[goldingoddess]

I'm a triple cancer and the idea of finding a new home is exciting and TERRIFYING.

My husband's job is in San Mateo. I don't want him to have to commute more than 25 minutes. We are both SUPER crunchy. Like hairy armpit, vegetarian, yoga kinda crunchy. I am an avid gardener. We have two dogs and a cat and our rental budget is 2000 max, we would prefer 1500. We def need a 2 bedroom, because he will work form home half of the time. We are moving ASAP, but I foresee June 1 to be the time. We are excellent tenants (just in case anyone knows any landlords looking for places to rent out.)

We are anglo, but love diversity and are especially comfortable in Latino neighborhoods. I currently work for an immigrant human rights non-profit, but don't plan on getting a job once we move. I am really into health/wellness/midwifery (I apprenticed for 1.5 years.)

OK where do we belong. Please help me find a community otherwise I will just randomly find a place on craigslist!

Oh, did I mention I am VERY social and NEED other AP mommas to connect with.

 

[NishaG]

Not sure about the Peninsula area, maybe try Burlingame? In the East Bay, there are plenty of AP/crunchy moms in Berkeley, Albany, and El Cerrito (there are a few more, but not within 25 minutes of San Mateo. Also, try Mountain View, Palo Alto & San Mateo itself.

I would look up a few LLL locations and give them a call.

Marin/Novato is nice, but, not very diverse, and I'm not sure how crunchy they really are.

HTH

 

[rightkindofme]

25 minutes from San Mateo means you are not going to live in one of the local crunchy centers. The bay is huge. I live over in Fremont (another non-crunchy spot) and I commute 20-30 minutes to see people. It's a pain but such is life.

Honestly you are better off picking a spot close to his job because you are going to have to drive for most social stuff. It's hard at first but you get used to it. If you pick somewhere near BART you will have an easier time coming over to the east bay where there are more crunchy folks.

 

[goldingoddess]

So is San Leandro, or San Lorenzo crunchy at all, or at least diverse and cultured with lots of local businesses?

What would it be like commuting across the Hayward Bridge?

Does the East Bay tend to be crunchier than the penninsula?

What about Palo Alto?

 

[NishaG]

San Leandro - maybe a bit, but not much. San Lorenzo? I'd say no.

Palo Alto has some pockets.

The Dumbarton Bridge can be a bbit hectic, but, all the Bay Area bridges are.

And, yes, in my opinion, the East Bay is way crunchier than the Peninsula.

I'd also say that Oakland can be pretty crunchy, and the Fruitvale area is a popular Latino community. Although, for crunchiness (and safety), I'd say the North Oakland/Temescal/Rockridge area is the crunchiest!

 

[goldingoddess]

what about visitation Valley?

 

[NishaG]

VV is part of SF. Nice neighborhood, although I like Noe Valley & Presidio better. JMO.

 

[SparklingGemini]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NishaG Sae. And, yes, in my opinion, the East Bay is way crunchier than the Peninsula.

I don't know Nisha. I live in the East Bay currently but I'm from the South Bay and spend the majority of my ten year "nannyhood" along the Peninsula. They're pretty damn crunchy and naturally minded. Perhaps even more so than where I live now.

I think overall the Bay Area is a great place to be if you want to mix and mingle with other like-minded, AP & Holistic mamas. There are TONS of resources, support groups, social outreach programs etc.

You can connect with the Holistic Moms Network and LLL to help you find mamas and friends who meet your needs.

Or just post here on MDC!!!

Also, I think San Mateo, Redwood City, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Los Altos and Mountain View are very, very ethnically diverse. With the greatest populations outside of caucasians being Hispanic(some spots) and African-American(other locales.)

My favorite Peninsula place within your specifications is Mountain View! Great downtown community, close to other services in other towns, lots of green space, easy to find natural-minded amenities! And so on and hence forth!

Even my favorite midwife lives in Mountain View!

 

[NishaG]

Rhiann: You think so? Cool. I did mention MV to her upthread. Let's hope she's able to visit and get a feel before committing.

 

[Lillitu]

hey there.

i'm a actively-trying-to-conceive-future-mama who lives in oakland, near the san leandro border. i like oakland because it is diverse, and people are mellow and let you be what you wanna be.

i find berkeley a little pretentious (and expensive!) sometimes. i work there. while there are self-professed "crunchy" people there, they are usually driving expensive cars and eating and wearing organic (and paying out the nose for it), but really are not DIYers the way i think you describe yourself as.

here in oakland, i rent a 2 BR house for less than $1500, and it has a yard and backdeck. we are working on permaculture in the yard. we are the only white people on the block, but that is not an issue. we go to neighborhood functions all the time.

consider oakland. it is central to the peninsula, SF, and the rest of the bay!

