Living in the Silicon Valley
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Living in the Silicon Valley
Oct 2007
My husband recently took a job in San Jose and the commute from Berkeley
(driving or on Amtrak is just too long) so we are thinking of relocating.
However, I don't want to be stuck in the suburbs where we will need to
drive every time we leave the house. I've heard about a area in Fremont
called Niles canyon (any feed back on this area would be helpful).Can
anyone suggest other neighborhoods in the south bay or peninsula that are
family friendly, walking friendly and close to public transportation?
Don't really want to leave Berkeley
If you don't want to leave Berkeley then don't. Make it work somehow. To
me, moving to San Jose would be like moving to Omaha.
See if you husband can arrange to telecommute one or more days a week.
Work 4 long days and have a 3 day weekend in Berkeley. Search for a new
job. Anything. Life is too short to commute that long or to live in San
Jose!
I love Berkeley
After tiring of commuting 1-2 hrs. a day to Silicon Valley, we gave up our
No. Berkeley bungalow, with a remodelled kitchen, and a coveted spot at
Jefferson School and moved. My husband doesn't miss the crowds, the
parking madness, the Rent Board antics, crime, dirtiness and the overall
stress of living in Berkeley at all. Schools are diverse, range from
good-excellent and kids don't get hassled at school. Our neighborhood is
very family oriented. I can get Acme bread at Costco or at the farmers
market on Sunday, cause Acme has wholesale site in MV. The local farmers
market is not as upscale as the Berkeley Farmer Market, but it's bigger
and the prices are more reasonable. We don't have Monterey Market, but
Milk Pail Market comes close. I can walk to Cal Train and shopping.
There is no shortage of good food here--upscale, ethnic, or cheap eats.
Stanford is a few minutes away. The libraries are a fabulous resource
with far more availability and more generous lending policies. There is
close proximity to many adult schools and Foothill College. We have Deer
Hollow Farm and Rancho San Antonio Preserve for hiking--much like Tilden
Park. Situated close to the bay means the air is clean, though warmer
than Berkeley. Ideal growing conditions, if you like to garden. It is a
longer drive/commute to SF but there's no bridge to cross. In short, with
the local resources, I do not feel shortchanged for anything in Berkeley,
well, except for Cheeseboard Pizza, which I buy and freeze. Mountain View
is a hidden gem!
I would rather endure the commute! In fact, we are enduring the commute.
We lived in Silicon Valley, where my husband works and just could not make
a life for ourselves. We moved to Oakland a few years ago and have never
looked back. Yes, the commute is awful and takes time away from the
family, but we were miserable living in the south bay and never found
like-minded people. We didn't really even have friends let alone a sense
of community. It's a high-pressure place to live and values tend to
revolve around money, the accumulation of it and what you can buy with it.
I'm sure there are exceptions - there always are - but we wanted to live a
life where our values (things other than money) were the norm, not an
exception. You spend a lot of time in the car, on the freeway, at strip
malls.
Not a fan of Silicon Valley
Also recommended:
Fremont and San Jose
April 2007
Hello: My husband works in Palo Alto, and his commute is
seeming way too long, so we are considering a move to the
peninsula. We live in the East Bay and really appreciate its
alternative/progressive feel. I know the peninsula is not the
East Bay, but would be interested in hearing feedback (esp.
positive feedback :))about the area in general as well as
specific towns or neighborhoods that might be more alternative
or progressive or feel more like ''home.'' We also need to
consider price and the quality of the schools. Thanks!
i grew up in palo alto--graduating from high school 25 (gulp) years ago. at the time i felt that PA was
probably the most progressive/boho/intellectual of the towns in the area. i still hang out there a bit and
feel the same way. you might also check out mountain view, san mateo and redwood city.
We were in the exact same situation about ten years ago and thought we
would never find any other town we'd like as much as Berkeley, but we did.
Husband did try to commute and after two years, it got old and it became
exhausting. We moved to Mountain View as we finally found a house we
could afford. We checked out nearly every city in Silicon Valley and
looked at over 100 homes over the course of a year. Went through three
agents, but we are pickier than most.
