Hi All

Looking for some advice on places to get a 1 bedroom apartment/rental in the SF bay area.
Some background info.
New job for my wife (I'm retired) will be in South San Francisco a couple miles north of SFO airport. Hoping to find a place to live that is either 30-45 minute drive or has access to the BART system. Price range $2500/M or less.

Some places we are considering are South San Francisco, it's close to work but $$$. Alternatively off the peninsula the Walnut Creek area has good access to BART and the housing price is lower. Over the San Mateo bridge there are a few towns (Hayward,Fremont, Union city) but I don't know if these are good/bad as far as crime and community.

So basically what are the good areas to live (and bad ones to avoid) that are not a huge commute time to the SFO airport area? Any other thoughts and comments on living in the bay area are welcome.

PS firearms are not much of a concern, we have a house in Arizona and other than a pistol the rest stays in AZ.

Bump hoping for some help.

Walnutcreek and Alamo are nice , orinda area would fit your needs as well.

Thanks BM3 for the info. It looks like you are the only one with any insight into the bay area.

On the Peninsula, Belmont is popular with renters. Lots of tech guys there. Also Millbrae. Both are within striking distance of South SF. The problem is even a studio apt. may start at $2k/month.

I would not recommend the East Bay (Oakland, Hayward, Union City.) Crime is higher and it can be a culture shock. Plus the commute would make you want to kill yourself.

In Contra Costa, Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill have a lot of rentals, plus they both have a BART station which can be great if you work close to BART at your destination or there is bus service to take you where you need to go. Walnut Creek is the better of the two as far as shopping and eating go.

All in all, it's going to be a pain in the ass to get to work if you have to cross the bay. If you drive, that means a bridge, which sucks. If you take BART, not as much a problem unless there are no BART stations or bus routes near your workplace.

Oh, no matter how cheap the rates, don't get suckered into place like San Pablo, Oakland, Hayward, Union City on the east side of the bay (The East Bay) or the "flats" of San Mateo or Redwood City on the Peninsula (near the railroad tracks.) They may be cheaper, but crime can be a problem (Especially the East Bay. Check out the Milo riots and all the BS that anarchists pull in Oakland.)

Oh, the Serramonte section of Daly City is the closest to your wife's workplace. It's foggy and cold there in the summer and depending on one's racial sensitivities, it's not for everyone.

If you were to ask me as a middle-aged White man where I would live, I would go for Walnut Creek or Pleasant Hill. Both cities have a BART station and if you can drop off your wife and pick her up after work, BART is perfect (parking at BART can be difficult, depending on when you get there.)

BTW, just west of Walnut Creek are Lafayette and Orinda. They also have BART stations, but are considered upper-middle class and as a result, somewhat expensive places to live. I used to date a girl who had a nice apartment in downtown Lafayette. Nice area and I can't imagine she had any money, so maybe it's doable. It has kind of a small town, country setting in some ways. Both Lafayette and Orinda are very nice (Lafayette has a bigger downtown) and about 45-50 minutes to South SF I would imagine (on BART).

How's the rent in Pacifica?

eta It would be quite a change from AZ weather. 

I'd look around SSF or Daly City.  I'll give you some advice a coworker gave me when I was looking to buy a house back in the '80s.  Don't cross any bridges.  If something like an earthquake or bad storm comes up, there's no going home.  Pay the extra money to stay on the side where you're working.  You don't need to use up an hour to commute each way EVERY day.  Sometimes it can take hours just to reach the SF Bay Bridge.  I used to take the San Mateo Bridge but even that is bad nowadays.  

SSF is very windy.  It picks up in the afternoon and doesn't stop.  Homestead Ravioli is there and was in North Beach (Filbert between Columbus and  Powell).  You can buy boxes of ravioli cheaper than the store and I used to buy it by the case.

Daly City can be very cold and foggy.  Be warned.

Don't overlook Brisbane or even Broadmoor.  They're small towns that are nestled between the border of San Mateo County and San Francisco County.

Costco is in Daly City near Hickey Blvd.  They sell gas there too.

The wife and I just got back from San Fransisco.
We toured the area around South San Fransisco and did not find it a very appealing place to live (congested, loud etc.) plus the rentals are very expensive. We spent two days in the east bay area and really liked Walnut Creek and surrounding towns. Rents are still in the ~2000/month range for a 1-2 bedroom apartment but the area is much more livable than South San Francisco.

Good news is BART has service from Walnut Creek to close to the Mrs job. From the BART station there are shuttle buses that run to her work location at little cost so mass transit will work.
We will be back in March for a more extended trip and will focus on finding a place in/around Walnut Creek.

Anyone local to that area? Happy to hook up for beer/food while we're out.

Thanks all for your suggestions and help.