Questions about Bay Area

[lemontree]

My husband and I have been talking about relocating to the Bay Area in the fall. We have a 20 mth old and plan on getting pregnant soon. I know the Bay is huge and so I am planning to take a trip up there this summer to scout around. I am reading old threads here on mdc and getting overwhelmed. Wondering if you Bay Area residents could help me out and suggest places to check out? Here is a little about us:

We are from NY, lived in the Lower East Side of Manhattan for 10 years before moving to CA.

We have lived in Los Angeles for 10 years....moved here intending to stay a few years and have never really felt at home here.

We are a home birthin', breastfeeding vegetarian and vegan household.

DH owns his own business which is connected both to the tech world and entertainment industry

I am a SAHM with a past life as a creative (dancer/actor/writer) and seek to live in a creative culture

Diversity is very very important to us.

Walkability is a must

I would like a garden

We do not have a lot of money right now. (I know, I know...the Bay is soooo expensive. But we feel like we are paying a huge price in LA, since the cultural values here are not how we envision raising our child(ren))

I know that Public Schools in CA are a mess. But are there any areas in the Bay where the schools are better/worse?

Thanks in advance for any insight!

[Sfcmama]

Where to start.......?

I'm an SF native and have also lived in the east bay so those are the two areas I know best.

East Bay - lots of great diversity, walkability, homes with gardens. Price varies with exact location. Berkeley is my fav and a good starting point. Depending on how you like it, you can adjust your east bay search accordingly. (too pricey? Try Albany. Not urban enough? Try Oakland.)

SF varies so greatly by neighborhood which means you could either hate it or find the perfect little niche for your family. Schools are not the nightmare that some make it out to be. If you are an involved parent who takes the time and effort to find the right match for your child, you will probably be pretty content. IMO, the trouble comes in when people think they value diversity but don't know what they looks like in a public school setting.

We have a 16mo old and SF is sooooo much fun for us. We could do something new everyday and never leave the city. Buuuuut, we live carefully around money and won't be buying a house anytime in the next 5-10 years.

You really have to visit to get a starting point and refine from there. Feel free to PM for more info - I don't want to get too specific about our family or my living history on a public thread but I'm happy to chat privately about it!