New job in Palo Alto, where's the best place to live? (San Francisco: apartments, to rent)

[paccamacca]

My wife has just got a job in Palo Alto for three years so we will be moving over from England in about 3 months time. We will need to rent a 4 bedroom house during this time (we have 2 small children) and are looking in the $3500 pcm range.

I know Palo Alto itself is very pricey so where are the best places within about a half hours drive to live? I think I'd prefer to live to the north of PA so as to be closer to SF and the beaches of Half Moon Bay.

I won't be able to work (bummer!) as I'll be on my wife's working visa so want somewhere with lots to do/see with the kids during the day/s. Would you ever drive up to SF or would we want to be near a Caltrain stop? Redwood City seems well placed but is it good for schools/things to do?

Any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

1. Belmont
2. San Carlos
3. Good neighborhoods in RWC (be careful about selection)
4. Good neighborhoods in San Mateo
5. in PA itself, there are portions with cheaper rent - near Alma, near Mt. View border.
6. Strangely, Ladera, in tony Portola Valley, will occasionally have a place with rent on the cheap side.
7. The unincorporated pocket, between Menlo Park, Atherton and Woodside, along Alameda De Las Pulgas.

Avoid East Palo Alto and Menlo Park's eastern neighborhoods. They are ghettos. In the case of the former, unscrupulous landlords will at times advertise as being in "Palo Alto." In the case of East Menlo Park there's no false advertising involved, one simply has to be on one's toes.

If you are willing to be even further north, rents decrease substantially north of Millbrae. Specifically - South SF, San Bruno, Daly City and Pacifica. Watch, however, for rough pockets (not as bad as EPA and parts of RWC but not comfortable places either). Generally, West of El Camino is better than east of it. In the case of Pacifica further south is better (but commute starts to become more painful).

[sonarrat]

Agree with the above and would also recommend Mountain View, which has a more cosmopolitan flavor and a lot of charm.

[humboldtrat]

I agree with Belmont, San Carlos and the western half of Redwood City. All nice, safe middle to upper middle class towns. The schools are good in San Carlos. There are Caltrain stations at all these places. Caltrain would be a better option when visiting San Francisco. Public transit in SF is good, while driving there and finding parking is difficult.

As for "things to do", this is suburbia, but there are restaurants, parks, libraries, shopping, etc. Suburban living isn't souless and suffocating as some people think .

[n080di]

Hi everybody,

I have the same question. I will be moving into PA early 2010. What is the good place to live in PA? I would want to bike to work, and I will work at the PARC on Coyote Hill Rd. I have found some places on Arastradero Rd (Arastradero West?) that sound OK, but I'd like some advice from folks in the area.
In addition, I would not want to be far from at least a reasonable number of restaurants, shops, and markets. I am hoping to NOT even own a car :-) if possible. (Is it possible?)

I am single and would like something under 1.5k/mo; so 1Br/ba. Thanks.

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by n080di

Hi everybody,

I have the same question. I will be moving into PA early 2010. What is the good place to live in PA? I would want to bike to work, and I will work at the PARC on Coyote Hill Rd. I have found some places on Arastradero Rd (Arastradero West?) that sound OK, but I'd like some advice from folks in the area.
In addition, I would not want to be far from at least a reasonable number of restaurants, shops, and markets. I am hoping to NOT even own a car :-) if possible. (Is it possible?)

I am single and would like something under 1.5k/mo; so 1Br/ba. Thanks.

There are several nice apartment buildings on Arastradero between El Camino Real (Hwy 82) and Foothill Expressway. El Camino is the main north/south route through Palo Alto and it's all commercial/retail, lined with restaurants, stores, etc. I think you will need a car however. Things are kind of spread out. Here's one of the apts. on Arastradero: Property Info | Prometheus

[mdwstrnkid]

Are you planning to bike to work? If not and you are planning to take the bus, I suggest living near a stop close to the Marguerite line which takes you into the Research park.

Marguerite Shuttle : Route Map & Schedules

Alternatively, you can live on El Camino, take the VTA 22 (which runs very often) and transfer to the Marguerite or one of the VTA 10x Express buses, but from what I've heard from colleagues who did this, they had to wait a while at the transfer points.

Otherwise, you'll probably want a car to get to work.

[n080di]

Originally Posted by mdwstrnkid

Are you planning to bike to work? If not and you are planning to take the bus, I suggest living near a stop close to the Marguerite line which takes you into the Research park.

Marguerite Shuttle : Route Map & Schedules

Alternatively, you can live on El Camino, take the VTA 22 (which runs very often) and transfer to the Marguerite or one of the VTA 10x Express buses, but from what I've heard from colleagues who did this, they had to wait a while at the transfer points.

Otherwise, you'll probably want a car to get to work.

Yes I was planning on biking to work. Is that impractical? Is PA bike-friendly?

I have heard that the buses are frequently late (or early!) and one ends up waiting or missing them which can be a pain when getting to work in the morning.

[n080di]

Another question: Does anybody know Arastradero West apartments (724 Arastradero Road)?

They seem perfectly close to Coyote Hill Rd. (bikably close?) and I can't find reviews that are too negative online, although it's hard to translate between a slightly negative review and the reality of the place.

Any suggestions, comments, or info would be of immense help.

Thank you all for taking the time to provide this great resource.

[mdwstrnkid]

Originally Posted by n080di

Yes I was planning on biking to work. Is that impractical? Is PA bike-friendly?

I have heard that the buses are frequently late (or early!) and one ends up waiting or missing them which can be a pain when getting to work in the morning.

Actually, biking is a perfectly fine option. Arastradero has a wide shoulder for bikes from El Camino to Foothill Expressway and has a separate bike path off the roadway from Foothill to Hillview. You will like biking to work. Also note that VTA buses have bike racks on the front so you could also take the 22, stop off around Arastradero and El Camino and bike the rest of the way into the office.