Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Los Altos: What do you recommend? (Mountain View: rent, house)

[scottzen]

Hi,

I am moving to the Bay area with my husband and young son. We will most likely be there for 2-3 years and we are trying to decide where to live out of these choices: Menlo Park, Palo Alto and Los Altos.

We appreciate a sense of community where we live and down to earth people. We would like to have a yard for my son and some sense of a "downtown" area where we live....warmer weather is also important to us.

We will rent for our time there and we are looking for at least a 3 bedroom house in the range of $2500-$3500.

Any recommendations or thoughts?

Thanks!

[Boompa]

$2500-$3,500 isn't a lot of money in Palo Alto. You'll probably wind up in Menlo Park, They are adjacent. Plenty of warm weather

[AlwaysLooking]

You should be able to find something in any of those cities. You might also look at Mountain View in the areas that share the border of Los Altos. Check out Craig's list, and the town newspapers that each city puts out.

[nmguy]

If you're looking for down to earth folks, you might want to take a look at Mountain View.

I lived in Palo Alto from 1966-2004. In the 60's, it was idyllic. But, once the Dot.Com era emerged, people changed. They got richer, and they got more elitist.

I like the ambiance, schools, restaurants, and cost of living that Mountain View offers.

[zitsky]

Not to sound like a cheerleader but I'd have to echo the suggestion for Mountain View. There are nice people everywhere, but Mountain View is very diverse economically and socially. In my own neighborhood we had people from all walks of life and all income levels. The city government is well run, there is a beautiful downtown area and quality of life is very good. Those other towns are nice, and certainly have nice people, but they do have a perception of being a little more elitist and caring more about money and prestige.

[SVHomePro]

I would also recommend Los Altos on the border of Mountain View, or Vise Versa. Both the downtown area of Los Altos and Mt. View are very nice and there is a great sense of community in that area. Where are you coming from?