Moving from Costa Rica to South Bay (San Jose, San Francisco: hardwood floors, real estate)

[zekeyb]

My husband has taken a job in Mountainview and I will be commuting once a month to Pacifica Grad Institute in Carpinteria. We have a 2.5 yr old and a 15 year old. He's caucasian, I'm mixed race. So here's the thing - where can we live that's got city perks/culture and family life? I think I may die of the change if we can't get a little sun and nature to boot. I moved to Costa Rica because snooty and materialistic is not my bag. It's gotta be safe though... $4000 is our max for rent which we will do for a year while checking out where to buy. Obviously, less rent would be better. We're hoping to transition our 15 yo from private to a good public school as it looks like all of our $ will be spent on rent. Thanks in advance for any advice. Any suggestions for corporate housing in the area would also be appreciated - we arrive in 2 weeks and need to buy furnishings!

[umabush]

What kind of house you are looking for and when is your move-in date? I have 4 bedroom 2 bath independent house coming up for rental in couple of weeks

[zekeyb]

Hi and thanks for the reply. I'm hoping for wood floors, high ceilings and lots of light... like everyone else At least a little bit of yard would be nice and a great high school would be key although private is still an option if there is a good one nearby that's not impossible to get into. Parks and nature nearby are also a plus. Where is your house? Thanks, Katherine

[Luke9686]

If you look at a map, anything near 280 will be your best bet for nature and outdoors stuff.

As for schools, I know Cupertino has great schools. Mountain View is nice, but not near anything outdoors really.

You may try Los Altos and Palo Alto also.

[AA702]

Cupertino would be your best bet. There are some good schools in the Fremont Unified High School District...ie.. Lynbrook and Monte Vista. The neighborhoods by Monte Vista are great and have close proximity to Nature and a very safe area. I grew up in these parts and I can tell you its a great place to grow up.

[EZrhythm]

I highly suggest staying in Costa Rica. America is on a severe spiral path downward and will become an extremely undesirable place to live.

[EZrhythm]

I'm not sure if you still considering to relocate here but since my last post I see it even more imperative that one should not choose to move to America. In fact I recommend that Americans relocate out of the country for what is to begin taking place here, a financial collapse being one reason. The corporations are literally shutting America down. Joe Biden and Colin Powell making statements about a "crisis" that will occur after Obama's inaugeration doesn't sit well either.

[bluebeard]

If you want to move somewhere not materialistic, San Jose isn't your best place. In addition, there aren't many places with hardwood floors.
By city life, do you walkable urban life? Pretty much only San Francisco has that. SAn Jose has a little downtown, but I'd call it more of a overgrown suburb than a real city. You'd have to move to San Francisco for a real urban life.
That being said, once you get comfortable driving, as you will have to, there are a lot of good restaurants throughout the area. Schools on the west side are generally better, which is reflected in the higher cost of real estate. San Jose is extremely safe, and indeed there is a fair amount of nature that is within a short drivable distance. I also like the westside in this respect because I like the mountains.