Blossom Valley area of San Jose - tell me all about it! (Morgan Hill: best neighborhood, condo)

[gracieanna]

I'm really interested in moving to Blossom Valley area, near 85 and Almaden Expressway.

Will I like it? Is it safe and quiet? Is there lots to do? What kind of people/families live there?

Help! I'd love any tips, info, feedback or stories you have to tell about your experience there. It will be greatly appreciated and very valuable in making a good decision.

I am a caucasian female, 45 years old. I absolutely love diversity and exposure to various cultures.

[tilz]

I live near 85 and Cottle so not far away and I love it here, there are loads of good shops, a good mall and cinema and tons of places to eat. There are also a lot of places to go walking etc and you are only 35-40 mins from the beaches

The area seems very safe to me, I dont go out drinking late etc so cant comment after midnight but I am very happy here

[gracieanna]

Wow, thanks! I forgot to mention one other concern: How about traffic? Do you have a hard time getting on and off 85 at commute hours? I work in Saratoga.

[mstnghu2]

Most of Blossom Valley is reasonably quiet and safe. I do think that crime and overall "ghetto-ness" is on the rise compared to how the area was when I was a kid. As a teenager almost all my friends lived in the area and it seemed safer and nicer to me back then. There tends to be slightly more gang presence and things that come with it like graffiti, etc. As far as San Jose neighborhoods go, it's almost entirely middle class with some slightly rough pockets with gang activity. I wouldn't consider the area to be unsafe and is still mostly a family-oriented area. It's not exactly Maybury though.

I used to own a condo off Blossom Hill Rd./Beswick Ave. (same area as the other poster) which is basically the eastern edge of what's considered Blossom Valley. There were quite a few car break-ins and vandalism issues in the area over the five years I lived there. I'd recommend living further west and south of there, since it tends to get nicer when you head in the direction of Santa Teresa or toward Almaden Valley and Cambrian Park.

I wouldn't really say there's a lot to do in the area. There are plenty of shopping and dining options along Blossom Hill Rd. though. It's a pretty typical suburban San Jose area, so it's mostly geared toward family living. The area is close to lots of parks in San Jose and surrounding cities for hiking/biking (Almaden Quicksilver Park, Los Alamitos Creek Trail, Vasona Park/Los Gatos Creek Trail, Coyote Creek Trail, etc.).

Traffic can be heavy in the area, especially along Blossom Hill Rd and other major thoroughfares. You'd be heading in the commute direction toward Saratoga on hwy 85. Distance-wise it's not that far from Blossom Valley, but traffic on hwy 85 often slows to a crawl during commute areas along that stretch.

Given the chance, I'd live in the area again. Overall, I was happy living there.

[sonarrat]

I live in the same target area as you're looking at, near Almaden and Branham. I think it's overall the best neighborhood I've ever lived in. Lots of established families and nice folks. Getting to the freeways is not a problem; I usually take Almaden Expressway up towards 87, but once you get used to the bizarre design of the 85/Almaden interchange, it works all right too, especially since you're going opposite the heavy Almaden Valley crunch. If I'm going to Morgan Hill, I take Capitol to the 87 south onramp.

The traffic patterns will change once they get the Wal-Mart in place behind the Best Buy, and there has been a lot of road work lately related to that. They're expanding the expressway.

It is not an especially diverse area. In fact, it's rather whitewashed. Evergreen was better for diversity, except that hardly any Caucasians live on that side of town.

[gracieanna]

Hi Sonorrat, I've seen your thoughtful posts elsewhere in the forum. I was hoping you'd reply since you seem to be knowledgable and well-spoken. Thanks for your input. Looks like we're going to be neighbors!

I heard there was something new going in but didn't know it was a Wal-Mart. I'm not a fan, but will probably end up shopping there anyway.

Important Question: WILL I be going opposite the Almaden Valley crunch? I work in Saratoga so I'd be getting ON 85 at Almaden Expwy. in the morning, and OFF 85 at Almaden Expwy. in the evening.

Will that be a nightmare?

[kdog]

Is Almaden Expressway at 85 considered Blossom Valley? I thought that was still considered Almaden Valley. Maybe not. Commuting from there to Saratoga will put you square in the rush hour from Almaden into Silicon Valley. Believe me I know, I commuted to various points around the peninsula for over 20 years from Almaden.

To go to Saratoga you do have other choices than 85/280. For example you could take Blossom Hill to Highway 9 and go into Saratoga that way. I often took secondary roads like that to break up the monotony. You don't really save much time, but it's more scenic and better than looking at tail lights the whole way. Honestly though, the commute really won't be that bad. You're only going a short ways on 85. Put on some nice tunes or NPR, relax, and 30 minutes later you're where you need to be.

The reason I ended up in Almaden is because you get a whole lot more for your money than further up the peninsula. Plus the area I bought into is just beyond the urban sprawl and you still have a semblance of being out in the country. It's quieter and there's no gang activity or other riff-raff here. I see no evidence of gang activity or other unsavory types in the 85/Almaden Expressway area either mind you. It isn't until you get out towards the Monterrey Highway where you start seeing that sort of thing.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by kdog

Is Almaden Expressway at 85 considered Blossom Valley? I thought that was still considered Almaden Valley. Maybe not. Commuting from there to Saratoga will put you square in the rush hour from Almaden into Silicon Valley. Believe me I know, I commuted to various points around the peninsula for over 20 years from Almaden.

To go to Saratoga you do have other choices than 85/280. For example you could take Blossom Hill to Highway 9 and go into Saratoga that way. I often took secondary roads like that to break up the monotony. You don't really save much time, but it's more scenic and better than looking at tail lights the whole way. Honestly though, the commute really won't be that bad. You're only going a short ways on 85. Put on some nice tunes or NPR, relax, and 30 minutes later you're where you need to be.

The reason I ended up in Almaden is because you get a whole lot more for your money than further up the peninsula. Plus the area I bought into is just beyond the urban sprawl and you still have a semblance of being out in the country. It's quieter and there's no gang activity or other riff-raff here. I see no evidence of gang activity or other unsavory types in the 85/Almaden Expressway area either mind you. It isn't until you get out towards the Monterrey Highway where you start seeing that sort of thing.

85 will be heavy starting around, depending on the time of morning, Bascom Ave or Saratoga Ave. Almaden Expressway itself isn't an issue as the heaviest flow of traffic is northbound coming from the Almaden Valley, and the timing lights are shorter if you're coming that way too.

Getting off of 85 at Almaden can be a hassle. At times, it backs up onto the freeway, but most people are usually crowding into the right lanes to get into the shopping center or to go southbound on Almaden. Steer to the left and you'll have less of an issue.

[coldPlay]

Originally Posted by gracieanna

I'm really interested in moving to Blossom Valley area, near 85 and Almaden Expressway.

Will I like it? Is it safe and quiet? Is there lots to do? What kind of people/families live there?

Help! I'd love any tips, info, feedback or stories you have to tell about your experience there. It will be greatly appreciated and very valuable in making a good decision.

I am a caucasian female, 45 years old. I absolutely love diversity and exposure to various cultures.

Has anyone noticed all most of us want is a safe place with a community spirit in which to live in a place that has a healthy IT industry. I'm right there behind you... is this too much to ask for?

[kdog]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

Getting off of 85 at Almaden can be a hassle. At times, it backs up onto the freeway, but most people are usually crowding into the right lanes to get into the shopping center or to go southbound on Almaden. Steer to the left and you'll have less of an issue.

Oh yeah, I always avoid the 85/Almaden Expressway exit at rush hour. It's a major cluster-youknowwhat. I take the Camden Ave exit instead.