Anyone who says that this is the absolute worst place to live is either delusional, extremely short sighted, or very spoiled. Or all of the above. Now don?t get me wrong...this place is not a 5-star accomodation...not even close...but I guarantee that there are far worse places to live on the penninsula.


I have lived at Evergreen Ridge for almost two years, and will continue to be living here for the foreseeable future. It?s obviously not the best apartment complex I?ve ever seen, but if you use your head and have a little common sense, it?s not the worst, either.



It?s true that parking is scarce, but if you only have one car, then you?re fine (you get one assigned space).



Management is...well, management. I?ve never trusted the management at any apartment complex I?ve ever lived in, and this one is no different. They have a high turnover rate, but most of them are fairly pleasant and courteous most of the time. (Another reviewer mentioned Lashelle as being the best of them all to work with, which was absolutely true...unfortunately, she no longer works here as she had to move out of the Bay Area.)



Rent increases are usually a fact of life in the Bay Area, and my opinion is that if you don?t like it, then find somewhere else to live. In my case, after my first 12-month lease, market rate for my apartment had gone down a fair amount. So with a bit of pressure, I was able to renew my lease for $200 lower than the original rate...that is to say, my rent went down. That second lease is now over, and I am negotiating to have my rent lowered again.



Weather is exactly what you should expect for the Pacifica/San Bruno area: foggy and cool in the summer, mostly sunny and cool (and only occasional fog) the rest of the year-round. That?s just the way the California coast works. It?s not freezing all the time, but it?s not gorgeous and 95 degrees all summer long, either. If you love hot weather, this is not the place for you. Also, in the winter, beware of losing power on windy nights...it?s a fact of life in hilly areas where trees are prone to fall in the wind. (It?s good to know ahead of time that the kitchen, heater, and water heater are all-electric, so when we lose power, there?s no cooking, no heat, and freezing cold showers. Not fun. The good news is that it?s no secret that such things happen in this area, so PG&E usually gets the power back on within a few hours.)



Crime is not quite as rampant as other reviewers would have you believe. Of course it exists...it?s a somewhat low-rent area, and one learns to expect such things. But we don?t have drug dealers hanging out on the corners, I?ve never heard of any break-ins (home or car), and I don?t feel unsafe walking to my car at night. You will probably hear of the drug/murder thing that happened in Jan. 2002, and while it was horrible and unsettling, it was a specific, isolated occurrence. It was also the first homicide in San Bruno in something like 11 years (and the only one since, as far as I know). This is not the home of random acts of violence or drive-by shootings. Children frequently play in the common grassy areas in front of the buildings (and live to tell the tale).



Laundry facilities are somewhat minimal, and expensive ($1.25 each for wash and dry; quarters only). They could definitely use a few more laundry rooms, but if you know where the least-used ones are, you?ll never have trouble getting your laundry done.



Walls are definitely thin, and I highly recommend a 2nd floor unit (if you can get it) to avoid hearing your upstairs neighbor?s every step. 2nd floor units also save on heating...I haven?t had to use my heater more than 2 or 3 times, as the apartment has almost always been warm enough for me.



I can?t comment on maintenance response times, as I?ve never had anything that needed fixing.



The grounds are well-lit, well-landscaped, and maintained. The place could use a coat of paint, and the external walls have some mossy/moldy areas, but there?s no way to prevent that when you live so near the ocean. Water in the air equals moss on the walls.



They allow pets of all (or most) kinds (although I think there?s a weight limit). As such, there are several "neighborhood cats" that roam the complex freely. (I like cats, so this doesn?t bother me in the slightest, but I imagine some people would be annoyed by it.) I?ve never been bothered or awakened by anyone?s dog(s). In fact, I think I can count on one hand the number of times that I?ve heard a dog bark in the entire time I?ve lived here.



The "gym" sucks...it consists of one multi-function weight machine sitting in the middle of a big room. It?s ridiculous, and I?ve never seen anyone using it. If they?re still claiming to have a hot tub and/or sauna, don?t believe them. There is no pool and no hot tub. When I moved in, someone told me the sauna was broken and "would be fixed soon." To my knowledge, it was never fixed. In fact, I?ve never seen it, and never heard another word about it, so I don?t even know if it really exists.



Every unit does have a balcony, although there?s no extra outside storage closet. One reviewer complained about the loud and obnoxious neighbors sitting on their tiny balconies and screaming as they talk on the phone. That person must have had very different neighbors than I do. I won?t quibble with the balconies being tiny, but my neighbors have never bothered me or been loud enough for me to notice them. That same reviewer also mentioned a "really big spider problem." For the record, I have found precisely one spider in my apartment in the two years that I?ve lived here.



Overall, I?d say my experience here has been fairly neutral. If I don?t like a place or feel that rent is too high, I?m quick to move out...and I?m still here, so I guess that says something. Take everything you read with a grain of salt, use your head, and if you?re considering living here, don?t let management pressure you into signing anything unless you?ve had a chance to weigh all your options (including the complex next door, TreeTops). The vacancy rate is *always* lower than they?d like you to believe (especially right now, July 2003), and because of that, they?re often a little over-anxious to get people to sign on the dotted line.



Note: I work vaguely 9-5, M-F, so all my experiences with living here apply to being around the complex during the evenings and weekends.



Please feel free to e-mail me at the hotmail address above if you want to ask any questions. I don?t monitor my hotmail account religiously, but I do check to see what?s there once every couple of weeks.

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