Beat areas/neighborhoods to live in the Bay Area, moving from East Coast (Oakland: apartments, rent)

[sam1981]

Hi

I am moving from East Coast and need your input regarding the areas to live in. My husband would be working in Castro Valley and plans to drive, while I would be working in Berkeley and plan to take the public transport.

If you could give me good recommendations for the best areas to live in. My priorities are:

- Walkable to the public transport as I don't plan on driving to Berkeley
- Safe
- Under 2400 $ for 2 BR
- Commute to Castro valley <30-40 min

If you guys have any suggestions, let me know

Thanks

[mayorhaggar]

Rockridge in Oakland (can take the 51B or the #1 buses to Berkeley)

[jsba]

Downtown Oakland around Grand, the 1R will take you right into berkeley as well as bart which isnt far away. 580 freeway is also close by. Adams point is also a good choice.

[jade408]

You can live around the Lake, Downtown, or Piedmont Ave and also add the 12 to your bus list. It ends at around 9p, but stops at Berkeley BART and other places in Berkelely. (Piedmont Ave, Downtown, Rockridge are on the 51 route, but since the 51 is A and B now, it is a little better to be at the start of B instead of waiting for the transfer)

If you are above the Lake in Oakland, you are no more than 5 miles away from Berkeley.

[sam1981]

Thanks, how safe is downtown oakland? Looking atwww.crimemapping.com- seems to be a lot of crime around.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by sam1981

Thanks, how safe is downtown oakland? Looking atwww.crimemapping.com- seems to be a lot of crime around.

Not bad. There are blocks that are really desserted at night. So you need to use common sense. But seriously, I have felt safe enough as a single female walking around on Broadway after 11p for the past 10 years. It has only gotten better since then.

Generally speaking, violent crime is rare. But you'll want to watch out for those quiet blocks, because the low foot traffic attracts hoodlums preying on people who are alone. Around Uptown, City Center and Old Oakland are all pretty good. Much safer than most urban downtowns actually.

[Ruth4Truth]

You have lots of choices, and you shouldn't have trouble finding a 2-bedroom at that price. Berkeley is good, especially in the hills, and in neighboring Kensington. Lots of public transport. Check Craigslist, Berkeley Hills. For the price you can pay, you could rent a whole house. There's no reason to commute to Berkeley when you can live there.

[DocGoldstein]

Originally Posted by sam1981

Thanks, how safe is downtown oakland? Looking atwww.crimemapping.com- seems to be a lot of crime around.

There is a LOT of crime in Oakland unfortunately. I wouldn't walk around downtown at night and I have a black belt in tazering.

With your budget, why not actually live IN Berkeley? Lots of nice apartments, safer, and lots of public transportation available (AC Transit, BART, etc). Just a lot less hassle than trying to commute into the city.

[sam1981]

Hi thanks for the reply, the only reason we were not considering Berkeley was because we thought it would make my husband's drive to castro valley >30-40 min.

[DocGoldstein]

Originally Posted by sam1981

Hi thanks for the reply, the only reason we were not considering Berkeley was because we thought it would make my husband's drive to castro valley >30-40 min.

If your husband is going to hop on the 80, or 13 it doesn't make a difference, maybe 5-6 minutes tops depending on where you live in Berkeley. So you have to ask yourself if that time difference is worth living in Downtown Oakland (it's not), and having to commute yourself.