Moving from Chicago to Bay Area (San Jose, San Francisco: house, unemployment rate, safe neighborhoods)

[need2m0ve]

We are a young family with 2 girls (7 and 4) living in Chicago considering moving to the bay area. We'd be doing this on our own ... so no job relos etc. I am an independent consultant in the IT arena and hope to find a gig there.

We'd like to know which suburbs makes most sense for us. And if someone can give us some pros/cons on each, that would be helpful. Important things to us:

a. Schools... Schools... Schools. Top-notch schools are a must
b. Low-crime, safe neighborhoods
c. Family friendly (parks, things for kids to do, shopping etc.)
d. Transportation (public transportation to downtown SF, Oakland etc.)

Our budget for homes would be in the $500K - $900K. Also, if someone can provide a site that ranks Bay Area schools, that would be helpful.

Your Opinions would be much appreciated.

[18Montclair]

Its your budget that concerns me. $900K is good but for the top school districts its on the lower end. Still doable however.

Look at the East Bay Towns of Orinda, Lafayette and Moraga. If you can swing financially the town of Piedmont, that would be my first choice.

After that, I definitely recommend looking at Danville or Pleasanton. Maybe San Ramon.

[need2m0ve]

Thanks 18MontClair. How about Silicon Valley towns Mountain View, Sunnyvale etc?

[erin3465]

Originally Posted by need2m0ve

Thanks 18MontClair. How about Silicon Valley towns Mountain View, Sunnyvale etc?

Those are really expensive, and in a way it's more difficult to get from there to SF/Oakland-Berkeley by public transit. BART doesnt run to the South Bay and Caltrain is a bit slower. Although, Mountain View has a nice little walkable downtown (Castro Street), with a Caltrain station nearby, so if you live there you can hop on the express train to SF at the right times and it wouldnt be that bad. Plus youd have a nice (but small) commercial area right by your house

Sunnyvale is just not a great place to live IMO, lots of big roads and strip malls...

Palo Alto (downtown and near Cal. Ave) is very nice but uber-expensive.

Have you considered San Mateo? Good schools, nice neighborhoods, decent downtown and relatively close to SF by Caltrain. Plus the nearest BART station (a park and ride in Millbrae) isn't too far if you want to head directly to the East Bay.

[humboldtrat]

Check out Belmont, San Carlos and the western part of Redwood City - all nice and safe middle to upper middle class towns. I know the schools in San Carlos are very good. $900K could probably get you a house for a family of 4. All these towns are on the Caltrain commuter line that runs between San Jose and San Francisco.

Just remember, Santa Clara county alone - the heart of Silicon Valley - has an unemployment rate of 11.2% .

[need2m0ve]

Originally Posted by erin3465

Have you considered San Mateo? Good schools, nice neighborhoods, decent downtown and relatively close to SF by Caltrain. Plus the nearest BART station (a park and ride in Millbrae) isn't too far if you want to head directly to the East Bay.

No, we havent, but we'd sure look into it. Thanks for the suggestion

[sav858]

Have you looked into Walnut Creek? Great suburb with great schools, safe, huge downtown with lots of shops and restaurants, and easy access to SF and Oakland with BART and 2 freeways. And your price range is about what most WC homes fall into.

[need2m0ve]

Originally Posted by sav858

Have you looked into Walnut Creek? Great suburb with great schools, safe, huge downtown with lots of shops and restaurants, and easy access to SF and Oakland with BART and 2 freeways. And your price range is about what most WC homes fall into.

Thanks for the suggestion. How far would Silicon Valley and San Jose be from Walnut Creek and Lamorinda (by car or if train is available)? Since I am an independent consultant, I need to be able to go where my clients are.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by need2m0ve

Thanks for the suggestion. How far would Silicon Valley and San Jose be from Walnut Creek and Lamorinda (by car or if train is available)? Since I am an independent consultant, I need to be able to go where my clients are.

SV and San Jose are a bit of a drive, about 45 minutes w/o major traffic. About 50-60 min from Lamorinda, depending how far from the freeway you are. There really isn't train service to SJ and SV from the east bay yet. If you're going to have to drive to SJ/SV, WC is a bit closer than Lamorinda area as well as a little more affordable with more amenities. Many from the Lamorinda area go to WC for their shopping, dining, and entertainment.

[need2m0ve]

Originally Posted by sav858

SV and San Jose are a bit of a drive, about 45 minutes w/o major traffic. About 50-60 min from Lamorinda, depending how far from the freeway you are. There really isn't train service to SJ and SV from the east bay yet. If you're going to have to drive to SJ/SV, WC is a bit closer than Lamorinda area as well as a little more affordable with more amenities. Many from the Lamorinda area go to WC for their shopping, dining, and entertainment.

50-60 min isnt too bad. I drive that much in Chicago anyways.