To live in San Carlos near Palo Alto? (Redwood City, Menlo Park: apartment, rent)

[hopefaithlove]

Hi, we are a couple in their late 20s w/ a toddler, husband will be working in Palo Alto, I'm looking into the hospitals in the area. We want a nice, safe neighborhood that has some parks and some sort of a local downtown w/ a coffee shop/ place to sit outside and eat/sidewalks to walk our dog. Our max rent for a 2bd would be 2350. Does San Carlos sound like a good fit? From what I've been reading people seem to like it. We thought about living near SFSU and him commuting but that drive seems to be a pain, even on the 280. Am I right about that? Maybe we should live further south on the Peninsula. Any advice would be appreciated

[humboldtrat]

I think you would like San Carlos. It's a nice, safe middle to upper middle class town. There are lots of apartment buildings in the downtown area and within walking distance of stores, restaurants, the Caltrain station and the library. The nearest hospital is on the San Carlos/Redwood City border - www.sequoiahospital.org. There is also Stanford hospital and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Palo Alto.

[humboldtrat]

An upcoming event in San Carlos:

Event 1 - Art & Wine

[sonarrat]

San Carlos is a nice, family-friendly suburb, and the 280 is a painless drive. If I have to go from one end of the peninsula to the other, I never take 101, too many trucks and too much congestion.

[ElleBebe]

If your husband is working in Palo Alto, have you looked at Stanford Hospital? That way you could both work in Palo Alto, and living in Palo Alto would fit a lot of your wants; it has a great downtown area with University Avenue, lots of coffee shops and fun stores. I think $2350 would find you a 2bedroom but I haven't been in the area lately, so don't know for sure.

Menlo Park is also a very family-friendly area; Sharon Heights is close to Palo Alto (just take Sandhill down to El Camino) and has a great school district. My parents rented a 3bedroom house in Menlo Park for $2500/month a couple years ago (2005-2006) while they were remodeling.

[lookingtorelocate]

Redwood City is really nice and you could find something for a little less money than in San Carlos. Redwood City has lots of great parks for the kids. Although San Carlos is very nice also I think you can get more home for your buck in R.C.

[hopefaithlove]

Seems that area is a little newer and more spread out (at least from pictures). Is it as safe and clean as it looks? How's traffic on the 92 as it feeds into the 101?

[sonarrat]

The commute from Foster City down to Palo Alto is rarely a problem, even on 101. If you're going north to, say, Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame, that's another story and you'll be sitting in bumper to bumper traffic for your entire trip.

[hopefaithlove]

I'm hoping to get hired at Stanford so thankfully I'll be commuting South!

[san carlos]

San Carlos is a great choice, although I agree that RWC is a little bit cheaper. Since you have a toddler, you should also be thinking about schools down the road. San Carlos has an outstanding public school system. The commute to PA is a breeze, and you won't be paying Palo Alto prices either. It's a great family community.