What do you love/hate about San Jose and surrounding areas? (Fremont: house, neighborhood)

[aramax666]

Pros:
1. Hiking / biking trails in south san jose, Woodside, Los gatos, Saratoga , Milpitas the list goes on
2. Santa Cruz is fairly close if you fancy the ocean
3. Mountain road are scenic, on the way to mountain wineries.
4. Lots of county parks within 30 mins of driving.
5. A decent food scene, prob not as nice as LAs. But a fair enough mix of cuisines.
6. Most establishments have parking close enough.
7. Lots of parks for the kids.
8. Crime rate is fairly low.

Cons:
1. Expensive
2. Cultural scene is not too vibrant
3. Getting more crowded.

[LalloG]

I just came back from visiting San Jose due to a possible relocation. I have to say that San Jose feels a lot like L.A. but with less people. During certain hours it felt like a ghost town. I get the feeling that people work in San Jose, but don't live in San Jose. If a relocation does happen, I'm leaning towards Fremont right now. I'm looking for a family type of place with parks for my little ones to play. My wife and I have 2 kids and so far, Fremont seems to be more family friendly and we actually did see people walking around and, yes, they were almost all Indian. Our budget is $2500/month and , like someone here stated, we will probably look for a place close to work while we explore the area to find what we really want.

[Wintermomma]

High rate of crime, graffiti, cost of living, lack of police responsiveness b/c they cannot attract and retain talent.

Traffic is much better here, though.

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by nenitabonita05

Dont move to san jose!! If u like arguments with ppl..every day and rude service for no reason then u will be fine! Also beeing married doesn't stop woman from getting at you're husband..woman are desperate Fremont ca is better and its a indian comunity or cupertino... Trust me indians know where its good to live

Welcome to a thread that's over 6 years old!

Since you bring up Fremont and rudeness in the same post, I'll go there. I'll just use the example of the shopping experience at the Fremont Costco: I'd rather stab myself in the eyes with toothpicks than shop at the Fremont Costco on a weekend. It's THAT bad.

If you really want to talk about what it's like to live and work in Fremont, we can take it there. I've got plenty of experience and can give plenty of personal examples.

Don't even get me started on the drivers here. That's a whole other story.

Based on your post, you're either a troll or your delirious. I actually find people in San Jose to be quite pleasant overall...Fremont, not so much these days.

[bentobox34]

Originally Posted by LalloG

I just came back from visiting San Jose due to a possible relocation. I have to say that San Jose feels a lot like L.A. but with less people. During certain hours it felt like a ghost town. I get the feeling that people work in San Jose, but don't live in San Jose. If a relocation does happen, I'm leaning towards Fremont right now. I'm looking for a family type of place with parks for my little ones to play. My wife and I have 2 kids and so far, Fremont seems to be more family friendly and we actually did see people walking around and, yes, they were almost all Indian. Our budget is $2500/month and , like someone here stated, we will probably look for a place close to work while we explore the area to find what we really want.

San Jose is pretty famous for the fact that more workers live there than work there (e.g. there is a net "out-commute" from San Jose to nearby "suburbs").

As to the 2nd bolded point, if you just want to "see people walking around" as much as you would in Fremont, that's pretty easy to do in the South Bay. Where exactly did you go in San Jose? It's around 20 miles in diameter... there are a lot of places within the city limits that may feel like a "ghost town" and lots of other places with a different feel. There are also the nearby cities - Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Milpitas, etc.

As to the third bolded point, if your work is in the South Bay (e.g. south of 237), you will not be "close to work" if you live in Fremont. Try doing the drive down 880/680 to your job during morning rush hour and get back to us.

Your budget is $2500 but you didn't tell us the characteristics of the place you are looking for, especially the number of bedrooms. You're probably limited to two bedrooms or less in decent areas close to jobs at that price point.

[LalloG]

Originally Posted by bentobox34

San Jose is pretty famous for the fact that more workers live there than work there (e.g. there is a net "out-commute" from San Jose to nearby "suburbs").

As to the 2nd bolded point, if you just want to "see people walking around" as much as you would in Fremont, that's pretty easy to do in the South Bay. Where exactly did you go in San Jose? It's around 20 miles in diameter... there are a lot of places within the city limits that may feel like a "ghost town" and lots of other places with a different feel. There are also the nearby cities - Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Milpitas, etc.

As to the third bolded point, if your work is in the South Bay (e.g. south of 237), you will not be "close to work" if you live in Fremont. Try doing the drive down 880/680 to your job during morning rush hour and get back to us.

