Advice on Palo Alto (San Jose, San Francisco: apartments, rent, high crime)

[moving??]

I'm a 20 something female and i have accepted a job in Palo Alto, I was thinking about living somewhere else as I thought Palo Alto was expensive but it looks like I can rent a studio apartment (according to Craigslist) for $800 which would fit nicely into my budget, I was prepared to pay more but if it's descent then that is fine...I was just wanting some more information on Palo Alto..
1. Does anyone know anything about the Woodland Park Apartments/Properties?
2. Is Palo Alto generally safe, is there any places that I should avoid? Is it walkable with common sense of course...
3. I know that Palo Alto is a college town because of Standford, is there a lot of partying going on or is that pretty much contained on campus?
4. My husband will be commuting across the Dumbarton Bridge towards Hayward, how is the commute time on that bridge, is there a certain time that he should avoid it? Is there a bus that goes across it or train?Should he take a different way?
5. Any other information that you want to give would be great..We plan to visit Palo Alto in August, we have been to the East bay before but never on the Peninsula..How is the weather? How are the people? We are a pretty quite couple that likes to go to the movies, out to dinner, work, school, or just stay at home or exercise...that's all we do...So any information that you can give would be great..O were originally from Texas but now live in Seattle (we like to move around) and we visited San Francisco in May and the Walnut-Pleasant Hill area and we thought it was pretty cool..Thanks!

[sonarrat]

Woodland Park is in East Palo Alto. Not Palo Alto - not even the same county. You don't want to make that mistake.

[moving??]

Is there anything wrong with East Palo Alto? Any reason not to live there?

[tennis368fan]

East Palo Alto is in San Mateo County, a separate city with a separate identity culturally and socioeconomically. It also has a high crime rate, higher than Hayward based on what I see from Sperling's Best Places.

Palo Alto is in Santa Clara County, affluent, low in crime, and pricey. It is home to those working in the Silicon Valley.

East Palo Alto does have new housing and shops, such as IKEA and others.

[sonarrat]

It's the ghetto, plain and simple. There is no comparing it with Palo Alto. Even though the development you're looking at is west of 101 (though so close to it you will hear the tire roar), it's still considered East Palo Alto. On the plus side, it is strictly rent controlled - they can't even raise the rent on someone new who moves in.

[moving??]

O'well , looks like I'm back to square one and to paying more than $1200...

[gizmo980]

I used to live across the street from Woodland Park, and it was way ghetto... my complex was pretty decent, but that one was a little scary. Read my answer to your other thread: http://www.city-data.com/forum/san-f...palo-alto.html
As I said there, I actually enjoyed my time in EPA - but it's not for the faint of heart. I'm a sturdy girl with a protective dog, a 6'5" neighbor who kept an eye on me, and the complex was gated with 24/7 security... I wouldn't recommend living in EPA any other way.

[moving??]

Thanks..I understand about EPA now...I'm just curious if someone could answer my questions about Palo Alto.....

[sonarrat]

Going back to the OP..

Originally Posted by moving??

2. Is Palo Alto generally safe, is there any places that I should avoid? Is it walkable with common sense of course...

Palo Alto is an affluent safe suburb at its core.

3. I know that Palo Alto is a college town because of Standford, is there a lot of partying going on or is that pretty much contained on campus?

It's basically on campus and around University Avenue.

4. My husband will be commuting across the Dumbarton Bridge towards Hayward, how is the commute time on that bridge, is there a certain time that he should avoid it? Is there a bus that goes across it or train?Should he take a different way?

Dumbarton Express bus goes to Union City BART, then it's two stops up on the train. And there's usually not much traffic between Palo Alto and the San Mateo Bridge in that direction, so either way it's not bad.

5. Any other information that you want to give would be great..We plan to visit Palo Alto in August, we have been to the East bay before but never on the Peninsula..How is the weather? How are the people? We are a pretty quite couple that likes to go to the movies, out to dinner, work, school, or just stay at home or exercise...that's all we do...So any information that you can give would be great..O were originally from Texas but now live in Seattle (we like to move around) and we visited San Francisco in May and the Walnut-Pleasant Hill area and we thought it was pretty cool..Thanks!

The weather in Palo Alto is calm, not very different from the East Bay. The people pretty much run the gamut, but western Menlo Park and Palo Alto tend towards the high-dollar set. Recently someone came up with a term for the kind of person who tends to live in the area - YAWNs. Young and Wealthy but Normal.

[Baron von Costume]

Originally Posted by moving??

Thanks..I understand about EPA now...I'm just curious if someone could answer my questions about Palo Alto.....

Of course.

1. Does anyone know anything about the Woodland Park Apartments/Properties?

Asked an answered. It's in East Palo Alto, and although there has been a lot of new investment in the so-called "Whisky Gulch" area (it's a long story), it's still hit and miss, and I advise to avoid EPA.

2. Is Palo Alto generally safe, is there any places that I should avoid? Is it walkable with common sense of course...

With the exception of some low-rent apartments south of the Oregon Expressway and East of Alma St, it's very safe, and without any areas "you should avoid." There is some crime, so you have to use your head (e.g., don't leave your car unlocked on the street with valuables visible), but it's a safe community. Housing prices of easily 1.5 MM do that for you.

3. I know that Palo Alto is a college town because of Standford, is there a lot of partying going on or is that pretty much contained on campus?

There are some clubs in the immediate downtown that get noisy (on or a block off of University). Generally, the students cannot afford the town, so these are mostly young professionals from the area.

4. My husband will be commuting across the Dumbarton Bridge towards Hayward, how is the commute time on that bridge, is there a certain time that he should avoid it? Is there a bus that goes across it or train?Should he take a different way?

Bus? Train? Fuhggedaboutit. The traffic is a reverse commute, so the bulk is from the East Bay (where the affordable housing is) to the Peninsula (where the jobs are). If he works in Hayward, he can take the Dumbarton and then 880 North to Hayward in 30 minutes or less.

5. Any other information that you want to give would be great..We plan to visit Palo Alto in August, we have been to the East bay before but never on the Peninsula..How is the weather? How are the people? We are a pretty quite couple that likes to go to the movies, out to dinner, work, school, or just stay at home or exercise...that's all we do...So any information that you can give would be great..O were originally from Texas but now live in Seattle (we like to move around) and we visited San Francisco in May and the Walnut-Pleasant Hill area and we thought it was pretty cool..Thanks!

Palo Alto is a *very* desirable location - nice downtown, nice homes, best restaurant choice outside of SF. Of course, these are all factors as to why you practically have to be a CEO to afford to live there. The people are surprisingly pretentious, so if you don't like affectation, it may irritate you until you get sufficiently acclimated to it. The weather is terrific of course, as it is for most of the Bay area (save for San Francisco). But there is plenty of parking in the town, so you can live elsewhere (say, Mountain View to the south, or even San Jose), and then drive in and park for free at night.