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Old 05-14-2011, 12:25 AM
 
Location: In the Redwoods
30,357 posts, read 51,950,786 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sonarrat View Post
It gets worse the further south you go towards Gilroy/Hollister.. and the frequency of massive lifted pickup trucks increases too.
I commute to San Benito County from south SJ, so I guess that explains it... I'm just in the worst corridor!
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Old 05-14-2011, 12:29 AM
 
Location: earth?
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Don't even think about Sunnyvale - in the interest of progress, the downtown was demolished eons ago . . .so there is no center.

I would recommend Willow Glen or Los Gatos. Mountain View has a more urban vibe . . .Willow Glen and Los Gatos are more family oriented, I think, especially Willow Glen, but I am not really sure.

Traffic in Willow Glen is really not an issue - commuting, it depends to where (sorry, did not read your entire thread).
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Old 05-14-2011, 12:30 AM
 
Location: earth?
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My take on Mt. View is that it is more young adult than toddler oriented. I think there are a lot of toddlers in Willow Glen.
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Old 05-14-2011, 12:31 AM
 
Location: San Jose, CA
7,688 posts, read 29,156,794 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gizmo980 View Post
I commute to San Benito County from south SJ, so I guess that explains it... I'm just in the worst corridor!
You bet, especially since you're going in the "recreational/just passing thru" direction.. during commute hours San Jose traffic has a certain calm to it. Afterhours and weekends it gets a little crazy.
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Old 05-14-2011, 12:37 AM
 
Location: In the Redwoods
30,357 posts, read 51,950,786 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sonarrat View Post
You bet, especially since you're going in the "recreational/just passing thru" direction.. during commute hours San Jose traffic has a certain calm to it. Afterhours and weekends it gets a little crazy.
Yup! And not only do I go the "wrong direction," but my hours are usually from 11am-8pm... weird that a standard commute would be better, huh? Oh well, I guess it's better than sitting in bumper-to-bumper on 85 or 101.
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Old 05-14-2011, 12:47 AM
 
865 posts, read 1,828,174 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gizmo980 View Post
Yes there is, and I was surprised to discover South Bay drivers are WORSE than SF drivers! I just moved to San Jose from SF, and expected SJ to be more laid-back... turns out they drive faster, tailgate like crazy, and are extremely road-ragey/aggressive. And this is coming from a city driver, who's had 4 speeding tickets in the last 4 years - so it's not as though I drive like a grandma. Anyway, just thought I'd throw that in for the OP. Maybe the other South Bay towns are better, but SJ drivers are just awful IMO!
Funny you should say that, having moved here from the LA area we think exactly the opposite. Though not to say that there are not plenty of scary drivers...just on the slower "what the heck are they doing?" scale. I am more likely to see the type of driver who is newer to driving in this country and going slowly or make very unanticipated decisions, than what you see. But it could just be my skewed view coming from the tailgating and road rage capital of America. Of course most of my driving is in the Peninsula area, so far.
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Old 05-14-2011, 07:55 AM
 
Location: San Jose
160 posts, read 454,583 times
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It's really hard moving away from family - especially when you have a young child. It'll be very important to build a support base - your husband will have work friends so you need to build mommy friends.
Mountain View is great because it has a cute downtown, is close to work, and there are tons of things to do. There are parks every few blocs, San Antonio Shopping Center. Shoreline Amphitheater, you can head up the foothills to Rancho San Antonio and the farm there, or down to Baylands Park for a run or walk along the bay or a little golf at Shoreline ;-). Really, any burb along the peninsula will work. There are mommy groups in every city, area and suburb.
If you want to meet other moms try, meetups.com
For activity ideas try bayareaparent.com - you can read online and get ideas to meet other kids.
With a toddler, no matter where you end up, hang out at the nearest park. As you sit, watching your kid swing or play, another mom will be watching their kid - just say hi and you are on your way.
Most people are super nice and the weather is gorgeous. Enjoy!
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Old 05-14-2011, 11:03 AM
 
2,547 posts, read 4,229,741 times
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Thanks so much everyone, that was really helpful!
One more question, how far is between Sunnvale and MT or Palo Alto? The reason we've been looking at Sunnyvale is because it seems the rents there are a bit more reasonable and seems to be more of a selection of rent-by-owner homes or townhouses, whereas MT and PA seem to mostly just have overpriced apartments. Am I right to assume they're close enough together that we could live in Sunnyvale yet easily pop over to the MT downtown for example? How long of a drive is it?

And another question: what are the best areas in Sunnnyvale in terms of walkability/convenience? I've been looking at the area around the Arboretum and Orchard Park, or around the Las Palmas park and Sunnyvale Shopping Center. Are these good, is one better than the other?
Thanks!
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Old 05-14-2011, 11:58 AM
 
865 posts, read 1,828,174 times
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It's really easy to get around here quickly, if you plan to never take the 101 freeway. I find it shockingly quick, at least during off-peak hours. I would suggest using google maps to search the route from any places you are considering to your work. Also there is a 'traffic' feature so you can change the date/time to see average traffic.

www.crimereports.com can help, somewhat as it is only goes back for a while , give an idea of crime in the area.
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Old 05-14-2011, 10:59 PM
 
Location: San Jose, CA
7,688 posts, read 29,156,794 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EvilCookie View Post
Thanks so much everyone, that was really helpful!
One more question, how far is between Sunnvale and MT or Palo Alto? The reason we've been looking at Sunnyvale is because it seems the rents there are a bit more reasonable and seems to be more of a selection of rent-by-owner homes or townhouses, whereas MT and PA seem to mostly just have overpriced apartments. Am I right to assume they're close enough together that we could live in Sunnyvale yet easily pop over to the MT downtown for example? How long of a drive is it?

And another question: what are the best areas in Sunnnyvale in terms of walkability/convenience? I've been looking at the area around the Arboretum and Orchard Park, or around the Las Palmas park and Sunnyvale Shopping Center. Are these good, is one better than the other?
Thanks!
Las Palmas Park area is much better. My sister lives in the same area. If you're north of 101 it can be a little dicey.
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