Bay Area High Schools and Neighborhoods (San Jose, San Francisco: rent, condo, homes)

[stephanieh21]

My family and I are moving to the Bay area in a few months. We'd love to live in Noe Valley, but can't afford to buy a place there so, we're looking at suburbs. We do have a 16-year old daughter who will be a junior in high school so the schools are important to us.

From the research I've done it looks like we can afford areas like South San Francisco, East Palo Alto (maybe), Union City, Milpitas. Does anyone have any other suggestions or advice? We're looking to buy around the 600-650K range.

Am I right to assume that moving to a suburb means giving up the "no need for a car" life (i.e. walking to the market, walking to cafes, etc.?)

Thanks. I appreciate your input!

[mayorhaggar]

East Palo Alto is one of the few ghetto areas around the Silicon Valley area, avoid it. South San Francisco I'm not too familiar with but I've heard it's pretty gritty in parts.

I would figure out where you need to commute to, those places you listed are all over the place.

And yes outside of SF, parts of Oakland and parts of Berkeley, you really need a car to get around. I live in Rockridge in Oakland without a car, schools in Oakland aren't good though. Most older suburbs in the Bay Area have some sort of small walkable downtown area, but unless you live around the corner from them you have to drive there and park before you can ditch your car.

[uptown_urbanist]

I know this doesn't directly answer your question, but have you considered just renting? San Franciso is one of those cities where the buying-versus-renting calculators typically tip towards renting. I'm just throwing that out there because I know in some areas of the country it's typical to own, not rent (like where I'm living now, in Minneapolis), but that's not true in San Francisco. Obviously I don't know your needs and reasons, but if you're open to considering renting you may find that you could afford Noe Valley (or other nice city neighborhoods). That goes double if you could get rid of the expenses of a car, or if you're a two-car family, go down to one. (especially since there are car-share options readily available)

[Ceece]

With $650k you could live somewhere around the 680 corridor. Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon, Livermore, etc. Good schools for your daughter. I wouldn't live in any of the places you mentioned. I have no idea where you will be working though and yes, you will need a car if you want to get around.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by stephanieh21

We do have a 16-year old daughter who will be a junior in high school so the schools are important to us.

From the research I've done it looks like we can afford areas like South San Francisco, East Palo Alto (maybe), Union City, Milpitas. Does anyone have any other suggestions or advice? We're looking to buy around the 600-650K range.

Am I right to assume that moving to a suburb means giving up the "no need for a car" life (i.e. walking to the market, walking to cafes, etc.?)

Thanks. I appreciate your input!

Yet another forumer looking for something that perfectly describe Alameda and Albany.

I've never seen a pair of towns on the SF subforum that so meet the criteria of so many people asking.

LOL

[bmw335xi]

I moved around a lot when I was growing up and always used this website to find a good school, the reviews are very accurate and you can also see the demographics on the specific school.

GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community

I'd look into Walnut Creek, Mill Valley or Menlo Park.

[Hemlock140]

the best schools are the area where I grew up, Lafayette, Orinda and Moraga. May be hard to find a home for that price, but really, the prices of homes are greatly affected by the quality of the schools. Check out Acalanes, Campolindo, and Miramonte high schools on Greatschools.

[cawoman]

I'm an educator in the East Bay and would not recommend any public high schools in the cities you've mentioned. Parts of Fremont have very good high schools, though, and Fremont is between Milpitas and Union City. Irvington High used to have a bad reputation but has gotten a lot better in recent years and is also something of a magnet school for arts/music. You wouldn't be able to buy a SFH in the neighborhood with the top high school (Mission San Jose), but you could probably purchase a town home or condo.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by cawoman

I'm an educator in the East Bay and would not recommend any public high schools in the cities you've mentioned. Parts of Fremont have very good high schools, though, and Fremont is between Milpitas and Union City. Irvington High used to have a bad reputation but has gotten a lot better in recent years and is also something of a magnet school for arts/music. You wouldn't be able to buy a SFH in the neighborhood with the top high school (Mission San Jose), but you could probably purchase a town home or condo.

Irvington HS is actually pretty darned good - and it has a more "balanced" school culture/life than Mission SJ - which has a very competitive academic culture that may not suit every student.

[NorCal44]

With a 650K budget, you should be able to get something very nice in Linda Mar/Rockaway beach in Pacifica. Terra Nova High School is very good--lots of sports and they're building a new performing arts center. Yes, you would need a car. Also, check out Millbrae. Homes would be more but if you buy close enough to downtown, you can walk to lots of shops, restaurants, and you can walk to BART and go into the city. Check out Mills High School, I've heard good things about it. Again, with that budget and since prices have come down a bit, you could afford something in one of SF's inner suburbs on the peninsula--San Bruno, South City, Pacifica, Millbrae, etc. There are very nice, hilly areas, and it's all a short distance to SF, not to mention the airport. And if you're working in the city, no bridges in your commute--a huge plus. Good luck.