Possible transfer to Los Gatos (San Jose, Santa Clara: rentals, house, best schools)

[Tbewood4]

Hi everyone, we are possibly going to be transferred to the Los Gatos area for a job. I am looking for info on places to live in the area that have good schools. We will have one in high school and one in middle school. We will be looking to rent for the first year. Any suggestions on good neighbohoods with good schools would be helpful. I'm also nervous about the cost of living....we will be making around 400k. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Heidi60]

Have you read the many other related threads on for the Bay Area? The cost of living and schools are popular topics here.

[dogandcat]

If you have a job in Los Gatos and your family's salary is about $400K, then there is only one answer. Lets live in Los Gatos itself

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by dogandcat

If you have a job in Los Gatos and your family's salary is about $400K, then there is only one answer. Lets live in Los Gatos itself

Agreed. with a combined salary of $400k/year, that's more than enough to afford a place to rent in Los Gatos. It's a great town and is considered to be very desirable. You could also expand your search to Monte Sereno and Saratoga, although you probably wouldn't find too many rentals.

Also consider Almaden Valley and Cambrian Park in San Jose. Those areas border Los Gatos and also have good schools.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Live where you work, if you can afford to, and it's a decent area. This is the forum mantra. Trust us, commuting s*cks.

And Los Gatos is niiiiiiiice. You should love it. I don't know of any bad areas of Los Gatos, though I didn't live there. I lived in Santa Clara for 10 years prior to retiring up north last year. Los Gatos has a great reputation for being a nice, safe place to live, and is in a great location for outdoor recreation. Great farmer's market, too.

Congrats on the job!

[Joy Lillian]

Hi - Possibly this advice is too late to do any good, but in case others are trying to decide to move to Los Gatos.....

I've been living in Los Gatos for over 16 years and love it! There are great restaurants, an extensive hiking trail system, some very cute (but expensive) boutiques as well as the big box stores (Sur La Table, Williams-Sonoma, Banana Republic, Anthropologie, Lucy, etc.). There are some nice free concert events during the summer as well. There is a lovely town/community feeling and it's one of the most dog friendly towns in Silicon Valley.

Having said that, if you want the best schools in the area, then I would recommend living in Saratoga which is just 5- 15 minutes away (depending on where you live in Saratoga). The high school there is definitely operating at a higher level than Los Gatos High which is a good school, but again if you want the best public school that is just over the border, then I recommend Saratoga. Saratoga's downtown though does not compare to Los Gatos, much smaller and no where near the same amount of interesting shops. The rents would be much higher too than Los Gatos.

Good Luck. I know it's ridiculously expensive to move here.

[Local123]

Los Gatos is good. But there are other factors to consider. Not everyone who can afford to live in LG or other very affluent towns choose to live there for a myriad of reasons. We chose an area close by but not in that actual community because we found that it just fit us better. I would come and check all of the areas out and see what feels like a good fit. Good luck!

[Wintermomma]

Originally Posted by dogandcat

If you have a job in Los Gatos and your family's salary is about $400K, then there is only one answer. Lets live in Los Gatos itself

Ditto that. Or Saratoga.

[MediocreButArrogant]

Originally Posted by Wintermomma

Ditto that. Or Saratoga.

I have to disagree. Minimum entry price to something decent in those two cities is over $2M, and that's quite a stretch on a $400k salary. Maybe if you have significant assets, but not if you can only put down 20%.

[rnc2mbfl]

My parents built a new (albeit cookie cutter) 4 bedroom house in Los Gatos near Union Ave. for $21,000 in 1965. My how things have changed.