I agree. Albany, El Cerrito, select parts of Richmond, and most of Berkeley are fabulous. I looked at an apartment recently with my gf in Berkeley that would have cut my commute in half. We didn’t take it because it was too small for us and our pets, but, damn, did we try to talk ourselves into it for a bit.
Re:Rents are dropping across the US
by CliffStoll on Wednesday June 17, 2020 @07:26PM
(#23558049)
C'mon over to Rockridge or Elmwood -- especially if you're thinking of having kids!
Downsides are that it’s almost as expensive as the city (you can get a bit more space for your money, but not a lot more) and closer proximity to “urban” issues like grit, crime, homelessness, traffic that you can be more insulated from in the sprawl.