Where to live if DH job in Redwood City? (San Jose: renting, condos)

[dhcalidream]

I know nothing about living in CA. Any suggestions on places to live with $600,000 house budget and 2 elementary kids? Hubby would like to keep commute to 1 hour. We won't be able to afford private schooling, so good public schools also a requirement.

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by dhcalidream

I know nothing about living in CA. Any suggestions on places to live with $600,000 house budget and 2 elementary kids? Hubby would like to keep commute to 1 hour. We won't be able to afford private schooling, so good public schools also a requirement.

The western half of Redwood City is nice as well as San Carlos or Belmont and the public schools in the area are generally good. Problem is, a house for 4 people for $600K will be a tough nut to crack. Decent condos alone in the area go for about $450 - $500K.

Forget about Menlo Park and Palo Alto - very expensive. Mountain View would also be a nice choice.

[calisnuffy]

Redwood City,San Mateo would be good places to start looking, also take a look at Sunnyvale,Mountain View, San Jose. You should not have too much of a problem finding a place that meets your requirements.

[treedonkey]

How about Redwood City?

[sonarrat]

I would rent. In the really good school districts it's much more affordable than buying. Anyone buying a house in Palo Alto, Los Altos, west Menlo Park at current prices is in a different world of earnings (and savings) than most, but renting should be within reach.

[dhcalidream]

I thank everyone for the helpful input.

I am having a hard time adjusting to the housing prices.

Is Pleasanton too long of a commute to RedWood City?

Is Evergreen in San Jose a nice place for a family?

[sonarrat]

I live in Evergreen. If I was commuting to Redwood City, I would move further up the peninsula. The traffic you would have to sit in is just not worth it. Off hours it can be done in 30 minutes, but during commute hours, it's 20 minutes just to get onto 101 and then stop and go all the way to Sunnyvale..

Pleasanton is hit or miss.. on Fridays, you will hate the getaway traffic which starts around noon and continues until late evening on 680 and 580.. and if there's a problem on any of the East Bay freeways (like the accident-prone 880) you're pretty well screwed.

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by dhcalidream

Is Pleasanton too long of a commute to RedWood City?

Yes.

[pericko]

I recommend you Redwood City as well, a squared area between Hudson Ave. and Alameda De Las Pulgas (a road), Roosevelt Ave. and Jefferson Ave.. It isn't too cheap and it isn't to expensive for a family to reside in this area. Go to this link I provide to you with Google maps and you can see the panorama with street level tool between said arteries.

http://maps.google.com/maps/mm?hl=en...42744&t=h&z=15

[sonarrat]

I lived right on Jefferson Ave briefly. I hated being on that busy road, but the surrounding areas all seemed really cute. However, most houses in that area are quite small, and the few that are 4 bedrooms or more are nowhere near $600K.