budleigh

Well after a few months of trying to get our act together we are finally full steam ahead with moving to California at the end of March/ beginning of April!

Have to say I am now immensely grateful for a years worth of Administrative Processing that allowed us sort out some family stuff and change our plans from Boston to California. With the coldest winter for 30 years in the UK at the moment I don't think I would have coped as well as I thought with the Boston winter!

We are looking at areas in/around Pleasanton, Danville at the moment but will hopefully be out there with the kids in Feb to tour some schools and sign a lease on a house.

We are on L1/L2's with 3 kids 8, 5 and 3. So after nearly two years since the initial offer we are finally going!

Happy New Year

veryfunny

Happy new year, and a big welcome to California.

Mummy in the foothills

Congrats

sambapink

It's always spring in California! Good luck with the move

Steerpike

What are you doing in CA - working? If so, where? You mention Danville and Pleasanton. Are you working in San Ramon?

I'd recommend looking at Walnut Creek, if you can - a very livable town with a great downtown.

Philgr

Congratulations and welcome to the neighbourhood (I live in Pleasanton). When you tour the schools be sure to ask what projected changes they have to the school for next year - CA budget cuts mean most school districts are going to have cut staff, increase class sizes etc but the changes are not uniform. Plans won't be final in Feb but they will have had to do their scenario planning so should be able to give you some idea.

Poppy girl

Good job you are not here today lol its thick fog your side of the altamont.

budleigh

thanks Philgr good point, we will do that.

budleigh

Yep my husband is over there at the moment he said it feels very cold, still slightly more appealing than the 8 inches of snow we have back here and being snowed in with the kids off school for the rest of the week

budleigh

Thanks Steerpike, coming over on L1a/L2 and husband will be based in Fremont so I think Walnut Creek is a possibility too. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll send him that way for a look later this week too.

Michael

Walnut Creek would probably be much too far. I lived in Fremont for about 20 years in the Mission San Jose district. That district along with Niles is very nice with both areas up against the foothills. The Mission San Jose schools are also one of the top rated school districts in California (although you have to register your children by April for the following year to get them into the Mission San Jose schools or they will be placed in other schools in Fremont for that year - very high demand). In fact the demand for the Mission San Jose schools is so high that I sold by home in March (required by the buyers so they could guarantee placement in the schools) but they didn't move in until August.

At one time I lived in Antelope Hills (townhouses and detached homes on a ridge (600 feet above sea level) with views of San Francisco and a large amount of open space) and think you might be able to find a townhouse rental (2,100 sf) in the complex at a fairly reasonable price (reasonable for the bay area).

Poppy girl

Walnut Creek would be my choice, BUT you need lots of $$$$$$$ it ain't cheap.

I like San Ramon as well

Steerpike

No more than Danville, or Pleasanton where he's already looking - cheaper, in fact.

But I agree, not the easiest commute to Fremont. Danville and Walnut Creek are almost the same - just add about 5 minutes for WC. You do have the advantage in WC of being able to take 24/Caldecott/13/580 as an alt. to 680 (it's a good alt, also - a secret passage!)

Now, I commute from WC to San Mateo so Fremont would be a breeze by comparison - but I go in after 10am and come home after 7pm, which makes my commute around 45 mins (which is why I'm happy to be working in Phoenix for a while, where I have a 10 minute commute!).

The big plus for WC is that it has a thriving, lively, successful 'downtown' consisting of about 4 blocks by 4 blocks of solid restaurants/retail, PLUS a very nice shopping center - Broadway Plaza - that is outdoor. I know people drive up from San Jose to shop there. I counted 48 restaurants/bars/cafes in that 4x4 block area on a walk recently.

Giantaxe

Depends where in Danville you live and what time you need to commute. Rush hour traffic south on 680 from WC to the Sycamore Valley Rd exit is gnarly, especially if you live north of the 24/680 junction.

Agreed. If you're looking for a 'burb, WC is a really nice place to live and, imo, far nicer than Danville, San Ramon, Dublin and Pleasanton.