Possible relocation to Santa Clara (San Jose, Sunnyvale: budget, apartment, rent)

[Harue]

Hi! I'm a 24-year-old professional from the Washington, DC metropolitan area. I will be interviewing for a position in Santa Clara. I was wondering if anyone (who enjoys eating, dancing and good wine) could give me a few ideas of where to live in or around Santa Clara. I would like to live within driving distance to my office with less than a 45 minute commute. I'm used to suburban living with not more than a 20-minute drive to the city.

Also, are there any areas I should I steer clear of?

Thanks in advance!

[Dedalus]

The area around the university should be alright. I used to spend a lot of time there.

And, do not miss Su's Mongolian Barbecue on El Camino Real. It's not far from Lafayette Street.

[gizmo980]

Santa Clara itself is a pretty nice town, but I don't know it well enough to suggest specific neighborhoods. Outside of Santa Clara, I'd suggest the towns of Mountain View, Sunnyvale, parts of San Jose, Campbell, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Saratoga/Los Gatos. Though it depends a lot on your budget, since these range in prices... the last three in that list are most expensive, and will cost upwards of $1300/mo to rent a 1-bedroom apartment. But they're all nice suburbs, and would get you easily to work in Santa Clara. Highways 101 & 85 get awfully congested during rush-hour, but these towns are within a 10-mile drive of SC, so it can't take TOO long! Based on your age & what you like to do (and assuming you have a good budget), my first picks for you would be Los Gatos, Palo Alto or Mountain View... they each have nice downtown areas with lots of clubs/restaurants/etc., and slightly younger populations. Good luck!

P.S. You might want to move this to the San Jose forum, since Santa Clara's part of that metro...