under 50 mins

I hope this gives you a different perspective of living in the Bay.

Ranjani.