San Carlos? Google maps accurate? Other places you'd have me consider? (Redwood City: 2015, apartment complex)

[cotomwed]

I've read through some threads and have a list of the usual suspects for housing/schools for our move in a couple of months (Los Altos, Menlo Park, PA, San Carlos, Redwood Shores). The job is in Menlo Park. I've been surprised at how long the commutes coming from MV to Menlo Park are--it appears to be sig shorter to come from north. I actually like the idea of Belmont, too, but it's probably too far--see below.

I'm trying to figure out if I can get from my daughter's (potentially-to-be) school in San Carlos down to ballet in Mountain View in time for class. (And yes, I feel lame that this is a significant question, but I also am trying to make this landing for the kids easier, and she--and therefore, I--spend a lot of time at the ballet studio, and the one in MV sounds most similar to the one she's at now.)
*If I use google maps and their highest average for commuting, do you think that's mostly accurate?

I don't see people talking about San Carlos much, but it seems totally reasonable from my searches.
*Is there anything I should know?

Here's who we are/what we're hoping for:
Family of 4--one kid in elementary, one in middle school.
We have an indoor/outdoor cat that's coming with us.
Schools are a factor, so I would l like to avoid both the really struggling (no Ravenswood or Redwood City) and the uber competitive (no Cupertino). Both middle schools in Mountain View feel a little iffy from what I've read, but if people have other thoughts, I'm happy to hear them.
Would we like a house? Well sure, but we're planning to rent for at least a year, and are open to house/townhouse/apt if it's a good fit.
Budget: (I.can't.believe.I'm.even.writing.this) 6K or less--prefer less, obviously. I'm really struggling with this and it feels so obscene.
Trying to keep the commute to ~30 min.

Thanks, city-data!

[ZeApelido]

Google maps usually gives a range for travel time, correct? From downtown San Carlos to San Antonio & Middlefield on a Tuesday at 8:30 am, Google says 24-45 min. I've commuted from Redwood City to Mtn View, a slightly shorter commute (I spend 8-10 minutes to get onto 101). I think the median time is a safe bet (~35 min) but if you are competent at managing being in the right lanes, 30 minutes should be doable. For my commute it would take 26-27 minutes, 30 would be on the high side.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by cotomwed

I'm trying to figure out if I can get from my daughter's (potentially-to-be) school in San Carlos down to ballet in Mountain View in time for class. (And yes, I feel lame that this is a significant question, but I also am trying to make this landing for the kids easier, and she--and therefore, I--spend a lot of time at the ballet studio, and the one in MV sounds most similar to the one she's at now.)

That depends what time her school finishes and what time the ballet class begins. I would suggest at least an hour leeway. If school ends at 3:15 it will be probably around 3:30 by the time she gets to your car. On a bad traffic day it might take 45 minutes to get to Mountain View. Getting in a traffic jam after a long school day is not a pleasant way to live.

The stretch of the 101 between Mountain View and Highway 92 has some of the worst traffic in the Bay area. There are no alternate routes. El Camino is very slow with many many stoplights. The 280 is out of the way for access to Mountain view but is easy to get to from San Carlos on Edgewood Rd.

[cotomwed]

That's helpful, thanks! I'll either need to change ballet schools or look farther south, then. (Google maps has the high end of the range @ 30 min from middle school to ballet school, but there's always the get-kid-into-car-and-deal-with-parent-traffic getting out of school time, which I strongly suspect is not taken into account. )

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by cotomwed

Schools are a factor, so I would l like to avoid both the really struggling (no Ravenswood or Redwood City) and the uber competitive (no Cupertino). Both middle schools in Mountain View feel a little iffy from what I've read, but if people have other thoughts, I'm happy to hear them.
Would we like a house? Well sure, but we're planning to rent for at least a year, and are open to house/townhouse/apt if it's a good fit.

I suggest checking out the Los Altos school district. The middle school in this district is Egan.

Ardis G. Egan Junior High in Los Altos , CA - ranking, school information, ratings, test scores, test results

Los Altos School District - School Locator

https://www.lasdschools.org/District...-Families.html

There is a small corner of Mountain View that is within the Los Altos school district. Avalon Towers Apartments are within the Los Altos district but the other Avalon property in Mountain View isn't.

https://www.avaloncommunities.com/ca...-the-peninsula

This is a very busy but very convenient location for stores and restaurants.

[joey_mcmarbles]

"Avalon Towers on the Peninsula" is a terrible place for kids, don't even think about it. More like "Avalon Towers, a block from the only Walmart on the Peninsula".

[jdhpa]

> Budget: (I.can't.believe.I'm.even.writing.this) 6K or less--prefer less, obviously. I'm really struggling with this and it feels so obscene.

You can rent a nice (but small) house for ~$6.5k in Palo Alto. You can rent a house for less, but it will likely be a bit run down (still a good neighborhood, though). Commute to Menlo Park will be easy, down to Moutain View as well.

San Carlos is nice, but it's getting a bit far away from where you need to drive regularly. There aren't many major north - south roads, so they all turn into parking lots anywhere near rush hour. Living near where you need to commute regularly makes a big difference in your quality of life.

Good luck!

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by joey_mcmarbles

"Avalon Towers on the Peninsula" is a terrible place for kids, don't even think about it. More like "Avalon Towers, a block from the only Walmart on the Peninsula".

Does this look terrible?

https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/aval...pwVw20923LCvEg

Its also walkable to Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Sprouts and several restaurants.

Ideally its better to get a house but finding a good rental during an out of town relocation trip is very difficult. Any decent house at a semi-reasonable price in that area will have a lot of applicants. An apartment will have lower rent and will not have water or garbage pickup bills. They would save at least a $1,000/month and maybe more with an apartment. An apartment complex in a good school district is rare since most of them are concentrated in weaker school districts.

[cotomwed]

*I'll re-look into Los Altos--it looked like a 40 min commute when I checked last, but my husband has said he'll try to leave earlier (i.e. 7a) if that's what it takes to make it shorter.
*I'm not categorically opposed to apts, but I confess it's not my first choice. With that said, I'm going to look at the link. I like walkable. And I do realize that it will be challenging to get a "reasonably" priced house; they fly off craigslist. I will likely fly down in a couple of weeks and stay for a few days to see if I can hammer out something. Not ideal, but feet on the ground feels like the odds are better.

Can anyone give thoughts about Mountain View middle schools? Personal experience? Strong feelings? MV is cheaper--and I'm sure that's b/c the schools are all over the map, but does anyone have kids there that could speak to their experience?

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by cotomwed

\
We have an indoor/outdoor cat that's coming with us.

Coyotes love outdoor cats. So do mountain lions. Maybe make it an indoor cat from now on.

https://www.losaltosonline.com/insid...coyote-problem

https://paloaltoonline.com/news/2015...for-pet-owners

https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/...s-in-palo-alto