SaMo or Sunnyvale? (San Jose, San Francisco, San Mateo: employment, good schools, quality of life)

[RaceMaster]

I may have an option to relocate to any of these two cities, Santa Monica or Sunnyvale (Bay Area). We will be moving from overseas with a 3 yr old. Which do you reckon will be a better choice for the family?

[redturtle]

If money were no object -- Santa Monica.

I lived in both the Bay Area and LA for years at a time.

Sunnyvale is a cultural wasteland -- a suburb full of Indian engineers. Nothing wrong with them as individuals, but a community of computer geeks doesn't exactly make for a dynamic community. Simply put, it's boring, and SF is a world away. Not a lot going on. San Francisco is a great city, but the South Bay (from San Mateo all the way down to San Jose) is basically overpriced suburban hell where one street blends into another. Being surrounded by a bunch of smart techies doesn't always equate to an enriching environment.

Santa Monica is just a nicer more cosmopolitan place. Kids may not notice a huge difference between Sunnyvale and Santa Monica so long as they are in good schools, but for you and your spouse your quality of life will be markedly better in Santa Monica.

[BRinSM]

Originally Posted by redturtle

If money were no object -- Santa Monica.

I lived in both the Bay Area and LA for years at a time.

Sunnyvale is a cultural wasteland -- a suburb full of Indian engineers. Nothing wrong with them as individuals, but a community of computer geeks doesn't exactly make for a dynamic community. Simply put, it's boring, and SF is a world away. Not a lot going on. San Francisco is a great city, but the South Bay (from San Mateo all the way down to San Jose) is basically overpriced suburban hell where one street blends into another. Being surrounded by a bunch of smart techies doesn't always equate to an enriching environment.

Santa Monica is just a nicer more cosmopolitan place. Kids may not notice a huge difference between Sunnyvale and Santa Monica so long as they are in good schools, but for you and your spouse your quality of life will be markedly better in Santa Monica.

this is assuming the OP isn't an indian who works in the tech industry.

[1200RT]

I'm not a gigantic fan of the SF area, so I'm partial to Santa Monica.

The real question is employment - doesn't that play into your decision at all?

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Santa Monica has much, much greater depth than S'vale. The lone advantage of Sunnyvale may be schools but you have to balance all factors.