 

[mamadebug]

I live in San Mateo now, and don't find it crunchy. We recently moved from Redwood City, maybe 15 minutes from San Mateo, where we had lived for 5 years. It isn't really crunchy, but it is diverse (large Latino population), less expensive than a lot of areas on the peninsula and has a lot of community activities like the farmers market, free concerts downtown, free outside movie night in the summer, a great central library with a beautiful children's area. I found a lot of crunchy moms, some of whom ended up becoming my closest "mom friends", at Blossom Birth Services (they offer pre- and post natal classes and groups) in Palo Alto. Half Moon Bay, within commuting distance of San Mateo, has somewhat of a crunchy vibe.

 

[goldingoddess]

I'm glad to see this thread is back on the front page!

Here's my update...we rented a place last week in San Mateo. We tried to find a place in the city, but with two dogs and a $2000 budget, there was nothing with a yard that was doable, to be honest I was completely bummed out about it; but the place we rented in San Mateo id a nice duplex with a yard. My neighbors are spanish speaking, and there is a taqueria a couple blocks away, so I feel right at home coming from Tucson. I spent some time at the 'central park' and it was really nice.

I know I will not 'fit in' in San Mateo, but I'm hoping that I can meet at least a couple moms who I can identify with.

To be honest, findng a community is my biggest concern with moving.

Baby cying will contnuelater.

 

[cristeen]

Now that you're out here, definitely look around for the community you want. What I've seen of that area of the bay is not very crunchy on the whole, although I'm sure there are pockets of crunchiness. Even Moss Beach isn't all that crunchy - and commuting on a 2 lane road is a PITA.

I was just going to point out that we live in Oakland and my DH commutes to SM and it definitely is not 25 minutes. Even with him working odd hours, it's 45-60 minutes each way. Days like today are even longer. After 4 years of doing that commute, he's desperate to find something closer to home.

Is his office anywhere near the Cal Train station downtown? That would open up some options of places to live a little further out. Although you're still restricted to that side of the bay.

 

[formerluddite]

welcome!

i agree with cristeen, anytime there's a bridge involved, just assume an extra 30 min during commute hours (which can be 5-10am, and 2:30-8pm, sigh). i'm in oakland, and rarely go to the peninsula. rarely, like every 2 years or so kind of rarely. when i lived in SF, i once spent 2 hours crawling across the san mateo bridge, and missed a wedding rehearsal. in the dark ages back before cell phones, too.

i recall there may be an active AP group on the peninsula. join that, and then post on its yahoo group, and you should get directed to the crunchier areas/resources, maybe find moms' groups.

LLL has several groups:
http://lllnorcal.org/groups/PeninsulaCA.html

i've been to several in the east bay (where i am now), and they vary. some will be more formal (no speaking out of turn...), in folding chairs in a church basement or such, and others will be cozier at someone's house. call the leaders and they'll likely tell you about the social style of the group.

san mateo meets on the 1st friday, next meeting on fri june 5, 10am.
http://lllnorcal.org/groups/PeninsulaCA.html

i grew up in brisbane, a town with a small town feel just south of SF. my mom used to commute to lockheed and such, it was killer, but san mateo might be 30-45 min. san bruno is close to san mateo, and fairly ethnically diverse, as is south city, and daly city (where i went to high school). the north peninsula (SouthSF to millbrae) is generally more "working class" than san mateo and south towards silicon valley. east palo alto is also less expensive, tucked off to the bay side west of pricey atherton and hillsborough.

 

[goldingoddess]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cristeen Now that you're out here, definitely look around for the community you want. What I've seen of that area of the bay is not very crunchy on the whole, although I'm sure there are pockets of crunchiness. Even Moss Beach isn't all that crunchy - and commuting on a 2 lane road is a PITA. I was just going to point out that we live in Oakland and my DH commutes to SM and it definitely is not 25 minutes. Even with him working odd hours, it's 45-60 minutes each way. Days like today are even longer. After 4 years of doing that commute, he's desperate to find something closer to home. Is his office anywhere near the Cal Train station downtown? That would open up some options of places to live a little further out. Although you're still restricted to that side of the bay.

