Ask HN: Where to Live in San Francisco Bay Area?

By what means? Just getting out of Alameda by public transit seemed hard on Google Maps when last I looked, and there's no way I would call driving into the city a "good commute". Is there an option I've missed?

Dublin/Pleasanton is going to feel safer than Concord; whether it will be safer depends on just what you're doing.

Sacramento is ridiculous if you're going to be in the office every day. I know people who've done it telecommuting 2 days a week, but I still think that's crazy. If you can telecommute 4 (or more) days a week, I can more reasonably see it being the best option with the right set of other constraints.

You can't live in SF for that little. Just, no. It most likely won't be a good size or it'll be in a terrible neighborhood. Sacramento is absurd to commute from, same with the Tracy/Manteca/Stockton area (unless you're commuting to San Jose, in which case you can take the ACE train). Oakland is getting much better, but in exchange for gentrification, rents are rising quickly. So that's probably out for you.

I highly recommend you look into San Leandro, Castro Valley, Dublin/Pleasanton, Hayward, and Fremont. You've got a reasonable idea with Concord too. I might throw in like Daly City maybe, or the San Mateo/Millbrae/... area. A lot of areas in those neighborhoods will be more affordable, fairly quiet, not too bad in terms of drugs/violence, they're located right on a Caltrain, BART, or AC Transit Transbay bus line so you don't have to drive too much, and did I mention they're affordable? Just be careful when you look around for a place to rent - there are definitely some shitty areas in all those places too.

My parents live in San Leandro and have a nice 2br townhouse in a gated area+amenities for around $1500 while they're looking for a house to buy. It's pretty doable. The good places are all waitlisted though, so you have to get right on it if possible.

If you're from India, I even think you'll enjoy East Bay more than SF. I'm East Asian and I think ethnic food is way better east/south than in SF, where I live, where it's all full of fancy and Californian/Italian/French cuisine with a dash of sushi and Thai.

Be warned though, you will probably want to get a car if you live out east so budget for it. It's hard to travel without one - but don't travel into SF with it if you can since parking blows and bridge tolls add up. AC Transit is great and so is BART for long distance, not so much for nearby shopping/restaurants/personal needs.

You definitely have some parameters that will make this difficult, but as we Bay Area people can sometimes prove... some amazing things are achievable if we get creative or a little flexible. What I mean by that is: if you could do a share-rental, you'd find a lot more places would become in your price range. The downside of course is, you must live with more people than you'd like to. It can be a challenge, but if the house is large or you get your own wing, it could be pretty livable, at least for a set time period. The other thing you might do would be consult with a local real estate specialist who could do some quick leg-work for you here. (Sure, they will charge you, but maybe it won't be too much. :/ It's just meant as a possible idea for you.) Short of that, definitely look at Craigslist, but keep in mind, things could go (become rented) very, very fast. The $1200 limit is very tough to work with, because rents are shockingly high in the Bay Area. A small town you might find something in might be: Port Costa. Someone else mentioned Crockett (where I originally found your post referenced). If you look on a map, you'll see these two enclaves are close to each other. Crockett is known for being eccentric, artistic, having a huge sugar factory, and being located on the water (the Carquinez Straits). The houses are generally old, and some are sweet and interesting. You would feel like you were in a 'real' small town, but at the same time still not too terribly far from what you need, mileage-wise. Port Costa is just a little beyond Crockett, down a small road, off of Highway 4. It is also known for being an out-of-the-way artsy and eccentric place. I would say Port Costa is generally quite safe. You still will probably have trouble finding anything that is at your $1200 mark, but it will be only a few hundred over. (This might seem like too much still. I'm sorry!) I'm talking about HOMES — not apartments — so you may find cheaper for an apartment, specifically up there, but the towns are mostly comprised of homes (not apartments). I am sorry some people are laughing, but it's easy for us to forget how insane our pricing is here. We have endured it for so long! Please consider looking in to the share-rental idea. You can find things like that also on Craigslist! You also might try Martinez. It is the County Seat of Contra Costa County. No place will be completely free of crime or undesirable activity, but for your price range you'll do well to try these. I would be careful about apartments in Martinez, only because some buildings focus on 'low income' renters and (I'm not trying to disparage low-income people...)there can be 'a few bad apples' so to speak. I see someone else mentioned Concord. I would say the areas with a high concentration of apartments in {many parts of} Concord could have more undesirable incidences of activity you are trying to avoid. Best of luck to you, and let us all know what happens!