Thoughts on 95120 (South San Jose near Los Gatos)? (San Francisco, Sunnyvale: for sale, house)

[xza8]

Background:

27/25 year old newlywed looking to relocate and start a family.
Working from home for the past few years; no intentions of changing but would like a reasonable commute to San Francisco if need be (I'm use to hour commutes).
Budget - $1M to $1.5M (of course the lower the better)

Any thoughts on the new development by Brookfield near Hicks and Camden?

Would it be crazy to invest in a $1.3M home in that area?

According to https://www.city-data.com/zips/95120.html
Median household income is $180K
Median house value is $936K
58% White, 30% Asian (great, I won't be a minority)

Looks like a deal for a large 4 bedroom house.
I think its within the Los Gatos school district.

However, I think I read somewhere on this board to avoid South San Jose (https://www.city-data.com/forum/san-j...ls-wisely.html). Is it because of the school district or the area overall?

Also, it looks like it's near a massive Church (I'm not religious) and also near a Waste Management facility.

Other areas I'm looking at are Downtown Mountain View, Palo Alto/Los Altos, and San Mateo.

[mstnghu2]

You may want to try the search feature. The 95120 zip code is Almaden Valley. There are numerous topics regarding the area here in this forum.

I will say that Almaden Valley is one of the nicest parts of San Jose. I'm not sure where you heard to avoid South San Jose. There are many nice parts. Some parts are sketchy, but it mostly varies by zip code.

AV really is like an extension of Los Gatos for the most part and they look and feel very similar to each other. The main high school, Leland, is one of the top rated high schools in the state.

AV is a good value compared to other upscale parts of the Bay Area.

[jbunniii]

95120 covers Almaden Valley, which has very good schools - certainly I would not include them in any "avoid South San Jose schools" mantra.

However, Hicks/Camden is not in Almaden Valley and it is not served by Almaden schools. See for example the Leland High School attendance boundaries here:Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

I would guess Hicks/Camden would be covered by Pioneer High School (SJUSD) or Leigh High School (Campbell Union), but perhaps the Los Gatos boundaries are strange enough to extend that far. You would have to check with the exact address to be sure. Not sure about schools below the HS level.

If I had $1.3 million to spend, and schools were a priority, I would try to find something in Almaden Valley or Los Gatos, not in the region between them. I know prices have shot up a lot in the past few years, but surely $1.3 million will still get you something decent in Almaden. Probably not in Los Gatos, though. And MV/Los Altos/Palo Alto will be even more expensive. I know nothing about San Mateo.

[sonarrat]

It's a mix of districts.. Guadalupe Elementary, Dartmouth Middle, and Leigh High (the latter is in the Campbell Union SD).

Campbell Union School District SchoolFinder

[xza8]

It's within the Los Gatos High School boundary



But what about Elementary and Middle school (will need to call I guess)

It says Fisher Middle School... what about Elementary? Is it referring to Fisher MS in Los Gatos or in San Jose?



Now that you guys know the exact location, what do you guys think? It's in between Los Gatos and Alamaden.

The house seems like a good value at $1.3M as comparable (smaller) homes in PA are $1.7M (with great schools as its in the Los Altos school district) and MV at 1.5M (with decent schools?). The money saved can go towards Harker private school and have a nicer, larger home office and space for the entire family should the parents/in-laws decides to relocate.

My concern is not knowing the area too well. It looks like it's at the edge of the wealthier area as north would be South? San Jose, west is Los Gatos and east is Almaden. According to City-Data, even the homes north of the side have a decent household income of $150K, the only less wealthy area in the immediate would be Camden Ave and Blossom Hill Road (95124).



Seems like it's surrounded by wealthy areas.

[ondys]

I would be more careful about the school district boundaries. These maps are often quite inaccurate, especially when it comes to areas around the district borders. Usually each school district provides an online tool that will tell you whether a given street address fall within its boundary or not. Saying that, all elementary schools in 95120 are excellent and only noticeable differences are with middle/high schools (mostly because some schools bus in students from lower income neighborhoods). But despite that, even these schools are generally very good.

Also as far as the location goes, the entire 95120 is pretty much upper middle class neighborhood so I wouldn't be to much concerned about that. As you noticed, there are some lower income pockets around Camden/Blossom hill road (that are not part of 95120) but even these parts are generally considered to be in a "good" neighborhood (part of Cambrian). If there is anything I would be worried about then it would be that the whole Almaden Valley is a quite boring place without too many nearby amenities and restaurants. Also commuting might be longer than from some more centrally located areas.

[Local123]

Look in 95124 Union School district. I think this is Union 14364 HOLDEN CT, San Jose, CA 95124 - MLSListings.com

You won't find super cheap "less wealthy" areas in 95124 for sale though. It's not a cheap area. Maybe compared to Los Gatos but you have to take that with a grain of salt.

[NickB1967]

Originally Posted by jbunniii

95120 covers Almaden Valley, which has very good schools - certainly I would not include them in any "avoid South San Jose schools" mantra.

However, Hicks/Camden is not in Almaden Valley and it is not served by Almaden schools. See for example the Leland High School attendance boundaries here:Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

I would guess Hicks/Camden would be covered by Pioneer High School (SJUSD) or Leigh High School (Campbell Union), but perhaps the Los Gatos boundaries are strange enough to extend that far. You would have to check with the exact address to be sure. Not sure about schools below the HS level.

If I had $1.3 million to spend, and schools were a priority, I would try to find something in Almaden Valley or Los Gatos, not in the region between them. I know prices have shot up a lot in the past few years, but surely $1.3 million will still get you something decent in Almaden. Probably not in Los Gatos, though. And MV/Los Altos/Palo Alto will be even more expensive. I know nothing about San Mateo.

I would disagree about San Jose Unified, but the west end of 95120 is in Leigh or Branham High territory otherwise.....

[Wintermomma]

I would think if you are going to spend that much, at your age, and planning a family in the future but not having one yet, you could live further north (unless south is a better commute for you). For the most part, the further north the better the schools and commute.

[xza8]

Further north as in Cupertino/Sunnyvale/MV/PA?

I don't have a commute and don't plan on having one.

Thanks