Ask YC: Moving to SF, need advice
I'm considering to move to SF Bay area from LA for my startup. I'm looking for 2br nice apartments, I have a wife and little son. I hope to get as inexpensive as possible, but I don't want to live in ghetto. I want to have people around, be close to the city. I hate when place is going sleep at 9pm, I want to see people on the streets as much as possible - I'm so tired of LA area, it's so rarely you can see live people around, everyone is driving, even for a few feets. I would like to have major stores, like Safeway, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, whatever is else of this kind close by. It'd be great to have a nice parks and rest areas close. I'm 28, my wife is 25, I would be happy to have young people around. ;) Would you recommend me something? Do you have an idea of rental property prices?
I'm considering Emeryville, the Oakland's part which is close to it, and Berkeley, preferably downtown. I know that some part of Oakland is really bad, I don't want to go there. I want to keep my family safe.
I was also thinking about Walnut Creek area, but it seems to me too far from Silicon Valley, and I think I am going to spend a lot of time there. Besides, it seems to me too village-styled.
I don't know anything about Silicon Valley's places. I've been in San Jose downtown only (well, it's nice, but looks like to be too far from the city), Mountain View (old good village, sorry), and Palo Alto and Stanford. I didn't see the downtown. I heard it's very fun because of a lot of students around, but it's also very expensive, because of Facebook. ;)
Are there any LA movers here, who can give their review of the life style comparing to LA?
Thanks!
31 comments
[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 79.0 ms ] threadOakland always feels dirty to me, and most of Berkeley isn't that great, either.
The schools in SF Unified are terrible. Your best best for public school is to send your kid to Chinatown--they will be in with the academically oriented Chinese crowd, and as a bonus learn Mandarin. Sounds weird but lots of people do it. Then for high school you send your kid to Lowell, a top public school, or maybe Washington, or else you go private.
A few other FYI tips, just for fun:
- people up here don't use 'the' in front of freeway names the way you do in LA. It's not "the 101", it's just "101". No harm in using "the" but you'll tag yourself as an ex-LA guy immediately.
- it's pronounced "sanno-ZAY", despite the proper spanish pronunciation.
- you say "Santa Cruz" the way you say "Santa Claus". Emphasis on the Santa.
- "Concord" rhymes with "conquered", rather than "con-CHORD".
- If you don't want to sound like a newb, don't call San Francisco "Frisco" or "San Fran". Locals routinely call it "The City", or sometimes "SF". No one will think you're talking about San Jose or Oakland.
It's more outdoorsy up here (despite LA's surfing/skating reputation). Marin and the East Bay (hey, that's Pig Latin for "beast"!) have huge regional parks. Mountain biking was invented here (in Marin, north of the GG bridge). So was cafe culture (in SF).
Go to Pier 39 once. Locals don't go there. (Hell, I've never been to Alcatraz, and I've lived in NorCal my whole life.) Cool, insider neighborhoods in The City are Potrero Hill, Noe Valley, Cole Valley, among others. SOMA is still dicey, however hip its reputation.
It is actually really, really cool.
Also: avoid citiapartments if at all possible. They're trying to run up prices for rathole apartments, and they are complete assholes about the whole process. I made the mistake of looking at several of their places on the first day I was out, and they were trying to tell me things like "out-of-state renters usually get passed over on the better deals and have to pay a premium" and "you have to jump on one of the first places you see, because everything gets snapped up in the first few hours of being open for showing".
I also grew up right between the Emeryville/Berkeley/Oakland area and the Walnut Creek area... Orinda. We sometimes called it Borinda. I suppose it's a nice place to raise a family, and they have excellent public schools, but if you "hate when place is going sleep at 9pm" don't live there.
Emeryville and Walnut Creek are probably somewhat better. Both are about an hour from Silicon Valley (Walnut Creek is not any further) and an hour from SF.
And yeah, ff you're going to live in Silicon Valley I'd go for Palo Alto or Mountain View... that seems to be where all the young people are.
