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I'm not sure I agree with the original comments about Almaden. We've lived in Saratoga and Los Gatos but moved two years ago to Almaden because we wanted to be around families. In the 10 years I've been in CA, Almaden is the most family friendly place we've ever lived and we couldn't be happier. Also, the public schools are pretty good.
My husband and I are thinking of moving back to the Bay Area where we both grew up, but we have yet to come up with an area or neighborhood that would be a good fit for us.
We are a young caucasian family -- my husband (30), me (29), and our 9 month old daughter. We plan on having at least one, probably two, more children in the next five years. I am currently a stay at home mom and my husband has flexibility in where he works. Ideally, we would like to live where there are tons of young families. We would be looking for a house in the $800k-1mil price range.
I grew up in Almaden Valley and at that time there were lots of young families, but now that it is more established there are lots of older families and empty nesters. You know what I mean? We are looking for something like how Almaden Valley was 30 years ago -- newer homes, neighborhood pools, lots of kids.
We were thinking maybe Pleasanton or Walnut Creek? Scotts Valley? Pacifica?
Any ideas would be great. Good schools would be nice but we may go the private school route anyway so less than perfect test scores isn't a deal breaker.
If we can't find an area in the Bay Area, we may just go into Sacramento where there are tons of young neighborhoods (and cheap really nice houses!), but the heat in Sacramento, oh how I would hate the heat!
Thank you!
You might be able to find some semi-decent areas in the Bay Area in your price range, but they're likely going to be on the outskirts or may need some work. If you don't have children then you won't be forced to pay for an area based on school district, which would likely push you out of your range. If you choose a nicer house further from your work place you will dread the commute - I did it for 10 years and will never do it again.
My wife and I are also considering moving back to CA (where we grew up) so our daughter can be closer to family. But we're choosing to avoid the Bay Area this time around and will likely be looking in the Roseville/Granite Bay area (NE of Sacramento) - which will keep us within a 2 hour drive of most of our family in the Bay Area, as well as some weekend trips to all of the great destinations in NorCal. You get more for your money, you're not forced to commute in all that traffic, and most importantly, you're out of the rat race but close enough to visit all the good stuff on the weekend.
We were considering the Walnut Creek/Pleasanton areas but found that we'd be forced to drive into the areas with a lot of traffic on more occasions than we'd like. We didn't want to have to live that far away from all of the shopping, dining, amenities and conveniences. Not to mention the prices were through the roof for any decent 4br/2ba with a nice size yard in an appealing neighborhood. We didn't like the idea of buying a $800-900k home and having to dump another $100k into it to bring it up to our standards.
Last edited by Ludachris; 08-13-2008 at 12:12 PM..
... If you choose a nicer house further from your work place you will dread the commute - I did it for 10 years and will never do it again.
Yes, once you have been there and done that, then lived out of state you really have no desire to come back to that kind of commute again.
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My wife and I are also considering moving back to CA (where we grew up) so our daughter can be closer to family. But we're choosing to avoid the Bay Area this time around and will likely be looking in the Roseville/Granite Bay area (NE of Sacramento) - which will keep us within a 2 hour drive of most of our family in the Bay Area, as well as some weekend trips to all of the great destinations in NorCal. You get more for your money, you're not forced to commute in all that traffic, and most importantly, you're out of the rat race but close enough to visit all the good stuff on the weekend.
I have heard mixed reviews on that NE area of Sac. Some seem to love it, some hate it. But I guess that is like most places. There was a thread on here a while back regarding Roseville. We do have friends up that way who grew up there and still seem to like it. I went to a wedding in Grass Valley and the area seemed really nice. I don't know if one could avoid commuting into Sac though living out there. It didn't seem like there were a lot of companies further up the 80 once one gets away from the Sac. Although Roseville/Granite Bay may be close enough in access to decent jobs.
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We were considering the Walnut Creek/Pleasanton areas but found that we'd be forced to drive into the areas with a lot of traffic on more occasions than we'd like. We didn't want to have to live that far away from all of the shopping, dining, amenities and conveniences. Not to mention the prices were through the roof for any decent 4br/2ba with a nice size yard in an appealing neighborhood. We didn't like the idea of buying a $800-900k home and having to dump another $100k into it to bring it up to our standards.
