Suburban/Urban San Jose? (Santa Cruz, Campbell: apartments, home, nightlife)

[Navlop]

My husband and I are in our late 20's mid 30's no kids and have a med sized dog (bulldog). We are both city dwellers, I grew up in Seattle and He grew up in NYC, but over the last year have moved into the suburbs and have enjoyed life so far. We are wondering if there any areas of San Jose that would give us both access to suburban and city life?

We'd love to have a yard for our dog, and also have access to park for walks and biking etc. But we also like to be in close proximity to resturants, cafes nightlife etc. After reading a few posts sounds like Willow Glen or even Los Gatos or Campbell are good locations...anyone have any other suggestions? We are hoping to find a small home versus an apartment, we might fall under the breed restriction list for most apartments with our harmless, slobbing, rather sleep all day bulldog....

Also I have heard traffic is HORRIBLE! Is it crazy to think that you could live in Santa Cruz and commute to San Jose? Living near the water would be great - but seems like you could spend 2 hours one way commuting...any insight on commuting and Santa Cruz would be great too!

Thanks!

[humboldtrat]

Hwy 17 between Santa Cruz and San Jose is a windy 4 lane road that goes over the Santa Cruz mountains (from sea level to over 2000 ft elevation, back down to sea level). The problem is that too many people speed above the posted 50 mph limit (even at night or in the rain or fog). There is some cross traffic in places near the summit and there is only a concrete barrier between the opposing lanes. The highway has some truck traffic which goes slow going up the hill slowing things down a bit. It takes a lot less than 2 hours to drive one way between San Jose and Santa Cruz - maybe 45 min depending on traffic.

Other than that, Santa Cruz is a nice place to live.

[sonarrat]

I would say stick to the north side of 17, like Los Gatos and Campbell. Campbell in particular almost feels more urban than suburban, with its many shopping strips and small office buildings intermixed with apartments and residential neighborhoods.