<p>Hi Everyone!</p>
<p>I am a international Freshman, class 2010. I am plan to buy or rent my own apartment near Berkeley. I wonder which area is safest? I heard Oakland and Richmond is not good, but I never go there, so I don't really know.......</p>
<p>Also where are a lot of asia food? I hear San Fransisco is great, how about Berkeley? </p>
<p>Please let me know. I am super excite to go to Berkley and meet all you guys!</p>
<p>Why not stay in the dorms the first year? It would probably help immensely with the assimilation process.</p>
<p>That said, the city of Berkeley is quite large and you may want to consider renting an apartment in the city itself. If, for some reason, you want to live outside of Berkeley, you may want to consider Rockridge, Oakland. While Oakland has a bad reputation for crime, there are very pleasant–and safe–areas. Other than Oakland, Emeryville has a few apartment buildings housing many young professionals who work in either SF or downtown Oakland. I wouldn’t recommend Richmond. </p>
<p>As far as Asian food in East Bay (Berkeley, Oakland, et cetera): if you know where to look, I think you can find places that will remind you of home.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, where are you coming from? And why are avoiding the dorms?</p>