Best Place to Live in Silicon Valley for liberal-minded family (San Jose: fit in, renting)

[khat]

Hi, we are still searching for the perfect place to move (we considered New Orleans for awhile, but decided against it for many reasons...) anyway, we are now looking into northern California. This is what we want:

Good Public Schools (we have two small children)
Liberal People with lots of education (preferably a high percentage of people in their 30s or 40s with kids-like us)
Lots of things to do in the community where we can include our kids
We love being outside (ie hiking, biking, running), so access to beautiful places is important
Money is not really an issue- though we are very far from being high-society, so I do not think we would fit in somewhere really hoity-toity
Relatively stress free living- for example, I am very interested in Public School for my kids because I think that Public Schools offer a more well-rounded and diverse education than private (this is certainly true of the private schools where I live now), but I don't want to live in an area where it is so overcrowded that my child may or may not get into the school we are zoned for- I know that this is an issue in New York, and I have heard that it is an issue with some areas in Northern California as well. Please- correct me if this is not the case.
Also, good public transportation or ability to walk/bike from our home to various places (like the grocery store, etc) would be a huge plus



Thank you so much in advance for your answers! Kim

[humboldtrat]

How much do you plan to spend? The "best" places are usually the most expensive.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by khat

Hi, we are still searching for the perfect place to move (we considered New Orleans for awhile, but decided against it for many reasons...) anyway, we are now looking into northern California. This is what we want:

Good Public Schools (we have two small children)
Liberal People with lots of education (preferably a high percentage of people in their 30s or 40s with kids-like us)
Lots of things to do in the community where we can include our kids
We love being outside (ie hiking, biking, running), so access to beautiful places is important
Money is not really an issue- though we are very far from being high-society, so I do not think we would fit in somewhere really hoity-toity
Relatively stress free living- for example, I am very interested in Public School for my kids because I think that Public Schools offer a more well-rounded and diverse education than private (this is certainly true of the private schools where I live now), but I don't want to live in an area where it is so overcrowded that my child may or may not get into the school we are zoned for- I know that this is an issue in New York, and I have heard that it is an issue with some areas in Northern California as well. Please- correct me if this is not the case.
Also, good public transportation or ability to walk/bike from our home to various places (like the grocery store, etc) would be a huge plus

Thank you so much in advance for your answers! Kim

My first thought is that Palo Alto might work for you. However, are you really sure that money isn't an issue? You can easily spend $750K to $1,000,000 for a modest house there. Renting a modest house there could easily set you back $2500 to $3000 a month. The schools there are very good. Palo Alto has very good public schools. Although, the most common complaints about the good school districts around here are twofold: 1. Hyper competitive about grades and 2. materialism. Some also complain that Palo Alto can be superficial, nicknaming it Shallow Alto.

However:

The weather there is excellent. Plenty of opportunity for outdoor activities.

Mass transit in the entire SV area is not very good. Palo Alto no exception. There is the possibility of living in a walkable neighborhood, but don't count on it.

The whole Silicon Valley/Bay Area is somewhat stressful. It's not New York City, but the high costs, heavy traffic, and workaholic work culture at many companies make the area too stressful for many.

[coyoteskye]

Perhaps Los Gatos would suit you.
A very nice town and Santa Cruz county (the coast, and all that S.C. county has to offer ... mountain biking, hiking, beach, boardwalk, surfing, etc., etc.) is just over the hill and when there is no traffic you can get there in about 20 minutes.
Los Gatos is "up-scale", very lovely, very close to San Jose and S.F. is a relatively easy commute and i imagine that the school public school system is good but i do not know for sure as i don't have children.
Los Gatos CA Official Site!

[AllenSJC]

Cupertino is very nice, though the cost of living is pretty high.

Rancho San Antonio is a good outdoorsy place.

[carmell]

Hi Khat! You sound just like us! Still searching.... Did you find the community you're looking for?

[sjnative]

Try Campbell. It's a small city in in the south central portion of the SV. Rather hip, with a small downtown, nearby biking/walking trail and definitely with a sense of community. It seems to have a concentration of both 20-somethings and a wealth of 30 & 40-something professionals.

Also, I second the Los Gatos recommendation.

Get into as good a neighborhood as you can afford.

[RebekahOwen]

Mountain View or Los Altos with Los Altos schools and here's why:
1) heart of high tech - lots of innovation and creativity
2) crazy liberal - not as bad as Belmont where it is illegal to smoke anywhere - but you can wear a $2000 suit or shorts and flip flops and be treated the same
3) gorgeous area with Rancho San Antonio and Skyline park just a few miles away - my favorite run is at Rancho :-)
4) Great location, mid peninsula, close to Stanford or foothill colleges, you can head up 280 to SF or down to Gilroy for the Garlic festival, or jump on 85/17 and be at the beach in 45 minutes.
5) mostly single family community - but with quaint downtown restaurants/shopping area