Moving to Cambrian area in San Jose, need advice! (Cupertino: middle-class, real estate)

[Rgon]

Hi All, we are moving from the Mid-west to the San Jose area next month. Considering a property in the Cambrian area in San Jose, right off S. Bascom Ave (south of Camden), in the Cambrian School district, very near the Farnham elementary school. I have no idea about whether it is a decent neighborhood to
raise kids. Unlike some other parts of San Jose, doesn't seem there is much Asian population here. The schools (Farnham elementary, Price middle, Leigh High) seem to have decent API scores, but not anyway near the Union or Almaden school districts. Do I take the leap? Advice or insights from people from the area much appreciated!

[annsj124]

We live in this area and we're asian. It's true that there is not much asian in this area. There is some, not much. The demographic is 50% white, 25% latino & 15% asian. But given the crazy house market, that may change.

If you like to see lot of asian (like 1st gen chinese or indian), this is not it. There are a lot of families here with kids, including us. We don't have any problem raising kids here. Some people may think otherwise.

Is there any reason you're looking at this area and not Almaden (definitly more Chinese there)? Do you have any specific concern?

[Rgon]

Hi Annsj124, thanks a lot for your reply and insights! Almaden was just too expensive for me. Great to know that you feel it is a good place to raise kids. We are not necessarily hung on sticking to areas inundated with Asians (with the same academic rat race mentality that I grew up with in Asia), perhaps prefer a well rounded schooling experience for the kids. But as any parent, of course would want to make sure that there is a good schooling system where they can have a shot at going to a good college. Are there kids activities like music, sports coaching, parks, etc? Are Price Middle school and Farnham Elementary considered to be good schools? Do Asian kids tend to get segregated or bullied being a minority amongst Whites and Latinos in this neighborhood and schools or is the interaction pretty diverse and balanced?

[annsj124]

I think Farnham is a fine school and teachers are fabulous. They seem pretty organized. Many parents are involved and volunteer at school. I haven't experienced bullied (not yet). I don't think the Asian kids here are bullied target at all. It may be in mid-west but not here, not in Silicon Valley. One of my kids is doing well at school and she is somewhat popular among her classmates.

School does provides activities like music (once a week), art vista (once a month) and track-pack (2-3 times a week -- my popular one loves this). Really, its not a lot, but we're not concerned either. You can always provide all the extra things on top of what school can provide.

I dont have 1st hand experience with Price but my neighbor and their kids said they like it a lot. Many of them are actively involved in sports (not sure if its directly with school or outside org). I've been told by 2-3 different people that Price is a good school.

IMO the schools here (like Leigh) should be good enough to provide good education and resouces you need to get to good college. Especially if parents are also involved and are on top of things. Our kids may not have that kind of high pressure from their peers (its MIT or bust!), so it is up to us to make sure they're motivated.

We do have a very big and really nice neighborhood park (Hogue). If you live near Farnham, you can walk there. Lots of kids walk & bike in the neighborhood. We're also close the Los Gatos Bike trail. There are several private Swimming/Tennis clubs & program in the area, as well as gymnastic schools, music schools. There is even a Chinese after school nearby (LOL).

All these are nothing special but what I want to say is... we've got mostly everything we need. Oh wait! no good chinese food! For that you have to drive 5 miles to Cupertino. Good thing we have easy access to the highways...

Hope this helps and good luck with your decision. If you land here or need any more guidance, drop me a note.

[Rgon]

Thanks a lot annsj124. Feel much more assured now!

[Local123]

That makes me sad to here that Cambrian is "nothing special" from a person in our neighborhood. I absolutely feel the Cambrian community is very special and we are a very tight knit group. We have gotten to know neighbors, families from school, sports etc. that have become very important to us. You cannot go anywhere without running into someone you know. Community is about building relationships not trying to compete with every neighboring community around you and feeling like you are settling by staying in a community that is just good enough. I do not want our area to become about status and competition like so many others have.

[annsj124]

Local123.

I was wondering where you were when OP posted the question. Anyway, I just want to say that we're not settling here. We are not here just because of financial constraint. We could move to Almaden/Cupertino/whatever if we really want but we chose not to for many reasons. We stay here also because we like it here. Like I said, Cambrian is a quite little place. Nothing fancy. Middle to upper middle class. Good mix of races and demographic. It relatively quiet and peaceful. Even many peaple on this forum think it's boring. You think it is special and that is great.

It's true that most people here are tightknit (that's why I mentioned about school & volunteering). Thank you for adding more on that aspect. I just tried to give OP realistic picture. No suger coat. I understand the asian expectations (I presume he/she is) so I look at it from that point of view. Sorry if this make you feel sad...

[imcurious]

I think the area can best be depicted as middle class and non-pretentious. If you are status-seeking and/or snobby, it will probably not be a good fit. It is very casual and down-to-earth - not fancy.

[Local123]

Thanks for coming back and clarifying what you meant. I will say that housing in 95124 is more expensive per sq ft than 95125 or 95008 so we hold our own in real estate value and it's only going up. And the price per sq ft in Almaden is 476/per sf ft and it's 490/per sq ft in 95124 so we are actually more expensive per sq ft than the "affluent" area of Almaden.

Those are the stats from Nov-Feb 2014.

[bobby_guz_man]

The smaller the house, the more expensive the $/sqft. Cambrian housing stock tends to have more smaller homes than Almaden, thus Cambrian homes have mor expensive $/sqft. But if you look at total price, Almaden will beat out Cambrian.

Both areas are pricey and great areas to live. Cambrian may used to be middle-class, but it certainly is more upper-middle-class at this moment.