What parents in SJ downtown do? (San Jose, San Mateo: low income, rentals, condos)

[feskone]

Im having bigtime problem!!! I want to live downtown SJ. The point is I dont want to live anywhere else in any Sillicon Valley area except SJ downtown, but schools r exceptionally bad there! I have 2 kids. We need good elementary in 1 year. Im wandering what parents who live downtown SJ do? (I mean those who want good elementary) Do they just move to suburbs or they get admitted to those other areas good schools? Is there any problem is it easy to commute and so on and so forth. Anybody??? Any closest school in particular!? Any answer would be big help! PLZ! Thanx!!!

[Baron von Costume]

Two words.

Parochial Schools.


Three more.

Other private schools.

There is an absolutely TERRIFIC neighbourhood in dowtown (called "Naglee Park") where you can get much, much more absolutely beautiful home than in comparable areas (Community Centre in Palo Alto, for example). But the SJ Unified district is a disaster.

My advice would be to take the $$$ you would end up paying in downpayment/mortgage (that essentially is a kind of tuition if you will), and put the kids into private school.

[feskone]

thanx a bunch! ur reply makes me think:
so there is no middle class in SJ downtown? U cannot afford anyth thus u sending ur kids to terrible school or u can afford everyth including 2K monthly for kids school? Doesnt sounds like much of sense to choose between school and house cuz if u dont pay mortgage u still have to rent Im starting to think if SJ is for us at all.
Anybody elses thoughts?

[Baron von Costume]

Originally Posted by feskone

thanx a bunch! ur reply makes me think:
so there is no middle class in SJ downtown? U cannot afford anyth thus u sending ur kids to terrible school or u can afford everyth including 2K monthly for kids school? Doesnt sounds like much of sense to choose between school and house cuz if u dont pay mortgage u still have to rent Im starting to think if SJ is for us at all.
Anybody elses thoughts?

Hmmm... In the SF Bay area, "middle class" is a relative term.

I lived for several years in Downtown SJ, on a salary of about 90k per year in those days. No kids, so schools were not an issue. To my east by one or two blocks were low income housing and student rentals. To my west by one or two blocks were houses in the high six figures to over a million (Zoe Lofgren, my representative in Washington, lived two blocks from me.)

[feskone]

and? how did u like it? livable? I mean SJ downtown

[krudmonk]

The lack of a "middle class" downtown is more a statement on the social aspects as opposed to financial standing. There is little in the way of derelict, bombed out buildings amongst the new high-rise condos, but there are also not many soccer moms. I assume that many downtowns are lacking such an element.

[Baron von Costume]

Originally Posted by feskone

and? how did u like it? livable? I mean SJ downtown

I loved living in downtown San Jose. It is very livable, if you ignore the schools situation.

[feskone]

I think Im still trying to put my European standards on American way of living. Cant get used to it. Why moms have to move to suburbs? Better schools, more space, safer, cleaner... If only I felt safe in suburbs here. I live downtown San Mateo and think that Ive never been so suburbish. Im getting tired of this place, of these mom's and commuting in SUV's. It makes me sick. I really wanted to get all things at once like I did back in Europe. Live work and study among others and together with others. I guess u cant have it all in one place here. U have to live in one place, drive ur children to another place and work in 3rd place spending approx 3 h on the road each day. What a waste of time! Is it really worth these 1mill dollar houses?

[sonarrat]

What on earth is wrong with downtown San Mateo. I can't imagine if you don't like it there, you would find San Jose any different! I'm really not understanding this. I guarantee you, almost none of the people you see hanging out in downtown SJ actually live there. They take the bus from Gilroy, or the east side, or the train from Campbell or South San Jose. Or they just drive there.

[Baron von Costume]

Originally Posted by feskone

I think Im still trying to put my European standards on American way of living. Cant get used to it. Why moms have to move to suburbs? Better schools, more space, safer, cleaner... If only I felt safe in suburbs here. I live downtown San Mateo and think that Ive never been so suburbish. Im getting tired of this place, of these mom's and commuting in SUV's. It makes me sick. I really wanted to get all things at once like I did back in Europe. Live work and study among others and together with others. I guess u cant have it all in one place here. U have to live in one place, drive ur children to another place and work in 3rd place spending approx 3 h on the road each day. What a waste of time! Is it really worth these 1mill dollar houses?

The bottom line is that the US is not Europe (thank God). Where in Europe are you from? What is it about "these mom's (sic)" that you do find so troublesome?

The only European country I am really comfortable to compare to is the UK. And rest assured, it is not better than the US really. If you want to live in "cosmopolitan" London, it is even more expensive than the Bay area. Elsewise, you live in a suburban town (and there, "suburban" is actually an insult), and you take the trains in to work, which takes just as long as commuting, although you do get the charms of being shoved into a crammed train rather than being in your own vehicle.

Downtown San Jose is nice in that, you can still have a detached home on a reasonable property, and walk to the city centre. Of course, there are semi-detached and attached (eg., condos) if that's more aligned.

Frankly (and I mean no insult, really), people who come from Europe to the US and then complain that it's not Europe are every bit as parochial as Americans who go to Europe and complain that it is not the US.