Young family moving to south bay - lots of questions! (San Jose: apartments, rentals)

[EvilCookie]

Hello.
I was hoping to get some information here about our upcoming move to the South Bay. Sorry this is long, i just have lots of questions!

We're from Vancouver, Canada, and my husband is likely going to accept an offer with Google in Mountain View. We both love it here in Van and are nervous and stressed out about the move, especially since we'll also be leaving all our family here and will be taking our 1.5 y.o., the only grandchild, away. In light of that, we're hoping to make the transition as smooth as possible.
So, a few questions:
- we're planning to rent, a townhouse or nice condo, $2500-$3000. We want a very safe, family-friendly walkable area. I'll be a SAHM. We currently live in a suburb that is extremely safe and violent crime is pretty much non-existent, everyone is super polite and friendly, and tbh a move to the States scares me a bit in that regard - I feel like even the upscale areas there have a bit more crime, etc, am I wrong? So safety and non-shadiness is #1, and we'd like to have a community with lots of young families, things to do with young kids (library, community center classes, etc.), and at least somewhat walkable, meaning at least a park/playground within short walking distance, and if I could grab a coffee or buy some milk without having to drive every time, that'd be even better. With all that in mind, which areas should we be looking at? We're thinking Sunnyvale, Mountain View, or Palo Alto, but I'd like recommendations of some specific areas to consider, or to stay away from. Are there any areas with a nice park AND mall or shopping center? (I need my retail therapy )

- What kind of kids activities are there to do around the area? How difficult is it to get to SF on the weekends? We'd like to be able to go into the city on a weekend to walk around, but seems that traffic/parking is really crazy?

- speaking of traffic, how is the driving around the suburbs? I got my license fairly late and am not a very confident driver at all, the driving where i live right now is fairly laid back. I've been to SF, just in the city, and the drivers there scared the sh*t out of me even tho I wasn't the one driving, seemed very aggressive. Are the suburbs bad during the day, or is it fairly empty/easy to get around with a kid? This kinda scares me a bit too...

- just in general, what are the Sunnyvale/MT areas like? Do people actually walk around the downtowns? What do families do on weekends, do most go to the city? I'd just like to get a general feel for the flow of life there...

oh and to mention, schools are probably not a big consideration since we likely won't be staying beyond 5 years or so, would ultimately like to return to Vancouver; so the main focus is a good area for toddler/preschooler.

I'd love to just hear any info/advice/tips etc, thanks so much to everyone who replies!

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by EvilCookie

- What kind of kids activities are there to do around the area? How difficult is it to get to SF on the weekends? We'd like to be able to go into the city on a weekend to walk around, but seems that traffic/parking is really crazy?

You can get to San Francisco on Caltrain. There is a light rail stop at the station which will take you to the downtown area caltrain.com

Other things to do is visit the beach. Kids like Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - Millions of Memories at California's Beachfront Amusement Park and there are some parks with redwood trees such as Big Basin State Park Big Basin Redwoods State Park Pictures - California stock photos, fine art prints by QTL

[80skeys]

* There are exclusive neighborhoods in Mountain View, Los Altos and surrounding towns that offer a high degree of safety, tranquility and families. I don't know what the housing prices are like in those areas.

Even if you live in the non-exclusive parts of Sunnyvale or Mountain View, chances are very slim you will see crime, although you may see some "shadiness". If you stick to the upper end of your $3000 budget, it will put you in a more affluent neighborhood.

* Yes, the traffic and parking in SF is crazy. But getting to SF from the South Bay is easy on the weekends, either by using the Caltrain or driving on the freeway.

* Driving in the Sunnyvale area is not bad at all. In fact it's quite easy-going and generally light, in my opinion. (There's a big difference between SF driving and South Bay driving.)

* The Sunnyvale/Mountain View area is peaceful, beautiful with lots of tress, clean. The area is very nice. People do walk around the downtown areas, especially the one in Mountain View.

[gnomatic]

Downtown Mountain View will probably be your best bet. It's just a couple blocks, with one main retail stretch. It's small town USA, albeit a posh one. It's nice, safe (it's safer than most areas of Vancouver) and walkable (by US standards...which is nothing compare to Canadian standards), and family friendly with restaurants & cafes. You will need to drive for most anything else though. But it's more walkable then Sunnyvale, and more young family friendly then Palo Alto.

Red Rock & Dana Street Roasting company, both great spots for coffee. And Red Rock have kids activities (Red Rock).

There is a fantastic farmer's market in downtown MV, at the Caltrain station every Sunday morning.

It's California...malls & shopping centers are plentiful. There are parks too :-)

Your budget is probably fine. Check craigslist.org for rentals & prices.

[EvilCookie]

Thanks so much everyone, that's helpful!

Originally Posted by 80skeys

* There are exclusive neighborhoods in Mountain View, Los Altos and surrounding towns that offer a high degree of safety, tranquility and families. I don't know what the housing prices are like in those areas.

