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Northern California Babies
Possible move to SF - Where to live?
Hi ladies! My husband has a job opportunity within his firm in San Francisco. If he takes it he would be working in the financial district. We have family in Marin County and in the Presidio area, so we are somewhat familiar with the area. We're trying to gather as much information as possible before making this decision. We have a 17 month old DD and will probably TTC again in the near future. What areas would you look in for housing? We would rent initially to get a feel for the area. I have no idea what to expect money wise for rent so any help is appreciated as far as living somewhat close to the financial district or commuting in (probably looking for something around 1500 sq feet, nothing fancy, but in a safe area.) We are both avid runners and cyclists and would love to be able to continue those activities as well.
Also, if your little ones are in parents day out or preschool what should we expect to pay for that?
Sorry for all of the questions, I'm just feeling a bit lost. We live in Dallas, so it would be quite the change for us!
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Re: Possible move to SF - Where to live?
First of all welcome! I don't have the answers to many questions and I can't tell you what to do but I can tell you what I would do. DH used to work in the financial district and we live in the deep east bay (around Concord) and it was too long of a commute for us. Personally I don't think I could take living in the city and having a family. Just not the kind of lifestyle I want to raise a family in. But Alameda, and Berkely are beautiful, close to the city, lots of diversity and I personally love the people there. That would be where I would look. Also Marin is beautiful, but I would want to be able to BART (public transit) into work and that isn't avalible in the north bay. However Marin has a reputation for being a little snobish (not saying it is true just saying that is what some people say). Still if you have family there then that would be a plus for living in that area.
As for pre-school that will depend on where you live (more in the city) and what you want in a school. For part time (2days, 3hrs a day) I have found them ranging from 100 (co-op) too 600 and everything in between. Sorry to give you such a range.
There are some really great neighborhoods in San Francisco, and I don't think it's a bad place to raise a family at all as long as you have the room. The Panhandle area (NOPA, Haight, Ashbury Heights etc...) and Miraloma Park come to mind. Of course if you just want to experiment for a while why not rent in the SF for a year and then get used to the area.
If you want outside of SF the viable choices would be North Bay (there is public transportation into the city - buses and the ferry) The ferry from Larkspur takes no longer than a 1/2 hour. Then you have the East Bay and the Peninsula. All areas are so different I encourage you to really get a feel for them.
We bought a house on the peninsula a year ago because work location changed for one of us and it was easier on the commute. The peninsula is really nice and a commute into the city isn't too terrible from about Redwood City and north. There are public transportation options - Caltrain and BART runs from Millbrae.
I see you are looking for 1500 sf+ - it's going to be tough to find something of that size in the city for a reasonable price. We own a condo that we rent out in the city for $2500 a month and it's a 1brm. Obviously there are cheaper options but it all depends on the neighborhood and what amenities (parking, animals, ss appliances) are important to you.
First, hi and welcome!
Second, I live in Marin (Mill Valley, so southern Marin and therefore very close to SF) and commute in and out of SF every day. It's very realistic to do that, if your husband is okay with ~1hr commute each way (depending on traffic, and how far north in Marin you live). There is no train option (BART does not run to the north bay), but there are buses or the ferry if he doesn't want to drive.
Personally, I would not want to live in SF with young kids, especially in or around the financial district. Rent is going to be really high, there's no parking, and no parks or open space to speak of within walking distance.
I love Marin for the outdoor opportunities it provides...there's tons of parks, playgrounds, trails to run on, and places to cycle. If those things are important to you, then consider it. I'm happy to answer any other questions if you have them.
And I'm just starting the preschool research myself. I'm going to tour a couple places next week. So far I'm finding that prices hover between $400 and $1200 depending on the number of days per week and whether it's just morning or all day. I'm sure co-ops would be cheaper, but I haven't made it that far yet in my research.
GL!
Thank you so much girls, all of your info really helps! We are ok with him commuting but definitely not more than an hour. We do love the Marin area. My aunt and uncle are in San Anselmo so a little further north.
What would we be able to get in southern marin for $3k in rent (crazy to me considering that is almost three times our mortgage here!)
What about the berkeley area? Would that be good for kids and still a decent commute for DH?
DH's partner that is moving out there is telling him he should look in the Richmond area (not the city...by the Presidio, but I'm sure you all knew that!)
We do have two dogs too. One big, one little.
Do you all love living where you do or does the expense of everything get to you? We are in a good place financially right now and I don't want things to be strained. We have wonderful friends here, family close by, DH's commute is 30 minutes and he is happy with his job. Life is good so I'm a bit afraid to disturb it all. I can see it being a really cool adventure for us and well suited to the activities we enjoy, but I can also see me with no friends, a wild toddler and a new baby at some point stuck at home with nothing to do. Yikes, that sounds scary.
I'm not anywhere near the city but I wanted to say we have a regular on our board that hasn't answered you and I don't see her around but she recently (hmmm, year to 2 years ago) moved with her DH from Dallas to San Jose. She may not respond since you're asking about the city but I can't think of anyone better for you to bounce your thoughts off of. Her screen name is EmmieB, so maybe page her or put a post about moving from Dallas to the bay area. i think about post about moving to the Bay Area in general might get more response than just the city as well.
good luck with your move.
Another thing, I used to live in an area called Lafayette, also close are Moraga/Orinda/Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill and Concord. Since your into biking and running and have dogs I would highly recommend checking that area out. Tons of open space and trails. They are all right on the BART line so a reasonable commute if his office is easy to access by BART and on non-commute traffic it's about 30 min into the city from the middle of that area. That area would be the East Bay as well.
There is a wide variety of Craiglist but I think that in that area that you could find a great house for 2-3K for sure.
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/2183139975.html
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/2182455397.html
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/2183089143.html
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/2182919937.html
We are in the Miraloma Park neighborhood in SF and love it. Close to the freeway, MUNI and BART (although not walking distance to BART, which is a bummer.) We love on a cul de sac with a garage and a yard and a detached house. We are close to a few parks, the zoo and Ocean Beach. We aren't walking distance to restaurants, shops, etc though.
Laurel Park/Village is a great neighborhood if I was going to rent. It's close to California Street, which is where the main bus line to the Financial District runs and also close to the Presidio. Though you might find a hard time finding a place with a yard and enought space for your family and pups.
There are so many great places in the bay area to live, you really just have to make a list of what is most important to you. Good luck!
We live in Marin and grew up here so I can really only speak to that. I personally wouldn't want to live in the city with kids unless I wanted true city living. The neighborhoods that are kid friendly are a pain to get in and out of and to normal things like grocery stores. But it is SF and it is beautiful and awesome.
As for Marin, if you want to spend about $3000 a month, you would find something decent. The price per square foot (and quality) is higher and higher as you go further south. You just pay more the closer to the city you are. But I live in Novato (furthest north in Marin) and the commute wouldn't typically be more than an hour each way (only on a really bad day). Up here you could get a nice 3+ bedroom home in a good area for that price. Shoot, our mortgage for a 4 bedroom 2000 sq ft house is just over that and we barely put anything down, and houses are even cheaper than when we bought!
If you have specific Marin questions, let me know. Like I said, both DH and I grew up here so I know all the towns and neighborhoods pretty well.
Oh right, if you love the outdoors, anywhere in the bay is good, but Marin is awesome. Really you have road biking, mountain biking, hiking, beaches, so many trails- outdoorsy people LOVE it here. Your DH could actually ride his bike from anywhere in Marin to the ferry and take that to work (super close to the financial district). It would not be the fastest way but loads of people do that. It is true though that BART doesn't run to Marin- only buses and ferries.