Transferring from Austin, TX to Milpitas, CA - help please! (San Jose: apartments, rental homes)

[SarahRainN]

Hello! My husbands company is interested in transferring him to Milpitas, and I'm wondering if we should. We are a family of 3 - my hubby, myself and our 11 year old daughter. She'll be entering 6th grade this school year - and her education is very important to us. I'm looking for recommendations on places to live that are family friendly, good schools, artsy (I'm an actor) and not overly expensive. I've been reading a lot of the posts on here, and looking at various websites and it looks like Campbell, Willow Glen, Sunnyvale and Saratoga are our best bets. I would love info/opinions from people that live there though!
Is the commute from those areas to Milpitas good/bad? We would like to rent a house, but I'm finding it very difficult to find rental homes - just lots or apartments =\ Any helpful info?
Thanks so much in advance!

Sarah

[gooski]

Saratoga would be the most expensive by far but the public schools are excellent.

Sunnyvale schools are good although you'll want to stay near the Cupertino side (Homestead High area). Campbell and Willow Glen are ok depending on which school district you're in - you should check out greatschools.net for additional info. Campbell has a community group that puts on musicals; sometimes in conjunction with the schools in the area (my daughter enjoyed being in her first last year, she's entering 6th grade also). We're in the Campbel school district and she's going to Rolling Hills Middle School which we like so far.

In terms of a commute, your direction will be relatively reverse-commute (if such a thing in the bay area). From Campbell/Willow Glen, 880N would work while from Sunnvyale, you'd probably take 237E from Mathilda. More commuters will be coming the other direction.

As for rental homes, maybe check out some property management firms or a local realtor? I actually see more homes for rent in my area than before.

[zitsky]

Depending on where his company is, you might want to consider Mountain View. The schools are considered very good and they share some facilities with Los Altos. Some of the schools run Spanish immersion programs for English speaking students.

The city is very diverse economically and socially, and has a great downtown area with restaurants, bookstores and shops. You can find almost any type of housing there from newer developments to 100 year old houses that have been renovated. It's much smaller in population than Austin, but it has a lot of well educated people who live there and appreciate the diversity.

Saratoga is a nice area, but keep in mind that the morning commute from there to Milpitas could be a bit long. It's not that bad. I would visit and just see what the drive would be like from the neighborhood you are considering.

[nmguy]

What's the problem with the Milpitas schools?

[treedonkey]

How about Milpitas?

All the public schools are pretty lousy so it's six of one, half dozen of another...

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by treedonkey

How about Milpitas?

All the public schools are pretty lousy so it's six of one, half dozen of another...

Actually, Milpitas tends to have mostly above average schools. Milpitas wouldn't have such a huge Chinese population if it had crappy schools. With that said, I still don't think that Milpitas really fits for what the original poster is looking for. Milpitas is basically an uninteresting bedroom community, although it's a very safe and clean city. However, it really is in a good location to explore other parts of the Bay Area....Downtown Mt. View, Palo Alto, S.J. are all within 20 minutes (non-commute time), and Oakland and S.F. are both within 40 minutes (also non-commute time).

[SarahRainN]

Thank you all for your input! I have to say Milpitas is not for me just based on the pics my husband has brought me.
I've narrowed down my choices to Willow Glen/Cambrian, Campbell, Mountain View, and Almaden - of course that will all change once I get out there, lol!
I'm excited though! I go out on the 12th to look around and have a mini vacation. Wish me luck! =)

Sarah

[Twinklelittle]

Try Cupertino , they have some of the best schools, commute to Milpitas will not take more than 20 mins. The other option is Sunnyvale, which is quite a crowded place. Campbell has a mixed population, lot of cheap housing as well as decent areas. So yu need to be careful. Other are is South SanJosecommunities like Evergreen - commute will be 30 mins.

[nmguy]

Your three area choices are solid.

I was going to suggest the Mission San Jose area of Fremont, but Willow Glen, Mt. View, and maybe Almaden, have more to offer.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Mission San Jose in Fremont.

Good hood, good schools, easy commute.