Deciding between Walnut Creek and San Jose/Santa Clara ? Which is better? and why? (San Francisco: to rent)

[RockhetHD]

Deciding between Walnut Creek and San Jose/Santa Clara ? Which is better? and why?
Does Walnut Creek have any Racism issue? How is living in Walnut Creek vs San Jose/Santa Clara?

[ippi76]

They're both nice, I'd lean a little towards Walnut Creek. It seems less crowded and spread out, plus there actually is nightlife. In Santa Clara, there is no nightlife, and in San Jose it only exists in dowtown.

Schools are better in Walnut Creek.

They're fairly similar climate-wise, Walnut Creek might be just a touch warmer (like 1-2 degrees).

Walnut Creek is safer than San Jose, depending on what neighborhood.

Santa Clara/San Jose will be WAY more diverse, lots of Asians and LAtinos. Walnut Creek will be more white, I don't think there is racism however.

[Carlite]

Do you know where you would be working? That would be a first level screen. There are a lot of jobs in the San Jose/ Santa Clara area, but if you would be working in San Francisco, Oakland, or in the Walnut Creek area itself, Walnut Creek would be better. Walnut Creek has good restaurants, but not like San Jose and Santa Clara do.

I don't think Walnut Creek is a virulently racist town, but it is pretty White--79% of the population. There are modest Asian and Latino populations, each around 10%, but only about 1,000 African-Americans, less than 2% of the population. I just don't know how comfortable somebody non-White would be living there.

[GoldyViolet]

I would agree that the first question is where would you be working?

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by RockhetHD

Deciding between Walnut Creek and San Jose/Santa Clara ? Which is better? and why?
Does Walnut Creek have any Racism issue? How is living in Walnut Creek vs San Jose/Santa Clara?

I would agree that Walnut Creek would be better, if you're just talking SJ proper or Santa Clara. However, if you're willing to consider one of the cities in the West Valley, I'd give an edge to those (Palo Alto, Los Altos, Mountain View, Saratoga, Los Gatos, etc). I guess the bigger question is where will you be working? That would probably drive my decision making, as long commutes in the Bay Area can be terrible.

Not aware of a racism issue in Walnut Creek.

[marcopolo666]

Originally Posted by Carlite

Do you know where you would be working? That would be a first level screen.

300%.

If distance from work doesn't matter, consider Austin, Texas.

[tstieber]

I grew up in Walnut Creek (parents still live there), and I have to say, I would much, much rather live there than in San Jose. WC is, of course, a smaller suburban city, and San Jose is a large suburban city, so there are some cool things to see and do in SJ that WC won't offer (Santana Row, a larger downtown, proximity to Santa Cruz beaches, proximity to Great America if you like theme parks, and generally more malls and restaurants). However, WC has other advantages. The extremely bustling and large downtown is a mix of older commercial streets with quaint independent restaurants, sidewalk cafes, and bars (and some surprisingly busy nightlife, especially on hot summer nights when every patio is packed), and newer, upscale shopping, dining, and movie theaters. There's also a great regional performing arts center and a native wildlife museum. You also have an amazing amount of open space and hilly scenery for hiking and biking (Mt. Diablo State Park, Shell Ridge open space, Lime Ridge open space, Foothills Regional Park, etc etc), convenient golfing (two municipal courses), lots of public tennis courts, big parks and pools (Heather Farms and Larkey Park in particular), and miles and miles of paved bike trails along the Iron Horse Trail. So if you like outdoor recreation and scenic beauty, WC is much nicer than San Jose.

You're also close to nearby places that are cool: Lafayette Reservoir is a gorgeous place to rent a paddle boat or take a walk, and its downtown has a separate but smaller mix of trendy but low-key independent restaurats. Danville has a cute historic downtown with an Old West vibe, lots of galleries, shops, wine bars, and restaurants, as well as a nice woodsy shopping center with some more great tenants. Blackhawk Plaza is a Mediterranean styled outdoor shopping center (very Orange County) with a famed automotive museum, a permanent Smithsonian exhibit, and amazing landscape and waterfalls, all next to gated golf course communities. And you can always hop on BART to get into Oakland's awesome, Europeanesque Rockridge district, Uptown Oakland to catch a theater show or a hip restaurant, downtown Berkeley's performing arts district, or of course, San Francisco. And lastly, you're also a good 45 minutes closer to popular daytrips such as Napa, Marin County, Sonoma, Sacramento, the Sacramento River Delta for watersports, or Lake Tahoe. Again, if you're active and outdoorsy, WC is your place.

Now as for racism, I can't think of a whiter part of the Bay Area (although nearby Concord is 25 percent Mexican, but then Danville is about 90+% white). But people are really friendly and not in the least bit redneck. It's a pretty upscale area, and people are well educated. So I've never seen racism. You should note, however, that you will see some Romney posters and stickers, as there is a large and visibe conservative element there too. All in all, it's pretty balanced.

Housing is cheaper in WC too, due to farther proximity from most jobs (although there are lots of large office buildings in the area too).

Three thumbs up for WC!