northbayer

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.