Moving Back to the Bay Area from DC - neighborhood suggestions

Hey all, I'm a SF native that moved out to the east coast for school starting HS. Fast forward 12 years and now I'm moving back to pursue a job opportunity in Redwood City. I'm looking to settle in the city and looking in the SoMa, Financial, and Haight Districts for a shared room. Looking to get within 1-2 miles of the Cal Train station for my daily commute.

My question is, any recommendations on neighborhoods I should be looking at? I haven't experienced the city as an adult (21+) so I'm not familiar with the neighborhoods. I'm 25 and want to be in a position where I can have access to bars, restaurants, entertainment on the weekends (basically the young professional crowd). Budget for a shared room / or studio would be $800-$1300 with utilities.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Originally Posted by PromethWill88

Hey all, I'm a SF native that moved out to the east coast for school starting HS. Fast forward 12 years and now I'm moving back to pursue a job opportunity in Redwood City. I'm looking to settle in the city and looking in the SoMa, Financial, and Haight Districts for a shared room. Looking to get within 1-2 miles of the Cal Train station for my daily commute.

My question is, any recommendations on neighborhoods I should be looking at? I haven't experienced the city as an adult (21+) so I'm not familiar with the neighborhoods. I'm 25 and want to be in a position where I can have access to bars, restaurants, entertainment on the weekends (basically the young professional crowd). Budget for a shared room / or studio would be $800-$1300 with utilities.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Well, your 1-2miles of Caltrain certainly rules out the Haight, along with 90% of the city. Itkeeps you right around SoMA and the edge of the financial district. SoMa and China Basin (where the ballpark is located) are plenty nice.

I thought SoMA area by CalTrain are pretty expensive...

Originally Posted by mtnbound

Well, your 1-2miles of Caltrain certainly rules out the Haight, along with 90% of the city. Itkeeps you right around SoMA and the edge of the financial district. SoMa and China Basin (where the ballpark is located) are plenty nice.

thanks for the tip.

a studio in SoMa is at $1200-$1400. shared room is 800-1200. prices are very comparable to what I'm used to in DC.

I hear the Castro is a particularly "happy" area.

Originally Posted by chivo328

I hear the Castro is a particularly "happy" area.

happy enough to meet you there sweetheart?

is caltrain a necessity? Why not be close to a bart station which will take you to caltrain? Valencia/guerro any of those areas both intersect 16th and 24th and are very cool and happening places for someone of your age. I lived in Westwood park, and I'm around your age, and that is where I always hung out.

i heard great things about that neighborhood, thanks for the tip. I'm open to commuting to the caltrain station by BART (as long as its under 30 minutes). my office would be in Redwood City, so its a 30 minute train ride from SF.

Any other places?

Originally Posted by PromethWill88

happy enough to meet you there sweetheart?

How very forward of you! Unfortunately, I reside in SoCal so alas, there will be no love connection.

I live in SOMA now, and it'll be tough to find a person willing to share a studio or a room. They're small enough as it is.

One possibility may be Bayview along 3rd St, so that you can take the T line to CalTrain. But that's not such a good neighborhood.

You may want to check out the Mission where there are a couple BART stations or Daly City. You may be able to find 1 bedroom apartments for less than $2k in those neighborhoods. So if you find somebody willing to share a room with you, that'll fit within your budget.

Just for some context, I live in a 2-bedroom apartment in a brand new SOMA building. My share for my own room and a parking spot comes to about $2k.