Towns to that I would consider: Mountain View (our 1st choice), Palo Alto
(fairly progressive, good schools), Sunnyvale (more bang for your buck),
Santa Clara (up and coming), Los Altos (great schools, big lots),
There's pros/cons to every town and they are so close in proximity that
you may not see the differences at first. Also depends on the location of
your husband's job.
Good luck in your search. Email me, if you have questions.
July 2002
My husband is taking a new job. We will be quickly moving. As
we're leaving our friends and the city/area that we love. Any
tips/recommendations about city/area which are ideal for young
families? Do you now something about Foothill college? Do you
have experience living there?
Thanks,
Camila
We, too, are transplants from the East Bay to Mountain View, and
have been here for a little over a year and a half now. We were
very reluctant to move here because we loved the East Bay so much,
but we have had some very pleasant surprises. There is actually
quite a lot for families to do in the area -- from city-sponsored
classes and other activities to lots and lots of open space for
hiking, kite-flying, bike riding, etc. And you're certainly not
limited to Mountain View: we go with our 3-year-old to Los Altos
to visit Hidden Villa Farm (animals, organic garden, hiking trails
-- very close to Foothill College) and take swimming lessons, to
San Jose for the Children's Discovery Museum and Happy Hollow
(small theme park and zoo for young children, with free rides and
very friendly animals), to Redwood City for ice skating, Palo Alto
for various things at Stanford, and to libraries in the area for
storytime. And, of course, we still spend time in the East Bay
and San Francisco. The weather here is nice, too -- we actually
have seasons!
Downsides to life in Silicon Valley include the ridiculous cost of
living and limited cultural and ethnic diversity -- with the
occasional lack of awareness or tolerance that you might expect in
such a setting, unfortunately. It's still the Bay Area, though,
so you can pretty much find every type of person and lifestyle,
especially around Stanford. It can also be hard to find great
restaurants! They are out there, it's just that you have to look
around.
We're still relatively new here, and we feel like there is a lot
that we haven't discovered yet. It really isn't so bad a place to
live! I know it's hard to make the transition, though -- I used
to be depressed every time I came back from visiting friends in
Berkeley or Oakland. But that hasn't happened for a while, now,
and we've started to feel more at home here.
Good luck with the move.
Lauren
I live in Mountain View (I moved here about two years ago).
The questions you posted were rather vague. If you want to
contact me directly, I'll be happy to answer as many of your
questions as I can.
-- Caroline
I grew up in Palo Alto and went to Foothill college. I stayed in
Berkeley when I came to Cal and still live here. Foothill is one
of the best JC's (we used to call it Harvard on a Hill). The
area is mellow and great for young families (all my family is
out there). You will be in between San Jose and SF so you have
access to fun. More conservative then Berkeley for certain, but
still diverse. My husband gets bored when he goes down there
with me but I like it that it's less busy then the East Bay and
there is so much more out there to keep me busy (Stores and
Malls). Please email me for additional info if you wish.
Newsha
San Antonio Ranch with Deer Farm is nice place for a family walk
in Mountain View. Easy acess from 280: exit Foothill Blv. to the
south, then first light right and just follow the signs. Have a
nice trip!
Gabriela,
After looking for a house for seven months, we moved from
the Oakland Hills to Los Altos in November. Like you, we
were also reluctant to move and wanted a neighborhood
that was very family-oriented. Well, the first weekend we
moved into our house, all the neighbors on our street that
had kids came to introduce themselves and to offer help
and advice! It was great - we immediately found a teenage
babysitter for our 2.5 year old daughter and got info on a
variety of preschools in the area.
We might just be incredibly lucky with our street, but in eight
months of living here, my observation is that in certain ways,
it's not much different living here - people here are also very
involved in their kids so there are plenty of activities, classes
and events and you don't have to go far for them. The
community centers offer lots of classes for kids and there's
a Parents' Place in Palo Alto that offers some great
parenting classes as well as other parenting resources.
You're also moving here at the peak of the event season - in
the past month and a half, there's been an ice cream social
in Mtn View and the Los Altos Wine & Art Festival, and all
the seasonal farmers' markets are in full swing.
I feel like we're still in the early stages of discovering all the
things to do here but I'd be happy to share what info I've
picked up so far. Good luck with your move!
Joan
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