West San Jose, San Jose

West San Jose is a pretty standard residential area. It’s got a ton of Ranch homes from the 50’s and 60’s (the big boom period for San Jose) and all the usual things that you expect from the suburbs—from supermarkets to shopping malls.

Generally speaking, the most expensive section is to the west of the Lawrence Expressway. This is where you will find the handful of the million dollar homes that dot the area. Don’t be misled however. These are only million dollar homes because they are here in West San Jose. Move these same houses out of this primo area where you can commute into Apple and Google in no time at all—and the home price drops. As the old saw goes, real estate is all about “location, location, location!”

As far as the rest of the area goes home prices drop quite a bit as you head east. Homes also tend to be a little bit older. The median home price is probably somewhere around $550 k for a home. On the east end is where you find the most affordable homes. Overall, this is where you are most likely to find the homes that drop below $250K.

The outstanding schools on the western end are also one of the big draws of the area—Lynbrook being one of the several truly outstanding schools that characterize this area along the Peninsula and below. As you head farther east the quality drops a bit, with Campbell High being pretty bad.

As to other qualities of the area, this is pretty much just suburbia. If you imagine it has it, it does. If you are looking for amazing nightlife, you will have to take the short trip to Downtown San Jose.

One of the best things about this San Jose neighborhood is being a central location, even though there is not much happening immediately nearby. When I need to go somewhere, I end up going in all directions in a circumference from this centrally located neighborhood. I have lived here for 20 years and find it just OK. Probably the best thing is the affordability of the neighborhood in relation to the surrounding San Francisco bay area.

Recently I have begun with other neighbors, a neighborhood improvement organization, so there is some interest in bettering the local area. A recycling day is planed.

There are shopping areas within immediate walking distance, so you don’t always need to drive somewhere, which is also a plus for residents.

There is no clubs for singles in the area, but some distance away in nearby cities.