"Silicon Valley is a mindset, not a location." (-- Reid Hoffman)
Mountain View is in the San Francisco Bay area, but more importantly, it is in Silicon Valley (yes, where all the computer geniuses are). The population is around 74,000, but the daytime population is actually closer to 100,000 due to the presence of more than 50 major companies of which you've probably heard--unless you have been living under a rock. These companies include Google, Symantec, Intuit, Mozilla, Siemens, LinkedIn, Quora and dozens more. Whether you plan to apply to one of these companies or just hope your close proximity to them will keep you in the know about the latest tech products, it makes sense to check out rentals in Mountain View.
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Looking for Rental Property in Mountain View
If you are looking for a home to rent in Mountain View, you will find that you are not the only one, since 52 percent of the homes here are renter occupied. About 42 percent are owner occupied, and the vacancy rate is about 6 percent. That's slightly below the average, so it will be a challenge to find a home here! But if you've always dreamed of living in Silicon Valley, nestled between Google, Mozilla, Intuit, and all the other technology greats, this city will be well worth the time it takes to search for property.
How much will you spend?
You probably already figured this, but the cost of living in Mountain View is high, even for California. In fact, it's almost double the average. That might explain why housing prices here are about quadruple the average for the nation. So you might want to try and get a high paying job at Google if you want to live comfortably in Mountain View. How's that for motivation to finally break into the lucrative tech industry?
How should you prepare to search for rentals?
Whether you want a studio, two-bedroom apartment or a house large enough to accommodate the many roommates you'll need to make rent affordable, you need to prepare ahead of time. Before you go out hunting for rentals, get a copy of your credit score so you know what you're working with. If you're afraid to look, it's probably good to give yourself some extra time to find a rental. You're going to need it if your credit score keeps scaring off landlords in Mountain View!
Where to Live in Mountain View
Mountain View has more than 20 neighborhoods. That makes sense because lots of professionals move here to work at the numerous technology companies, and many of them have already started a family or are at least considering it. After all, this city is not exactly known for its rousing nightlife options for singles! So if you're ready to settle down or at least rent an apartment for now, check out some of the most popular neighborhoods and their highlights.
Castro City: The homes here are as diverse as the population, with a mixture of older, remodeled houses and brand new, large homes. This area is close to downtown Mountain View and Rengstorff Park, which features a pool.
Blossom Valley: If you want to get to know your neighbors, this area is ideal since the residents throw the occasional block party. Plus, there are more than five shopping centers within walking distance of here.
Jackson Park: Residents of this area enjoy the fact that nature surrounds them, with lots of trees and Stevens Creek Trail a short walk away. In fact, the entire community is easy to get around, with bus stops and freeways both nearby.
The Crossings: This area is known for being both pet and kid friendly, since plenty of grass and several playgrounds can be found throughout the community. The homes here are close to each other, creating a tight-knit neighborhood that features grocery stores within walking distance. You'll find townhomes, condos, row houses and large houses in this area.
Willowgate: This area is made up of several smaller subdivisions, some of which have townhomes, while others have large, detached houses. The Caltrain station is very close to this area, which is great if you want easy access to larger cities like San Francisco.
Cuernavaca: When you want to rent a townhouse, check out this neighborhood. It features several floor plans to choose from, with a clubhouse nearby and a rather reasonable HOA.
Monta Loma: This is among the closest neighborhoods to Google. The homes here were mostly built after World War II and have small lots, making it easy for neighbors to get to know each other.
Life in Mountain View
If you work at one of the many major tech companies here, your commute should be easy. More specifically, the average commute in Mountain View is about 22 minutes each way, which is a cool 6 minutes below the nationwide average. That's a difference of 12 minutes per day! Maybe now you'll have a little more time to enjoy that coffee before work.
Only about 4 percent of residents here use public transportation, so don't count on being able to easily flag down a taxi or take the bus. In fact, if anything, the Caltrain is a more popular option if you work in Palo Alto or San Francisco. Plus, some companies, including Microsoft and Google, send private shuttles to the Downtown Mountain View Station, making it easy for employees to get to work. Pretty cool!
If you're looking for things to do in Mountain View you know, besides workcheck out the downtown area on Castro Street. This is pretty much where people gather when they want to shop, eat and socialize, so you might want to visit it at some point, unless you don’t appreciate any of the aforementioned activities. And hey, if you don't, you should still head downtown since that's where you'll find parks, performing arts venues and the library, all of which you can enjoy on your own.
Let's not forget that the Computer History Museum is also in this city, which is not surprising at all. It features technological artifacts dating back several decades; maybe you'll find your first computer there, or even the one you finally got around to replacing last year!
