Family Friendly Neighborhoods of SJ? (San Jose, San Francisco: apartments, rentals, how much)

[linvilla]

My husband and I are relocating to San Jose from the East Coast for his work. I'm hoping maybe people can give me some insight into the area. I lived for more than a decade in San Francisco and then another decade in Philadelphia. I have an image in my head of San Jose as pretty suburban but I don't really know if that perception is accurate. We have two very young children so my primary concern is finding a decent place for them.

These are my questions:

*Is it reasonable to think we might find a 3 bedroom house with a yard for around $1800? I see them listed but I don't know the areas.
*How spread out is the city? Is it easy to walk to areas that have parks/non-chain restaurants/bookstores?
*Is it a fairly socially conservative place or does the population have some similar sensibilities to say Berkeley and SF?

I'm sure there are a bunch of threads about places to live on here but I have yet to see any of these questions addressed. I would appreciate any input anyone would be willing to share. Thanks!

[jbunniii]

San Jose is quite spread out. There are a few neighborhoods that are centered around shopping streets/small downtowns as you described: Willow Glen (Lincoln Ave.) and Rose Garden and the adjoining neighborhoods (The Alameda) come to mind immediately. $1800 is a bit low for a 3-bedroom house in either neighborhood. I'm not saying that it's impossible, but that would be a really good deal, or maybe a run-down house. You will find a lot more to choose from if you can raise your budget to $2100-2200.

You might also look into Campbell, in particular the parts within walking distance to its downtown (Campbell Ave., just west of the 17 freeway). It's typically a little bit cheaper than the two San Jose neighborhoods I just listed; $1800 might be feasible, but probably more like $2000.

Most of the rest of San Jose is nice enough but aside from downtown and the neighborhoods I listed above, it's typical 1950s-1970s suburban sprawl where the local shopping streets are car-centric and strip mall-oriented, as opposed to traditional "main street" shopping.

I would not call San Jose socially conservative. It is more conservative than San Francisco or Berkeley, but that doesn't take much. It is certainly more family-oriented and suburban, but don't expect very many of your neighbors to have been Sarah Palin supporters, for example. But you also won't see anything like the Folsom Street Fair or the "How Berkeley Can You Be" festival. It's a pretty tame place overall.

[sonarrat]

If you're looking in San Jose, the areas you'll want to look at are the suburban type ones. The downtown schools are awful.

One story house on generous lot (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/apa/1427576185.html - broken link) - best school district in Morgan Hill, the one I went to
Newly remodeled attached single family house available now (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/apa/1427248900.html - broken link) - good foothill area, not sure about schools
3 Beds 2 Baths House for rent (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/apa/1425953564.html - broken link) - good school district, safe area, small house

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by linvilla

These are my questions:

*Is it reasonable to think we might find a 3 bedroom house with a yard for around $1800? I see them listed but I don't know the areas.
*How spread out is the city? Is it easy to walk to areas that have parks/non-chain restaurants/bookstores?
*Is it a fairly socially conservative place or does the population have some similar sensibilities to say Berkeley and SF?

I'm sure there are a bunch of threads about places to live on here but I have yet to see any of these questions addressed. I would appreciate any input anyone would be willing to share. Thanks!

To question #1--Probably not, although you might get lucky.

To question #2--It's pretty suburban. The downtown area and adjacent neighborhoods have seen a lot of new urban infill housing, increasing housing density and providing some viable options for living an urban lifestyle.

However, as others have said, the schools in these areas are probably not so good, so probably not suitable for you. If you want good schools, you're most likely stuck in the vast, bland, tract-house suburbia that characterizes most of San Jose.

To question #3. San Jose and Silicon Valley in general are liberal but also pragmatic. They don't tolerate corruption and financial mismanagment just because elected officials might support the latest liberal cause du jour, as is often the case in Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco.

[linvilla]

Thanks for these responses. Very helpful!

I figured I was probably in La La Land wishing for a rent like that. I see a ton of listings with that price on Craigslist but it's so hard to know what the areas are like. I do think that $2000 is probably the most I would be comfortable with and $2100 the absolute highest we could go but I guess it depends on how much we end up spending on utilities there. We spend upwards of $400 a month for utilities here. Sometimes in the heart of winter we'll easily spend $1,000.

Can anyone tell me what Milpitas is like?

Thanks!

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by linvilla

Thanks for these responses. Very helpful!

I figured I was probably in La La Land wishing for a rent like that. I see a ton of listings with that price on Craigslist but it's so hard to know what the areas are like. I do think that $2000 is probably the most I would be comfortable with and $2100 the absolute highest we could go but I guess it depends on how much we end up spending on utilities there. We spend upwards of $400 a month for utilities here. Sometimes in the heart of winter we'll easily spend $1,000.

Can anyone tell me what Milpitas is like?

Thanks!

I like Milpitas, but there are parts of town that smell really bad because of wind from the dump at 237/Zanker blowing east. Not all of the town is blighted by this problem, but a good chunk of it. It is a majority Asian city, and Asian markets and restaurants are all over the place.

[nr5667]

Originally Posted by linvilla

We spend upwards of $400 a month for utilities here. Sometimes in the heart of winter we'll easily spend $1,000.

Thanks!

The weather is pretty temperate. I'd be pretty shocked if you found a way to spend 1,000 on utilities. The winters aren't anywhere near as cold as on the east coast (we might bottom out in the low 50's on a particularly cold day).

[kma_SanJose]

Willow Glen, the Rose Garden, and Almaden areas are all pretty family friendly neighborhoods. I think it's possible that you might be able to find something in that price range in Willow Glen. Be aware that it might be an older house with one bathroom though! Craigslist is probably the best place to find rentals. They have a Willow Glen section, so check that out. Good luck!

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by kma_SanJose

Willow Glen, the Rose Garden, and Almaden areas are all pretty family friendly neighborhoods. I think it's possible that you might be able to find something in that price range in Willow Glen. Be aware that it might be an older house with one bathroom though! Craigslist is probably the best place to find rentals. They have a Willow Glen section, so check that out. Good luck!

Be aware, though, there is a fairly sizable part of Willow Glen that is NOT nice and is NOT family friendly. You want to be either west of Bird or south of Willow, preferably both.. and definitely not east of 87.

[linvilla]

Thank you so much for all this feedback. It's definitely very helpful.

Would any of you mind critiquing these neighborhoods for me?

-Cambrian
-Morgan Hill
-Blossom Valley

I'm not so worried about the school issue right now. It will be a few years before the kids start. I think right now we just want to find a place we can settle and be comfortable until we get to know the area well. I would like something that is in walking distance to parks and hopefully a library, if possible.

Also, I am interested in Campbell, as was suggested above. I'm not finding many listings that aren't apartments, however. Is there a better place to look than Craigslist?

Thanks again!