Bike Shops
Coaches
Fitters
Race Calendar
*NEW* Running Stores
Stack & Reach
Training Log
Triathlon Clubs
MAIN
INDEX
RULES &
LEGEND
LOG
IN
Search
this forum
this category
all forums
for
All words
Any words
Whole Phrase
(
options
)
Newsletter Signup
Slowtwitch Forums
:
Triathlon Forum
:
Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA)
Tri Forum
Classifieds
Lavender Room
Jobs
The Womens
Print Thread
jhpcga
Feb 6, 10 10:11
Post #1 of 24 (664 views)
Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA)
Can't Post
So, I just found out that I am moving out to Alameda (San Francisco/Oakland Area) for work. The question I pose to you is where is the best place to live.
Our criteria are relatively simple;
We are looking for a small house or townhouse with an attached garage
Safe neighborhood (preferably able to run/bike early morning and evenings)
Good roads, trails or access to places to bike/run/swim.
A local club or team that we can work out with.
I would prefer to not have to commute more than 45 min from Alameda Island.
Somewhere with relatively good elementary schools is good to as my wife is a teacher and will need a job.
Thanks in advance.
h2ofun
Feb 6, 10 10:19
Post #2 of 24 (660 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [jhpcga]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
First question is how much money do you have.
Second, depending on where you live and traffic flow, is the 45 min with no traffic, or with traffic? Bart may be an option also.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidedwardcampbell
VHS to DVD transfers
http://h2ofun.net/...eoConvert/index.html
jhpcga
Feb 6, 10 10:32
Post #3 of 24 (655 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [h2ofun]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
Sorry, that probably would have been a good thing to put in there.
We can afford around $2000 per month for rent + or - a few hundred.
I know traffic can be pretty bad, but don't know which highways are better/worse, hence looking for the advice.
h2ofun
Feb 6, 10 10:39
Post #4 of 24 (653 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [jhpcga]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
As you probably know, depending on where one lives, schools, traffic, etc., prices can be nuts. Not sure where you are coming from, but in Calif, you pay for the weather, not what you get in a house. Been a while since I have lived in the Bay area, so will let others talk about the commute. Car pool lanes can make a bid difference. Sounds like you will be working in Alameda? I know I was always willing to commute further to have a nicer place for my family with schools, etc. I left the Bay Area 20 years ago for the foothills, and have never looked back. For less money, I have lived on a lake. Still commuted 45 minutes each way, but there is no traffic.
Best of luck. So great places to ride and run in the Bay Area.
Dave
http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidedwardcampbell
VHS to DVD transfers
http://h2ofun.net/...eoConvert/index.html
SWoo
Feb 6, 10 13:28
Post #5 of 24 (607 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [jhpcga]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
Depending upon what time of day you can commute 45 minutes could put you in Palo Alto or San Francisco. :) Or you could live in Alameda, and use that budgeted commute time for working out.
jbird2131
Feb 6, 10 13:43
Post #6 of 24 (593 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [SWoo]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
walnut creek and danville are very nice areas. great riding and running everywhere. you can ride flats, rollers, or climb (mt diablo in danville and mt hamilton in san jose) if you can afford it, check it out.
trackie clm
Feb 6, 10 14:57
Post #7 of 24 (563 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [jhpcga]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
Live in Alameda. You have old/downtown Alameda or Harbor Point/Shoreline. Some nice townhouses on the Shoreline side. You'd be near BART or the ferry to SF, easy access to Oakland.
clm
http://ironclm.typepad.com
telegam
Feb 6, 10 17:09
Post #8 of 24 (513 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [jhpcga]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
I would suggest Berkeley or Montclair
derobj
Feb 6, 10 17:19
Post #9 of 24 (509 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [jhpcga]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
If you want to stay in the east bay and schools are important to you hard to beat Lafayette and orinda. I'm just not sure how rentals are there. I lived in walnut creek for a few years and that's a good spot too good little downtown area great riding. Good schools, etc... I now live down on LA but have rented out my condo up there. Feel free to PM me with any questions.
