# Anybody live near San Jose / Gilroy?



## mjdwyer23 (Mar 18, 2009)

Hi Folks-
The wife and I are considering moving out to the West Coast, specifically the San Jose area. Does anyone on the board live around here? Specifically I am looking for info on things like cost of living, good neighborhoods to look at, and any general info on the area. How's the riding? 

thanks!


----------



## fastev (Jan 4, 2010)

I'm in San Jose. Shoot me a pm with any questions, I'll see if I can help.


----------



## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

I live in San Jose. The cost of living is high. The riding is great. Generally, west San Jose is a better place to live than east San Jose.


----------



## mjdwyer23 (Mar 18, 2009)

How about south of the city down 101?


----------



## fast ferd (Jan 30, 2009)

mohair_chair said:


> I live in San Jose. The cost of living is high. The riding is great. Generally, west San Jose is a better place to live than east San Jose.


Hey! I grew up in East SJ and resemble that statement!  

My pop is a real estate broker. He can either find you a house or hook you up with a realtor in a specific area. Send me a PM if you'd like the referral.

~Fred


----------



## VonBruin (Aug 8, 2008)

101 runs through east SJ and into south SJ. Where are you working? Commute times on 101 can be pretty long.


----------



## mjdwyer23 (Mar 18, 2009)

Not working anywhere yet, just doing some research before sending out my resume. How about public transportation?


----------



## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

mjdwyer23 said:


> How about public transportation?


You've got a bike right?  

Light-rail or CalTrain are OK as long as both ends are close to the stations, and you are not travelling too many hops. For light rail, going across downtown San Jose is very slow. They both allow bikes on board, though bike capacity can be an issue on CalTrain. The bus service is generally pretty poor and to be avoided.

Thinking ahead about where you will work and where you will live is a very good idea. If you make bad decisions you are likely to spend a lot of time stuck in traffic on the freeways. Also, if kids are in your future (or present) you really need to plan for school districts.


----------



## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

mjdwyer23 said:


> How's the riding?


The best riding for road bikes is to be found in the foothills and hills. There is a band of neighbourhoods from Los Gatos, Saratoga, Campbell, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Portola Valley up to Woodside that has phenomenal access to hill climbs and "safe" semi-rural cycling. These routes are generally good all-year around, even in the summer when the east bay hills are practically unridable due to the heat.

These are also the most expensive places to live in the area, and actually some of the more expensive places to live in the entire country! There is then a band of neighbourhoods in San Jose, Campbell, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, and Palo Alto which are in the valley but close enough to the hills to give you a short ride to the good stuff. It is in these areas that you might find a better compromise, but it is still frightfully expensive and gets more so as you work your way up towards Palo Alto. There are some alternatives beyond that with access to other good riding, but generally with other significant downsides. IMHO the further you go into south San Jose, the further away you get from the really good riding (though there's still some for sure).

For mountain biking you need to go to Skeggs or Demo which are both a drive away. Saratoga Gap and Skyline ridge is closer and you can ride there (eg. up Highway 9) but the trails are more limited.

If you are more adventurous and into commuting, living in Santa Cruz or San Francisco is a possibility for some.


----------



## rfrancisco (Feb 2, 2004)

I live in North/East San Jose about 50 meters from the famous Sierra Road (lower section of Sierra Rd), lot of good riding in the area. The TOC alway goes though East San Jose  Cost is high, weather is great, try to live as close to work if you can, and you can ride with the RoadBikeReview group.


----------



## Mtn2RoadConvert (Aug 28, 2006)

There is some pretty good riding South of San Jose in Morgan Hill and down through Gilroy along the West side. The roads are less populated and more of a rural feel. An area of San Jose to consider are the Almaden Area (very good schools, low crime rate, upscale area...home prices start from high $300k for condo/TH & low $600k SFR). There are surrounding areas that have more reasonable home prices, but like homes everywhere around the country, the desirable areas (good schools, low crime, easy access to shopping, nicely kept neighborhoods) will cost more.


----------



## Killroy (Feb 9, 2006)

mjdwyer23 said:


> How about public transportation?


I think public transit is average for the US, but I rarely use it because biking is much faster for me from Campbell to north of the San Jose Airport.


----------



## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

Henry Coe State Park (the largest State Park in California), just east of Gilroy and Morgan Hill, has miles and miles of excellent mountain bike riding if you don't mind climbing.

http://www.coepark.org/


----------



## Killroy (Feb 9, 2006)

robwh9 said:


> Henry Coe State Park (the largest State Park in California), just east of Gilroy and Morgan Hill, has miles and miles of excellent mountain bike riding if you don't mind climbing.
> 
> http://www.coepark.org/



Demo Forest in the Santa Cruz mountains really cool too.


----------



## mjdwyer23 (Mar 18, 2009)

Great stuff, guys! I was digging around on mapmyride, Henry Coe Hillclimb route looks awesome! I just bought a cross bike and am getting into singletrack, the area looks great.


----------



## Kwantani (Sep 26, 2002)

Bay Area is full. Please stay put.
just kidding...


----------



## mjdwyer23 (Mar 18, 2009)

lol. at least delaware has no sales tax?


----------

