Where should I live in the San Francisco Bay area?

Question

We're moving to the Bay area in a year and will be starting a family shortly thereafter. So while I know that no one place is likely to have all of these characteristics, I would like to move to an area that has as many of these characteristics as possible:

1. Rental housing with at least 3 bedrooms and rents no higher than, let's say, $3500 per month. (We'll never in our lifetime be able to buy a house out there).
2. A safe neighborhood with safe parks nearby for kids to play in.
2. Good public schools with active parents.
3. I want an area that is neither too wealthy and stuck up, nor too low-class. We both have college degrees and value education very highly, and want to be around like-minded people. At the same time, we both prefer to stay away from the country club, keeping-up-with-the-Joneses mentality.

It doesn't matter what part of the Bay area it is - we just want to know as much as possible about as many different areas as possible. Thanks!

Answer 1

Here are some of the qualities that generalize the Bay Area:

Eastbay - the portion of the eastbay that touches the water (Oakland to Hayward) is primarily industrial and not the nicest part of the bay area, but has its charm (this is where I grew up). The housing cost is lower than other parts of the bay and there are plenty of college educated individuals around (this IS where UC berkeley lies). Good middle-class living.
Further from the water (valleys - Pleasonton, Dublin, Livermore) are the wealthier, safer, and generally more expensive homes. Here you will find more white collar professionals (and quite a few snobs, but its very nice and clean and has some of the best schools).
The city of Fremont lies between the two extremes of the Eastbay.

Southbay (San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Cupertino) - has a plethora of good jobs, new homes, and is a nice mixture of technology (silicon valley) and restaurants. It might have the safest neighborhoods for how large of a population it has. Has the highest number of engineers in the area, so there are plenty of educated people around. The area is starting assemble a lot of places to hang out and have fun in. It also has some of the largest and nicest malls in the bay area.

Northbay - (Marin, Sausalito, Corte Madera, Santa Rosa) - might be the safest part of the bay area - but at the cost of being the least dense, and the most boring. But it does have a very serene feel to the area and definately has an upper-middle class feel everywhere you go, without the valley snobby feel. The school are, of course, very good and this area reports the lowest crime rate every year. Its also the closest section of the Bay to Napa's Wine Country.

Pennisula and San Francisco (SF, San mateo, Daly City, South San Francisco) - SF might have the highest density of educated people in the bay area, but it also has the largest problems when it come to crowding, overpriced housing and NO FU*king parking. San Mateo and San Carlos are close to SF and are good alternatives with what is considered the best school districts in the bay area. The people are generally well-educated and liberal. Good place to live, and close to all the action of SF.

Hope this helps - I love the bay area.

Answer 2

A lot will depend on where your places of employment are. The Bay Area commute is the most important lifestyle variable. The price of a home in Marin is the highest in the bay area because it is considered the most desirable place to live. However, it has some of the most reasonable rents. Right now and for the next three years or so the housing market in Marin is a buyers market. Thus the rental inventory is high and the rents are competitive. Marin schools are the highest rated in the state and there are fewer people, homes, and buildings per square mile anywhere except Sonoma County. Even tho there is some wealth here , it is not snooty except maybe in Ross, Kentfield, or Tiburon. Novato and San Rafael are good cities to consider for the criteria you have laid out in your question. You can get a three bedroom house with a pool for $3500 or less. They are both safe and San Rafael was once rated the number 1 small city in America. Both places have an urban and rural section. San Rafael has improved the most lately. You are a half hour from the ocean, the downtown is fabulous and the China Camp recreational area is great for hiking boating and camping etc. Most houses are ten minutes from the freeway and everything you need is here. San Rafael has a Costco nearby, Fed Ex, UPS, World Class entertainment at the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Civic Center, Target on the way, Northgate shopping center with Macys and Sears, and is only 18 miles from San Francisco.

Answer 3

When a person thinks of San Francisco feels at a giant International Orange-coloured link, a park spanning a lot more than 1,000 miles or even a town where modern art and tradition and if you should be enthusiastic about this town then this is actually the place to begin hotelbye . Among the points for what you should visit San Francisco is PIER 39. From amazing views and a sea of sea lions to chowder bread containers and California wines, your stop by at San Francisco starts at PIER 39. This place is the most visited destination in San Francisco. It includes two degrees of dining, entertainment, shopping and attractions, all surrounded by unbeatable views of the town and the bay. Positioned along the old San Francisco waterfront, PIER 39's place supplies the image great history for postcard views of the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, Alcatraz, Angel Island and the popular town skyline.

Answer 4

There are a lot of great niche communities all over the bay area, but I recommend living in the city until the kids are old enough for school and then moving to Mill Valley. Obviously, where you work and the commute factor is important, too. There is a lot for toddlers to do in San Francisco and plenty of available nannies, but the schools are not great. The schools are best in Mill Valley because the kids are nice and respectful to each other, but this will not be as true in 5-10 years.

Answer 5

Well it must matter where since, if you have a job, you dont want to spend an hour each way commuting do you? Once you know where your job is, I might suggest Palo Alto, Berkeley or Corte Madera in Marin. Those are all fitting your requirements but traffic is really a problem here so I urge you to at least know whether you will be working in East Bay, North Bay or San Francisco and peninsula (I group the latter two together ) then focus in on one of the 3.

Answer 6

I grew up in the sunset district of San Francisco, it sounds to me like you need to consider more things. Primarily commute to work if you are taking BART or other public transportation methods it's fairly easy to get around most of the Bay Area in about an hour and a half. I wouldn't know about the public schools as I went to privet schools my entire life until college. Good luck with your search.

Answer 7

The Peninsula:
Burlingame, San Mateo, Belmont, San Carlos, Foster City has good schools.

Palo Alto (if you can find a place would have top schools) Children of Stanford U professionals go there.

I agree with previous answerer that Menlo Park would be good too.

Answer 8

I feel Concord is a nice place to raise a family, and it's not insanely expensive. Not too upscale, but not too low class either. Even their slogan is "Where families come first". Concord also has 2 BART stations, if you ever wanted to take the train to San Francisco, Oakland, etc.

Answer 9

East Bay.

I like El Cerrito for the kind of mindset and people you seem to be looking for. Plus it has good public transportation. You may also try South, like Menlo Park area. Try craigslist for rentals.

Answer 10

Ross in Marin County is lovely but a bit out of the city and probably very expensive