Rank the downtowns in Silicon Valley. (San Jose, Oakland: homes, landscaping, subdivisions)

[Seahawksfan33]

From best to worst:

1. Downtown Palo Alto (if this is considered as being a part of Silicon Valley)-I was very astonished by it. There was a lot to see and do over there, and so many amazing restaurants. It's also very aesthetic.
2. Downtown Los Gatos-Mainly due to how aesthetic it is.
3. Downtown Saratoga-A bit on the small side, however.
4. Downtown Cupertino
5. Downtown San Jose-Why do so many people rave about this downtown? It really isn't anything astonishing for a city that has over one million people living in it.
6. Downtown Los Altos
7. Downtown Santa Clara
8. Downtown Mountain View
9. Downtown Gilroy
10. Downtown Campbell
11. Downtown Morgan Hill
12. Downtown Sunnyvale-It's very telling when even the residents who are stuck living there talk don't talk positively about it. I have yet to find anything redeeming about it.

[Perma Bear]

Originally Posted by Seahawksfan33

From best to worst:

1. Downtown Palo Alto (if this is considered as being a part of Silicon Valley)-I was very astonished by it. There was a lot to see and do over there, and so many amazing restaurants. It's also very aesthetic.
2. Downtown Los Gatos-Mainly due to how aesthetic it is.
3. Downtown Saratoga-A bit on the small side, however.
4. Downtown Cupertino
5. Downtown San Jose-Why do so many people rave about this downtown? It really isn't anything astonishing for a city that has over one million people living in it.
6. Downtown Los Altos
7. Downtown Santa Clara
8. Downtown Gilroy
9. Downtown Campbell
10. Downtown Morgan Hill
11. Downtown Sunnyvale-It's very telling when even the residents who are stuck living there talk don't talk positively about it. I have yet to find anything redeeming about it.

Why is Morgan hill and gilroy included but not mountain view?

[Seahawksfan33]

Originally Posted by Perma Bear

Why is Morgan hill and gilroy included but not mountain view?

I fixed it.

[the topper]

Originally Posted by Seahawksfan33

From best to worst:

1. Downtown Palo Alto (if this is considered as being a part of Silicon Valley)-I was very astonished by it. There was a lot to see and do over there, and so many amazing restaurants. It's also very aesthetic.
2. Downtown Los Gatos-Mainly due to how aesthetic it is.
3. Downtown Saratoga-A bit on the small side, however.
4. Downtown Cupertino
5. Downtown San Jose-Why do so many people rave about this downtown? It really isn't anything astonishing for a city that has over one million people living in it.
6. Downtown Los Altos
7. Downtown Santa Clara
8. Downtown Mountain View
9. Downtown Gilroy
10. Downtown Campbell
11. Downtown Morgan Hill
12. Downtown Sunnyvale-It's very telling when even the residents who are stuck living there talk don't talk positively about it. I have yet to find anything redeeming about it.

What do you mean so many people rave about Downtown SJ? I don't hear that.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

None of them really have a downtown. Not in the traditional sense. Most were just little farm towns that got swallowed up with the growth in the area. So, there might be little downtown areas with a few cool old buildings, but none of them were large thriving cities, ever, including San Jose.

So, they're all really disappointing for anyone looking for the type of downtown that is in a city, where the downtown core goes on for many blocks in all directions.

The Silicon Valley towns have downtown areas that might be a block or two square at the very most. They're all really just subdivisions that might happen to have a more interesting tiny core area with older buildings.

Santa Clara's old downtown, for instance, was for the most part torn down and replaced with newer buildings. So, there is a small part of town that has older Victorian homes in an area, that's also mixed with newer buildings, and that's it.

None of them are like Oakland or SF, etc.

[cardinal2007]

Originally Posted by Seahawksfan33

From best to worst:

1. Downtown Palo Alto (if this is considered as being a part of Silicon Valley)-I was very astonished by it. There was a lot to see and do over there, and so many amazing restaurants. It's also very aesthetic.
2. Downtown Los Gatos-Mainly due to how aesthetic it is.
3. Downtown Saratoga-A bit on the small side, however.
4. Downtown Cupertino
5. Downtown San Jose-Why do so many people rave about this downtown? It really isn't anything astonishing for a city that has over one million people living in it.
6. Downtown Los Altos
7. Downtown Santa Clara
8. Downtown Mountain View
9. Downtown Gilroy
10. Downtown Campbell
11. Downtown Morgan Hill
12. Downtown Sunnyvale-It's very telling when even the residents who are stuck living there talk don't talk positively about it. I have yet to find anything redeeming about it.

