Housing in Santa Clara/San Francisco/Bay Area (California)

[ravenvii]

I am going to either Santa Clara University or UC Hastings in the fall. But for one small fact: it's frickin' expensive to live there!

Yes, I've checked out craigslist, and found some pretty cheap places. I pretty much am willing to live anywhere, as long as wherever I will end up is within walking distance, or easily accessible by public transportation. I'll be fine with just a single room to myself, and a bathroom to use.

I could also live in the university's housing, and live off loans, if necessary.

I know several people here live in the bay area, so I'm wondering if there's anyone who has any tips, looking for a place, have connections, or anything?

 

[WildCowboy]

Every place I've lived here I've found through craigslist.

I can't speak too much about SCU, but I know a bit about Hastings. The campus isn't located in the best area, in Civic Center, squeezed between the Tenderloin and the Western Addition. It's not really an area I'd want to live in, but there's usually enough activity right around Civic Center Plaza (with the library, Asian Art Museum, City Hall, the opera and symphony, and other arts venues) that I don't feel too unsafe there, but the surrounding area can be a bit iffy.

That said, the campus is just steps from the Civic Center station, served by Muni Metro and BART, so you really can live in a wide variety of places. I lived in the Inner Sunset and Parkside for a number of years...the N Judah or L Taraval can get you to Civic Center reasonably quickly. The Inner Sunset is really a nice place to live. The 9th & Irving commercial district provides a lot of bars and restaurants. There are a lot of UCSF grad and professional students living in the area, so it's a fairly young student vibe around there.

But yes, anything you find is going to be expensive.

 

[nadyne]

I know several people here live in the bay area, so I'm wondering if there's anyone who has any tips, looking for a place, have connections, or anything?

A tip? Win the lottery.

SCU is close to downtown San José, so you can comfortably live there, and that might help you out a little bit budget-wise. You could live in one of the towns along CalTrain, but that doesn't really open you up to less-expensive places to live.

 

[ravenvii]

So I'm going to UC Hastings.

Anyone wanna room with me in SF?