Yeah, I know what you mean. $800-900K for a 1950/60 fixer does not seem too appealing especially after living in CO. But there are other options along the N. Cal. coast. There are a lot of foreclosures hitting the market combined with the monthly falling prices. Check out this city by city breakdown - Annual Price Change by City.
Yes, once you have been there and done that, then lived out of state you really have no desire to come back to that kind of commute again.
I have heard mixed reviews on that NE area of Sac. Some seem to love it, some hate it. But I guess that is like most places. There was a thread on here a while back regarding Roseville. We do have friends up that way who grew up there and still seem to like it. I went to a wedding in Grass Valley and the area seemed really nice. I don't know if one could avoid commuting into Sac though living out there. It didn't seem like there were a lot of companies further up the 80 once one gets away from the Sac. Although Roseville/Granite Bay may be close enough in access to decent jobs.
Yeah, I know what you mean. $800-900K for a 1950/60 fixer does not seem too appealing especially after living in CO. But there are other options along the N. Cal. coast. There are a lot of foreclosures hitting the market combined with the monthly falling prices. Check out this city by city breakdown - Annual Price Change by City.
For us, Roseville/Granite Bay works because Roseville has all of the amenities/conveniences we'd want without having to go into Sacramento. And if we had to, it's not a long drive if you avoid rush hour traffic. I wouldn't be working in Sacramento so commuting isn't a concern. I also like being centrally located - 2 hours away from Tahoe one direction and any number of beaches the other direction.
We've also considered other areas but for our needs Roseville is at the top of our list at the moment. We've heard mixed reviews as well, but you have to take into consideration the situation each person is in who gives you their opinion. And all those with similar situations (and wants/needs) as ours tend to really like the Roseville area.
I'd prefer being closer to the SF area but it's a compromise we're willing to make to get exactly what we want. We're shooting for this being the last home we buy for quite a while, so we're really taking our time in order to make the best possible decision for our family.
It sounds like you have thought things out in terms of your other options. A lot also depends on the type of work you do and where you can find it unless retiring of course.
I look forward to hearing back from you when/if you guys move to Roseville.
We chose Monterey because I really wanted to live near the coast again 'and' I got a good job offer there. I like that I do not have to commute into SJ or SF. And while we won't end up owning a home as large or as new as we do now in CO the trade off for the location is worth it for us.
But we had considered the Sierra Foothills and NE Sac as well. The Sonoma area is nice also. But there was just not a lot of software engineering work up there which is what I do. I have family that live up there (Petaluma & Santa Rosa) and love the area though.
It sounds like you have thought things out in terms of your other options. A lot also depends on the type of work you do and where you can find it unless retiring of course.
I look forward to hearing back from you when/if you guys move to Roseville.
We chose Monterey because I really wanted to live near the coast again 'and' I got a good job offer there. I like that I do not have to commute into SJ or SF. And while we won't end up owning a home as large or as new as we do now in CO the trade off for the location is worth it for us.
But we had considered the Sierra Foothills and NE Sac as well. The Sonoma area is nice also. But there was just not a lot of software engineering work up there which is what I do. I have family that live up there (Petaluma & Santa Rosa) and love the area though.
Derek
Funny how we actually considered a lot of the same areas!
I think I'd prefer the hotter summers over the coastal fog of Monterey on a day to day basis. I'm a sunshine type of guy - though you've no doubt picked up on that by my other posts. My mom lives in Castroville and though I think it's beautiful down there, it's just a little too overcast too often for my taste. Can't argue with a good job offer though. I'm self employed so it doesn't really matter where we live.
Since the lifestyle is orders of magnitude better than what I could afford in the South Bay, I commute from South Pleasanton to Trimble everyday.
I leave at 7:30 in the morning going in, then around 4:30-5pm going home.
With the exception of Friday, the commute never takes longer than 50 mins each way; the morning is closer to 35-40 mins. Friday, I use an alternate route that takes about an hour. Fridays are what everyone associates with this drive. Fridays are legendary on the 680.
Livermore would probably add at least 20 mins. Yes, it's a nice little spot for a family, but too far of a commute unless you figure out a way to use public transportation (ACE and BART go through Pleasanton). I'd pick Dublin before Livermore from a commute perspective. Both cost less than Pleasanton.
