Relocating to Silicon Valley? Consider Los Gatos!

Relocation is an upheaval, but often one full of excitement and promise. People moving to Silicon Valley find themselves coming to a place unlike any other - it's is an entrepenuer's haven, a high tech magnet. With a highly educated population, low crime, fantastic weather, scenic beauty, and opportunities in every aspect of life, the move to Silicon Valley or the San Jose area is abundant with opportunity for success and happiness.

How do you choose where to live once you decide that Santa Clara County, or Silicon Valley, will be home?  There are a lot of things to consider, from the type of home you want and the commute distance you can tolerate to the availabilty of parks and trails, excellent schools, and an ambiance where you'll feel at home. And cost, too, of course.

For many, many people relocating to Silicon Valley from within the U.S. or from abroad, Los Gatos is that place that "feels like home". People from Europe have often told me that Los Gatos has a "European feel", and from my year living in Florence, Italy, I can appreciate that correlation! With the many unique shops and great restaurants and the heavy foot traffic, Los Gatos comes across as a place for living and spending time.  It's a true community.

The community aspect is extremely important in Los Gatos. Many things bring people together. Big public events are common in Los Gatos - and many of them are free!  In summers, there are not one but three free musical concert series (Vasona Vibrations, Jazz on the Plazz and Music in the Park). There's Shakespeare at Oak Meadow Park too. In September, a free movie is shown at Oak Meadow Park and the event is called "Screen on the Green". In December, there will be a well-attended tree lighting ceremony on the first Friday night of the month and a huge holiday parade the next morning. Every Sunday there's a Farmer's Market in the Los Gatos town Park Plaza (across from the post office). There are so many events, all year round, that bring people together. Some are sponsored by local churches (like the St. Mary's Country Fair in early October) or the Chamber of Commerce (Claws for a Cause in September). In November there's an inter-faith Thanksgiving service. Each year it is hosted at a different house of worship. And this is only a passing glance at the fun events that happen each year in the town of Los Gatos.

There are a thousand small things too. Volunteers make this town go! Los Gatos has two museums, and volunteers are the heart and soul of those operations. Volunteers in Policing, the many town commissions are all hosted by volunteers. (My husband is a volunteer on the Los Gatos Parks Commission.)

Schools are a big deal in Los Gatos too. The town is served by three elementary and middle school districts and they range from good to great in terms of the scoring.

Another key element that makes Los Gatos special is scenic beauty. The town of Los Gatos is nestled into the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains, so there are gentle, rolling hills and some steeper hills that provide dramatic and impressive views. The terrain is lovely with oak trees and redwood trees alike, but many grassy meadows where you might find deer or wild turkey.  Some of Los Gatos is "horse country" too.  

Vineyards are popular in lots with more space and the Santa Cruz Mountains are filled with wineries. You won't have to go far to taste locally grown and bottled wine, though - we have spots right in town where that can be done! 

The Old Los Gatos or downtown area is historic and architecturally beautiful too. The Almond Grove District, the Edelen District, and the Broadway area are all turn-of-the-last century vintage and lovely old Victorian homes line the streets. Talk about charm!  In December there are horse-drawn carriage rides that meander through the downtown and historic parts of Los Gatos.

Our weather is conducive to year-round fun outdoors - the Santa Clara Valley enjoys 300 sunny days a year! Los Gatos is the gateway to the coast, too, so it's only about a thirty minute drive from downtown Los Gatos to the beach at Santa Cruz. 

Los Gatos also enjoys a bountiful supply of great parks. Vasona Lake County Park doesn't belong to the town (it's a county park) but it's over 100 acres, with a lake, right in the middle of the town of Los Gatos. Many other parks grace the town from one end to the other. Some have a fascinating history too.

Low crime, great schools, community spirit, fabulous dining and shops, ambiance, and parks are all a part of the Los Gatos experience. 

For More Information:

Visit my community profiles on my main website, PopeHandy.com:
http://www.popehandy.com/neighborhoods/index.cfm

Chicago Title has a relocation guide online, at no cost. Visit http://www.chicagotitle.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=352 and input California for the state and Santa Clara for the county and you'll get a very helpful guide to Silicon Valley.

What if you love Los Gatos but it's beyond your budget?