I find it hard to believe that you listed downtown Cupertino or downtown Santa Clara above downtown San Jose, downtown Campbell or downtown Mountain View, because Cupertino and Santa Clara don't have a downtown, whereas downtown San Jose, downtown Campbell and downtown Mountain View actually exist. Cupertino wasn't even a town until the suburban boon, and Santa Clara tore down their entire downtown in favor for a tiny outdoor mall.

Why don't you tell me how great downtown Foster City, downtown Fremont, and downtown Milpitas, downtown Monte Sereno, and downtown Los Altos Hills are, I'm sure you'll rank them high.

I personally will always rank things that exist over things that don't exist like downtown Cupertino.

[cardinal2007]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

None of them really have a downtown. Not in the traditional sense. Most were just little farm towns that got swallowed up with the growth in the area. So, there might be little downtown areas with a few cool old buildings, but none of them were large thriving cities, ever, including San Jose.

So, they're all really disappointing for anyone looking for the type of downtown that is in a city, where the downtown core goes on for many blocks in all directions.

The Silicon Valley towns have downtown areas that might be a block or two square at the very most. They're all really just subdivisions that might happen to have a more interesting tiny core area with older buildings.

Santa Clara's old downtown, for instance, was for the most part torn down and replaced with newer buildings. So, there is a small part of town that has older Victorian homes in an area, that's also mixed with newer buildings, and that's it.

None of them are like Oakland or SF, etc.

This is actually very inaccurate, even downtown Campbell that is pretty small is more than 2 blocks. I think you're probably only right if you're describing downtown Sunnyvale which was mostly torn down for a mall, leaving only one block of Murphy St.

Downtown Santa Clara is not a good example because it doesn't exist anymore, it was torn down in favor of a small outdoor mall called Franklin Mall.

[Moddedintegra56]

an actual traditional downtown, then none on those list qualify except san jose. as someone said, downtown in a "traditional" sense. none of those qualify again except san jose. why does it get raved? well again because its the next traditional downtown there is to SF and Oakland. But in comparison to SF and oakland, it lags behind.. for being a city that IS BIGGER than SF and oakland.

the other cities you named, those dont even compare to sf, oak, sj downtowns. big city downtowns are just on another level compared to those little strips of restaurants and such.

[Perma Bear]

Originally Posted by cardinal2007

This is actually very inaccurate, even downtown Campbell that is pretty small is more than 2 blocks. I think you're probably only right if you're describing downtown Sunnyvale which was mostly torn down for a mall, leaving only one block of Murphy St.

Downtown Santa Clara is not a good example because it doesn't exist anymore, it was torn down in favor of a small outdoor mall called Franklin Mall.

Franklin mall and the surrounding area is pretty much the best you'll get for a "downtown" there's Santa Clara was built as middle class suburbs, not housing for yuppie urban techies.

[fashionguy]

1. Downtown Palo Alto (Hands down the best in the Valley. Where else can you find a downtown here that has the mix of Michelin star restaurants, blue bottle coffee, furniture stores from Restoration Hardware to Rejuvenation, clothing, and Apple store, etc.? Plus it is only short walk to Stanford Shopping Center which has a wide range of big national retailers if that is what you are looking for. Granted the scale is not comparable to SF but its street level is almost like a mini Union Square only with shorter buildings, better landscaping and fewer homeless people). Even in the entire Bay area, the only place outside SF where you can find similar variety (but less high end) is probably downtown Walnut Creek, which is outside silicon valley.)

2. Downtown Los Altos (Similar style to Palo Alto but catered to an older demographic with fewer stores).

3. Downtown Los Gatos (Similar to Los Altos)

3. Downtown Mountain View (The opposite of downtown Los Altos. Less high end or lifestyle focus, catered to young people, mostly consisting of restaurants)

4. Downtown San Jose (Used to be mostly lower end and more sparse, but recently getting better and better especially in the San Pedro square area).

5. Main Street Cupertino (This is fairly new but is getting more and more stores)

6. Downtown Saratoga

The rest.

Originally Posted by Seahawksfan33

From best to worst:

1. Downtown Palo Alto (if this is considered as being a part of Silicon Valley)-I was very astonished by it. There was a lot to see and do over there, and so many amazing restaurants. It's also very aesthetic.
2. Downtown Los Gatos-Mainly due to how aesthetic it is.
3. Downtown Saratoga-A bit on the small side, however.
4. Downtown Cupertino
5. Downtown San Jose-Why do so many people rave about this downtown? It really isn't anything astonishing for a city that has over one million people living in it.
6. Downtown Los Altos
7. Downtown Santa Clara
8. Downtown Mountain View
9. Downtown Gilroy
10. Downtown Campbell
11. Downtown Morgan Hill
12. Downtown Sunnyvale-It's very telling when even the residents who are stuck living there talk don't talk positively about it. I have yet to find anything redeeming about it.