Help me decide where to live - Mill Valley, San Rafael, Santa Cruz, etc (San Jose: house, school districts)

[Ruth4Truth]

hmm...... There are "rich white people", and then there are rich white people. Marin is not necessarily snooty, and especially Fairfax is more laid-back, is somewhat of an artist community, and is mellow. Santa Cruz has all kinds of people, too. The reports say Santa Cruz is high crime, in part due to the transience of tourism, homelessness, and....the hippie beach scene. I'm not sure how to take those reports, though; I and my relatives who have a place there have never had a problem. Marin doesn't have the crime issues, though.

Alameda would be a good idea if the OP wants an urban environment. If she wants more of a small-town environment with urban amenities accessible, then Marin or Santa Cruz would be perfect. I bet Marin has better schools than Santa Cruz, and has Waldorf. SC may not have that.

[davdaven]

Apologies for not making a clearer distinction. Yes, I agree that Fairfax has more of a laid-back vibe compared to other parts of Marin. My main concern there is that Fairfax is tiny relative to Marin County as a whole, so one would have to "commute" to Berkeley or Sebastopol for the same "vibe" once everything to see and do in Fairfax has been seen and done.

[jade408]

Santa Cruz can be pretty congested as there is a 4 lane road in and out through the mountains. It backs up quickly. But honestly the job location thing is really critical. Commutes can suck in the Bay Area.

[applesnkids]

Originally Posted by davdaven

Santa Cruz sounds like a good fit, assuming you don't mind a bit of a hippie beach vibe like you would get in a place like Ocean Beach (San Diego) or Venice. I qualify this since you are in the OC, and well frankly, I'm from San Diego and OC people have a terrible reputation... So if you want uptight rich white people, steer clear of Santa Cruz with every ounce of your being.

Pacific Grove seems like more of a retirement town to me, and Monterey is pretty touristy. Neither has a strong job market. At least with Santa Cruz you can easily commute to San Jose by taking the Highway 17 Express bus. Also, the weather in Monterey and Pacific Grove simply isn't as nice (warm, clear, etc.) as it is elsewhere (SD, OC, LA, SB, SLO, Santa Cruz, East Bay, etc.).

If you want to focus on the Bay Area, I recommend Alameda. It is a diverse community with a slight beach vibe to it, but life there doesn't revolve around the beach. It is safe with good schools and comes in below budget. IMO, Alameda is the ideal spot in the inner Bay Area to raise a family without sacrificing culture for white picket fences.

Marin County would work for you if you like more of the rich white person vibe. It's a little pricey for what you get, honestly, and you would have to get used to there being less restaurants/nightlife, less culture, fewer grocery stores, lack of commute alternatives (e.g., there is only one through street in most towns, limited bus service, and no trains), and so on.

Honestly, if you can manage the job market and would rather get away from the big city crowds, I see no reason why you shouldn't cut out the middle step and just move straight to San Luis Obispo. It has a lot going for it, including the price point, and it seems like you would be happiest there assuming the schools are to your liking.

P.S. For as near and dear to my heart as San Diego is, I don't think it'll have what you're looking for. And although I love Santa Barbara to death, I've turned down moving there twice because it's so expensive. With a $1 million cap, you'd end up stuck in Goleta instead.

All interesting points. I don't necessarily want to be in an all-white area...in fact, it scares me a little bit (hey, I'm white, I can say it). I like diversity and YES, there is some where we live in Orange County, but beyond this pocket, you have to go through many white snobs to get to another good pocket

I have visited SLO recently on the way to Monterey area and absolutely loved that town. We stopped at a brewery there and sat outside in the most perfect weather, with awesome people, gorgeous greenery. Very cool town.

Santa Barbara is close to perfect in theory. Except just as you said, the cost. It's SOOO expensive there. And everyone from LA loves to vacation there so sometimes I find the vibe to be off. There's a lot of great things about LA, but the people (major generalization) aren't one of them. I'd rather not live where they vacation. I find people in Orange County to be much more down to earth as a whole. Not sure why Orange County always gets such a bad rep. We've just lived here for too long and need a change. It's great for those who live somewhere else and want a change!

[applesnkids]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

hmm...... There are "rich white people", and then there are rich white people. Marin is not necessarily snooty, and especially Fairfax is more laid-back, is somewhat of an artist community, and is mellow. Santa Cruz has all kinds of people, too. The reports say Santa Cruz is high crime, in part due to the transience of tourism, homelessness, and....the hippie beach scene. I'm not sure how to take those reports, though; I and my relatives who have a place there have never had a problem. Marin doesn't have the crime issues, though.

Alameda would be a good idea if the OP wants an urban environment. If she wants more of a small-town environment with urban amenities accessible, then Marin or Santa Cruz would be perfect. I bet Marin has better schools than Santa Cruz, and has Waldorf. SC may not have that.

I sometimes read the Orange County threads here and find it hilarious when people talk about crime at all. Even in some of the worst areas, it's not THAT bad. Sure, some areas aren't flooded with families of 4.2, a dog and a white picket fence, but I've never felt unsafe in any area here. You just have to be a little more cautious in a couple areas.

I also adore parts of Seattle area. Yeah, yeah, the weather...but the town is vibrant and full of fantastic restaurants & people. Magnolia, Queen Anne, Alki, all awesome. *sigh* analysis paralysis. Maybe we'll just stay here and visit all these awesome places.

[applesnkids]

Originally Posted by davdaven

Apologies for not making a clearer distinction. Yes, I agree that Fairfax has more of a laid-back vibe compared to other parts of Marin. My main concern there is that Fairfax is tiny relative to Marin County as a whole, so one would have to "commute" to Berkeley or Sebastopol for the same "vibe" once everything to see and do in Fairfax has been seen and done.

One thing we really want is options for great food and things to do. I'd say within a 15 min drive, and walkable is even better. Is Fairfax too far from everything?

[neutrino78x]

Downtown San Jose is the most awesome place ever. You would get a condo though not a sfh. Not sure about the school district but having grown up in a suburb,I would have been much happier had I grown up in downtown.

[neutrino78x]

Seattle is awesome too assuming you get a condo by downtown/waterfront and not a sfh on the outskirts

[davdaven]

Originally Posted by applesnkids

One thing we really want is options for great food and things to do. I'd say within a 15 min drive, and walkable is even better. Is Fairfax too far from everything?

Fairfax is the western-most developed town before heading out to the rural West Marin region. Fairfax is very small--just 7,500 people. The next town to the east is San Anselmo, which is not particularly large either (12,500 people), and then San Rafael is to the east of that. San Rafael is relatively large (58,000 people) but is already 15+ minutes from the east edge of Fairfax. If you are used to a more urban or suburban lifestyle, Fairfax might be a shock to you. If you are specifically seeking out some peace and quiet, and the smaller scale of amenities that comes with that, then you will be happy there. In either case, if you want walkability, you would have to live very close to the center of town (Broadway & Bolinas). Once you stray a couple blocks away, the sidewalks in Fairfax disappear.

[davdaven]

Originally Posted by neutrino78x

Downtown San Jose is the most awesome place ever. You would get a condo though not a sfh. Not sure about the school district but having grown up in a suburb,I would have been much happier had I grown up in downtown.

You're joking, right? I lived on the east edge of downtown San Jose for 2 years. The neighborhood was awesome, but the rest of San Jose sucked majorly, which made the neighborhood kind of suck too since there was nowhere to go. SJ is a little better now than it was when I moved away in 2007, but it's still really underwhelming every time I visit (which is regularly). With all the living choices at OP's disposal, anything in Silicon Valley should be towards the bottom of the list.