Where to live close to Stanford Uni? (San Jose, Oakland: apartment, to rent)

[manni]

Hi all,

We are a family of three (with a four year old girl) moving from Canada to Stanford uni as my wife got a position there. Where is a good place with good schools to live around Stanford uni? (a reasonable one in terms of everything including cost).

Thanks

[mayorhaggar]

Give us a housing budget and it would help people give info, also maybe whether you will rent or buy and how big of an apartment or house you want. A lot of the Silicon Valley area has good schools, like in Cupertino, but are really really expensive even for the Bay Area.

People here often list Redwood City as a relatively affordable place with decent schools but some people say some parts of it are kind of ghetto, I'll let other people give advice since I'm not very familiar with the South Bay/Silicon Valley area.

[manni]

Thanks a lot mayorhaggar.

I am not going to buy anything at this point in time as I am not sure what is going to happen. I am planning to rent. I understand that rent varies from one to another area. I believe I should consider $2000 for a two bedroom unit on average (Not sure if this much can get me to a decent area). I looked at Craigslist as well to get an idea but rents really vary and I am not familiar with the areas.

So your advice would be great.

Thanks

[humboldtrat]

Anything west of El Camino Real (Hwy 82) in San Carlos, Redwood City or Mountain View is good with good schools. Palo Alto and much of Menlo Park can be expensive (because of nearness to Stanford). Avoid East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park (near and east of Hwy 101).

The commute from these places should be OK (under 30 min.)

$2K for a 2/bed apt. should be more than enough in a decent area.

[TVC15]

I would agree that Redwood City is a good option. There are some very nice neighborhoods here and it is mostly a safe area. It is close to Stanford. I have 2 young Stanford professors living in the house next door to me. Palo Alto is also a good area but much more expensive. Redwood City offers great weather most of the year. It is close to the ocean, not far from SF, San Jose, Oakland, Berkeley, Monterey, Santa Cruz or my favorite beach Montara State beach. It is very central to the Bay Area.

I don't have children so I can't comment on the schools but I have heard good things about some of the schools here. I like living in Redwood City mostly for the facts that I listed.

[gone down south]

You're not getting a 2-BR in Palo Alto for $2k per month, that's for sure. Menlo Park and Redwood City are probably better bets. After schools, the main considerations are how much commuting are you willing to live with, and is deep suburbia OK or do you need to be in a more urban environment?