It's California...malls & shopping centers are plentiful. There are parks too :-)

Could either of you say which neighbourhoods these are specifically - names, certain streets/blocks, park/shopping center names, etc? Just right now, looking at craigslist, looking at the google map addresses doesn't really tell me anything at all in terms of how good the area is...

[gnomatic]

Originally Posted by EvilCookie

Thanks so much everyone, that's helpful!


Could either of you say which neighbourhoods these are specifically - names, certain streets/blocks, park/shopping center names, etc? Just right now, looking at craigslist, looking at the google map addresses doesn't really tell me anything at all in terms of how good the area is...

The streets around Castro St. in Mountain View are nice. There are small single family homes, and newer townhouses, a few condos in the area.
this is a handy tool that combines the craiglist listings with google map Apartments for Rent - PadMapper Apartment Search for Oodle, Apartments.com, Kijiji, and Craigslist Apartments

But really, move down, stay in corporate housing for a little while, and find a neighborhood that feels right for your family.

[SFBAguy]

Try to avoid East Palo Alto as it's quite run down and has gang activity.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

(There's a big difference between SF driving and South Bay driving.)

Yes there is, and I was surprised to discover South Bay drivers are WORSE than SF drivers! I just moved to San Jose from SF, and expected SJ to be more laid-back... turns out they drive faster, tailgate like crazy, and are extremely road-ragey/aggressive. And this is coming from a city driver, who's had 4 speeding tickets in the last 4 years - so it's not as though I drive like a grandma. Anyway, just thought I'd throw that in for the OP. Maybe the other South Bay towns are better, but SJ drivers are just awful IMO!

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Yes there is, and I was surprised to discover South Bay drivers are WORSE than SF drivers! I just moved to San Jose from SF, and expected SJ to be more laid-back... turns out they drive faster, tailgate like crazy, and are extremely road-ragey/aggressive. And this is coming from a city driver, who's had 4 speeding tickets in the last 4 years - so it's not as though I drive like a grandma. Anyway, just thought I'd throw that in for the OP. Maybe the other South Bay towns are better, but SJ drivers are just awful IMO!

It gets worse the further south you go towards Gilroy/Hollister.. and the frequency of massive lifted pickup trucks increases too.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by EvilCookie

With all that in mind, which areas should we be looking at? We're thinking Sunnyvale, Mountain View, or Palo Alto, but I'd like recommendations of some specific areas to consider, or to stay away from. Are there any areas with a nice park AND mall or shopping center? (I need my retail therapy )

As the others have said, shopping is plentiful in any Bay Area suburb... you'll have strip malls & traditional malls everywhere, with anything you could ever need to buy! The best non-chain shopping is probably in Mountain View (Castro St), Palo Alto (University Ave), and some of the smaller towns like Los Gatos or Saratoga. The big malls are basically in San Jose, Cupertino, Milpitas, and Palo Alto/Stanford.

I think you're on the right track, and all of the towns you mentioned are great... they don't really have "bad areas," but Mtn View gets a little less desirable around Rengstorff and California Ave., with the Castro St. neighborhood being the nicest. My sister & mother both lived in MV for years, and now my sister & her family are in Sunnyvale (near Hollenbeck Ave) - they love it there, and it's a great place for their kids. They have a 3.5 year-old girl & 18 month-old boy, FYI.

- What kind of kids activities are there to do around the area? How difficult is it to get to SF on the weekends? We'd like to be able to go into the city on a weekend to walk around, but seems that traffic/parking is really crazy?

You can take CalTrain to SF, or drive there in about 40-50 minutes... and yes, traffic and the drivers here are a bit crazy. You'll get used to it, though, and learn the best routes & times for driving. One tip is to take 280 whenever possible, as it's the least congested and most enjoyable.

As for activities, it all depends on what you like! We have just about everything here, from outdoor activities to museums, shopping and fine dining. Plenty of kid-friendly activities too, like the parks, bike trails, street/cultural fairs, and various sporting events.

- just in general, what are the Sunnyvale/MT areas like? Do people actually walk around the downtowns? What do families do on weekends, do most go to the city? I'd just like to get a general feel for the flow of life there...

It's a pretty laid-back area (aside from our driving style), and since the weather is nearly perfect, people do love to be outside... you'll see folks around the downtown areas on weekends, getting frozen yogurt or just strolling with their kids/dogs/etc. Biking is also popular here, so the trails along the outskirts are always busy on weekends. Like any other American towns, I suppose.

I don't have kids myself, so I usually spend my days off with the pooch - we frequent the local dog parks, go shopping in the outdoor malls, and then I hang out with friends (or at home) in the evenings. Since I just moved here from SF, I don't bother going back there on weekends... but many people do, usually for sporting events or the nightlife. The beach is another popular activity, and only a short drive from most South Bay towns. I miss being NEXT to the beach, though.

Good luck, and I do suggest visiting before settling on a neighborhood!