Where to live in Palo Alto? (San Francisco, San Mateo: middle-class, apartment, rent)

[brookliner1]

After lots of great responses to my earlier post, we are focusing our search on Palo Alto.

The next question is, where to focus in town? We'd (me, wife + 2 young kids) like to be able to walk to parks, library, grocery (Whole Foods, etc), elementary schools, possibly University Ave, Stanford - but not be living with students next door

I'll be commuting to Foster City daily.

We'd like to spend ~$3500 for a 3BR, possibly 2BR townhouse or small house, could go to $4k but would be a stretch.

What part of town could suit our needs? Where to avoid? Anyone care to draw some boundaries / suggest some neighborhoods?

Thanks!

[humboldtrat]

Looking at your last post, the downtown area between Alma and Middlefield Rd and about 4 or 5 blocks north and south of University Ave would probably fit. The downtown with a Whole Foods store is walkable and interesting. However many Stanford students live in the area - some who just rent out a room in a home. The area is expensive. $3K will probably get you what you want.

Much of south Palo Alto (south of Page Mill Rd) is mostly tract homes with apartment buildings here and there and not all that interesting.

But looking at your last post, you mentioned San Carlos which would be cheaper alternative to Palo Alto and it's closer to Foster City. Nice town with an intersting downtown (Laurel Street), good schools, parks and a library in the downtown area. The town has many young families as I see lots of kids all around San Carlos

[brookliner1]

@humboldtrat - thanks for the precise reply, extremely helpful! I know schools in general have a great reputation in PA; any elementary schools recommended for somewhere challenging and well regarded but not too richy / snobby?

Thanks!

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by brookliner1

@humboldtrat - thanks for the precise reply, extremely helpful! I know schools in general have a great reputation in PA; any elementary schools recommended for somewhere challenging and well regarded but not too richy / snobby?

Thanks!

Don't have school age kids, but I have heard that Palo Alto schools have a good reputation.

I added something to my last post about San Carlos at the same time you replied. White Oaks schools district in San Carlos is very good also.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Between down town and mid town (e.g. between Homer, and say, California Avenue). Between the Cal Train tracks and Middlefield.

[Mach50]

Honestly, like what was said in the other thread, if being around rich and snobby people is something you are trying to avoid, then you should just avoid all of Palo Alto. It is the most snob infested area around here.

There are plenty of great places closer to Foster City that met your criteria, that are not even close to "Shallow Alto" on the snob scale.

Personally, Burlingame would be my choice for you. You would have one of the best kids parks (Coyote Point) right next to you, San Mateo Central Park too. You would be closer to work and closer to San Francisco.

That's my 02¢

[ANC]

Originally Posted by Mach50

Honestly, like what was said in the other thread, if being around rich and snobby people is something you are trying to avoid, then you should just avoid all of Palo Alto. It is the most snob infested area around here.

Sounds like he wants to avoid the poor college kids, so he'll be at home around rich and snobby people.

[hsw]

?"Old" PA: S of Embarc, N of CA St, btwn Alma and Middlefield; diverse housing stock, many tech titan residents, little less of grad student crowd

LOL about PA being accused of being "snobby"; every city/suburb/office/school in every socio-economic gp has many "snobs"

In trailer pks or ghettos, snobs may fixate upon skin color or religion or ethnicity or gang affil, etc

In upper middle income places, perhaps more fixation upon size of house or SUV

PA is a tough place to pigeonhole....nowhere on planet with as many centimillionaires/billionaires who are <40yo; self-made and from modest roots from all over US and RoW; usu alums of world's top 5 colleges; live in a modest house, drive a Prius/Mercedes, dress shabbily, yet may own a $50MM private plane....if anything, PA is a land of intellectual snobs....lots of smart guys who look down upon fellow alums of Stanford etc for not being a top engineering grad or having a notable career...but materials aren't really basis for snobbery in PA area, as many of wealthiest in region live comfortably but not extravagantly nor in a high-profile manner

Actually, many of affluent in PA region mock PA itself as land of billionaire Gulfstream communists who live in modest houses, drive a Prius but have $50MM+ private planes; the more overt capitalists and hedonists tend to reside in Woodside or Atherton (behind gates on privacy-oriented >2 acre lots) and generally avoid communist PA

[ANC]

Originally Posted by hsw

...communist PA

If PA was so communist, there wouldn't be so many homeless people loitering on University. If PA was communist, those homeless people would be getting an equal split of all the money made, and no one would be homeless.

[jimmer88]

The poster who wrote that Palo Alto is the "most snob infested area around here" is off the mark. I've lived in the Bay Area for over 15 years, the past 9 on the peninsula. We spent a lot of time time considering where to live before finally moving in to Palo Alto this year. We are thrilled with our decision, and the town has exceeded our high expectations.

The things that were very important to us: community-minded, friendly neighbors, high education levels among the residents and good public schools, and as little of possible of the pretentious "Real Housewives" kind of materialism and snobbery one often sees in affluent communities. We ended up finding a great place in south Palo Alto, and our new neighborhood more than meets all of these criteria.

First of all, the devotion to community and neighborhood really sets Palo Alto apart from places like Hillsborough, Los Altos Hills, Atherton, Woodside, and so on. Those towns appeal more to rich people who revel in the trappings of being rich: big expansive estates, lots of privacy, iron gates, and so on. That's all fine for some, but people in those places really seem to put a premium on privacy: walking down the sidewalk and hanging out with your neighbors is so middle-class, after all--haha. In Palo Alto, you get smaller lots and smaller houses for the same amount of money. But you can be within walking distance of community centers, parks, and other things that foster strong neighborhoods and a level of friendliness that you just don't get in those other places.

I think people pick up on this, and the result is self-selection. Those who care more about friendly neighborhoods, community, kids playing with other kids on the street will choose Palo Alto. Those who care less about this and more about the prestige of having a 1-acre lot, 6 bedrooms, and a circular driveway will choose the other towns. I know this sounds glib, but there's a lot of truth to it.

Second of all, there's the difference between north and south Palo Alto, the dividing line being Oregon Expressway. North Palo Alto is the more prestigious area, especially the blue chip neighborhoods of Crescent Park and Old Palo Alto, home of some of the most expensive houses in the United States. Naturally, those who are more concerned with prestige--as well as those who just have a lot of money to spend--are going to wind up in north Palo Alto. It has the same kind of appeal to the status-minded that Los Altos Hills, Atherton, etc. has. Not surprisingly, north Palo Alto is whiter, richer, and snobbier, though the community ethos is still strong--far stronger than in those other towns.

Again, this is going to result in self-selection. We were looking at a price point such that we could afford a decent house on either side of Oregon Expressway. We deliberately chose south Palo Alto. We know another family who was looking to spend a similar amount of money, and in contrast, they only wanted north Palo Alto. Who knows, from a pure investment standpoint, theirs might be the right decision. The North may hold its value better than the South, as prestigious areas often do. But the way we looked at it, all we wanted were well-educated neighbors and good schools, and a down-to-earth, unpretentious community, so south Palo Alto was perfect for us.