Relocating to San Jose, California
 

I am relocating to San Jose California. What should I know ?

Ummm, what do you want to know? It's very expensive to live here, traffic is a pain, but the weather is great and there are a lot of really nice day trips so your weekends will be full.

That's a pretty open ended question, Carl. Where are you coming from? You should know that housing is pricey compared to most places in the US. In what part of town will you be working? With so little info the best advice I can offer you is to try and live as close to work as possible, or if you are working downtown try and live in an area that offers light rail service into downtown. Don't fall for the realtors who say the commute isn't bad from Tracy, Gilroy, Livermore, Pinole, etc. It is.

How expensive is housing? I ' ve checked the web and prices are regular.<BR>Maybe theres something that I dont' know.Hom much 1br apart ? 3brd house ?<BR>How's life after work in San Jose ?<BR>Do I have to go every week to SF to see a city, or San Jose is a city...<BR>Thank You!

How expensive is housing? I ' ve checked the web and prices are regular.<BR>Maybe theres something that I dont' know.How much 1br apart ? 3brd house ?<BR>How's life after work in San Jose ?<BR>Do I have to go every week to SF to see a city, or San Jose is a city...<BR>Thank You!

My husband was born and raised in SJ. His 3 bedroom, 1 bath (approx 1200 SQ FT) childhood home was sold a couple years ago for around $400K. The man who bought it dozed the house and pretty much bought the lot for $400K.<BR><BR>Unless you are already coming from NY, DC, CA, etc., the housing costs ARE very high.

Even after the dot-gone period, housing prices have remained constant, despite massive runups in prices over the past three years. 400K will get you a 3BR/1BA 1200 ft. starter home that may or may not be a shanty. Welcome to the left coast. A friend just recently purchased a 1400 square ft. Brady Bunch ranch in Fremont for 505K and felt like it was the deal of the century. Apparently, the previous owner was let go by another dot-bomb and had to sacrifice 150K off what he paid. OUCH!!!

The sad part is that after purchasing that house for that money he had to live in Fremont!

Carl,<BR><BR>San Jose is definitely not a city! It is a spread out very large town, just like Los Angeles.<BR><BR>The only true "Cities" on the West Coast are San Francisco and Seattle. Once you have gone to either one of these "Cities", you will know exactly what I mean.<BR><BR>I lived in San Jose for over 20 years, and have to return once or twice a year for family reasons. It's the pits!! In fact, my wife (who was born and raised in San Jose) and I are going to San Jose the first part of April for a sick mother visit.<BR><BR>Dick

Topper

Carl,<BR><BR>The average 1 bedroom apartment in the city will range from $1200-1500/month depending on what area you want to live in and how new of a building it is. Finding a house in the $400K range is quite difficult. In this price range you are likely to get a 2 bedroom fixer upper. Last year my Aunt's house, which is a 2 br 1 ba with a detached 2 car garage that was on it last legs, sold for that much in the Rosegarden neighborhood, which is an upscale area. There are a number of new condominiums in Downtown(Center City)San Jose that have been built recently. Since they are in a desirable area with numerous restaurants, performing arts, museums, and nightclubs within walking distance, as well as public transportation they tend to be expensive. If you want city living, then Downtown would be your best bet. There are many other quaint neighboorhoods including Willow Glen and Naglee Park, in addition to the Rosegarden. In answer to your question about having to go to San Francisco to see a city, that would be NO. If you asked that question 20 years ago then I would have said yes. In the last 20 years San Jose, especially the Downtown, has become a destination, rather than a place to escape. In fact, San Jose is the biggest city in Northern California and the third largest in the State after Los Angeles and San Diego. San Jose has all the amenities of most major cities including Ballet, Opera, Reperatory Theater, etc, great restaurants(over 400 just in Downtown).If you crave Japanese food, you can take the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)Light Rail up to Japantown. In addition, the Compaq Center (formerly San Jose Arena) is not only home to the Sharks NHL Hockey, but also the Sabercats Arena Football, along with many concerts and various other performances throughtout the year. The other nice thing about Downtown are the many festivals that occur throughout the year. Go to www.sanjose.org and www.sj-downtown.com for more information on the city. The advantage of living in the city is your proximity to the Monterey Bay(30 miles to Santa Cruz) which is a great escape during the summer. In addition, you can plan weekends down the Pacific Coast, or up to the Wine Country, Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite.

