Where do young families in Bay Area live - where nice homes are less than 1 million? (San Jose: environment)

[ky4444]

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!

[pistola916]

^
The heat isnt that bad. The average temps in Sac is between 93-96. It does get over 100 several times during the summer but thats why there's the A/C.

[jtorres]

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.

[mysticaltyger]

I think you probably already know this, but white middle class (and even upper middle class) people with kids tend not to find the kind of life they want in places like the Bay Area. It tends to be a rat race here, often requiring 2 professional incomes to afford the typical 3BR suburban ranch house.

[socketz]

I searched for a couple of months for the very same thing in the South Bay, and I'm not sure it exists.

Los Gatos, Los Altos and parts of Almaden valley were nice, but for what you are looking for, a million dollars is the starting point.

The East Bay (Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, San Ramon) has alot more to offer the young family. Pleasanton has one of the better school systems in the state and you do not have to enter a lottery to get your kid into the school.

Commute, yes. But the quality of life I feel is vastly superior to what you'd receive in the South Bay for the same price.

If commute is primary concern, then try something smaller in Cambrian or Campbell. You will still pay mid to high 600s for something very small/old and not well taken care of...

[treedonkey]

There are plenty of homes to be had in the Bay Area in that price range, just not in the swankiest parts of town. Try looking at Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and Mountain View for 'modest' suburban living in your price range. But I don't think you'll find 'tons' of young families living in neighborhoods at the $800k-1 mill. range.

[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!

[AA702]

It is kind of hard when you move out of the Bay Area and you get to live somewhere else and have a 3000+ sq ft home with all the bells and wistles with a huge back yard and a pool for $300K or under. Then when you try that in the Bay Area, you have to be a millionare to buy something similar. Really just plain sticker shock.

[sonarrat]

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!

The commute to San Jose is just awful, I've had to go out to Stockton a few times during commute hours from SJ and sat through two hours of slog just to get to the Altamont Pass on 580.

[MtnSurfer]

We actually looked at Livermore as a good place for our family prior to accepting a job a Monterey. But I realized that if we lived in/around Livermore I was *not* going to be communting into SJ. It is really better to look for East Bay jobs if living there.

For work in SJ check out Morgan Hill, Saratoga, Santa Clara, etc...

Surely you will be able to find a place for the price range you are looking in. But just remember the more expensive/exclusive an area the fewer young families you are going to find there. Very few younger single income families with children can afford million dollar homes including us. So even if you can afford it you may not find the kind of 'family' environment you are looking for with lots of kids.

In some of those areas younger families with kids are like seeing a rare bird or something. 'Oh honey look isn't that Special - a cute little family.' LOL... Whereas here in CO it is more of the norm.

Someone else mentioned Petaluma. My uncle lives there and really likes it. Sonoma would be a nice alternative as well.

And believe it or not Monterey County RE is down 48%. So there are some deals to be had there as well. You can find a home in Monterey, Pacific Grove, Del Rey Oaks, Marina and along HYW 68 in your price range.

So you really do have a lot of options now before having to head to Sac and deal with the hotter temps and greater distances from the coast.

Derek