Which Peninsula Town best matches where I live in now? (San Jose: apartment, renters)

[ColetteMK]

Dear City Data Folks,

This past week I have received a lot of helpful information regarding the Peninsula from this site. Your kindness is much appreciated.

I want to describe where I live right now and ask if it sounds like any Peninsula neighborhood most.

I live in Brooklyn, NY. It is around 20 minutes by train from Manhattan. It is a good mix of families (yuppies in particular), singles (not quite hipsters but almost). It is culturally diverse as you might expect from NY.

The people who own here have lots of $ as housing here is expensive. I rent and many people rent too. So there is a nice mix renters and owners some of which are comfortable and many of which probably live pay check to pay check.

There are many restaurants (varied kind), book stores, cafes, banks, grocery stores. The park is close. On a nice day like yesterday the streets and parks are crowded. Music and art surround us and there are good schools.

I walk or take the train everywhere, even at night and feel totally safe. That's not to say there isn't crime or bad people.

I am single, in my 30s, have no children and do not party and LOVE this place.

So that being said, does the above sound anything like Mountain View? Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Mateo, Burlingame?

Many many thanks,
Colette

[Nineties Flava]

Originally Posted by ColetteMK

Dear City Data Folks,

This past week I have received a lot of helpful information regarding the Peninsula from this site. Your kindness is much appreciated.

I want to describe where I live right now and ask if it sounds like any Peninsula neighborhood most.

I live in Brooklyn, NY. It is around 20 minutes by train from Manhattan. It is a good mix of families (yuppies in particular), singles (not quite hipsters but almost). It is culturally diverse as you might expect from NY.

The people who own here have lots of $ as housing here is expensive. I rent and many people rent too. So there is a nice mix renters and owners some of which are comfortable and many of which probably live pay check to pay check.

There are many restaurants (varied kind), book stores, cafes, banks, grocery stores. The park is close. On a nice day like yesterday the streets and parks are crowded. Music and art surround us and there are good schools.

I walk or take the train everywhere, even at night and feel totally safe. That's not to say there isn't crime or bad people.

I am single, in my 30s, have no children and do not party and LOVE this place.

So that being said, does the above sound anything like Mountain View? Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Mateo, Burlingame?

Many many thanks,
Colette

I can tell you right off the bat that Burlingame is not what you're looking for... San Mateo probably isn't what you're looking for either.

San Francisco would be the obvious choice as it fits all of your criteria but if you don't want to live in SF because of the distance, Then it'll be a little harder to find a match. The Peninsula is primarily the suburban, expensive bed-community for people working in Silicon Valley, SF or Oakland. RWC is the most centrally located for all three... its about equidistant from SF and San Jose and is only 45-50 minutes (in normal traffic) from Oakland.

For your actual criteria though... Palo Alto's probably the closest. It has the most active downtown of any of the Peninsula cities and as a bonus its somewhat of a college town (Stanford). I say "somewhat" for good reason though... PA is far less of a college town than say... Berkeley. The predominant culture in Palo Alto is Silicon Valley culture. It's extremely yuppie and can be snobbish, and the entire town is still suffering from the "other side of the tracks" syndrome (East Palo Alto). In other words, if you're black or pacific islander or latino, the assumption is that you're from EPA, which was the murder capital of America in 1992 (42 murders in a town of about 22,000 at the time which was equivalent to 170 murders / 100,000...). However, EPA is not the same city it was 20 years ago... despite that it's improved dramatically, though, the stigma remains.

RWC is the most "friendly" city in the peninsula imo... its kind of an odd city for the area though. People I know from the midwest who live out here say it reminds them the most of the midwest of any bay area city... the residential neighborhoods (and particularly on the westside) have somewhat of a midwestern feel. This ain't Indiana though... don't get it twisted lol.

It's hard to give you an idea since you haven't actually been here... it would be easier if you've visited. Hope the above helps a little though

[humboldtrat]

Check out San Carlos. It's a nice safe middle to upper middle class town. There is a nice downtown area with lots of apartment buildings within walking distance of the train station, stores, restaurants, a park and the library. The downtown area is full of people most evenings, many sitting outside at restaurants.

[sonarrat]

Berkeley is the closest I can think of, actually.

[ColetteMK]

Thanks much!!!

[Snort]

I'd pick Palo Alto over Berkeley, but Berkeley's got more of the 'city' vibe to it. That puts you on the other side of the bay though and not on the peninsula.

[ColetteMK]

Thanks!

[butterpaws75]

Hi ColetteMK,

I'm in a similar situation as you - professional single 30 something considering moving from NYC to Bay Area for work (office in Cupertino / Mountain View). Have you found any neighbourhood that is similar to what Brooklyn offers?

Thanks!

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by Snort

I'd pick Palo Alto over Berkeley, but Berkeley's got more of the 'city' vibe to it. That puts you on the other side of the bay though and not on the peninsula.

If you merged PA with parts of EPA, MPK and maybe even RWC, you'd end up with something approximating Brooklyn, minus the subway links (although there is the LIRR type heavy rail CalTrain) and minus the almost walking distance across a bridge to the urban core. I base this on demographics, types of businesses, etc. Of course, I believe you actually get more bang for your buck these days in Brooklyn ... FWIW.

"No ... sleep ... 'til Brooooooklynnnnnnnn!"