Okay, so we may be spending a year in Saratoga...and I was hoping I could get the inside scoop from the experts We live in Phx, so San Francisco is really cloudy for me. Is the Saratoga climate exactly like San Francisco? I am assuming not, but how does it differ? Saratoga is pretty small...is the traffic terrible? That is all I can think of for now.Any insights would be greatly appreciated! I know this isn't about travel, exactly but I always get the best advice from Fodorites...

Saratoga is a lovely upscale small town in the Silicon Valley. It's nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains. There are good shops and wonderful restaurants. Most houses would sell for more than 1M.

The climate is warmer and sunnier than that of SF. Very little fog. This week the high temps will be in the 70s with bright sunshine. There's no rain from about May through October.

Traffic in the Bay Area is probably no worse than in Phoenix. There's little public transportation in Saratoga. Will you be commuting to work? If so, where?

If I didn't live so close, I'd jump at the opportunity to live there for a year!

Other Fodorites who live in the area will probably chime in.

Saratoga is very nice. Not a particularly diverse population, but physically a beautiful place. Re: weather in SF Bay Area...any place more than 5 miles from the city is pretty much fog-free, certainly very different climate from The City. Saratoga is actually warmer than I like, but for a Phoenixian(?!), should be perfect!

LOL, Lucie. Phoenician?

Thinking about this in the shower...

One of the plusses about living in Saratoga is that you would have the advantages of small-town ambience as well as all that the the huge SF Bay Area urban-suburban environment offers.

True, Betsy, except for the fact that it is a bit more distant from the city than, say, Mill Valley, San Mateo, Berkeley, etc. Saratoga is at least an hour's drive, and that's when the traffic is flowing!

One thing I forgot to mention is how green Saratoga is. Not eco-green, just tree-green. So, even though it's a warmer climate than cities closer to the water, it's got a very "fresh" feeling.

It is a pricey area, do keep in mind. But with that comes good restaurants, shopping, etc.

it's definitely one of the rich upscale neighborhoods, so expect things to be slightly more expensive. and you also need a car. however, it's a gorgeous community with lots of trees. here's little public transportation, so definitely look forward to driving a lot. it's about an hour from SF.

Make a point to see a concert at SPAC. It doesn't matter which one, philharmonic, Dave Matthews, Neil Young, you will love it and so will your family and friends when they visit. Plus, you're not far from some fantastic skiing. Hit Placid if you can this winter, you will LOVE it. The climate is definitely different, but the fun outdoor activities and nearby attractions make up for it.

Oneworld, I think s3az is asking about Saratoga, CA.

Oh my gosh, I just read more carefully and was trying to find a way to remove my post when I realized he was talking about CA. Sorry guys, I just love upstate so much I always get ahead of myself. Sorry about that. Best of luck in Saratoga...CA!