Best places to live in Bay Area?!?

My boyfriend and I are moving to the bay area for work and school. We're both in our mid 20's. We will both be traveling to San Francisco for work and school, but cannot afford to live downtown. Public transportation is not an issue, as we are very comfortable and used to the el and subway system having lived in Chicago nearly all our lives. As long as we're close to the BART, that's all that matters. I am wondering which city/area of the bay would be best to live in and offer an "easy" commute to SF. We have been to Berkeley before, and fell in love with the entire area, so I already know that Berkeley would be a good fit, but I was also wondering if anyone had any other ideas of places that were sort of similar. As I mentioned, money is a factor, since we cannot afford to live downtown. Thanks to all in advance!

Public Comments

1. Look at cities along the BART route. http://bart.gov/stations/index.aspx In general, the further you get from the city, the cheaper it is to live. The line going down to Fremont goes through San Leandro, Hayward, etc., down to Fremont. This area is more working -class, cheaper to live. Also the yellow line that goes out to Pittsburgh, once you get past Pleasant Hill it gets cheaper. It seems like a million miles away from the Bay Area but BART brings it close. The Richmond Line also, once you get past Berkeley. Richmond itself has a reputation as a high crime area, but I think there are some good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods. Berkeley tends to be a little expensive, but it's a college town so there might be lots of cheap apartments meant for students. Plus it would be a cool place to live because there's a lot going on there--good restaurants, trendy shops, etc. And it's very close-in so you don't spend as much time commuting.
2. Santa Cruz Ca all the way! We have UCSC & Cabrillo collage here. Just look it up my friend & enjoy!