Carl<BR><BR>Obviously Dick has some deep seated dislike toward San Jose. Unfortunately, he must have had a traumatic experience. I would not let him influence your opinions about San Jose and Silicon Valley.<BR>

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Carl, <BR><BR>I would side more with Dick. I've spent a decent amount of time in the Silicon Valley area over the past 5 years and would never live there. On the other hand, I love San Francisco and would go there in a heartbeat but the living costs is a big deterrent and I live in the remote NYC metropolitan area.<BR><BR>When I'm there on business, I head to either San Francisco if on the north side or Monterey if I'm near Gilroy, for dining and entertainment.

Carl,<BR><BR>As has already been pointed out, housing in San Jose and its surrounding suburbs is very expensive. A word to the wise, if the price of a house/apartment/condo sounds too good to be true, it definitely is! Check out www.alainpinel.com www.coldwellbanker.com and www.era.com for more information on housing in and around the city. www.ci.san-jose.ca.us is the official website for the city.

I have lived in the San Jose/Silicon Valley region for over 25 years. The last time I was in San francisco was 5 years ago. There is alot to in San Jose, despite what some people may say.

Thank you for all the replies.<BR>Just one more question, since I am from another country and San Jose will my first american experience: how much is a «medium» salary in the San Jose area.<BR>20 K 40 K or 100K ?<BR>Thank you again.<BR>

Carl, you can get all of this sort of data at the U.S. Census website. They can tell you the range of incomes, range of housing pricings, demographics and so on county by county. Far more reliable than asking strangers on a travel site too.

I am originally from San Francisco and back up in the Bay Area now. I lived in San Jose for five years as I started my career with a large multi-national company at a time when downtown renewal was in the condemnation stage. We have been back many times over the years on business and pleasure and have been amazed at the beautiful, vibrant City that has emerged. San Jose definately is a City and a very eclectic one. They have managed to save much of the old that was desireable and add quality modern buildings in a aesthetic way.

Carl,<BR><BR>The most recent data shows San jose's average annual income to be $71,000. this is the second highest in the nation behind New York City. For more information about relocating to San Jose go to www.relocationcentral.com

There has been soooooo much "good buzz" about San Jose on this site lately that I fear this thread was started by those same folks so they can spread the good word about San Jose. Give it up. You'll never change our minds about San Jose.

I guess that there will always be people who do not like the city, but if you have nothing constructive to say, then please keep it to yourself. We should not be misleading Carl with biased comments.

I believe what I had to say to Carl was constructive. He asked what he should know. The buzz on this board recently about San Jose is phony and misleading and just because I didn't side with the rest of you San Jose kooks doesn't mean I have nothing constructive. This is NOT the I Love San Jose Club site you know.

It is obvious that X's opinions are of no value if he/she resorts to namecalling of individuals he does not agree with. That is very childish.

X is completely out of line. Carl is asking for practical information(ie:facts) about San Jose, not for someone's personal opinions.

Ok it's obvious now that this thread is the work of one or two individuals promoting San Jose. Carl probably isn't real. Dismissing someone's opinion because of name-calling of the word "kook" is silly. Just like this thread. It's the San Jose cheerleading squad!

Carl<BR><BR>Just would like to point out that people such as "X" and whatever are not typical Californians. To think that someone would pose as "Carl" merely to start a thread about San Jose is demented. Whatever/X just what have you been smoking?

We lived in San Jose for several years back in the late 70's early 80's. We found plenty to do without going to SF. We lived in Almaden which seemed more like a suburb of SJ. It was very nice, but I understand that houses are going for at least 1 million in our neighborhood-we were 2 homes away from Almaden CC. Haven't been back for several years, but last time I was the traffic was horrendous.

It seems apparent that Dick, NotForMe, "X", and Whatever are the same person with some personal agenda against San Jose.

Sheila,<BR><BR>I share your sentiment about traffic in San Jose. The number of jobs as well as the population in the city has increased dramatically over the past 20 years. I agree with you about Almaden. It's nice because it's in the city limits although, you are away from the rat race. There are also some great views of the city and silicon valley from up there. Did you ever get over to Alamden Quicksilver Park? I live in Mountain View, and have thought about checking it out. What is your opinion?

I just moved out of San Jose after 25 years. I always thought my stay there was temporary! There is a lot there that sucks you in and doesn't let go. But I am SO glad to have moved up the peninsula! <BR><BR>I have hiked the Quicksilver Mine trails.... very nice. I would also recommend the LongBranch trails just off Summit Road, about 5 miles north of Highway 9. There's a 5 mile loop trail that is beautiful and from the top you can get a view of the ocean as well as the valley.<BR><BR>Things about San Jose that drive me insane; traffic, crowds, people who don't care about other people, malls, restaurant with 2 hour waits, traffic, road rage, noisey neighbors who don't care that you don't like their music, drivers with bass turned so loud you feel the earth move, traffic... oh, and did I mention traffic?

