Anyone from Seattle moved to San Jose? (Mountain View, Palo Alto: condos, homes)

[BoutiqueSearch]

Hello Everyone!
I was wondering if anyone could give me an idea whether there are suburbs/cities in San Jose area that are comparable (by atmosphere, culture, shopping/restaurant access, etc) to Bellevue/Redmond/Kirkland - the Eastside areas of Seattle. I would really appreciate some input on that. Thanks in advance!

[Seacove]

I live on the Eastside and travel to the Bay Area all the time. Palo Alto is more like Bellevue. Los Gatos is more like Woodinville. You could say Cupertino is a bit like Redmond. And the areas surrounding are similar such as Mountain View. I love the Bay Area but the housing costs are very high by comparison.

[hsw]

Redmond is really a two-company region...MSFT and AMZN and not much else...which has implications for one's career liquidity and income potential

PaloAlto region has more BigTech sprawled out in various industrial suburbs like Cupertino, MV, etc...and most start-ups in PA, Menlo, MV

Woodside/Atherton are the Medina equivalents of region...and perhaps counterintuitively land in Woodside is far cheaper than lakefront land in Medina

And yuppie condos in SF like FourSeasons or Millennium cost about same as FourSeasons condos in Seattle (~$1500/sf)

Traffic between Woodside to SV offices (or from SV offices to yuppie condos in SF) is far faster than any similar commutes btwn Medina and MSFT/AMZN

Much like Medina, food in Woodside area sucks (thus why singles tend to reside in SF)

And like Medina, have plenty of decent private schools (and a few decent public schools) full of smart kids of high-achieving engineers....not surprising ethos as nowhere on planet with greater economic/intellectual productivity than PaloAlto region

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by hsw

Redmond is really a two-company region...MSFT and AMZN and not much else...which has implications for one's career liquidity and income potential

PaloAlto region has more BigTech sprawled out in various industrial suburbs like Cupertino, MV, etc...and most start-ups in PA, Menlo, MV

Woodside/Atherton are the Medina equivalents of region...and perhaps counterintuitively land in Woodside is far cheaper than lakefront land in Medina

And yuppie condos in SF like FourSeasons or Millennium cost about same as FourSeasons condos in Seattle (~$1500/sf)

Traffic between Woodside to SV offices (or from SV offices to yuppie condos in SF) is far faster than any similar commutes btwn Medina and MSFT/AMZN

Much like Medina, food in Woodside area sucks (thus why singles tend to reside in SF)

And like Medina, have plenty of decent private schools (and a few decent public schools) full of smart kids of high-achieving engineers....not surprising ethos as nowhere on planet with greater economic/intellectual productivity than PaloAlto region

FYI, contrary to all of your posts, there's no such thing as the "Palo Alto region". Palo Alto is just one small city that's part of the Bay Area. I'm not saying it's a bad place, it's just that your posts are completely obsessive about the city. Palo Alto is actually probably one of the most over-rated and over-priced places in the entire Bay Area. I've lived in the Bay Area my entire life and I've never heard anybody use the term "Palo Alto region"...ever.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by mstnghu2

FYI, contrary to all of your posts, there's no such thing as the "Palo Alto region". Palo Alto is just one small city that's part of the Bay Area. I'm not saying it's a bad place, it's just that your posts are completely obsessive about the city. Palo Alto is actually probably one of the most over-rated and over-priced places in the entire Bay Area. I've lived in the Bay Area my entire life and I've never heard anybody use the term "Palo Alto region"...ever.

Spot on. I grew up in PA and I too have never heard of "the Palo Alto region" as an appellation. While it is a nice place to live, in no way does everything in the tech world revolve around it as hsw implies.

[zitsky]

Originally Posted by mstnghu2

FYI, contrary to all of your posts, there's no such thing as the "Palo Alto region". Palo Alto is just one small city that's part of the Bay Area. I'm not saying it's a bad place, it's just that your posts are completely obsessive about the city. Palo Alto is actually probably one of the most over-rated and over-priced places in the entire Bay Area. I've lived in the Bay Area my entire life and I've never heard anybody use the term "Palo Alto region"...ever.

I think the poster was referring to the Palo Alto region in a generic sense, just like I might refer to the "San Jose area" or "San Jose region". It's not a term that I hear often, but I think there's nothing that unusual about it. You could argue that Palo Alto is the center of Silicon Valley, although some people would say it's San Jose (not me).

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by zitsky

I think the poster was referring to the Palo Alto region in a generic sense, just like I might refer to the "San Jose area" or "San Jose region". It's not a term that I hear often, but I think there's nothing that unusual about it. You could argue that Palo Alto is the center of Silicon Valley, although some people would say it's San Jose (not me).

If you read through his previous posts, you'll understand. The epicenter of the world according to HSW, Palo Alto, and the Palo Alto region (which isn't really a region) are mentioned in every single one.

[ky4444]

I didn't take the time to read all the responses but this is my take on it. I spent the first 25+ years of my life in San Jose, then moved to Seattle (kirkland, queen anne, and wallingford/green lake) and lived for 7 years, and just recently moved back to San Jose.
I would say the closest to Kirkland is Los Gatos or Willow Glen.
The closest to Woodinville is Morgan Hill (although Morgan Hill schools for the most part aren't great).
I am not sure about the closest to Bellevue, maybe Campbell, although that is a stretch.
I live now in a part of San Jose called Almaden - great schools, safe, beautiful, nice homes, upper middle class, but a hell of a commute to almost anywhere. I don't know what the closest comparison would be, maybe an older Snoqualmie Ridge - that too is a stretch. Homes in Almaden were mostly built in the 60s-80s.
I hope that helps some. If you can afford Los Gatos, I would pick to live there. If you can't quite afford it, and schools aren't a top priority, I would suggest you check out Willow Glen. If schools are important and you can't quite afford Los Gatos, I would say Almaden is a great bet.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by mstnghu2

If you read through his previous posts, you'll understand. The epicenter of the world according to HSW, Palo Alto, and the Palo Alto region (which isn't really a region) are mentioned in every single one.

Yeah, what is up with HSW's obsession with Palo Alto? Sheesh !!!

[TecWmn]

I currently live in Wallingford and would like to find an area similar in the San Jose area. Any suggestions? I am looking for a small house, but like the funky/punky/artsy/edgy vibe. I am single with no kids (three animals) and do not need to commute to work.