Moving to the Bay Area -- another "where to live" thread (San Jose: 2013, rentals)

[MidwestRelo]

All, I know this is not a new topic. I have searched, and I have read, and haven't quite found the info I am looking for. So here we go again

I am moving to the Bay area with my family from Chicago suburbs. We have 3 kids (grades 7, 3, and 1 next year). I'd like to understand what some the areas are like. First, the parameters:
- We will be renting. I'd like to rent a 4-bedroom house, if possible, in the $4K/month range
- Good public schools are essential (9-10 Greatschools rating, reasonably well-funded, reasonably diverse)
- Suburban feel is fine (but not rural)
- I want my kids to be able to go outside, ride their bikes through the neighborhood without us worrying about their safety
- I fly a lot for work, so proximity to airports (SJC and either SFO or Oakland) is important. 7am commute under 45 minutes
- Under an hour to downtown San Francisco and to downtown San Jose leaving by 7:30am
- We know we may need to compromise on the house initially; it's more important to settle in an area where we can stay a long time, so our kids don't have to change schools yet another time.
- We like the quiet of suburbia, but would like to be fairly close to good restaurants, kids activities, etc.

We'd love to live in Palo Alto or Menlo Park, but these areas just seem too expensive. These are the areas we've been looking at:
- Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Los Altos, Atherton -- really like the areas, schools seem great... but it's doubtful we can afford it even with a smaller, older house
- Belmont, Burlingame. These seem to have good schools, and a few more rental options. But are the schools really good, neighborhoods safe? Any other downsides?
- Mountainview, Sunnyvale... Schools seem to be subpar to an uneducated eye... not sure if housing options are any better
- Castro Valley... I keep reading good things, and there are good rentals that pop up there now and again, but I don't have a feel for the area. Seems a bit too close to the Hayward and Union city, which as I understand are not as safe with subpar schools
- Lamorinda... lots of good reviews, but it seems a bit rural, and I fear it's too far north to commute to San Jose when needed. Is my take accurate?
- Danville/San Ramon/Pleasanton -- these seem to have great schools, more house for the money, safe... in other words this looks like the best choice. But is it too far for my commute and travel needs? Anyone who lives there think it's "too far from civilization"?

I'd appreciate some feedback and recommendations. The Bay area is so vast and diverse that we are having trouble settling on an area, and as you can see we are all over the place. Help!

[ippi76]

I don't think any of the Bay Area is as "rural" as you're thinking. San Ramon/Danville would work for you as they're within 1 hour with no traffic of all airports. It's not like there's not strip malls and grocery stores/resturants in these places.
The schools are good in Belmont, Burlingame, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale, and Castro Valley.

I'd chime in Fremont and Walnut Creek, they're both bigger, more of a suburban city feel, Walnut Creek has a decent downtown, good schools and safe. Also they have BART which can take you to SFO and OAK but not SJC.

People pay crap tons of money for Lamorinda for good reasons, the schools are phenomenal and it's a beautiful area and has BART.

[humboldtrat]

I would go with Burlingame, San Mateo, Belmont, San Carlos or Redwood City. All nice and mostly safe suburbia with good schools. Most of these towns have nice downtowns with restaurants and shopping. Having said that, the Peninsula is generally more expensive than most parts of the East Bay. A 3 bedroom house for example will run you about $800k and up on the peninsula. To rent the same, I would guess about $3500 a month.

[dmode]

How often do you need to commute to San Francisco downtown? If not often, I would recommend East Bay suburbs (Danville, Pleasanton, Walnut Creek, San Ramon). These are the areas where kids can bike in the neighborhood and you may get a 4-bedroom under 4k. Also, the peninsula and south bay suburbs are "different" from rest of the US culturally. They have a more Asian / Indian / Mexican flavor and that will be reflected in people you interact and schools your kids go to. It shouldn't be that big of a deal, but just wanted to throw it out there

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by dmode

Also, the peninsula and south bay suburbs are "different" from rest of the US culturally. They have a more Asian / Indian / Mexican flavor and that will be reflected in people you interact and schools your kids go to. It shouldn't be that big of a deal, but just wanted to throw it out there

Say what?? The peninsula is not "different" from the rest of the US culturally. There are no more Asians, Indians, Mexicans here on the peninsula than anywhere else in the Bay Area. If anything, here on the mid peninsula, there is a lack of diversity. At least it's not like Oakland with its feral gangs of thugs whacking each other off.