I can help you to find a home either in or near Los Gatos if the town is not quite in reach right now. There are many great areas adjacent to Los Gatos, such as Cambrian Park, Saratoga, Almaden Valley, Campbell, and Willow Glen - many of which are more affordable (or may offer a shorter commute). Call or email me and we'll evaluate your wants and needs together to get you as much as possible within your budget!

Relocating to Los Gatos?

People who relocate to Silicon Valley from out of the area often are attracted to Los Gatos from what they've read about the town: low crime, great schools, scenic beauty, abundant parks, fabulous old downtown area, great community involvement and lots to do in town and nearby. There's some interesting history and architecture too. And on top of all of that, Los Gatos is only 30 minutes from the beach at Santa Cruz, twenty from San Jose and about an hour from San Francisco too. So (besides the cost of housing), what's not to like?

There are a ton of reasons to choose to live in Los Gatos. There are, however, a few things you should know as you decide to set down roots here.

First, the town's boundaries and the school disctrict boundaries are screwy. Just because the address is Los Gatos does not mean that it's really part of the town of Los Gatos (it might be in an unincorporated area, or perhaps the post office has fooled with the map to make mail delivery easier).  The mountain areas, for instance (zip code 95033) are not properly part of the town - so the residents there cannot vote in town elections. But truth be told, the mountain communities are both independent, and a part of, the life of the town of Los Gatos. 

Along these lines, being in Los Gatos (either having the address or really being a part of the town) does not mean you automatically get "Los Gatos Schools". The school district boundaries were set before the town's (final) boundaries were set. Much of the area was simply county when those lines were drawn. So you can drive from an area that has Los Gatos Schools (Los Gatos School District), through an area that doesn't (Union School District) to reach a remote area of town that - yes - has the school district again. Being in Los Gatos does not mean Los Gatos High necessarily. About 20% of the homes in the Town of Los Gatos have Union or Moreland Schools, not Los Gatos Schools. That said, Union and Moreland are excellent districts!

Second, there are 3 zip codes that go with Los Gatos properties, plus the zip code for PO boxes: 95030 is closest to the center of town, 95032 is on the northern end of town (used to be east Los Gatos but the post office redrew the lines a few years ago, so it's now both east AND west Los Gatos, but on the northern side of town) 95033 is the mountain areas (not part of the town per se), and 95031 is the zip code for all PO boxes. But don't let the zip codes rule your home search: some of the homes in 95032 are fairly close to downtown AND do have Los Gatos schools, for instance. And not all of the mountain properties are remote. It's just something to be aware of.

Third, yes it really is all that expensive. You will probably not find a single family home in Los Gatos for $800,000 or less. Single family homes (even on the edge of town) seem to start at about $900,000 unless there's an issue (high voltage lines, busy street etc.). Homes that are comfortable but not fancy of about 2000 square feet start at over a million dollars in the town. If you want that much home "with the schools" it will cost considerably more - perhaps $1.5 million or so. You can often buy more for your money in the mountains, though. There are nice townhomes in all school districts that are more affordable.

Finally, yes, we do have earthquakes - but they don't happen often and we don't obscess about them. The last big earthquake was in October of 1989. We try to be prepared (making sure foundations are bolted, securing tall furniture to walls, etc.) but since major earthquakes seldom happen, we don't lose a lot of sleep about it. Our homes are not brick because brick doesn't move and houses here need to have a degree of flexibility to literally roll with the punches. Maybe that's why we're relaxed: even our homes are! Be prepared - and then let it go. Weird, but true.

Resources:

(1) I have a website devoted to relocating to Silicon Valley with lots of information free for the clicking: www.Move2SiliconValley.com.  

(2) A nice resource for folks moving here (even those currently living in the area) is a Barclay's Locaide.  This is a map book that outlines all kinds of boundaries (town, school district, zip code) but also notes items of interest like earthquake fault zones, flood plains and liquification zones. Realtors use these religiously!  (NB that this does not take the place of getting a Natural Hazards Report, but it is a great asset.) The Barclay's Locaide is not available in all places but you can order the Santa Clara County edition online, and that includes Los Gatos. Also Barclays offers smaller wall maps of subsets of the county map, such as Saratoga and Los Gatos.

(3) There's a lot of information on the web (and in books), but often the best route to getting the information you need is to simply ask someone knowledgeable. Please call or email me if you'd like information about moving to Los Gatos particularly (or Silicon Valley generally). I'm here to assist you!