U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > San Jose
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 07-26-2013, 08:03 AM
 
Location: Melbourne, Australia
8 posts, read 26,692 times
Reputation: 11

Advertisements

I'm going to be moving from Melbourne Australia to work in Menlo Park. I was curious as to which areas I should be looking at living in (and areas I should avoid). It's just me living by myself - No partner or family. I don't drive, so an area with good walkability and close to transit (including the Caltrain and/or Facebook shuttles) would be best. I've been looking at Mountain View which seems like a nice area. A small studio apartment would be fine for me, I'd rather live by myself than with roommates.

I hear it's weird to not have a drivers license in America, but I've always used public transport here in Australia and never had a reason to learn. I'll definitely learn once I'm in the USA though. We need 120 hours of practice to get a license here and I've just never had the time to do that.

(cross-posted from the California forum)
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 07-26-2013, 11:36 AM
 
Location: Paranoid State
13,044 posts, read 12,946,881 times
Reputation: 15828
I suggest you live in Menlo Park & walk to work.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-26-2013, 11:42 AM
 
Location: Madison, WI
1,044 posts, read 2,646,406 times
Reputation: 978
Quote:
Originally Posted by SportyandMisty View Post
I suggest you live in Menlo Park & walk to work.
Or maybe Palo Alto (nicer downtown) and bike to work.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-26-2013, 01:19 PM
 
Location: the illegal immigrant state
767 posts, read 1,662,286 times
Reputation: 1057
i suggest you avoid any part of menlo park in close proximity to east palo alto, epa being historically and presently violent. i just read in the san jose mercury news today- second daylight shooting in less than a week.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-26-2013, 03:46 PM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
6,762 posts, read 8,354,761 times
Reputation: 5120
OP, you have said nothing about your budget. What are you expecting to spend on an apartment? Menlo Park is slightly more expensive than Mountain View. MV has a nice downtown. You can be close to the train station.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-28-2013, 01:16 AM
 
Location: Melbourne, Australia
8 posts, read 26,692 times
Reputation: 11
I'm going to be working at Facebook who I believe are located close to East Palo Alto, so I don't think within walking distance is doable given I've only heard bad things about East Palo Alto :P

Somewhere that's safe enough to walk around at night would be nice. What's it like in Mountain View?

What about Sunnyvale? It seems a bit cheaper than Mountain View and Facebook have a shuttle stop in the area.

Quote:
OP, you have said nothing about your budget. What are you expecting to spend on an apartment?
Well, I'm currently on a $60K salary in Australia and pay $280 per week ($1217 per month) for a nice two-bedroom unit. When I move I'll be on a $106K salary. So I guess less than $2000 per month? Not too sure what I should be aiming for, to be honest.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-28-2013, 01:18 AM
 
Location: State of Transition
98,602 posts, read 97,065,954 times
Reputation: 109955
Menlo Park's a good place to live for a job in Menlo Park...
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-02-2013, 01:54 PM
 
Location: In the Redwoods
29,998 posts, read 49,927,613 times
Reputation: 22638
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daniel15 View Post
I'm going to be working at Facebook who I believe are located close to East Palo Alto, so I don't think within walking distance is doable given I've only heard bad things about East Palo Alto :P

Somewhere that's safe enough to walk around at night would be nice. What's it like in Mountain View?

What about Sunnyvale? It seems a bit cheaper than Mountain View and Facebook have a shuttle stop in the area.

Well, I'm currently on a $60K salary in Australia and pay $280 per week ($1217 per month) for a nice two-bedroom unit. When I move I'll be on a $106K salary. So I guess less than $2000 per month? Not too sure what I should be aiming for, to be honest.
Meh... I lived in EPA for a few years, and survived just fine. And I'm a young-ish woman, no less. But with that budget you can probably find something in Mountain View (Menlo Park less likely), so there's no reason to head east! MV is a really nice little town, and slightly less expensive than Palo Alto. I assume you're single, no children, and possibly on the younger side? If so, Sunnyvale and Menlo Park will be a tad boring for you - very family-oriented, and at least in the case of Sunnyvale, I'd call it generic suburban sprawl. MV is my vote for you, and for me too if I could afford it.

P.S. If you find a place somewhat near CalTrain and get a bike, you won't really even have to worry about driving. I know plenty of people who do that, and they get around without too much trouble.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-03-2013, 08:28 AM
 
Location: Melbourne, Australia
8 posts, read 26,692 times
Reputation: 11
Quote:
I assume you're single, no children, and possibly on the younger side?
Single, no children, 23 years old. I'll keep an eye on places in Mountain View
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-06-2013, 08:50 PM
 
12,823 posts, read 23,140,110 times
Reputation: 11002
Why is there a post about MPK here in this forum? It is in the "North Bay" / SF-OAK MSA. /sarc.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > San Jose

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2023, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top