[twins4lynn]

Originally Posted by MidwestRelo

- Belmont, Burlingame. These seem to have good schools, and a few more rental options. But are the schools really good, neighborhoods safe? Any other downsides?

Yes, Belmont and Burlingame schools are very good and the neighborhoods are safe. Both cities have very good schools at all levels - elementary, middle and high school.

If you want to look up school performance, test scores, demographics, etc. for schools you might want to check out the California Department of Educations dataquest website DataQuest (CA Dept of Education) . It's a very easy format to use with loads of information.

[beb0p]

If I were you, I'd stay in the Peninsula if I can afford it. The key word being "afford" as almost all of the Peninsular with good schools is unaffordable. You definitely get more bang for the buck in the East Bay (relatively speaking, EB is still expensive). Another thing to keep in mind is that many schools are overcrowded and some kids in good schools got busted to not so good schools. Must do your homework regarding schools. Also, the commute via 280 is much better than 101.

Regarding the East Bay, they're constructing an extra tunnel in Highway 24, to be completed in 2013. In theory, it will alleviate the bottleneck around the tunnel; keep that in mind if you're driving. Right now, driving west to SF in the morning is ok (slow but moving until you get to the Bay Bridge toll) but the return trip in evening rush hour varies from smooth to stop n go. There are days when it took me 90 mins to go from SF to Walnut Creek (normally 35 mins w/o traffic). The new tunnel should help, but it may not.

Anyway, a brief rundown:

Castro Valley - it's safe, it's on top of the hill, just don't go down to San Leandro if gangbangers are not your thing. Double check the school boundaries as some CV homes don't go to CV schools.

Lamorinda - I'm with ya, I don't like the ruralness either; but some people loves it. Lots of people who work in SF lives there (think BART). Probably a bit far for the SJ commute.

Danville/San Ramon - No one thinks they're too far from civilization (try Brentwood), but the commute is not for everyone. I know people who lives there and commute to SF. So it depends on your tolerance.

Pleasanton - not a bad commute to SJ, but not sure about SF...

[KarinaR]

I can give some insight into Belmont, we've been here for 7 months. It feels pretty middle class here, some rich and some poor, but most somewhere in the middle. I also like the cultural diversity here, my kid's middle school has Asians, Indians, Mexicans and it doesn't feel like there is a minority group, everyone is welcome and treated equally.
It is super safe and we have not yet had a bad experience, or felt threatened in any way. Everyone is friendly and many kids catch the local bus to school. With a High School and University in the area there are always plenty of kids out and about.
There's also a good mix of older people and young people, big grand homes and small flats, and definitely no feeling of elitism or snobbishness that you may get elsewhere.
The schools do the best they can with the limited funds they have, and I think if you are an interested and involved parent, your kids will be fine academically.
Downsides to Belmont, some parts are very hilly and you can't really walk to the shops easily, but this depends on your street. It is not a very 'trendy' downtown, no real plaza or city centre, just old and random shops spread along main roads. There is no vibe, not really the place to stroll after dinner and do window shopping. The Caltrain service is disappointing too, and we envy those who live near the BART.
But it is green, quiet and we still love the wild deer that wander the streets.
My dream suburb is Hillsborough or Burlingame, but they are out of our price range. We rent a 5 bedroom 3 bathroom place for $3850 per month and are pretty happy with what we get for the money. The neighbors and feeling of community here is strong, which is great when you relocate to a new place.

[justinbro2002]

Fremont would fall under most of your needs. You could rent a nice 4 bedroom home in the Mission district in your price range the schools have excellent api scores in the mission district. It is about an hour from San Jose or San Francisco. San Jose airport and Oakland airport are 30 minutes away. San Francisco 45 minutes. The area has a mostly asian(china, India, Ect) population so it could be considered either diverse or not diverse depending on your point of view.

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by justinbro2002

Fremont would fall under most of your needs. You could rent a nice 4 bedroom home in the Mission district in your price range the schools have excellent api scores in the mission district. It is about an hour from San Jose or San Francisco. San Jose airport and Oakland airport are 30 minutes away. San Francisco 45 minutes. The area has a mostly asian(china, India, Ect) population so it could be considered either diverse or not diverse depending on your point of view.

I agree with this suggestion, except that San Jose is nowhere near an hour away from Fremont. With no traffic, it's about ten minutes from city limit to city limit.