Moving to California (San Jose, Watsonville, Gilroy: rental, job, houses)

[dablues63755]

My husband has just accepted a job with a company located in Morgan Hill, CA. He will be moving out there in the next week but me and the kids will be moving out after school is out in June. We currently live in Jackson, Missouri which is about 2 hours south of St. Louis. We are looking for rental property at this time and not sure where we want to stay. We have been checking out a lot of places online and finding a wide range of houses to choose from but just are not sure of the areas. Our kids are 13 and 16 so we are concerned about getting them into the right schools. Some of the people at my husband's new job told him to check south of Morgan Hill in Hollister or Gilroy to get more for our money. Someone else also suggested Los Banos. We also would not be opposed to living in San Jose as we had lived in St. Louis all our lives until our move to Cape Girardeau County 7 years ago and are not afraid of the city. My husband and I will be coming out there next week to check out the area and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[aguamarina4u]

Hubby and I moved here from England and he choose to stay close to his job in Morgan Hill. We are glad we made that decision. I don't think the rent varies much from Hollister - Gilroy - Morgan hill and parts of San Jose. I'll pm you!

[humboldtrat]

Forget about Los Banos. It's a farming town in the Central Valley. Los Banos is connected to San Jose/Gilroy area by Hwy 152 which is a two-lane road that goes over a mountain pass (Pacheco Pass). That highway can be slow and miserable. There is nothing in Los Banos. Shopping is limited. LB also has a high hispanic farm labor population. Stick with Morgan Hill, Gilroy or even Hollister (more or less in that order).

[sissy910]

If I were you, I'd consider living close to your husbands job. Morgan Hill is a nice place for a family. I would prefer Morgan Hill over Hollister or Gilroy. I believe there is more for kids to do in Morgan Hill than the other two cities. Besides, Morgan Hill is a little closer to San Jose than the other two.

[splad126]

If you're good school district, Ann Sobrato HS in Morgan Hill is the best. Check out greatschools.net for comparison.

[Joestoes]

This wouldn't be your cup of tea if you need to be near the big city but...we moved from Monterey county a few years ago. My husband commuted to Morgan Hill for work. We lived on a beautiful wooded property in Prunedale. It is 10 minutes to the nearest beach and only 20 to Monterey which makes it a very appealing place to live. Schools would be the issue - I would suggest a private one in Watsonville.
Just food for thought...

[dablues63755]

Thank you all so much for your input. We have decided to stay in Morgan Hill. Me and the kids will be moving in June and are looking forward to it. Thanks again!