Am I looking for a magical unicorn in the Bay Area? (San Jose: apartments, rentals)

[BrooklyntotheBay]

Any advice would be much appreciated. Feel free to be brutally honest

My husband, 2 sons (3 and 7months), and I are in the preliminary stages of planning a move from Brooklyn to the Bay Area. My husband is an accomplished web developer and would have no issue finding work, we're just not really sure where to zero in on the job search. The companies that have reached out to us so far have been based in places like Los Gatos, Cupertino, and San Jose.

We would like to rent a single-family home with some outdoor space for no more than $3,000 a month in order to save for a house of our own. We need decent schools, access to parks and such. I don't mind driving, but living in a semi-walkable area would be amazing. We're not into chains or strip malls. We're a bit more "alternative". When you think of characteristic Brooklyn people... that's us! It would be nice to live close to caltrain for weekend trips to San Francisco. We'd like to avoid living under the fog as much as possible. Campbell seems like it may be a possibility?

Basically, we want to move for job opportunities and a more suburban way of life, while still having access to the city when we choose to visit. We don't mind up-and-coming or ethnically diverse areas. We plan on visiting soon, but would love to have a better idea of where to center our search.

Thank you!

[skyao]

Campbell is doable at $3,000 but its pretty much surburbia. For access to Los Gatos and Cupertino, you can try Willow Glen section of San Jose.

I think $3K is the very low end for house rentals in that area but I am by no means an expert on this.

I wouldnt say its a unicorn because you can get what you want if you up your budget. Check Craigslist as it the best way to find places in the Bay Area..

Originally Posted by BrooklyntotheBay

Any advice would be much appreciated. Feel free to be brutally honest

My husband, 2 sons (3 and 7months), and I are in the preliminary stages of planning a move from Brooklyn to the Bay Area. My husband is an accomplished web developer and would have no issue finding work, we're just not really sure where to zero in on the job search. The companies that have reached out to us so far have been based in places like Los Gatos, Cupertino, and San Jose.

We would like to rent a single-family home with some outdoor space for no more than $3,000 a month in order to save for a house of our own. We need decent schools, access to parks and such. I don't mind driving, but living in a semi-walkable area would be amazing. We're not into chains or strip malls. We're a bit more "alternative". When you think of characteristic Brooklyn people... that's us! It would be nice to live close to caltrain for weekend trips to San Francisco. We'd like to avoid living under the fog as much as possible. Campbell seems like it may be a possibility?

Basically, we want to move for job opportunities and a more suburban way of life, while still having access to the city when we choose to visit. We don't mind up-and-coming or ethnically diverse areas. We plan on visiting soon, but would love to have a better idea of where to center our search.

Thank you!

[jade408]

Willow Glen is your best bet. Pretty much all of the South Bay is suburbia and not particularly walkable. Places like Palo Alto and Mountain View have semi walkable corners of suburbia, but it might be out of your budget.

You definitely need to give up the idea of Brooklyn in that part of the Bay.

You could move a bit more north and try San Mateo. It isn't especially "hip" in the Brooklyn way but the area around downtown is walkable with lots of restaurants. (8 million Japanese restaurants, but most cuisines are represented).

[BrooklyntotheBay]

Thanks for the replies! I've been looking a lot at the Willow Glen area and it seems doable.

Just a note, we are definitely not trying to recreate Brooklyn. I just want to make sure no one is going to avoid me at the playground for having tattoos like they do where I'm from in North Carolina. I'm sure that's not really a concern in California though.

Would the lower East Bay (Freemont, etc.) be worth looking at or is the commute to the South Bay cities miserable?

[Ruth4Truth]

Check out Fremont for affordable rentals. You'll definitely have plenty of selection of spacious homes with good yards, with your budget. Again, it's suburbia, not charming or walkable, but has some nice parks, lakes for swimming. A lot of San Jose techies live there. Good for Asian restaurants. Quiet, low crime. Bridges take you across the Bay to Palo Alto and that side of the Bay.

[felinius]

Originally Posted by BrooklyntotheBay

Thanks for the replies! I've been looking a lot at the Willow Glen area and it seems doable.

Just a note, we are definitely not trying to recreate Brooklyn. I just want to make sure no one is going to avoid me at the playground for having tattoos like they do where I'm from in North Carolina. I'm sure that's not really a concern in California though.

Would the lower East Bay (Freemont, etc.) be worth looking at or is the commute to the South Bay cities miserable?

From Fremont to the South Bay would be pretty doable. A lot of the holdup on 880 is from 238 meets 880 down to the Dumbarton Bridge, but after that it lightens up.

Depending where you live, Fremont may or may not be walkable. You can kind of tell by looking at Google Maps which parts are ... not sure if you'll find 'alternative' like you would in Oakland or Berkeley though.

[jade408]

Fremont is fine if you give up all desires for walkable. It is almost 100% strip mall suburbia.

To be perfectly frank, most of Silicon Valley is strip mall/office park suburbia. Adding walkable to your list in "Silicon Valley" makes it a unicorn on virtually any budget.

[kir_royale]

I can't think you would be happy moving from Brooklyn to Fremont. Fremont is great if your top two priorities are schools and budget. I don't know what rents are but Burlingame and San Carlos might be a good fit on the peninsula. If you knew who your employer was going to be, you could consider Alameda, parts of Oakland, and Berkeley. The east bay would be a terrible commute to the South Bay though.

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, you won't get everything on your wish list. You'll have to prioritize. For example, for walkability and scenic neighborhoods, (and good schools), you might consider giving up the idea of a house, and go for a condo or townhouse. That was just a hypothetical, but you get the idea.

Make a reconnaissance trip out here to scope out the different areas recommended, so you can see what each is like. You might, for example, take one look at Fremont or Sunnyvale, and say "no way!", in spite of the extra square footage and good yards you could get in Fremont. You might look at parts of Palo Alto or Menlo Park, and fall in love with them, though you'd need to compromise on space in order to afford a place there. Take a few days to acquaint yourselves with the Bay Area, and especially south Bay and west Bay/Peninsula. This is much better than closing your eyes and throwing a dart at a map, or trying to get an idea by looking at info and pics of the internet.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

OP, commuting in the SF Bay Area is a real quality of life drainer. I suggest you start by finding a place as close to work as you can find that meets most of your dream list. Once you are here, you can always move again, if you find somewhere that's worthy of a commute.

When I was a young single mom, I lived in apartments with my daughter, and it actually worked out great. No yards to take care of, and my daughter loved the pool, and there are usually other kids to play with right there. The weather is so great here, that it's easy to take the kids to the park to play, too, if you get an apt with no yard, or the complex doesn't have a nice play area. If you change your parameters to consider renting an apt, you can get closer to the job/desirable areas, and have more money to stash in your savings account.

And if you lived somewhere where you had to commute, but rented an apartment, you could REALLY save money, if that was your main goal.