Grasshopper,<BR><BR>Obviously it sounds as if you prefer living in the suburbs. Traffic, crowds, and lines are all things that people come to expect when they live in the city. I guess some would say that the vibrancy of a city contributes to its character. Of course, one way to avoid the traffic is by using public transportation. It may take a little longer sometimes, but at least you get there relaxed.

Public transportation is hardly synonomous with San Jose! As far as living in the city, San Jose is pretty much a sprawling suberb! I've spent longish periods of time in cities; Paris, Rome, London.... all using public transportation and loving the hustle and bustle. What I described about SJ that I don't like are not city qualities. They are urban sprawl qualities.

I've been on this board a very long time and have not seen much use of 2 letter initials in place of the name. Here, suddenly, on the San Jose thread we have an abundance of 2 letter initials. Something fishy is going on here or do all you San Jose Stepford people only use initials? You are, no doubt, the same person posting the rah rah San Jose stuff.

Grasshopper,<BR><BR>What you are referring to as "city" qualities are distinctly European in character, but that is just one model of a "city". In the U.S., there are not many cities that fit the European model of a compact city. Most of these are on the East Coast. However, most cities in the West such as Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, Portland, etc. tend to be more spread out except for a compact downtown. Obviously this is primarily due to the car culture. However, I would still refer to these as cities. As far as public transportation in San Jose, the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) has an extensive Light Rail system ( Operates 24 hrs./day) from Mountain View to Milpitas and extending into Center City and south to Santa Teresa. Light Rail is currently being built from Milpitas down Capitol Avenue to Alum Rock and from Center City out to Los Gatos (Vasona Line). In addition there is the extensive VTA bus system, Caltrain, ACE Train, and Amtrak. These definitely qualify as public transportation. Of course it is a work in progress. Once BART is extended into downtown and up to the airport, Downtown San Jose's Diridon Station will be a Northern California rail hub for each of these systems.

Carl, am I to infer that you are moving to San Jose from another country (which one?) and you don't already have a job lined up? You should know that besides the well covered issue of expensive housing, there is also a glut of white collar workers looking for jobs in the San Jose area, due to many layoffs in the dotcom industry. It is really, really tough to find work here, and especially difficult if you need a company to sponsor you in order to get a green card. I may be assuming too much, but please do lots and lots of research before you land here and face the near impossible situation of finding work and an affordable place to live. Good luck!<BR><BR>I agree with an above poster too. Somebody who's fond of picking two letters from the alphabet has been posting relentlessly about the joys of San Jose. I just hope they are getting paid for all their diligence!

Jamie, have you been to Paris, London or Rome? They are surrounded by sprawling suburbs, but there is still a distinct "city" in the middle. San Jose kinda has that, but not anywhere near the scale of the major European cities. You are probably the same person on this board who wants to make a case for San Francisco being a town and San Jose being a city. Go ahead and knock yourself out but you aren't going to convince most people of that.

OK, this will be my last contribution to this thread because I've learned that you can never win an argument on a message board. That said, my kids took the bus to high school (with much complaining). A 15 mile bus trip across town (all within the city limits) took over 2 hours each way, required 4 changes, and left them walking a good half mile on either end of the bus route. I dare say that does not indicate great public transportation.<BR><BR>Northern California has so much going for it. After a weekend spent in the wine country and hiking on the Marin Headlands in 75 degree temperatures and crystal clear views (while my boyfriend froze his cajones off in 3 degree Denver) I know how hard it will/would ever be to leave here. But I bought my house for $60k 25 years ago (thereby, earning a rediculous amount of equity) and I have a great job (for which I get paid an absurd amount). I worry for the young people and people like Carl who relocate to this impossible area. In the past few years I have learned not to even try to recruit employees from out of the area. They love the idea of our salaries.... until they find out that they can't afford a roof over their head.<BR><BR>As for city qualities, SF definitely qualifies (I lived there 2 years after college and before San Jose). And I used public transportation and I enjoyed the same things I love about my favorite European cities.

Grasshopper<BR><BR>When was it that your son took the bus to high school? It must have been a long time ago. I take the #23 bus to Valley Fair in San Jose from Los Altos (about 15 miles) and it takes about 30 minutes. The best way to use the vast network of VTA buses and Light Rail is to call the VTA to plan your trip or go to www.vta.org

Susan Spike is the relentless representative of the San Francisco Convention and visitore's bureau