Santa Cruz vs San Jose (Santa Clara, Palo Alto: houses, job market, neighbourhoods)

[imcurious]

Los Gatos and Campbell are "nice," but that really is a different feel - traffic, hot weather (Scotts Valley is also warm) . . . I've lived on both sides of the hill and would never want to go back to Los Gatos/Campbell/San Jose . . . that life is really "the rat race," and not in a good way. There are nice areas but way too much suburbia and cookie-cutter mall stuff.

[zombocom]

Originally Posted by imcurious

Los Gatos and Campbell are "nice," but that really is a different feel - traffic, hot weather (Scotts Valley is also warm) . . . I've lived on both sides of the hill and would never want to go back to Los Gatos/Campbell/San Jose . . . that life is really "the rat race," and not in a good way. There are nice areas but way too much suburbia and cookie-cutter mall stuff.

The weather is usually not hot, it's usually in the 70's - but yes, warmer than along the coast, but so is Scott's Valley. As for traffic, I hate to say it, but Santa Cruz is pretty bad these days (and if you want to avoid traffic, 2 hours commuting is probably not the way to do it).

The rat race - well, that'll happen to you if you live in Santa Cruz or San Jose - I think that has more to do with your job and personality than anything else.

Like I said, I think the OP should probably find a rental, and figure things out for herself. I used to commute from Aptos, and am now much happier with all the time I have, and to me, there are nice places on both sides of the hill.

However, I think the OP will like Scotts Valley, it might provide a good trade off. Although, it won't provide much in the way of walkability... California is car central, and there are limited exceptions.

[oana.rocka]

I appreciate your replies. I read somewhere that because we don't have a credit history might be hard to rent something... Is this really an issues. I cant imagine that all the foreigners working in SV had problems or difficulties renting.
And a bit off topic, can anyone recommend a good car dealer for used cars in the area? We might buy something used at the beginning.

[zombocom]

You can do other stuff - pay a larger deposit, get a letter from your husband's employer that states his salary, find a place that is month to month, rather than long term leases...

[tilz]

So we moved from the UK and getting a place to rent wasn't too bad, we had to give a full months rent though instead of the usual $500, so just make sure you have $$ saved to do that. Also had to do a lot of the documents from the Uk so as said letters from bank etc etc also had to get them notarised in the Uk which was a joke like $100 a go !! not like the $10 you pay here

Expect to pay $2250 + for a 2 bed apartment and well anything from $3000-$5000 for a nice house in a nice area. We went for a 2 bed apartment ;-)

[Local123]

San Jose is has many great communities with Almaden being one of them so I would start there. You might also consider Willow Glen, Rose Garden and Cambrian. We love the ocean too and do weekend trips over the hill to Santa Cruz which is enough for us. Stay on the side of the hill where you/your husband will be working. That is my advice. Good luck and San Jose and the surrounding cities (save some parts which all big cities have) are very safe so you shouldn't worry about that. I have lived here for nearly 38 years and never been a victim of a crime.

[Local123]

FWIW San Jose has some of the best weather in the nation so don't worry about it being too hot. It's really pretty mild most of the time.

[orzo]

Originally Posted by zombocom

The weather is usually not hot, it's usually in the 70's - but yes, warmer than along the coast, but so is Scott's Valley. As for traffic, I hate to say it, but Santa Cruz is pretty bad these days (and if you want to avoid traffic, 2 hours commuting is probably not the way to do it).

The rat race - well, that'll happen to you if you live in Santa Cruz or San Jose - I think that has more to do with your job and personality than anything else.

Like I said, I think the OP should probably find a rental, and figure things out for herself. I used to commute from Aptos, and am now much happier with all the time I have, and to me, there are nice places on both sides of the hill.

However, I think the OP will like Scotts Valley, it might provide a good trade off. Although, it won't provide much in the way of walkability... California is car central, and there are limited exceptions.

But parts of Santa Cruz or somewhere like Downtown Campbell are walkable.

[zitsky]

There are some nice, compact cities on the peninsula but I'm not sure if they are convenient for the OP's husband. I'm thinking of Palo Alto and Mountain View in particular. It's certainly not ocean but both cities have access to a park by San Francisco Bay. I lived in Mountain View which has a terrific downtown with many restaurants, several banks, coffee shops and a bookstore as well as a performing arts center which brings in some big entertainers. I lived in Chicago for several years before moving to the Bay Area. I found Mountain View nice for a small town.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Santa Cruz is fantastic! My daughter lived there for years and commuted to San Jose. She hated the commute, but loved coming home in time to go to the beach to have a beer while watching the sunset.

It's as safe an area as anywhere else in the state, really. I think the area right around the Boardwalk can be sketchy, otherwise it's really nice. I'd move there in a heartbeat if I could afford to :-)

She ended up buying in Salinas because she could afford it - and she had a job in Monterey. But, even at age 34, she hopes to end up retiring in Santa Cruz. That should say something.