This post came on time:
My sister just got a job offering and thinking to relocating to Cupertino, CA 95014. Do you guys have any suggestion or advises?? (Places to find decent place to rent for young couple and a dog). Any area to avoid... things like that??
She's going there next week for interview and checking out, so any suggestions will be great.. Thanks in advance.
**We've been moving from HK to Seattle since 14 yrs ago. She's been in Taiwan for last 3-4 yrs, and just moved back to states.
I might be able to offer some input for you guys. I grew up in Cupertino, and I lived in Taiwan for 2 years earlier this decade. Little known fact too is that one of Cupertino's sister cities is Hsinchu.
There really isn't any "unsafe" area of Cupertino. Any of the lower income areas that existed when I was growing up have for the most part been "upgraded" with lots of new homes, newer wealthier residents, etc. Be prepared for sticker shock when looking for a place. What was considered to be an extravagant and lavish amount to spend for rent in the heart of the Eastern District of Taipei will barely get you a studio in Cupertino. You'll find various apartment complexes scattered through out the city, and most are decent. Unless you have your heart set on living in Cupertino, other areas that are close enough to commute to Cupertino and are decent but affordable are certain parts of Sunnyvale and West San Jose. If you are looking to buy within Cupertino, be prepared to spend around at least $600K for a starter condo, and I'm not sure if you can even find that anymore.
Demographically, over the last 30+ years it's changed a lot. When I was in elementary school, there were only the few token Asians in school. By the time I reached middle school, the mass influx from Taiwan began. In 1991, the population was about 35% Taiwanese. In 1998, it was close to 50%. By 2002, I think it was around 70% Taiwanese. I think from the mid '90s to now, for the most part, the mayors have also been Taiwanese. So, after living in Taiwan, you shouldn't have any problem with this.
One thing that I don't know if you guys care about is that unlike the older communities around it, Cupertino has no real "downtown". It was incorporated in the 1950s during the post-war suburban building boom, so it's all suburbia and strip malls. Corporate America has really moved in on the area over the last 15 years, but there are still pockets of locally owned and operated business around. I only mention this, because it's something I would consider when looking for a place to live.
Know also that there is no public transit to speak of, so you will be driving to and from everywhere you need to go. It is somewhat centrally located in the Bay Area though. 20 mins to Palo Alto, 45 mins to San Francisco, 20 mins to downtown San Jose, 30 mins to Fremont, 1 hour to Berkeley, 45 mins to Santa Cruz.
In terms of cars, the area is policed by the Santa Clara County Sherriff's dept, and they seem don't seem to be too anal about modified cars, imports, etc., as they are in the East Bay, or SF, which is nice.
If you have kids (or plan to have kids), the school districts there are excellent, and you want to try to get an area that is serviced by either Monta Vista or Lynbrook high schools, which are routinely ranked by various sources as among the top 5 schools in the Bay Area, top 10 in the state, and top 100 in the country.
All in all, Cupertino offers great quality of life if you have or want to start a family, but bad place for singles or a young couple just starting out.
Shoot me a PM/email when you guys arrive, I'd be happy to help a fellow NSXer settle into the area.