Great area to live you will not be disappointed.
jhpcga
Feb 8, 10 10:31
Post #10 of 24 (390 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [jhpcga]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
Thanks for the great info guys. This gives me a good starting point.
Oleander
Feb 8, 10 13:28
Post #11 of 24 (337 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [jhpcga]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
I was about the jump on the live-right-in-Alameda bandwagon too; but then I thought about the cycling there.
Alameda is charming and safe. It is a terrific *running* town. The schools are pretty good.
Your cycling problem is that Alameda (and the adjacent Bay Farm Island) are going to start to seem real small, real fast as soon as your rides get longer than 10 miles. And the only way to bike off the islands is to ride through the worst parts of Oakland (East Oakland, downtown, or West Oakland). Every single ride.
By "worst parts of Oakland" I mean those areas have the highest crime, least scenery, least amount of safety for cyclists.
If you want a really short commute to Alameda, there are Oakland or Berkeley neighborhoods that are absolutely fantastic for both biking & running. (The most interesting biking is up in the hills; so these neighborhoods are near the hills.) In Oakland you might look into anywhere near the Highway 13 (which runs along the foothills), including Montclair, Piedmont, Rockridge, Claremont, and some less expensive neighborhoods the further south you go. The Grand Lake area might also be nice for you as it is halfway between Alameda and the nice hills. Berkeley is slightly further afield, but check it out too.
Some other people have already mentioned nice East Bay towns that are further afield. Of the ones mentioned, Lafayette and Orinda are going to be the closest commute-wise.
As for your wife's job: The schools around here are highly variable, from town to town and even neighborhood to neighborhood. Even if you decide to live in a town with a crappy school district, she might be able to find a job in the next town over, with great schools, reachable in a 10-minute commute. In fact, if you don't have kids, it might be a waste to pay the very high home ownership/rental premiums that go with living in a great school district around here. (That said, she is generally better off avoiding employment at Oakland and Richmond schools.)
Do a google search on "Berkeley Parents Network", which is the best source of detailed gossip on anything and everything East Bay including schools. The forums there are open to the public to read.
One final thing: I always advise people to *rent* in the Bay Area *before buying.* A lot of just-moved-here home buyers seem to end up with Buyers Regret, because inevitably, after they've explored a bit, they discover three or four other places they'd much rather live. Whereas, if you're a renter, you can change location easily, based on your discoveries and also your wife's evolving job situation.
Katy
Feb 8, 10 14:37
Post #12 of 24 (309 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [jhpcga]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
I live in North Oakland- lower Rockridge Temescal/Telegraph neighborhood. I really like this area and you can find decent, affordable rentals. You can ride from your front door or hop on bart for some phenomenal East Bay rides. I work in Walnut Creek. You absolutely do not want the a.m. westbound commute through the tunnel or the reverse in the afternoon. You also don't want a bridge in your commute if possible. Especially since tolls are going up.
---------------------------------------
Awww, Katy's not all THAT evil. Only slightly evil. In a good way. - JasoninHalifax
nslckevin
Feb 8, 10 16:26
Post #13 of 24 (278 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [jhpcga]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
Another point to consider is weather. There is a HUGE difference in weather between Alameda, Berkeley, Oakland vs Walnut Creek. Remember that Mark Twain quote about the coldest winter he ever experienced was summer in San Francisco? Well, Berkeley/Oakland/Alameda are not as cold as SF, but still much cooler than Walnut Creek. In fact, besides the price issue with living in Orinda, I wouldn't because it's too cold. Many is the summer afternoon where I looked up to see cold fog in Orinda. (I live in Pleasant Hill, near Walnut Creek). If the fog is creeping over the hills into Orida, the Berkeley area is socked in.
Expect a fair amount of cold (relatively) foggy, damp days during the summer in the Berkeley area. Walnut Creek will be warm and sometimes even hot, but not as hot as the central valley towns of Sacramento or Davis. To me, it's the perfect in between climate. It keeps me out of the valley heat and bay fog in the summer and out of the valley fog in the winter.
