[njohnw]

The East Bay is a great option for startups on a budget. Cheap(er) rent, good food, lots to do, and many startup-minded folks. Emeryville is ~10-15 minutes away from downtown SF, so you won't be missing out on any major events in the city.

[gphil]

I second that. I grew up in the East Bay and thought it was a great places to live. Oakland gets a bad rap, but there are certainly some nicer areas where one could rent a house much more inexpensively than in the other areas mentioned. Also, there is lots of culture in the Berkeley/Oakland area, not to mention tons of great eateries.