The one place in the Bay Area I haven't lived in is SF, which I think would be awesome, but pretty expensive.
We chose San Jose to live in, just because it was cheaper than most places further up the peninsula. We live in a villag-y part of San Jose, but that' on purpose. I've done the "big city" thing after living in Chicago for 7 years, but I'm all done with that. We go up to the City from time to time, just to remember what it was like--the smell of urine and vomit on public transportation, the fear... Yeah. I'm all done with that. But then, I'm married now and in my 30's. YMMV.
In the South Bay cities: Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, San Jose. Crime is usually higher north of the 101, and goes down the further south and west (towards the mountains) you get. But then again, it's Silicon Valley. Crime really isn't that big of an issue unless you're in East San Jose, Oakland or East Palo Alto. There really isn't an area like South Central up here, so I wouldn't worry about it that much. It generally feels a lot safer than So. Cal up here.
Regarding your question: Most cities on the Peninsula are village like, and most of them close down around 9pm. It's a commuter town, and pretty much everybody works 9-5. But, each one usually has a downtown area that gets some foot traffic, but not much. Rents are usually highest in Palo Alto and San Fran, and go down the further away you get from those areas. The cities that have colleges tend to stay open later than the other one's so your options for late night eateries are a bit better there. Those cities are: Palo Alto, San Fran, Berkeley and (downtown) San Jose.
Palo Alto has been getting quite a bit more expensive from what I hear because Facebook is there and is subsidizing rent for people who live close and walk to work. So, the "hip" part of Palo Alto is pretty pricey.
I actually like downtown San Jose, and even though it's less sexy than San Fransisco, it's got a lot going for it. It has a bar scene that stays open late. A couple of tall buildings, so you feel like you're in a downtown. It's rather multi-cult-y so that's nice. And, there's a large condo building or two downtown, so you're seeing a bit more foot traffic after hours. And, there's a couple of neighborhoods around down-town that have some beautiful old craftsman homes that can be rented for pretty reasonable considering the area. San Jose has the light rail, which is surprisingly convenient. You can carry a bike on the light rail, so that helps make up for the lack of coverage. It's not like the public transportation that I was used to in Chicago, but it's actually passable.
Over all, I love the Bay Area. I really think that you'll be happier here; it's really all about the people. They just seem genuinely happier here than they were in LA. So... welcome to the Bay Area.
Walnut Creek is nice (was just looking at houses there this past weekend) but very suburban.
I listed them in order of desirability. Glen Park is pleasant, and has a small village with good restaurants and a good vibe. Now and then people get mugged coming out of the bart station, which really sucks, but I walked home from it for a year and a half, no problems whatsoever. Sunnyside is a bit more boring, and not quite as nice. Mission Terrace, where I live now, is just a bit edgy. I love it, but you'll be a stone's throw from some blight. You might also want to check out bernal heights (nicknamed "maternal heights" because of all the young families that thundered in when rents/prices got too high elsewhere).
I think Emeryville would be a grand spot to raise a family, but it's definitely the most "LA-like" part of the bay area. Meaning it's a car town, not like SF or Berkeley.
That said, you should still consider the Watergate apartment complex in Emeryville. It's quiet, safe, right on the water next to the bike paths, has pools and spas, and a free shuttle to BART. Pretty affordable too (about $1800 for a 2br or $1000 for 1). It's also right next to the bay bridge for easy car access to the city and 10 walking minutes from trader joes.
Good luck!
Some other interesting areas in SF are Potrero Hill and Bernal Heights. Our startup is in Potrero Hill and there are lots of good restaurants around, plenty of parking, and nice steep hills. Bernal has a bit more of a parking challenge and isn't really close to public transport, though it does have a pretty cool strip and it's close to the Mission for good food.
Hope this helps - if you want more details, just let me know at secorp at gmail dot com.
We are paying $3000/month for a nice old 3bdrm Craftsman in Rockridge that is about 5min walking from the BART station and about 2min from the College Ave strip.