Suggestions for safe cities around the bay area?

I know that Oakland gets a bad rap, and certainly there are parts of Oakland that do suffer from high crime, but there are also some really wonderful parts of the city that are convenient, fun, and relatively cheap. I suggest you look in the Temescal neighborhood. You should be able to find something in that price range and from there it’s a short trip into downtown SF.

You might even be able to find something in the outer Sunset or some of the farther out areas of SF.

Most of San Francisco proper and most of the towns on the Peninsula (the strip of land on the west side of the bay) are pretty safe, except for the occasional incidents of property crime. Use my time-tested technique: live in a neighborhood where your car won’t be the nicest one on the street.

If you look down on the Peninsula, a rule of thumb (with some exceptions, like Redwood Shores and Foster City) is to avoid neighborhoods east of El Camino Real, and especially east of 101.

Parts of Oakland are nice and would definitely be more convenient if you can take BART across the bay. Remember driving 30 miles around here can take between 45 and 90 minutes.

Good luck.

We’ve lived in Alameda for the past six years, and we love it here. It’s a very safe city with friendly people and relatively cheap housing (you can definitely get a one-bedroom apartment for $1000/month).

It’s about a 20-minute commute into downtown SF, either by ferry or by BART – and I must say, riding a boat to work is the absolute best way to start your day!