Sylvan Park

My husband and I moved here before we were married 4 years ago and rented one of the many duplexes in the area, an old (70's) un-renovated 2BR/1BA. I think we're getting lucky that our rent hasn't gone up at all. Our out-of-town landlord that seems to be unaware that rents have absolutely taken off here lately, with an almost identical unit across the street asking for $2495! We find the neighborhood to be safe in that most people on our street are renters that are couples with babies and toddlers (like us now). However, on Halloween one year some teenagers walked over from Sunnyvale and shot a hole in our front window with a slingshot. There has also been some police activity in the apartment complexes near the park (drug related, I think). LOTS of people cross the Sylvan Ave to go to the park with their kids, and there have been a couple car-pedestrian accidents that prompted the city to install more lighting and signage.

It is a very expensive area to buy; the duplex across the street just listed for 1.5M, and the single family homes around the park are priced at well over 1M. However, for such an expensive area, the local public elementary school is not very good, which is kind of outrageous. Apparently the PTA is not well funded?!

It seems like every other couple around here is pregnant or has a baby or toddler, so be careful when you drink the water! :) But the trend is that families leave Mountain View once their kids are of elementary school age, mainly for financial reasons. It is just too expensive here, and there aren't enough benefits to justify raising a family in a cramped rental in a boring place, often far from family if you are drawn here for a tech job.

The area is very ethnically diverse. We have Russians that live across the street. In the mid-morning, Sylvan Park is dominated by Chinese grandparents tending to their grandkids on the play structure. Then late morning sees a shift to mostly Indian women with young children, with the older men gathered at the picnic tables chatting or walking around the park. Then there are Europeans and Mexicans. There are Americans too, but they are no more common than any of the other groups.

Our street held its first block party I've seen in the 4 years I've been here. There are a few families that own these duplexes, but most of us rent, and we see a moving trucks monthly as people come and go.

Framed by US Route 85, US Route 82, Acalanes Drive and the South Bay Freeway, Sylvan Park is a step above Mountain View’s typical neighborhoods. It is a community of single-story dwellings, attractive tree-lined streets, flat residential terrain and steep sloped two-story homes. It is, however, not uncommon to see single-story homes perched next to renovated, two-story homes. Demographically speaking, the racial makeup of the district is largely diverse with an eclectic mix of ethnic families.

Sylvan Park has a wide range of housing inventory. The neighborhood is saturated with everything from ranch homes and condominiums to apartment complexes and even a couple trailer parks. Of the California ranch homes, they tend to scatter the western end. They are also of the more traditional accommodations in the area, built within the 1950’s and 1960‘s. You also have a selection of contemporary homes popping up in recent years. East Dana Street offers some of the most glamorous of the kind. They afford neatly trimmed lawns, beautiful architectural design and an overall grand aesthetic. These homes can run you as steep as $1 million (median house value is around $800,000 in the district).

If that’s above your price range, there are some bland, two-story houses concentrated towards the outskirts of the neighborhood (and eastern end specifically). Also, a few mobile home parks are exponentially cheaper, costing around $150,000, but add a sense of low brow residential ambiance to the district’s otherwise middle-class roots.

For recreation, the district actually encompasses the Sylvan Park, which lies at the heart of the community. The park includes a play area for children, a horseshoe rink, tennis courts and a picnic space for families. Also, the Sunnyvale Golf course is just a hop, skip and jump north of the neighborhood. If you’re looking into the school system, Sylvan Park is served by Mountain View-Whisman School District and Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School. Schools within the network include Slater Elementary, Crittenden Middle School and Mountain View High. All of which garner average reviews across school websites.

While freeway noise can be a bit noisy, Sylvan Park is a highly accessible neighborhood with highways located in almost every directions (and a convenient US Route 82/82 on-ramp), connecting residents up and down the San Francisco peninsula. For your commercial needs, El Camino Real offers the only sense of commercial real-estate within the area. The strip provides an assortment of suburban restaurants (with many ethnic eateries and fast food locations).

Right on the border with Sunnyvale, Sylvan Park is a mix of newer upscale homes, well-kept Ranch houses, condos, apartments and trailer parks. Or, to put it another way: a little bit of everything in terms of housing.

There are tons of apartments in this area. This accumulation of apartments has a positive effect on rents, with 1-3 bedroom apartments going from between $1250 and $2500 roughly. This is very moderate for Mountain View.

Variations in actual home prices are much more extreme with a fairly typical Ranch home going for close to $1 Million dollars, while a motor home in one of the trailer parks going for as little as $150K.

The homes on the western end of this neighborhood are pretty nice as well. Lot’s of bigger newer contemporary styled townhomes, some two storied and most with tall extremely sloped roofs. Although the plethora of apartments makes this the sort of neighborhood you would usually recommend for singles and young couples—the quiet streets suggest a neighborhood that might also be suitable to families.

The neighborhood also benefits from having El Camino Real and its many restaurants on its southern end. You can get everything from Sushi (at Satsumi) to pizza (at Slice of New York). There are Thai places, Mexican joints, and fast food places. There is no Chez Panisse here but you definitely won’t go hungry.

Overall, I would recommend for those who may not yet be sure they want to set down long term roots here.