NT Bros, thinking about heading out west for school.

illadelallday · Jul 29, 2013

So I'm thinking of applying to Berkeley after I'm done with community (Yay for not having a degree at 25) for their social work program.

What I'm wondering is what is the atmosphere like in that area? From what I can tell, it's near Oakland. Neither of which, by the way, have their own craigslist, so where do I look to find things related Berkeley. I'd like to research prices on rent and what kind of things there are to do.

I imagine it'll be some sort of a culture shock as I've lived in Philly my entire life and can count on my fingers how many times I've left the city.

ice city fc · Jul 31, 2013

Oakland and Berkeley are in the heart of the East Bay which has its own craiglist subsection. TONS of listings around the UC Berkeley campus, I would definitely look at South Berkeley and North Oakland too.

As far as atmosphere, things are laid back, the weather is perfect, the food is amazing, diverse neighborhoods, North Oakland and Berkeley are generally very safe. I'm obviously biased but I couldn't imagine raising my kids anywhere else.

Some cons are the nightlife. I find Bay Area nightlife including SF somewhat lacking, you might find the same compared to downtown Philly. Also you're gonna end up paying a premium to live anywhere near UCB campus or downtown Berkeley. Like 1,200-1,500 a room.

b1gdaddyh · Aug 2, 2013

what ^^ said. very laid back decent weather. lots of good and diverse food options. South berkeley isn't as safe as north berkeley but is more interesting for student life. lots of homeless people, if you're not used to that. but i lived next to peoples park for 2 years and had no problems. as long as youre smart about where youre at and when, you'll be fine

b1gdaddyh · Aug 2, 2013

what ^^ said. very laid back decent weather. lots of good and diverse food options. South berkeley isn't as safe as north berkeley but is more interesting for student life. lots of homeless people, if you're not used to that. but i lived next to peoples park for 2 years and had no problems. as long as youre smart about where youre at and when, you'll be fine

illadelallday · Aug 2, 2013

Thanks guys. As far as getting around is concerned, I've heard that having a car is absolutely necessary in Cali. But I've also heard that the BART system is legit. I haven't had a car in 5 years because I haven't needed it, either using my bike or motorcycle to get around. Possible to apply same lifestyle out there?

From looking at the maps, would it be possible to live in Oakland and commute to Berkeley without too much hassle? Either on my motorcycle or train? Pretty much looking for cheap rent, but being close enough to campus without paying an arm and a leg. Ideally, I'd like to find a spot for ~$600 with some roommates within a 30 minute ride to school.

MajinZuub · Aug 2, 2013

Oakland is right next to Berkeley so you'll be fine as far as travel goes. Bart will dump you basically anywhere you need in the area too.

illadelallday · Aug 3, 2013

This is getting more and more promising. It started out as kind of a pipe dream but I'm becoming more confident that this will be the right decision for me.

Getting a little more specific here, what's the general level of ratchetness in the bay area?

JL415 · Aug 3, 2013

15 outta 10

MajinZuub · Aug 3, 2013

Depends where you go. Berkeley has a lot of hipster/artsy types.

ice city fc · Aug 8, 2013

illadelALLDAY said:
This is getting more and more promising. It started out as kind of a pipe dream but I'm becoming more confident that this will be the right decision for me.

Getting a little more specific here, what's the general level of ratchetness in the bay area?

The Bay Area is huge, really you're talking about 2-3 separate metro areas all lumped together. On a scale from 1 to 10 I'd rank the different parts of the Bay like this.

San Francisco = 2

North Bay/Marin = -1

South Bay = 3

East Bay = 6

By comparison I've lived in the actual city of L.A. and have family I visit often in Birmingham, AL. I'd give those two cities a 5 and 9.5 respectively.

There are pockets of ratchetness but generally speaking there's a lot of money and education out here and you just wont see the kind of real poverty that you see in other parts of the country. Some cities like Richmond, parts of Vallejo, parts of Oakland, etc are the exception not the rule, even in the East Bay.

I'm talking more just hood, if you're talking about ratchet females twerkin dont worry we got that.