Moving to CA - Looking for Suggestions on Where to Live (San Jose: middle-class, apartment)

[digitalhetal]

Originally Posted by vunderbar

American public schools are locally financed, so if quality matters to you, try to live in the most upscale area you can afford. Before you have your heart set on Fremont, check the rankings of public schools there. (They're online.) Fremont has grown and gentrified, but it wasn't so long ago that people called it "the arm pit of the Bay."


Also, look into whether they offer after-school care and how much that costs. When it gets closer, call the school(s) to see if they have any openings in after-school care. When your kiddo gets out of school before 3 PM but you don't get home for another 3 hours - it's a problem.


As for a Fremont-San Francisco commute by BART: a friend in Union City (just north of Fremont) takes it to San Francisco. An hour one way, plus the time it takes for her to walk from the station to the office. She works an 8 hour day, so the commute makes hers a 10-hour day, every day. Yes, it gets old.

Yes,I did check ratings of schools of various CA areas.

Arranging for after-school is a good point - thanks! I'll look into it. I almost took it for granted that it will be available.

I will also do some research on Union City.

[RoadLessTraveled2015]

Hello Hetal,
Union city is a little rough with a not very good school system. However, there is an apartment complex called Avalon Union City right off of the BART, which is nice. A 2 bedroom apartment there rents for around $3000 / month.
I recommend living in Dublin or Pleasanton. There is an Avalon Dublin Station apartment walking distance from the BART. The schools there are much better than Union City.

My husband and I were in the Bay Area for 3 years and then moved. First we lived in Fremont in an apartment that was not walking distance to the BART. Then, we lived in Union City in Avalon and liked it. We moved farther north to Walnut Creek our last 6 months but preferred the Union City location and apartment.
Good luck!

[jade408]

Honestly your budget is really too small to get a nice two bedroom in a good school district.

[digitalhetal]

Originally Posted by RoadLessTraveled2015

Hello Hetal,
Union city is a little rough with a not very good school system. However, there is an apartment complex called Avalon Union City right off of the BART, which is nice. A 2 bedroom apartment there rents for around $3000 / month.
I recommend living in Dublin or Pleasanton. There is an Avalon Dublin Station apartment walking distance from the BART. The schools there are much better than Union City.

My husband and I were in the Bay Area for 3 years and then moved. First we lived in Fremont in an apartment that was not walking distance to the BART. Then, we lived in Union City in Avalon and liked it. We moved farther north to Walnut Creek our last 6 months but preferred the Union City location and apartment.
Good luck!

Thanks!!

[steve_holt]

For your situation, I'd recommend Pleasanton over Fremont if the job is in Pleasanton. Pleasanton has uniformly good schools and has generally high QOL (other than commute), and while Fremont schools are generally quite good, there are spottier than Pleasanton. If you're working in Pleasanton, just stay there. You can probably find an IT job in Tri-Valley or SF.

Pricing of apartments/housing is more similar than different between Pleasanton and Fremont, though Fremont is generally more expensive than Pleasanton due to its better commute to high paying jobs. This sort of depends on the segment of apartment you are looking for - there are a lot more apartments in Fremont, so there is more variety.

IF you're not looking to get a job before coming, I would recommend an apartment within walking distance of BART, as that will open up a broader range of opportunities for job locations. I do agree with the earlier poster about Avalon near UC bart being a good location to live, but the school for that complex is probably not ideal for the 7 year old.

Here's a 2 bedroom in your price range within walking distance of BART in Pleasanton : https://www.avaloncommunities.com/ca...on/floor-plans

[digitalhetal]

Originally Posted by steve_holt

For your situation, I'd recommend Pleasanton over Fremont if the job is in Pleasanton. Pleasanton has uniformly good schools and has generally high QOL (other than commute), and while Fremont schools are generally quite good, there are spottier than Pleasanton. If you're working in Pleasanton, just stay there. You can probably find an IT job in Tri-Valley or SF.

Pricing of apartments/housing is more similar than different between Pleasanton and Fremont, though Fremont is generally more expensive than Pleasanton due to its better commute to high paying jobs. This sort of depends on the segment of apartment you are looking for - there are a lot more apartments in Fremont, so there is more variety.

IF you're not looking to get a job before coming, I would recommend an apartment within walking distance of BART, as that will open up a broader range of opportunities for job locations. I do agree with the earlier poster about Avalon near UC bart being a good location to live, but the school for that complex is probably not ideal for the 7 year old.

Here's a 2 bedroom in your price range within walking distance of BART in Pleasanton : https://www.avaloncommunities.com/ca...on/floor-plans

Thank you!
My other thought is to start living in Pleasanton, or maybe Fremont, and then depending on where I get job, we can move if required.

[digitalhetal]

I have been reading reviews of apartments near Pleasanton BART, including Eaves Pleasanton, and they are horrible! The apartments seem to be in chaos, with no maintenance standards/support and infested with insects/rats. How are apartment standards in Pleasanton, or for that matter, other areas in general?

[vunderbar]

That's a very general question. There ARE a lot of dumps. And the decent places are (very) expensive.

[digitalhetal]

Originally Posted by vunderbar

That's a very general question. There ARE a lot of dumps. And the decent places are (very) expensive.

Got it.

[digitalhetal]

Thanks all previous posters for your help!