Yeah, we considered Oakland, but the commute thing just seemed like way too much time away from home, especially since he works like 50-60 hour weeks. Plus we both drive old beaters, and know they wouldn't hold up for that much of a commute.

Actually the more I research about San Mateo the more excited I am about moving there. It seems like there are a lot of mommas group and at least one AP community group.

 

[goldingoddess]

Quote:

Originally Posted by formerluddite welcome! i agree with cristeen, anytime there's a bridge involved, just assume an extra 30 min during commute hours (which can be 5-10am, and 2:30-8pm, sigh). i'm in oakland, and rarely go to the peninsula. rarely, like every 2 years or so kind of rarely. when i lived in SF, i once spent 2 hours crawling across the san mateo bridge, and missed a wedding rehearsal. in the dark ages back before cell phones, too. i recall there may be an active AP group on the peninsula. join that, and then post on its yahoo group, and you should get directed to the crunchier areas/resources, maybe find moms' groups. LLL has several groups: http://lllnorcal.org/groups/PeninsulaCA.html i've been to several in the east bay (where i am now), and they vary. some will be more formal (no speaking out of turn...), in folding chairs in a church basement or such, and others will be cozier at someone's house. call the leaders and they'll likely tell you about the social style of the group. san mateo meets on the 1st friday, next meeting on fri june 5, 10am. http://lllnorcal.org/groups/PeninsulaCA.html i grew up in brisbane, a town with a small town feel just south of SF. my mom used to commute to lockheed and such, it was killer, but san mateo might be 30-45 min. san bruno is close to san mateo, and fairly ethnically diverse, as is south city, and daly city (where i went to high school). the north peninsula (SouthSF to millbrae) is generally more "working class" than san mateo and south towards silicon valley. east palo alto is also less expensive, tucked off to the bay side west of pricey atherton and hillsborough.

Thank you so much for all of the resources! Now all I need is to finish packing my house, and manage to keep my sanity on a 15 hour drive with a 10 month old, 2 dogs a cat a husband and a sister-in-law. Oh boy, it's going to be a looooong week!

 

[Talula Fairie]

Berkley is probably the most hippie friendly. Pockets of Marin are too, but it's extremely expensive. Sebastopol (if you don't mind North Bay) is really crunchy, as are many places around Bodega Bay (Occidental, Freestone). I like the Redwood City and Walnut Creek areas as well. And Piedmont wasn't bad either, though I don't know how crunchy any of those towns are. I actually think wherever you choose, if you're in the bay area, you're probably gonna find some hippies

I lived in Santa Rosa for 10 years and mostly grew up there and in Marin...Santa Rosa is my favorite town of all. It's fairly crunchy (are FIVE health food stores enough?), and it has a pretty diverse mix. If you can't find whatever natural product you're looking for in Santa Rosa, you'll find it in Sebastopol and that's only 15 minutes away. But, it's the North Bay and kinda removed from the main bay areas.

 

[zoshamosha]

Well, I agree the south bay is not so crunchy. Though you can find some really beautiful parts. If you love to garden and love nature, Los Gatos and Saratoga could be good for you--or Woodside. Those places are really expensive, very fancy towns, but rural-ish and beautiful. They're not crunchy as a whole, though I'm sure if you looked hard enough you could find a crunchy community. I'm not an expert on the south bay, though. I grew up in the East Bay, Berkeley to be exact.

I would say the East Bay is too far of a commute to San Mateo, so if you're looking for a crunchier community within commuting distance I'd vote for San Francisco. You can get a 2 bd apt in S.F. for 1500-2000 (depending on the neighborhood). You probably won't have your own garden, but look for community gardens.

 

[Panthira]

I'm sorry, but the whole idea of the East Bay being more "crunchy" than the peninsula is just not true. Berkeley has it's share of crunchies, but overall, I disagree. Having lived on the peninsula for several decades and THEN moving to the East Bay, I would say it is much more conservative out here unless you move to Berkeley or Oakland propers.

San Mateo is very crunchy, very diverse, and it's a family friendly county. You're a lucky mama to have the opportunity to move there.

Good luck with your move!

 

[Talula Fairie]

I agree with the above. Berkley *itself* is very crunchy, I believe it's one of the most eco friendly cities in the state (so they say), but there are a lot of conservative yuppie types in the general area. I don't know about Oakland, everytime I think of the word Oakland I think of the scary areas I've gotten lost in