What is a nice/safe area in SJ to live in? (San Jose: apartment complexes, rent)

[sriratana]

I have a job opportunity on 1st street north area in san jose. And I've been reading multiple threads and decided to post a thread to personalized recommendations for neighborhood.

I will have a car and my criteria for looking is:
-safety is most important
-studio/1bedroom (I don't mind smaller spaces, and prob. not looking to stay for longer than a year)
-less than $1200
-area with some character/not boring/not cookie-cutter (a friend recommended Rose Garden)

I'm from Austin (love it here for the vintage feel and organic foods) and lived in NYC before and really love its arts culture and great food. I'm given a choice with my work here in Austin to be in San Jose, I was very excited due to opportunities in tech and the proximity to beaches. But now I'm not so sure if I should move because of how much more expensive it will be and given SJ sounds more like a workaholic city. I have thought about commuting from SF but it seems too inconvenient.

I have never been to SJ and I would gladly appreciate the help.

[zombocom]

Why not rent a place in downtown San Jose?

If your work is right off of 1st street, it'll be a straight shot on light rail, too.

[sonarrat]

The beaches are rather cold, being on the chilly Pacific. Don't expect Gulf-like temps. The number of weekends that you can realistically enjoy "beach weather" is limited, and all of the roads leading out to the coast get gridlocked on those days.

If that doesn't deter you, I suggest Willow Glen, trying to stay west of Bird Ave. You should find that there is a nice kinship to Austin. Not everyone is a tech hamster spinning away in his wheel, either; we have a pretty diverse economy here.

[bigdumbgod]

Downtown SJ. Easy Light Rail ride to work, get to play in the city at night.

[sriratana]

Thanks everyone for the suggestion. I'm also interested in downtown, but I heard that there are some homeless. Would it be dangerous at night?

[sonarrat]

Downtown is more dominated by SJSU students, so it's noisy, but relatively safe. The homeless are a presence in the area around St. James Park, but are not as numerous or aggressive as in San Francisco.

[thetrb]

You're right that SJ is much more expensive than Austin. So if your job choice is with the same salary then I would recommend to stay in Austin. Not saying that SJ is not a good place to live, but going from a relatively easy financial lifestyle to one where your finances are much tighter is not something I'd recommend.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by thetrb

You're right that SJ is much more expensive than Austin. So if your job choice is with the same salary then I would recommend to stay in Austin. Not saying that SJ is not a good place to live, but going from a relatively easy financial lifestyle to one where your finances are much tighter is not something I'd recommend.

One would figure the SJ salary to exceed the Austin one, rather substantially.

[Local123]

Downtown, Rose Garden and Willow Glen are great places to look. As far as being a workaholic city I don't find that this is an issue. Work hard/Play Hard more like it. The dining, farmers market, hiking, biking etc. scenes are very active. Just a quick look it seems unless you rent a room Willow Glen is out of your price range but I found this in the Rose Garden

COMING SOON! One Bedroom One Bath Apartment - Rose Garden Location!

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by sriratana

Thanks everyone for the suggestion. I'm also interested in downtown, but I heard that there are some homeless. Would it be dangerous at night?

I live downtown. I know all about the homeless. They can be annoying but are really more of a nuisance than dangerous. It really depends on your tolerance level. For me, I live and work downtown and not having to drive to work trumps everything else. You definitely will want to keep your commute as short as possible. Your quality of life will be soooooo much better. I promise.

I suggest living either downtown or just north of downtown. There are numerous older apartment buildings with character just north of downtown (sometimes called Japantown) along 1st street and adjacent blocks. You do have to pick & choose your spots, though. St. James Park in downtown SJ, for instance, while not dangerous, is a giant outdoor homeless shelter (depressing). So even though the apartments right across the street from the park are nice, I can see why someone would not want to live there. A block or two further north, and the homeless shouldn't be a problem (to the best of my knowledge). It really pays to walk around the neighborhood before you look at a place. And by the way, this also extends to "nice" neighborhoods like Willow Glen & Rosegarden. While these neighborhoods have some beautiful single family homes, they have some dumpy areas, and there are definitely a fair number of dumpy and overpriced apartment complexes in these areas, so don't just assume the "brand name" of Willow Glen or Rosegarden is automatically worth it.