Is commuting from the Santa Cruz Mountains to Santa Clara reasonable...or am I just insane? (Alameda: to rent, houses)

[SanDiegoTeen]

I was talking with some friends and we thought about renting a house in the Santa Cruz Mountains, specifically one on Skyline Blvd. The owner is a family friend of my friend and we got a tour and its beautiful. Huge yard, nice house, quiet and just sooooo beautiful.

And he's willing to give us a pretty low rate.

Yet, I wonder about the commute. I do go to Santa Clara University and have a car. I've driven in the Santa Cruz Mountains, up Black Mountain rd to Skyline Blvd in snow, sleet and rain and it's slow...but not impossible.

Do you think it's worth it? What are the downsides?

[MtnSurfer]

I think it would be an awesome place to live. Those back roads can get a little crazy from what I have heard. I have driven the 17HWY during rush hour which is nuts in bad weather. Ppl drive way to fast for the conditions - like they are on crack cocaine or something. But as a student you can setup your own schedule and probably avoid a least some of the rush hour madness. So that might be ok.

Maybe someone with more SC Mountain dwelling experience will chime in.

Derek

[sonarrat]

That shouldn't be a problem, Skyline Blvd. up to the summit and then 17 until it turns to 880, off at The Alameda to get to SCU. Assuming you're reasonably close to 17, it should be about 20 minutes with no traffic.

[thetaxman]

I agree with MtnSurfer. 17 can be a terrible drive at times. Other than that, you should be fine commuting. Enjoy living in the awesome SC Mountains!

[jbunniii]

I don't make this commute but my boss does. He does what sonarrat described except he gets off one exit earlier on 880 (Bascom/Washington exit). He says normally the commute is smooth sailing, unless there is an accident on 17, in which case he might as well turn around and go home because there is no other way off the mountain except taking Hwy 9 instead, a major detour. [See what this looks like for yourself - try using Google Maps or Mapquest to plot the route and click the "avoid highways" button. Yikes!]

I agree, it sounds like a fantastic place to live, one which I have often considered myself. Let us know how it goes!

[SanDiegoTeen]

I always take the 17 to Black Mountain Road (I think) and then up from there to skyline blvd. The house is pretty high up.... like 3000 feet or so.

[sonarrat]

Black Road actually. That's not that far out of town, and it's close to the alternate route of Hwy 9.

[AlwaysLooking]

I was in an accident coming down black rd. when I was in college--I was the passenger---and my advice is if you don't drive in a hurry you'll do find in any road condition. Good luck!

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoTeen

I was talking with some friends and we thought about renting a house in the Santa Cruz Mountains, specifically one on Skyline Blvd. The owner is a family friend of my friend and we got a tour and its beautiful. Huge yard, nice house, quiet and just sooooo beautiful.

And he's willing to give us a pretty low rate.

Yet, I wonder about the commute. I do go to Santa Clara University and have a car. I've driven in the Santa Cruz Mountains, up Black Mountain rd to Skyline Blvd in snow, sleet and rain and it's slow...but not impossible.

Do you think it's worth it? What are the downsides?

Personally, I wouldn't do it. Driving back & forth several times a week is not really safe, IMO. Not to mention, you're more vulnerable to gas price increases. And I think maybe some people are exaggerating when they say it's only 20 minutes. That sounds like under ideal conditions, but how often does that happen?

I admit I live within walking distance of my job and I just don't get the commuting thing. The shortest commute possible is best, imo.

[frogbeans]

i'm definitely an advocate for the "rent a house with friends" thing at least once b/c it's fun.

a few things to think about:
1. have you looked at houses to rent with your friends in a closer radius? it may turn out to be cheaper or along the lines of what you would be paying in the santa cruz house considering the money you'd save on gas. don't jump at the first opportunity!
2. do you really want to commute every day through all of that traffic just for a house with a yard? personally, i really hate traffic so it would be tough on me. it would wear thin really quick and i'd be cool with visiting the house at my leisure. however, there are a few people at my work that commute from 40 mins. to a buck thirty out so it can't be that bad.



side note - i'd want to live closer to santa clara u anyway b/c that's where the cutest girls are haheheahea... unless you're a girl that digs guys... then you can edit that last part out.