Moving to the Bay Area with children- where to live? (San Jose: rent, home)

[scottzen]

Hi-

We are moving to the Bay Area from Orange County with children--we need somewhere commutable to Campbell (San Jose). Most important to us- good schools, good community, reasonable cost, access to rail for some days of going into SF for work. We are looking at Cupertino, Palo Alto, Saratoga, Fremont, Los Altos....What would you recommend?

Also, what are the different feels of those towns...we really want something that is laid back and not too stuffy.

Salary around $200k and we own a home in OC so we will just rent for the time being.

Thanks for your time!

[mstnghu2]

You may want to consider living in Campbell itself. It actually is a very nice little city and has a pretty strong community feel to it. Campbell reminds me more of what the Santa Clara Valley used to be. There seem to be more long-time locals in the area and I think the overall pace seems a bit slower and friendlier than neighboring San Jose. There is a decent downtown area and it feels much less pretentious than Los Gatos, which also borders Campbell. You may also want to consider the West San Jose areas that border Campbell as well, such as Willow Glen.

The housing prices are a bit higher in Campbell than other parts of the San Jose area, but are nowhere near the high end. I think if you're not looking for "stuffy", you'll probably want to avoid Cupertino, Los Altos, Saratoga and Palo Alto. You will definitely find more snootiness and pretense in these areas- not to say it's all like that, but you will notice it more than in other parts of the valley. Although, at $200k/year, you guys should be able to live very comfortably in any of these locations since you'll be renting. As far as Fremont goes, it does have some very nice areas. The Mission San Jose area of Fremont has incredibly highly-rated schools and is also very expensive. Your commute from Fremont to Campbell would not be enjoyable, however. Hope this helps out a little bit!

[scottzen]

Thanks for your reply! I appreciate all the info and it is very helpful.

[humboldtrat]

Campbell is a nice town Welcome to Downtown Campbell and there is a light rail line from Campbell into San Jose (to catch the train to SF) and other areas.

You'll find Palo Alto, Saratoga and Los Altos to be expensive.

[MichaelinWA]

I agree with the other two replies - Campbell is a nice town with a lot of desirable aspects to it. I don't know much about the school situation, though.

[socketz]

Los Gatos
Pleasanton
Danville
San Ramon
West Palo Alto

Trust me.

[eichlerfan]

Originally Posted by scottzen

Hi-

We are moving to the Bay Area from Orange County with children--we need somewhere commutable to Campbell (San Jose). Most important to us- good schools, good community, reasonable cost, access to rail for some days of going into SF for work. We are looking at Cupertino, Palo Alto, Saratoga, Fremont, Los Altos....What would you recommend?

Also, what are the different feels of those towns...we really want something that is laid back and not too stuffy.

Salary around $200k and we own a home in OC so we will just rent for the time being.

Thanks for your time!

I would aim for either the Campbell area or the Willow Glen neighborhood in West San Jose. Both are nice areas, with Willow Glen being a little more expensive, but with a very charming little down town. Lots of boutiques and eateries and a very close community.