Bay Area (Calif.) question

[Tom Slick]

I know we have at least of couple people here that are familiar with the bay area. It is very possible I'll be working in Sunnyvale for 3 months this summer. What is a good spot to look for an apartment/room for rent. Or better yet, where should I stay out of?
I'm not really familiar with any of that area other than driving through it on the 101 or 880.

[kramer katt]

sunnyvale

I haven't been in that area for many years but I am guessing that between Craigslist and Google you could do a lot of good research
From what I have hear and read, most people looking for cheap housing have fled the coastal area for inland (toward Sacto) or south (to Salinas)
Silicon Valley is still one of the most expensive places to live in the country.
(even more than your SLO)
kk

[jackellis]

It depends a lot on exactly where in Sunnyvale and how far you want to be driving to and from. Since I hate commuting and traffic can be horrendous, I'd probably spend more money to be closer to where I'm working. Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Santa Clara are close by and most sections are fine places to live, but they also tend to be relatively expensive. San Jose is going to be cheaper, but it's further away and you have to be more selective - one former colleague used to refer to her neighborhood as the 'hood, and not in a positive light.

Fremont and Milpitas are across the bay and probably less expensive than San Jose, but once again you have to be a little selective.

Exactly when are you thinking you'll be working here?

[Tom Slick]

Thanks for the info Jack. I am willing to pay extra to be closer, we'll see what I can afford.
If all goes to plan I'll be there late June through early September. The company is near Moffett Field. I'm willing to commute an hour (in SoCal that's 10 miles lol) and i'm willing to take a train. There is a stop in front of the company. More than likely this company has a housing service but I like to have my ducks in a row just in case.

This will be a bit of a culture shock, the biggest city I have ever lived in only has 50,000 people and commuting an hour means you are driving 50 miles through the countryside.

[dlminehart]

Tom, there's a lot of rental housing available. If you're working in Sunnyvale, and commuting by car during normal commute hours, you probably want a place within about 20 miles of your office. I worked in Sunnyvale early this year, commuted about 17 miles from southwestern San Jose, took about 40 minutes, of which about 20 was freeway, 5 was local, and 15 was boulevards. If you can work off-hours (e.g., 9:30-7:00), you can cut the commute time by one-third.

The commuter train to Sunnyvale is about an hour from San Francisco and an hour from the southern end of the line in Morgan Hill. You have a lot of housing options along that line, from hyper-urban to pretty rustic. Some folks have bikes to get to and from the train, as there's room for them on the train, even the non-folding kind.

Google maps now have a lot of street views, so you can get a sense of the neighborhoods. Rents are relatively high, as already stated, but the area is used to short-termers.

Having air conditioning would be nice but not absolutely necessary, as summers do get pretty warm here for a week at a time, a few times a season. Usually almost no rain between May and October, but the proximity of ocean and bay keeps the humidity quite comfortable.

[jackellis]

Tom, I live near Stanford and I'm generally familiar with the Bay Area, though I don't necessarily know about specific neighborhoods. I'd be happy to answer more specific questions via e-mail if you PM me.

The commuter train you mentioned is the county light rail system. It's kinda slow but it does keep you out of the traffic. Housing within walking distance of the system probably costs a bit more, but you're not driving. I have used it a few times to save myself the cost and hassle of parking in downtown San Jose.

Compared with where you live now, a few months in the Big City is going to be quite a culture shock. At the end you'll either decide you love the boondocks or you've been missing out on life.

[JR]

Sunnyvale is very much like where I live (an area which I know you are familiar with). As such, it's nice, but very quiet. There are restaurants and a little bit of life all along Camino Real. Menlo Park and Palo Alto are very nice and not far away.

Rush hour driving on the 101 can be a pain. IIRC, the train stop at Moffet is only for light rail (http://www.vta.org/), not for the commuter train (http://www.caltrain.com/schedule.html). The commuter train is much better than in SoCal, running until midnight. This makes going to ball game or concerts much more convenient.

I have used the light rail quite few times in that area. It's fairly convenient - if the stop is close to your destination. Bus and other services are not particularly well connected, although CalTrain and VTA do connect at Mountain View. You can go directly from the San Jose airport to Moffet Field on one train (plus a free shuttle bus from 1st St. to SJC). There are very nice bike hooks on every train. A trip from Mountain View to San Jose will reveal a number of nice apartment complexes along the line.

If you want to experience the urban lifestyle your best choices are San Francisco and San Jose.

If you haven't spent much time in San Francisco - well, you just have to go there to appreciate it. It's one of my favorite cities, rich with cultural diversity, great restaurants, night life. A plan that would allow staying in San Francisco and commuting on public transportation to Sunnyvale is entirely feasible, although the station-to-station commute time would be ~1 hour. Also your car will get stolen in San Francisco.

Downtown San Jose is not really enticing, IMHO. There are restaurants, and there are things to do, but it's just not a vibrant city.

Oh yeah, East Palo Alto is the only nearby area I know you should avoid.

HTH,
JR

[dlminehart]

BTW, up here we don't refer to freeways as "the" whatever. 101 is just 101, not "the 101". As in, "You take 101 south to Burlingame, then 380 West to connect with 280 South." Which is just as in, "You take El Camino Real north, then east on Evelyn."

[Rand]

I lived in the Bay Area for 12 years. I used to commute from Redwood City to my job in Sunnyvale. One way it was 17 miles. It would take me anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.

My advice is to find a place to stay as close as possible to your job site. Generally speaking you want to be West of 101.

[JR]

BTW, up here we don't refer to freeways as "the" whatever. 101 is just 101, not "the 101". As in, "You take 101 south to Burlingame, then 380 West to connect with 280 South." Which is just as in, "You take El Camino Real north, then east on Evelyn."

Thanks for the correction, David. For whatever reasonl, down here highways are ALWAYS refered to as "the" 101, the 5, etc. I think it's a legacy from the time when they were all named The Ventura Freeway, The Pasadena Freeway, etc.

And here I thought I was doing well to refrain from refering to 'Frisco!

JR

[Tom Slick]

I was offered the job today. The salary is reasonable, the housing allowance/stipend will almost cover rent, and they do offer relocation assistance. I'm pretty sure I'm going to take it.

It sounds like it is a nice area, I think I'll try to find something near to work, maybe biking distance. We'll see what comes up.