San Jose - East, West, South, North???? (Oakland, Sunnyvale: crime, neighborhoods)

[blueslily]

Hi all,

I have been looking for a place to move that's not far from San Jose. Some of you have already responded to my prior posting.

I have a different question now. I have only been looking at places that say they are located in North San Jose, mainly because of commuting time.

My question is what's the rest of San Jose like? I read on here that I should rule out East San Jose due to crime and other not so pleasant issues. What about San Jose South and West? What's specific about those areas? Are they safe? Demographics? Lifestyle? Any constructive feedback will be appreciated.

Aslo, what's the commute like in trafffic in the mornings and afternoons to/from San Jose South or West to Milpitas?

Thanks so much!

[Meowen]

All sides east/west/north/south of San Jose have desirable and not-so-desirable neighborhoods.

South and east San Jose tend to have the worst commutes if you are travelling up the peninsula or into the east bay. East San Jose is primarily Mexican and Vietnamese working class, some of the most interesting neighborhoods in SJ but also probably the worst for crime and traffic. South San Jose is mostly safe, but I find it to be kind of dull (more bedroom-communityish and the commutes can be horrible as well.

North San Jose is probably generally not too bad for commute times although it is also kind of boring..it's mostly just business parks and housing developments here and there and the occasional strip mall. Not very walkable or interesting.

West San Jose is fine for the most part, but a few neighborhoods are best avoided as places to live such as those near Bascom ave and Highway 280, and some of the neighborhoods off Winchester near Payne. The rest of West San Jose is fine.

The commute from South San Jose to milpitas will generally take you north on highway 87 to 280, traffic can be rough on both of these freeways. Probably a 30 minute drive on average?? I'm just guessing though as I never did this commute. From west san jose to milpitas your major bottleneck would be near downtown San Jose via 280 but I think this commute would be easier than coming from South San Jose.

If I were you I'd stick to Central San Jose neighborhoods like Willow Glen for example or maybe even some spots near downtown.

[Heidi60]

It might also be helpful if you tell us your budget and how you like to spend your time. Willow Glen is a great area and the prices reflect that. I like to do the weekly shopping at Almaden and Blossom Hill where within a block I have Costco, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and much more. On Sundays there are farmers markets near the same intersection as well as in Japan town in downtown San Jose.

I live in South San Jose and find that the problems from the east side are beinging to show up in this area. However, I'm also about two blocks from light rail so it is really fun to jump on the train and spend the day in the City or attending sports events. As you have already been told, East San Jose does have its issues and should be avoided.

I also find Meown's statements to be acurate as far as the rest of the city. Traffic is getting worse again so your commute time will depend on your work schedule.

[blueslily]

Originally Posted by Heidi60

It might also be helpful if you tell us your budget and how you like to spend your time. Willow Glen is a great area and the prices reflect that. I like to do the weekly shopping at Almaden and Blossom Hill where within a block I have Costco, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and much more. On Sundays there are farmers markets near the same intersection as well as in Japan town in downtown San Jose.

I live in South San Jose and find that the problems from the east side are beinging to show up in this area. However, I'm also about two blocks from light rail so it is really fun to jump on the train and spend the day in the City or attending sports events. As you have already been told, East San Jose does have its issues and should be avoided.

I also find Meown's statements to be acurate as far as the rest of the city. Traffic is getting worse again so your commute time will depend on your work schedule.

Thanks for your responses.

In response to your request about pricing, I am mainly just asking about safety, crime, cleanliness, and demographics in this posting. I have a totally different posting for suggestions on places to livesbased on pricing and what I enjoy doing in life. I'm just wanting to get a better idea about what the different parts of SJ are like.

Regarding working hours - kind of traditional - in around 8:30ish and out in the evening around 6pm I suppose. I'm not sure if thirty minutes either way makes a big diffrence with traffice in the SBay area.

Thx.

[Odyssey13]

South San Jose has good and bad areas. The Monterey/Roeder area is not very good, but is considered South San Jose.

One area I really like is the area around Forest Ave, Naglee, Hedding near Santa Clara. It's kind of a no-name area, not exactly Rose Garden, definitely not downtown, and kind of North San Jose but not really. It would probably be about 15 minutes to Milpitas from Hedding.

I live in Cambrian. I also work in Milpitas. One thing I like, is that I can get onto 880 from Camden, and choose to stay on 880 and end up in Milpitas, or I can jump on 280 and end up in Milpitas. I listen to the traffic reports and if one of them is backed up, I choose the other. Usually takes me 20-30 minutes to get to work.

[Meowen]

Originally Posted by Odyssey13

South San Jose has good and bad areas. The Monterey/Roeder area is not very good, but is considered South San Jose.

One area I really like is the area around Forest Ave, Naglee, Hedding near Santa Clara. It's kind of a no-name area, not exactly Rose Garden, definitely not downtown, and kind of North San Jose but not really. It would probably be about 15 minutes to Milpitas from Hedding.

I live in Cambrian. I also work in Milpitas. One thing I like, is that I can get onto 880 from Camden, and choose to stay on 880 and end up in Milpitas, or I can jump on 280 and end up in Milpitas. I listen to the traffic reports and if one of them is backed up, I choose the other. Usually takes me 20-30 minutes to get to work.

The area around Forest Ave, Naglee, Hedding near Santa Clara is really nice too, but borders on some of the rougher spots in what is locally known as "burbank" which is a not-so-nice area (basically from meridian to Bascom on the east and west and roughly from West San Carlos south to the 280.

[Heidi60]

I also like to shop at the Recycled Book store and the Alameda/Rose Garden area but that is too pricey for me. Still, nice to take a walk there. We made a wrong turn one day on the Alameda and accidentally found the oldest Quaker church in the state! It was closed so we only peeped in the windows but I didn't know it was in San Jose.

[Meowen]

Originally Posted by blueslily

Thanks for your responses.

In response to your request about pricing, I am mainly just asking about safety, crime, cleanliness, and demographics in this posting. I have a totally different posting for suggestions on places to livesbased on pricing and what I enjoy doing in life. I'm just wanting to get a better idea about what the different parts of SJ are like.

Regarding working hours - kind of traditional - in around 8:30ish and out in the evening around 6pm I suppose. I'm not sure if thirty minutes either way makes a big diffrence with traffice in the SBay area.

Thx.

830am is probably the worst possible time to be on the road in the morning in the bay area from my experience. After 7 or 730ish its pretty rough until after 10am in most places. Then the afternoon rush picks up around 3 and gets worse the closer to 5 you get, and calms down a bit after 630-7.

[whiterabbit2]

Originally Posted by Meowen

830am is probably the worst possible time to be on the road in the morning in the bay area from my experience. After 7 or 730ish its pretty rough until after 10am in most places. Then the afternoon rush picks up around 3 and gets worse the closer to 5 you get, and calms down a bit after 630-7.

I agree from the experience.

South San Jose -> Sunnyvale is 30 minutes CARPOOLING, up to 2 hours for a single driver, doesn't matter what highways. East San Jose Foothills (which is a nice area btw) about the same. It's the best to have a spouse or a co-worker travelling the same direction, or travel after 9:30am, or work from home.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by blueslily

I read on here that I should rule out East San Jose due to crime and other not so pleasant issues.

You read the paranoid rantings of intellectual weaklings. East San Jose is a massive area with all kinds of different neighborhoods.

Reeks of the same forum drivel that says all of Oakland is a warzone.