Drug/gang activity in Evergreen (San Jose, Redwood City: middle-class, section 8, renter)

[sonarrat]

I've lived just off of Aborn Road for 2 years now, close to the Evergreen Public Library. There are some real positives to the area; shopping is close, the library and a park are right there, and there's a lot of foot traffic in the morning and evening hours, which help to give it a neighborhood feel. However, I've also seen some things that scared me. There have been a large number of drug deals conducted on or near my property. Unfamiliar cars with loud stereos circle in a suspicious pattern after dark, and black tags in block letters appear on utility boxes and fences regularly. Last night, six gunshots rang out at the corner, and two vehicles sped away - I assume due to one of these drug deals going bad. That is never a good sign.

As a renter, I am able to move, and therefore I am planning to do so ASAP. If you're looking to buy, though, beware. Evergreen is one of the most completely mixed communities I've seen; the very poor live shoulder to shoulder with the very rich, criminals and panhandlers with professionals and public servants. It's not a ghetto, and there are worse parts of San Jose, but it's not going to be to everyone's liking at all.

[sjnative]

This is similar to the part of 95111 that I live in- working professionals who work long hours and own their own homes have Section 8 and other renter neighbors who seemingly have at least two families living in a single family home which is made plain by the amount of automobiles they have and the sheer presence of so many people coming, going and loitering in their front yards. Think that most of these people are neighborly? Think more like.. noisy, crude and in many instances, hostile.

IMO, Areas like this are in decline and they will only get worse as time passes. Increasingly more of those homes' owners will move out but retain their properties as rentals, maybe Section 8 rentals because then they have a guaranteed payments.

Don't buy here.

Buy somewhere that the quality of life and coincidentally the COL are both higher, where the homes are less likely to be rentals and those that are are out of the price range of Section 8 renters. With the exceptions of the few gentrified neighborhoods of San Jose which themselves border lower-grade areas, such a place would be outside of SJ entirely.

P.S. I'm not generalizing that all renters are lowlifes but so many are on the east side of the valley.

[krudmonk]

"Evergreen" spans several ZIP codes, not just that area by the library.

[Utahooligan]

I empathize with you guys. I paid a lot of $$ to rent a nice, small house in Redwood City, but then learned the hard-way that just because I was shelling-out $2400/month in rent, it didn't mean that the neighborhood was full of decent people. It was sad to witness what once was a nice, older community decay into a mexican barrio. And if they weren't proud to live there & take good care of the property they rented, that made *me* start to be a little lazy about picking up trash, watering the plants, etc.

I got the heck out of there, and in fact, I got out of California specifically because I couldn't stand my tax $$ being spent on helping that culture/class of people instead of being spent on enforcing a basic level of decency.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

I've lived just off of Aborn Road for 2 years now, close to the Evergreen Public Library. There are some real positives to the area; shopping is close, the library and a park are right there, and there's a lot of foot traffic in the morning and evening hours, which help to give it a neighborhood feel. However, I've also seen some things that scared me. There have been a large number of drug deals conducted on or near my property. Unfamiliar cars with loud stereos circle in a suspicious pattern after dark, and black tags in block letters appear on utility boxes and fences regularly. Last night, six gunshots rang out at the corner, and two vehicles sped away - I assume due to one of these drug deals going bad. That is never a good sign.

As a renter, I am able to move, and therefore I am planning to do so ASAP. If you're looking to buy, though, beware. Evergreen is one of the most completely mixed communities I've seen; the very poor live shoulder to shoulder with the very rich, criminals and panhandlers with professionals and public servants. It's not a ghetto, and there are worse parts of San Jose, but it's not going to be to everyone's liking at all.

I have never lived in Evergreen but I always thought that it was a nice area surrounded by ghetto and that eventually the ghetto would encroach on it. I saw the signs of that happening 7 or 8 years ago (older houses with a kind of faded look about them). Plus, the shopping on that side of town isn't that great if you're not an immigrant from the 3rd World. The traffic is worse than other parts of town, too.

So it looks like you're confirming my suspicions.

What do you think about South SJ along Blossom Hill Rd and off Santa Teresa Bl? Sometimes I think South SJ will eventually suffer the same fate, but it seems to be holding up ok so far.

I hope you find a place more to your liking that you can afford.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

What do you think about South SJ along Blossom Hill Rd and off Santa Teresa Bl? Sometimes I think South SJ will eventually suffer the same fate, but it seems to be holding up ok so far.

I hope you find a place more to your liking that you can afford.

I like it more on the other side of the Almaden Expressway. Blossom Hill & Snell has been in decline for a while now.. but at least the shopping is all right in the area. I don't know much about the area as you get closer to the southern foothills but I imagine it's fairly nice.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

I like it more on the other side of the Almaden Expressway. Blossom Hill & Snell has been in decline for a while now.. but at least the shopping is all right in the area. I don't know much about the area as you get closer to the southern foothills but I imagine it's fairly nice.

Yes, there's no question the other side of Almaden Expwy. is nicer. I think I'd prefer Blossom HIll & Snell to the not so great parts of Evergreen (if only from a geographic location standpoint)...but I've lived in SJ for 14 years, and it does seem that the Blossom Hill/Snell area is oh so slowly going downhill, but the signs are subtle enough that if you just pass through from time to time, you might miss them.

Further south at Santa Teresa & Snell it looks about the same as at Blossom Hill & Snell. Even the houses that go right up against the hill aren't necessarily anything special.

I do agree, though, that area has much better shopping options than Evergreen.

Thanks for you .02 worth. You really know this area's neighborhoods like the back of your hand

[sonarrat]

There are definitely some nice pockets in the south side besides the obvious ones though.. Parkview is still a nice middle-class area, the area that Google calls Danna Rocks is a hidden gem, and the Makati condos seem to be one of the best complexes on the south side. You don't need to be a billionaire to live in a safe area in San Jose..

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

There are definitely some nice pockets in the south side besides the obvious ones though.. Parkview is still a nice middle-class area, the area that Google calls Danna Rocks is a hidden gem, and the Makati condos seem to be one of the best complexes on the south side. You don't need to be a billionaire to live in a safe area in San Jose..

I didn't know their names, but I checked the map and I'm somewhat familiar with those areas and I agree. I'd pick Parkview over Danna Rocks, though. DR is small and too close to the dumpier areas.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

I didn't know their names, but I checked the map and I'm somewhat familiar with those areas and I agree. I'd pick Parkview over Danna Rocks, though. DR is small and too close to the dumpier areas.

Danna Rocks is right around the corner from Valley Christian High.. it doesn't seem that special until you notice that all the lawns are perfect and there are no beaters on the street. If I knew I was going to send my kids to private schools anyway, it would be high on my list.