Moving to San Francisco

Thanks a lot ..
We've come to the conclusion that we'll need to relax our commute requirement i.e. settle for a suburban location about 40-50min away from downtown (powell station) via reliable public transport. We'd also like to live in a location which is in walking proximity to the station - so we dont have to drive to it.

Newer apartments are nice to have but not a must.
Safety is of course the top priority.
Suburban locations with parks, lakes etc are obviously preferred.

What we are thinking of doing is to try out a few short-term (10-15 days) apartment rentals at some suburbs before committing to any one.

Here is the suburbs that I've shortlisted basis what I have heard so far...
- Fremont
- Pleasanton
- Dublin
- San Jose
- Sunnyvale

How does that all sound?
Is there any on the list that aren't worth looking at/do not meet our criteria?

thanks for all your help guys....

 

Dublin/Pleasanton - I am obviously going to be biased about this neighborhood seeing as I have lived here for a long time. They both have a common BART station called Dublin/Pleasanton. Both have apartment complexes in proximity to BART.
It is just a one train commute from Powell St to Dublin/Pleasanton. Train frequencies are at 15 mins in the evening times.

In general, the neighborhood is VERY safe, which is why a lot of people prefer it. Some apartments around BART:

Dublin - Eclipse (Avalon) at Dublin Station is right as you exit BART. But I'd recommend Archstone at Hacienda and Emerald Park Apts also at Hacienda. Both of these are less than a mile from the Dublin BART station. There are other good apartments that are within a 2 mile radius of Dublin BART where desis are present. There is a Rapid Bus service to the BART station from Dublin & Pleasanton, which makes commuting easy for the car less.
Pleasanton - Eaves, Archstone are some good apartments on the Pleasanton side of BART.

Fremont - Also another safe neighborhood. But it's a much older neighborhood compared to Dublin/Pleasanton. A lot of transient Indian population can be found here, especially close to BART. Presidio apartments are right across from the BART station. As are a few others.
This is a one train commute as well, up until 7pm. Post 7PM, services from Powell to Fremont stop. And you'd have to switch trains at Bay Fair BART station. Frequency pre-7PM is every 5-10 mins.

I can't really comment on San Jose & Sunnyvale, other than the fact that they do have Caltrain for commuting. I'd read up about this commute. It does take longer than BART for sure. But they are major stops. So, frequencies should be higher.

Hope this helps. Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions

 

Hi - this is about the best response I have had thus far - it is so specific.. down to the apartment recommendations. You seem to have understood exactly what we are looking for
We will most likely have a car but will still prefer to be within walking distance of the station - so rapid bus is not an option

I will add all these to my notes of places to look at - THANKS!
Dublin & Pleasanton look interesting - there's also a huge park there.



Question...
If you have similar recommendations in areas like Berkeley, Sunnyvale & Mountain View, pls do let me know. I'll really appreciate it.


In general, it does look like apartments are a thing in the burbs. As I was searching for these apartments, many showed up. is that right?

Also - is BART reliable and is it usually packed from these places?
I have heard mixed views about it and people generally tend to hint that caltrain is better.


BTW - where are you living now in SF?

 

I am not going to lie. BART has been having issues lately. And there have been instances where the Union and BART have been butting heads over their issues and its affected commuters. But since a lot of people commute from these areas, carpool and car share options are aplenty.
BART isn't always jam packed on the Dublin/Pleasanton line. It's only during peak commute time that it could be packed and finding a spot to sit from the city to Dublin/Pleasanton could be tough. However, commuters always walk in and walk out. So, you will find a spot to sit within 2-3 stops. It's not like the Delhi metro or the NYC subway
Fremont trains tend to be more crowded. It's just because a lot of people commuting from San Jose and the south prefer driving up to Fremont and taking BART from there, which adds to the commute traffic on the train. Again, you will find a place to sit within 2-3 stops.

Berkeley is also a great neighborhood. However, it is college town and not the safest area. And it's rather old too. Pockets of it can be shady. And there are desis, but in smaller pockets and spread out. Again, Berkeley is a melting pot of cultures. So, no one race in one area.

Mountain View is a great neighborhood and desis are aplenty as well. The downtown is rather great too. But it is an older neighborhood and not all communities are gated. Only a few are gated. Connected by Caltrain. Takes about an hour to the city. I am not sure about apartments around the caltrain station in MV. I do know that there are a few in a one mile radius. Mind you, MV is also an older neighborhood.

Avalon, Archstone, Eaves are some apartment communities that have apartments around the bay area. Some close to BART, some far away. There's one in practically every neighborhood. But there are apartment complexes as well.
There are also the Stoneridge Apartments in Pleasanton right across the street from Stoneridge mall. It's less than a mile away from BART. AND it is a gated community with desis around. I forgot to mention that in the prior post

I live in Dublin Been here for over 4 years. And yes, we have a ton of parks here. Because we are a family friendly community

 

Thanks - i really appreciate it

 

Hi All,

We have got opportunity to work in SFO (1 Post St #1825, San Francisco, CA 94104). Since me and DH work for same company, have been asked to join same client too. Before making any further decision, we want to know -

1. Current Rent trend in near by area and area with desi community . we will prefer area with good daycare/pre-school option .

2. Please suggest area with good public transportation to above address. We too have car but not sure if this will be feasible to travel by car to office.

3 Average living cost for 3 (me, DH and DD) with average lifestyle.Other than phone and net charges.

4, What would be daycare/pre school fee for 3.5 year old. Here (New Jersey) we pay $1500 for full time daycare +Pre K

We are still not sure if moving to SFO will be a good choice (economically and socially) as I heard rent and daycare options are too high there (3K-4K), please advise.

Thanks in advance

Priyanka