Silicon Valley - where to live - one week to decide!

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Member since 27 February 2011

chas78Member27 February 2011 13:26:07

Hi all,

We have made a whirlwind decision to move to CA, triggered by a good job offer for my husband, more and more family member fleeing the country and what has felt like the longest wettest winter ever here at home.

I am giving up a very good and well paid job so that my husband can pursue what it also a successful career but our household income is still reducing by quite a significant amount. I am worried about the cost of housing the Silicon Valley area (he will be based in Palo Alto).

We are coming to the area for a week in April to check out the neighbourhoods and to try and decide on where to settle. We will be renting and want a 4 bed house somewhere with a community feel and access to parks etc as I will be home most of the time. We have a 2 year old child and will eventually require some daycare (I want to try my hand at something new!).

Any advice on how best to use our time and tips on different areas would be really welcome. (We Brits don't like to talk about money but if you are going to help then salary is around $180K, so I am working on a monthly rental budget of $3-4K. Does that sound right and I know this is a good salary but there is so much online about how expensive this place is - are we going to still be able to enjoy all that the area has to offer?).

Thanks to anyone with any advice x

Yud ViP

Member since 08 November 2010

YudViP28 February 2011 04:23:49

7031

Welcome on Expat.com chas78

RobertfromCalifornia Active member

Member since 25 May 2011

RobertfromCaliforniaActive member04 June 2011 04:43:18

hi there, I don't know if you found a place yet but here's the deal:
Stay AWAY from EAST PALO ALTO!! It's all crime there!! You can find some apartments for rent on a main street called University Avenue that is very nice and lively with classy people and good students from Stanford University. Another area that's VERY NICE is called Restaurant Row- it's my favorite and safe. Another place is in the city called Mountain View, which is only about 3-5 min drive from Palo Alto. Look for places along the main street called Castro, which is close to a US Navy and Air Force base. Usually, areas near a military base are very clean and safe and reasonable. You won't face crime because the military police co-ordinates often with the civilian police forces.
I hope the info helps. Contact me if you have any more enquiries.
Cheers, Robert

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