I work in South Bay, wife works in SF. Where should we stay?

Question

Hi,
I have moved to the bay area from the east coast to work in Santa Clara.
My wife has found a job in the financial district in SF and she will be joining me in June. My wife's office is a walking distance from Embarcadero bart station and she plans to take the train to work.

We have one car and I can drive to work or take the train. My office is next to lawrence train station.

I am not sure where we should find an apartment. Till now, the only place we have zeroed in on is San Bruno, Millbrae area. Is there any other place we could look at. Also, are there any apartments you can recommend.

Answer 1

I'd suggest Redwood City or San Carlos..you both will be commuting. :) and both areas are quite safe and family oriented.

I'm a college student but alot of my professors live in San Carlos adn Redwood city. :)

www.craigslist.org has an updated daily apartment/house for sale listing.. Look under the HOUSING..section. :)

Good Luck. :)

Answer 2

Millbrae is the best! Transportation will be easy just like Chris explained. Weather is excellent. It's funny how San bruno is just 5 mins away, there are days that San Bruno is foggy and Millbrae will be all sunshine! If you have kids, this city has the best schools.

Rent for a 2bdr apt will run you anywhere between $1200-1800. Most apt complexes are older but well kept. Very safe neighborhood. Nice little downtown. Go to craigslist--there should be many listings since Summer is near.

If you need more info, pls feel free to email me.

Answer 3

I'd vote for San Carlos it is on the Cal-Train line and about half way between both San Francisco and San Jose a little less expensive than either Millbrae or Burlingame.

The weather is better in San Carlos as well. There are many apartments within walking distance of the train station.

Answer 4

Millbrae is your best bet. Working in the Financial district means no parking. Live near BART. Its a MUST. The advantage of Millbrae is your access to Caltrain, which gives you access to Silicon Valley without the traffic. (Keep in mind Caltrain is very different from BART, and the Millbrae station provides access to both.) If you want an upscale area nearby, look into Burlingame. Its more expensive, but its much nicer....not that Millbrae is bad....

Answer 5

I'd vote for Burlingame. Close to the Caltrain station and has good residential areas (read apartments) as well in walkable distance from the station. Drive by around the station and areas around to check it out. I like the apartments with 6-8-10 units instead of 50+ units in a complex. There are quite a few of these small apartment buildings near Burlingame station - see the areas between El Camino and California Drive and Burlingame Ave to Peninsula Ave. Area on other side of Peninsula also has good apartments/duplexes/homes for rent. That is considered San Mateo, just FYI. Area on the other side of the station (around Burlingame High School) also has good rental places, but then you are in the houses area so it might get little more expensive comparatively.
Hillsdale is also another choice. They also have good apartments and housing near by from station (which happens to be a stop for the baby bullets that's why I like it). You have to drive around to get an idea of what they are like and what you personally like. Stay away from San Mateo downtown. Milbrae is too close to the airport so I personally don't like it much but that's just my opinion.

Some apartment finding links:
http://www.avrr.com/ (If you're not able to see the rental listing, send them an email to get the latest rentals list)
http://www.apartmentratings.com/
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/hhh/