Cambrian, San Jose

Bordering Los Gatos on the west, Cambrian Park is one of those transitional areas where you see home prices slowly rise the closer you get to its upper crust neighbor. There are even some million dollar homes on the western end. The median, overall, is around $550K.

The neighborhood mostly dates from the 50’s and 60’s though the homes are so well-kept they hardly seem half a century old. If you know California architecture at all, you know that this means lots of Ranch homes (sometimes referred to as Tract Homes though that could refer to any set of homes built at the same time on a street plan—think Levitt Town). There are a large number of ranch homes here, but something about the width of the streets, the size of the front lawns, and the ample space between the homes on most streets gives it a more open, nicer feel than this usually implies.

This is the kind of neighborhood where you will see American flags waving out front, pick-up trucks and old-school gas guzzlers in the front drive—but it also has a lot of newer residents as well with all that implies.

One of the big draws of this area are the schools all of which are outstanding. Of special note are Leigh and Pioneer High both among the best in not only Northern California, but also throughout the state.

In terms of restaurants and that kind of thing, choices are not amazing, but you can find Indian places, East Asian foods, and Mexican food. And, of course, the usual fast food choices.

In terms of nightlife, this is not really the neighborhood for it unless you consider catching a flick nightlife. There is one sports bar that I know of, and it is nothing to write home about.

So overall, I would say, this is a really nice neighborhood perfectly located for Silicon Valley workers with families. You might even be able to find some relatively affordable deals here in terms of home prices—especially now with foreclosures flooding the market.