Cupertino job - no city living! (San Jose, Napa: insurance, homes, residential)

[goillini8]

Just out of curiosity OP, can I ask why you are adverse to city living, including in some of the quainter, more subdued burbs like Cupertino, Mountain View? Fear of crime, annoyance with crowds, don't like the vibe. Or, are you just simply a small-town guy and like wide-open spaces. Some of the locations closer to Cupertino, Los Gatos, for example, aren't even that city-ish, at least off of their main commercial areas.

I am not questioning your choice and don't think it's a bad thing, just interested. My dad is very much a non-city guy.

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by nobarriers

Thanks!


Yes, I have been to the Bay Area, but I should probably specify, that I am not interested in living in the metro. So, no San Jose, no Los Gatos, no Cupertino.


Basically, I'm looking for some visible space with no development between the point when you leave the Bay area and where I would potentially live. An example would be Coyote, Scotts Valley or Pleasanton (except that's probably the wrong direction).


Hope that makes sense.

Parts of Los Gatos are at the edge of nowhere. I would not rule it out.

[Wintermomma]

Cupertino is not urban, it is suburban. There's pretty much nothing urban in SV, other than maybe the very downtown part of SJ.

A 1 1/2 hour commute would be miserable to me, I wouldn't care how wonderful a place is if I was never there. Having said that, everyone is different!

I can't speak to if these meet your rent cost requirements but ITA that parts of Los Gatos, up at skyline which could be a variety of cities I think, pricier would be Portola Valley, Woodside; less expensive would be Gilroy & Morgan Hill. Check out where the Apple Buses go. if they go way out there it's probably the best best financially and for your lack of development (they are still suburbs, though, just not as developed). Do you like heat? It's hotter...

Most rentals come from craigslist, so check there to get an idea of where you can afford as you should see a pretty good sampling.

You said 1 child, are schools a consideration?

[Standingroom0nly]

As a Morgan Hill resident, I can vouch it is much more laid back than San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara-Cupertino-etc. It is a very clean family friendly place to live that offers more breathing room than most Silicon Valley cities. There are still quite a few farm fields here, land with livestock, larger lots, which make it feel worlds away from the hectic crowded feeling of SJ. You can still get that wide open life-moves-a little-slower feeling (along 280) but you will pay a hefty $price for it. Morgan Hill is still reasonable by Silicon Valley price standards.

Schools are also (at least from greatschool.org ratings) changing rapidly and the local high schools here are now 8/10 and 9/10; other top rated schools include two 10/10, 9/10, as well as some rapidly increasing scores--one neighborhood school going from 4/10 to 7/10 in just 6 years time. A few public schools here have switched over to magnet schools; a music and math magnet offering piano classes and violin classes, a science and tech magnet school, an environmental science magnet school with Spanish immersion. A couple of public schools are offering k-8 now also. The population is also seeing a boom here with the availability of more homes being built as well as high density housing. Demographics are changing rapidly too, more of the tech crowd and parents who are aggressive about wanting good schools. We may be losing some more of that quaint feel in MH as time goes on, but it still offers an amazing quality of life.

[nobarriers]

Thanks guys for great suggestions. Awesome!


One of you asked why I'm not interested in urban/suburban living. Well, it's not too complicated. I just prefer silence over bustle, undeveloped land over developed land, solitude over crowds. I guess it's just who I am. Grew up in a small town and I'd like that for my kid as well...


So, right now it seems like a lot of people like Scotts Valley, Beaver Creek, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, parts of Santa Cruz. And Los Gatos if I dare to go a little closer. That makes sense.


The kid is 2 now, so schools are not super important...yet...but it never hurts with a great school in the area.


Scotts Valley appeals to me, just because there's an Apple shuttle from there. Has anyone used that from there or from one of the other towns on the list?

[blueskywalker]

Originally Posted by nobarriers

Thanks guys for great suggestions. Awesome!


One of you asked why I'm not interested in urban/suburban living. Well, it's not too complicated. I just prefer silence over bustle, undeveloped land over developed land, solitude over crowds. I guess it's just who I am. Grew up in a small town and I'd like that for my kid as well...


So, right now it seems like a lot of people like Scotts Valley, Beaver Creek, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, parts of Santa Cruz. And Los Gatos if I dare to go a little closer. That makes sense.


The kid is 2 now, so schools are not super important...yet...but it never hurts with a great school in the area.


Scotts Valley appeals to me, just because there's an Apple shuttle from there. Has anyone used that from there or from one of the other towns on the list?

Hopefully you can find an affordable home in Scotts Valley. I didn't know that there was a shuttle. That's great. I would think that would be a huge plus!
Remember, Santa Cruz proper is a small city. Most of it is quite impacted as is much of the entire county now. There are a lot of rural and semi-rural options in the county as a whole but if you want to avoid a very long commute (hwy 1 and hwy 17) there aren't too many areas in the county that i recommend. There are some locations in Soquel (a great town in S.C. county ... small, semi-rural and rural homes) that will situate you near something of a short cut which is Old San Jose Rd. It will allow you to bypass both hwy1 and much of hwy17. But it too is heavily used now due to the increase of Silicon Valley people living in the county.
Also look at areas of Los Gatos that are anywhere near Summit Rd. in Los Gatos.
Does your employer assist with the finding of a home if you take the job?

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by nobarriers

I just prefer...undeveloped land over developed land

Tip: Be heavily insured for wildfires.

[Nell Plotts]

I think the OP should pass on the position. Perhaps the employer has positions in other areas where rural homes are within a livable commute.

[NapaCab]

Los Gatos hills might work for you. There are houses up various roads off Highway 17 e.g. Redwood Estates. They are in the mountains, away from main urban centers and with lots of open space BUT you will pay for it in commute time as you will have to fight your way up the 17 in the mornings. Maybe try further over west of Los Gatos where you could commute on Highway 9 to Cupertino quite easily (once you get down whatever mountain road you are on). Morgan Hill is pretty nice and has more open space but again commute time is the problem.

[NapaCab]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

Tip: Be heavily insured for wildfires.

Yes, good point. Wildfires are a concern for the mountainy locations.