Maybe not the best picture, but I took this in July from near the top of Mt. Diablo. See the fog over on the bay! I was warm. They were cold!
http://img198.yfrog.com/i/ou6.jpg/
Kevin
trackie clm
Feb 8, 10 17:29
Post #14 of 24 (260 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [nslckevin]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
But Kevin, you're so far from the velodrome! ;-)
Yeah, WC is good. I used to live there. If I move, it will be to the Peninsula or SJ.
clm
http://ironclm.typepad.com
Legend Fitness
Feb 8, 10 17:48
Post #15 of 24 (247 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [jhpcga]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
I highly recommend Coeur d'Alene...Idaho...
Eric Petersen, CPFT
ACE/BOC/IACET/AOTA
'84 US Team Member
Infinit Discount code = infinitnw at checkout ($5 off)
lightheir
Feb 8, 10 17:55
Post #16 of 24 (239 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [Legend Fitness]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
Portola Valley - get a small cottage, and you'll be all set. It's in the middle of the best run/bike areas in the Peninsula, and right next to Stanford.
hank rearden
Feb 8, 10 18:39
Post #17 of 24 (224 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [lightheir]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
Oh yeah, Portola Valley... Up in the sticks:
107 Ramona Rd Portola Valley, CA 94028
$929,000
2 Bed, 2 Bath | 1,010 Sq Ft on 0.24 Acres
nslckevin
Feb 8, 10 18:46
Post #18 of 24 (218 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [trackie clm]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
There's a velodrome in the Bay Area??? :-)
Kevin
lightheir
Feb 8, 10 21:49
Post #19 of 24 (182 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [hank rearden]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
In Reply To:
Oh yeah, Portola Valley... Up in the sticks:
107 Ramona Rd Portola Valley, CA 94028
$929,000
2 Bed, 2 Bath | 1,010 Sq Ft on 0.24 Acres
You're right - it's uber-expensive - but it's right on one of the most ridden bike-friendly roads in America, which is Alpine and the surrounding roads including LaHonda etc. Hundreds, if not thousands of riders are out every weekend, including some fast roadie packs. It's incredibly fun. If you can't afford that, move to East palo alto - it's just a short drive to this area and the biking is some of the best in the world.
jhpcga
Feb 9, 10 5:44
Post #20 of 24 (143 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [lightheir]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
Looks like a pretty nice area, but how is the commute across the bridge? Is there a toll to go across the bridge from San Mateo to Hayward?
nslckevin
Feb 9, 10 7:31
Post #21 of 24 (128 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [jhpcga]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
The toll is west bound on all of the bay bridges. $4 now and going up to $5 I think.
Kevin
lightheir
Feb 9, 10 7:33
Post #22 of 24 (126 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [nslckevin]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
In Reply To:
The toll is west bound on all of the bay bridges. $4 now and going up to $5 I think.
Can you ride a bike across that bridge? That would be an awesome commute!
nslckevin
Feb 9, 10 9:17
Post #23 of 24 (97 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [lightheir]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
In Reply To:
In Reply To:
The toll is west bound on all of the bay bridges. $4 now and going up to $5 I think.
Can you ride a bike across that bridge? That would be an awesome commute!
You can ride across the Dumbarton Bridge (Fremont to East Palo Alto), the Benicia Bridge (Martinez to Benicia), the Carquinez Bridge (Crocket to Pinole) and the Golden Gate (SF to Marin). You can not ride across the San Mateo (Hayward to San Mateo), the Bay Bridge (Oakland to SF), or the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge (self explanitory!).
Kevin
slidell4life
Feb 9, 10 11:25
Post #24 of 24 (74 views)
Re: Where to Live in the Bay Area (CA) [jhpcga]
[
In reply to
]
Can't Post
Look into Castro Valley, not by the BART station, but look into the hills, perhaps near Lake Chabot.
Print Thread
Tri mags
To what print mag(s) are you likely to subscribe to during 2010/11?
Triathlete
Inside Tri
Lava
Tri and IT
Lava and Tri
All
None
MAIN
RULES &
LOG
