Alternative to Los Gatos, CA? (San Jose, San Francisco: real estate, townhouse, landscaping)

[dlgdogwood]

My husband and I currently live in Weston, CT. Our children are out of the house and we love Northern California. We are in our ealy 60's. At this stage in our lives, we are considering "shaking it up" and moving to Northern, California. I am an interior designer and my husband is in the music business. We have been tied to New York City (I lived in the city when I was single) and would like to be near San Francisco.

We stumbled on Los Gatos a few years ago and it seemed to tick all the boxes. Great weather (my husband
enjoys running & cycling) not too far from San Francisco, nice downtown, Jewish Community Center (we're not religious but would like to have a sense of community) good restaurants, etc. We're also looking to buy or build a house that has a view of the mountains and some acreage. As I said, Los Gatos ticks all the boxes but it is SO expensive. Fairfield County Connecticut isn't a cheap place to live but seems that way compared to Los Gatos.

Does anyone know of an alternative to Los Gatos? A place where we can find (or build) a house with the above attributes?

[nagleepark]

You might look at something in the Santa Cruz mountains or, perhaps, along 101 between San Jose and Salinas.

You don't say but I suspect that you are close to retirement. People retire in the Bay Area but IMHO it is an expensive but mediocre spot for retiring. I'd much rather retire on the central coast, like San Luis Obispo, where there are a zillion retirees. But also maybe in Napa Valley or, for retiring inexpensively, east of the Bay Area.

Los Gatos is a very nice town but more suitable for the working rich than retirees. But, that said, I'm sure that there are some people who retire there.

[ccm123]

I would also recommend the Napa Valley (California Wine Country). Real estate is generally less than Los Gatos and you can come and visit Los Gatos if you like!

[thecooler]

I'd also add Sonoma county and northern Marin county as possibilities to check out.

[StandingRoomOnly]

I know a couple in their 50's who moved out here about 10 years ago from a very upscale area in CT and ended up buying a 3/3 upscale townhouse in Saratoga. They thought about buying someplace bigger with a large lot, but decided they didn't want all that extra work and money spent to keep up the house and landscaping.

A retired exec couple we know moved to Carmel Valley--bought a lot and built their dream house. Much sunnier and warmer than Carmel-by-the-sea by the way! I think Carmel Valley would be a wonderful place for a retired couple, but maybe more "sleepy" than you are looking for? Sonoma county (Healdsburg) is beautiful as well as various parts of the Napa Valley.

[imcurious]

Why not San Francisco? That would be my first choice for you, based on what you said. Los Gatos is very "vanilla," for lack of a better description. It would get boring, fast.

Scott's Valley is nice - as are the Santa Cruz mountains and Santa Cruz - but I really think San Francisco or Marin County are better fits for you.

Good luck.

[dlgdogwood]

Originally Posted by StandingRoomOnly

I know a couple in their 50's who moved out here about 10 years ago from a very upscale area in CT and ended up buying a 3/3 upscale townhouse in Saratoga. They thought about buying someplace bigger with a large lot, but decided they didn't want all that extra work and money spent to keep up the house and landscaping.

A retired exec couple we know moved to Carmel Valley--bought a lot and built their dream house. Much sunnier and warmer than Carmel-by-the-sea by the way! I think Carmel Valley would be a wonderful place for a retired couple, but maybe more "sleepy" than you are looking for? Sonoma county (Healdsburg) is beautiful as well as various parts of the Napa Valley.

Dar SRO:
I just looked on Realtor.com for Carmel Valley, and there seemed to be some very interesting properties.
One of our biggest issues is that the most important thing to me is the house (I love Mediteraneans) and the most important thing to my husband is the land. (that's why we ended up building in Connecticut)

When you say "sleepy" - what exactly do you mean? We're not looking for a big city vibe but we do like nice restaurants, shops, etc. Is it like Healdsburg? We love Healdsburg. It's just a bit "wine-centric" for us.

We're going to try and come out to the west coast in June and want to look at Carmel Valley. Thanks for the tip. What about Montery and Salinas. Any info, tidbits would be appreciated. Thanks again.

[StandingRoomOnly]

Sleepy meaning... you aren't living in a city and stores probably close down fairly early. You can still find things to do, especially if you are a physically active couple, but the area will be quite opposite of a lively city-like atmosphere. Carmel Valley is a bit detached from Carmel-by-the-sea and from the areas you may want to frequent (boutiques, cafes, restaurants, etc), but do try the Monterey forum also, and you may get some more details about the Carmel Valley area. Look at google maps also...you can get an idea of the stores/restaurants in the area and how close they are to where you may want to live. I do not know enough about the area to give you much more information.

[zitsky]

Originally Posted by dlgdogwood

Dar SRO:
I just looked on Realtor.com for Carmel Valley, and there seemed to be some very interesting properties.
One of our biggest issues is that the most important thing to me is the house (I love Mediteraneans) and the most important thing to my husband is the land. (that's why we ended up building in Connecticut)

When you say "sleepy" - what exactly do you mean? We're not looking for a big city vibe but we do like nice restaurants, shops, etc. Is it like Healdsburg? We love Healdsburg. It's just a bit "wine-centric" for us.

We're going to try and come out to the west coast in June and want to look at Carmel Valley. Thanks for the tip. What about Montery and Salinas. Any info, tidbits would be appreciated. Thanks again.

I do NOT think Salinas is the right place for you, if you are considering Los Gatos. It's a nice community for some people but it's night and day from Los Gatos. Monterrey might be more to your liking. If people describe that area as sleepy it's because there is not much to do once you get outside of the San Francisco/San Jose area. There are still great places to live on the peninsula or East Bay. They just don't have as many activities as San Francisco.

I still own property in Mountain View, about 40 miles south of SF. It's a modest property but I plan to retire there if I can.

[Athena2c]

I love Carmel Valley, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey-gorgeous beaches, great restaurants, fantastic wineries, fun shops, golf courses, walking trails. Personally, I'd pick that area over Los Gatos any day! But it is not "urban" fun, like SF.
And actually, the area of Salinas off highway 68/River Rd./Toro Park (very near Laguna Seca), is very nice, with great houses for less than the other areas and an easy drive into Carmel/Monterey (as long as you don't have to drive during regular commute hours).