Santa Cruz vs San Jose (Palo Alto, Campbell: 2014, apartment complexes, rentals)

[oana.rocka]

Hi! My husband and I and our 10 months old baby are moving to CA this October and we are now deciding where to live in the Bay Area. We are both from Europe and now live in Tokyo, Japan. We have never lived in the US so it is quite hard to make a decision without actually ever experiencing American life.

My husband got a job in Almaden. I don't work at the moment because of the baby, but in one year from now (2014) I will probably look for a job myself. I am trained as a Civil Engineer, with a MS in Earthquake Eng.

We would rather move to Santa Cruz because it is a coastal town, but I am reading that it is not a very safe place. The homeless population is quite high and there are many sketchy neighborhoods. Is that true? Are there nicer, safer areas for a young family? Or would San Jose, Palo Alto be a better choice? I'm interested in both safe areas but we both like to go out so entertainment, shopping and dinning and also important for us.

I appreciate any advice. Thanks!

[tilz]

So my view , the commute up highway 17 would get pretty old pretty quick I would guess. I would say that would be more of a problem than Santa Cruz being unsafe. Its generally a safe place , I am sure it has some issues at times but personally I would never be worried about living there.
If you can afford it look around Los Gatos, you are close to Almaden and also not a long way from the beach if you want to go too.
Almaden itself has some lovely houses too , we live in South San Jose and again feel very happy and safe here, we go to the beach at weekends when we want to and it takes about 35-40 mins with no traffic.
Will you be able to get over here and look around before you have to choose ??

[imcurious]

Los Gatos
Aptos
Soquel

You certainly have the right training for the area!

[zombocom]

There are parts of Santa Cruz city that aren't safe, but there's also Scotts Valley - that would allow you to avoid Highway 1, which can be the worst part about commuting to S.V from Santa Cruz county. It's also a pretty nice, very safe, and family oriented city. The Soquel/Aptos/Capitola area is also pretty nice.

However, think about how much time you want to spend commuting. It can add up. While I think the Santa Cruz area has sufficient dining, entertainment, and shopping, coming from metropolitan locales may leave you wishing for more. Also, being close to the ocean is nice, but how often will you actually go to the ocean? Might make more sense to live in the bay area and make a trip over... I hit up Aptos a few times a month, 3 trips over on weekends is a lot less time in the car than 20 trips over every working day

[imcurious]

Scotts Valley would be a perfect compromise. The commute is not that bad - you get used to it (if you're the type of person who appreciates living in a great place - as opposed to just settling for something ten minutes from work).

[oana.rocka]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to write.
Unfortunately only my husband will be able to actually go there and see the place so we are trying to do our homework as much as we can. From what I've been reading and from what you guys are saying it appears as if Soquel/ Capitola and Scotts Valley would be better choices for us.
Also I see that gated communities are very popular in this area as opposed to single family house units. Not being from the US I'm not sure exactly what would be the pros/cons in living in either of those. Privacy wise I guess that a single family house is a better choice...
I've been using Trulia to search to a house/apartment. Is there any other good search engine that anyone could recommend?

[imcurious]

I would look on Craigslist for rentals - Realtor.com if you want to buy.

I think you have targeted good areas to focus on . . . I am not sure where you are seeing gated communities . . . none come to mind except in LaSelva Beach (which is very nice but would add to the commute).

Do you want to live near the beach, in the country, in the mountains, or in a suburban community? All of those choices are available.

Oh - and do the Earthquake zones matter to you?

[oana.rocka]

I'll check out Craigslist for rentals too. Thank you so much!
The problem is that our life style both here in Japan and back home in Europe is very different from the American life style. Everything here is extremely convenient. Supermarkets are within walking distance, sometimes malls too, people don't drive but use the trains only; dinning and entertainment, plus parks and playgrounds are all within a 10-15 minutes walk to almost any point you'd find yourself in. So basically I'm trying to find a place that would combine the safety aspect of the suburban community with the dinning and wining of a city..... But at the same time living for so many years in Tokyo's concrete jungle, a nice, quiet small town with nice beaches and hiking trails seems ideal.

[zombocom]

Originally Posted by oana.rocka

Thank you all so much for taking the time to write.
Unfortunately only my husband will be able to actually go there and see the place so we are trying to do our homework as much as we can. From what I've been reading and from what you guys are saying it appears as if Soquel/ Capitola and Scotts Valley would be better choices for us.
Also I see that gated communities are very popular in this area as opposed to single family house units. Not being from the US I'm not sure exactly what would be the pros/cons in living in either of those. Privacy wise I guess that a single family house is a better choice...
I've been using Trulia to search to a house/apartment. Is there any other good search engine that anyone could recommend?

There is also zillow, craigslist, and if you're buying, mls listings.

Gated communities aren't that common around here (and most of them are houses, some apartment complexes have gates, but, once again, not too common).

A gated community has the illusion of safety, beyond that, not sure what the benefits are, as I think having a gate is more hassle then it's worth.

I would recommend your husband give the commute a try during rush hour, and decide if it's worth it. While I am from Aptos, and love the area, I don't love it enough to spend 2 hours a day in a car, versus the 20 minutes a day I currently spend in a car. It adds up. And, the bay area is a pretty nice place - Los Gatos, Campbell, Willow Glen, etc, lots of nice neighborhoods with nice little downtowns.

Perhaps I am projecting - however, 2 hours a day commute, work 220 days a year (lets say), and that means your husband will spend 18 days a year commuting.

I would recommend finding a rental first, that way you have some time to figure out what will make you happiest, and then you can figure out where you want to permanently decamp.

[imcurious]

For suburban convenience: Scotts Valley would be good. And it's also aesthetically nice (not the shopping centers, which are cookie-cutter, but the natural environment). Santa Cruz is just a few minutes away so when you want to go out it wouldn't be a big deal to do that, either.