Sylvan Park, Mountain View

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.