Your budget is $2500 but you didn't tell us the characteristics of the place you are looking for, especially the number of bedrooms. You're probably limited to two bedrooms or less in decent areas close to jobs at that price point.

I was only there for 2 days with only one day (Saturday) dedicated to exploring the area. The job is in South San Jose near the new Shea apartments on Cottle Rd. My kids are 3 yrs and the other one is 4 months. I tried sticking to places somewhat near work like Evergreen, Downtown San Jose, and Japantown. Fremont is the furthest we ventured out. We could probably afford more but since we don't plan on staying in our first place long (1 yr), we would rather save that money. My income would be 110k/yr. We'll probably need a 2 bedroom for now. Hell, we might rough it in a 1 bedroom if it gets us into a better area and allows us to save for a future home faster. We plan on visiting again without the kids to check out Willow Glen, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara. My wife would be a stay at home mom for now. She's a photographer but were not counting on her income yet.

[bentobox34]

Originally Posted by LalloG

I was only there for 2 days with only one day (Saturday) dedicated to exploring the area. The job is in South San Jose near the new Shea apartments on Cottle Rd. My kids are 3 yrs and the other one is 4 months. I tried sticking to places somewhat near work like Evergreen, Downtown San Jose, and Japantown. Fremont is the furthest we ventured out. We could probably afford more but since we don't plan on staying in our first place long (1 yr), we would rather save that money. My income would be 110k/yr. We'll probably need a 2 bedroom for now. Hell, we might rough it in a 1 bedroom if it gets us into a better area and allows us to save for a future home faster. We plan on visiting again without the kids to check out Willow Glen, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara. My wife would be a stay at home mom for now. She's a photographer but were not counting on her income yet.

It seems to me you could find something you like in/near South San Jose, but I'm not super familiar with the area, so maybe others will chime in. I hear good things about the Cambrian/Willow Glen and Almaden areas.

The good thing is if you find something pretty much anywhere in the South Bay you will have a quick reverse commute down to that area. If you are up in Fremont, you'll be in traffic until you get south of Montague Expressway. I used to commute from Fremont to my job near Montague Expressway and it took about 45-50 minutes to go 12 miles.

Another thing, many landlords will not want to rent to you if they know you are packing four people into a 1-bedroom, so you might have to look for a 2-bed.

[LalloG]

Originally Posted by bentobox34

It seems to me you could find something you like in/near South San Jose, but I'm not super familiar with the area, so maybe others will chime in. I hear good things about the Cambrian/Willow Glen and Almaden areas.

The good thing is if you find something pretty much anywhere in the South Bay you will have a quick reverse commute down to that area. If you are up in Fremont, you'll be in traffic until you get south of Montague Expressway. I used to commute from Fremont to my job near Montague Expressway and it took about 45-50 minutes to go 12 miles.

Another thing, many landlords will not want to rent to you if they know you are packing four people into a 1-bedroom, so you might have to look for a 2-bed.

Thanks for the tips. I'll keep those areas in mind. Would you know what are some good school districts in the South Bay? My daughter won't be going to school yet but time sure flies when you have a kid.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by Wintermomma

High rate of crime, graffiti, cost of living, lack of police responsiveness b/c they cannot attract and retain talent.

Traffic is much better here, though.

Not sure residents of Willow Glen or Rosegarden or Naglee Park are under seige or caked in graffiti.

[phantompilot]

Originally Posted by aramax666

Pros:
1. Hiking / biking trails in south san jose, Woodside, Los gatos, Saratoga , Milpitas the list goes on
2. Santa Cruz is fairly close if you fancy the ocean
3. Mountain road are scenic, on the way to mountain wineries.
4. Lots of county parks within 30 mins of driving.
5. A decent food scene, prob not as nice as LAs. But a fair enough mix of cuisines.
6. Most establishments have parking close enough.
7. Lots of parks for the kids.
8. Crime rate is fairly low.

Cons:
1. Expensive
2. Cultural scene is not too vibrant
3. Getting more crowded.

I agree with all of that except that cultural scene - if you're talking about arts and entertainment there seems to be plenty going on but you just have to look for it and make a point to participate.

And crowded, yes, this is the biggest issue - with the traffic and the expenses of housing, these are the top two complaints I hear from people I run into. Even so-so neighborhoods are not immune. Of course you get some benefit of gentrification but that takes a while too.