what's the scoop on palo alto, ca for professional minorities?

Question

I don't know much about the area and was thinking about moving. Just wanted to know what kind of area it was and where a person would want to stay out of.

Answer 1

The scoop on PA is that we have a lot of attitude and altitude here. It is known as a great place to raise a family. Plenty of AYSO soccer and PTA activity. Lots of not-in-my-back-yard activism that has stalled commercial developments. We are too good for box stores and chains. As a result the tax base is a problem and super markets and hotels get tired of waiting and choose nearby cities. The town next door -- Mountain View -- is one I admire. It has more diversity, is more affordable, is lively and dynamic. It's home to Goggle and gaggle of other firms. MV has relatively new performing arts center, city hall, city jail, and down-town library. Palo Alto has meetings and laments. Palo Alto is not a great place for a single young professionals of any stripe looking for a lively social scene. That said, it is a great place to raise a family. Children start kindergarten with the same group of children they graduate with.

There are a few places in the bay area to avoid: Richmond, selected parts of San Francisco and San Jose, and East Palo Alto. I suspect they are less dangerous than their reputations.

Back to Palo Alto -- it can be very "clubby." We have too large a city council and a fairly weak city manager system of government. It's much ado about nothing for the most part. Citizen committees are named, consultants are hired, and studies are undertaken and completed. Quite similar to the school board. Perhaps their slow speeds are blessings since occasionally they act and we lament. Schools adopted a math curriculum that made correct answers irrelevant. Most good math teachers retired and most parents paid for tutors and held our noses. All this said makes city government look like comedy. Welcome aboard.

Answer 2

I've worked in Palo Alto and found its tolerence for minorities to be no more or less than other cities in the Bay Area. However, I am a WASP; so I see this from the non-minority point of view.

Palo Alto is a very pleasant town; but its real estate is way over priced...even for the Bay Area, which is itself way over priced. The good news is that nearby towns like San Carlos and Burlingame are much more reasonable and share in the spectacular ambiance of the San Francisco Bay Area.

There are some areas to steer clear of: Richmond, west Oakland, and East Palo Alto (this is an incorporated town, not a part of Palo Alto itself). These have high incidents of violent crime. And like any big city, there are areas of San Francisco or San Jose that you should avoid.

Answer 3

Palo Alto is the home city of Stanford . . . lots of very intelligent, very very competitive people. I do think "Condi Rice is one of theirs. Also very high housing costs . . . figure $1500 for a studio. Very beautiful west of campus all the way to Half Moon Bay. The rough area is on the east side by the 101 freeway. But all of the bay area is that way . . . super expensive and super poor not far apart.

Answer 4

he usa youthful people Volleyball League has outdoors grass volleyball classes in Cupertino, Mountain View and Palo Alto. this could be a league for novices and is a good creation to the sport until now you progression directly to club volleyball.