The thing that is key is that you do not want to live where you have to use 580 as an artery. Going home, the 580 East is a far worse monster than the 680 north. Also, if you have to leave after 5pm, wait till 7pm.
In Livermore, there are 3 ways in from San Jose:
-84 East off the 680 - Road is very rural and the first 5 miles is pretty brutal
-680 north, to Sunol Blvd in Pleasanton, then cut through Pleasanton into Livermore via Vineyard. This way works, but it takes a while.
-680 North to 580 East. Easy when you look at it on a map, but very tiresome.
Alameda is a great family place, with good schools too!
Alameda has a wonderful sense of community. It is a beautiful and scenic island city with beautiful homes, tree-lined streets and long stretches of beaches/shoreline. There are tons of great parks, good shopping and a cute downtown. Very close to SF and many other places in the Bay Area.
I would guess the average home is around $700K or so.
You might also look around downtown, in the Shasta, Rose Garden, University Park, and St. Leos areas.
These neighborhoods are full of older homes from the turn of the century on up through the 50s and have some real gems. Being city lots most are on the small side, although not too much worse(sometimes even better) than a lot of modern developments, but these old houses have loads of charm, the neighborhoods are established, and many of the areas have been going through quite a renaissance in the last decade. As such, being unique and historic resources, these homes will hold their value too.
We really liked living near downtown in the St. Leos neighborhood, as we could walk to shows and events, and even though we were close to downtown didn't feel like we were via heavy traffic, etc.
There are loads of options though, from up in the SC mountains to out in Pleasant on. but I agree that if you need to commute to SJ for work, keep that in mind and do some research. Everyone's tolerance is different, but to me anything over an hour is just too much time out of my life with family.
I think if it were me, I'd love to have a neat old house in the Rose Garden area or live up in the mountains with a house that reminded one of hanging in the trees
Vacaville is a wonderful town that is close enough to SF and Sacramento. It's also only about 20 minutes from Davis. It has good schools and is very family oriented. For the price range you are looking at and the downturn in the housing market, you could get quite a good home with a fair amount of property.
Petaluma is a wonderful community in Sonoma County. It is a good community for families with an excellent school system as well as a good amount of alternative schools. It is close to the coast and has a cooler climate than most other inland locations.
Well, actually, for good school at all grade levels, you would have to live in the part of Vacaville zoned to Travis Unified, not Vacaville Unified. There is a price difference, but not much.
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Originally Posted by ky4444
I really like your suggestion about Livermore. Pleasanton is still pretty pricey, but I looked online at Livermore houses and it seems you can get quite a bit (relatively speaking) for your money.
What are the pros and cons of Livermore? Any idea how long the commute to San Jose would be?
Thank you!
In terms of "flexibility" in where to work, what do you mean? Can you husband take a job in the Tri-Valley or elsewhere in the Bay Area, or can he work from home?
I have heard that Mountain House is a very family-oriented community and has schools of comparable quality to Dublin. It is a new, master-planned community, completely built in the last five years or so. It has many neighborhood parks and each neighborhood is built around a school and park. There are also a lot of young families, leading to the formation of a Mother's Club.
Your husband can take the local commuter bus to Vasco ACE Station in Livermore to San Jose or the Hacienda Business Park in Pleasanton to avoid the stress of traffic. Homes are also VERY inexpensive compared to Livermore and Dublin, and you can get a lot for your money.
Of course, you could also consider Castro Valley, but it is not exactly like Almaden thirty years ago in the aspect of age, though it has excellent schools. San Ramon is very nice also. Newer neighborhoods and older neighborhoods, but excellent schools.
One thing to watch out for in Livermore are the public elementary and middle schools in the downtown area. They are not as good as the schools in South Livermore and may reflect the different demographics of the neighborhoods. Oddly enough, the city's high schools seem to perform fairly well despite this.
Last edited by tennis368fan; 09-15-2008 at 09:36 PM..
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But there are other options along the N. Cal. coast. There are a lot of foreclosures hitting the market combined with the monthly falling prices. Check out this city by city breakdown - 
Alameda is a great family place, with good schools too!
