by Mary Pope-Handy | Dec 6, 2013 | Lifestyle
A few days ago I read the article below in the San Jose Mercury News, penned by Vivek Ranadivé, on the topic of discrimination in Silicon Valley. I loved his striking analogy to Florence, Italy, during the Renaissance – a place where I studied in college – and thought that this piece had a lot of merit. The one caveat, though, is that in my experience there is certainly a very pronounced, impossible to miss age discrimination in Silicon Valley among the high tech companies. Anyone more than 50 or 55 years old may feel that his or her job may be cut at any time and handed to a younger, less expensive employee. Once this last holdout of bias is gone, then perhaps the correlation with exquisite Florence will be exact. The article below is republished with permission. – MPH
Discrimination in Silicon Valley is a Myth, by Vivek Ranadivé
Lately, I’ve been hearing criticism about diversity in Silicon Valley that deeply saddens me. Some people seem to think that gender and race discrimination in the Valley are still roadblocks to career advancement, preventing some people from pursuing opportunities given to others.
I disagree with this completely.
It’s no secret why scores of foreigners flock to Silicon Valley each year. It’s home to some of the best universities, some of the world’s most innovative companies and some of the brightest minds in history. It’s a region that prides itself on disrupting the status quo and pushing the envelope.
What I’ve witnessed in my 30 years in the valley contrasts starkly with recent criticisms.
Since day one, it has welcomed me, and many other Indians, with open arms. And not just Indians — any ethnic group willing to pour their hearts and minds into developing the “next big thing.” Take a walk through the hallways of any business in Silicon Valley and you’re likely to witness a melting pot of young intellectuals from every corner of the world. Silicon Valley not only embraces ethnic diversity, it highly encourages it. That’s what has made this region so successful.
I like to compare Silicon Valley to Florence during the Renaissance. Led by some of history’s brightest and most progressive minds, Florence was the world’s epicenter for art, music, politics and technology. If you wanted to make a name for yourself in the early Renaissance, Florence was where you had to be. The parallels to Silicon Valley are clear — from the Traitorous Eight to the late Steve Jobs to the Google and Facebook guys, so many of the most innovative and intelligent people of the past half-decade have lived and flourished here. As a result, the valley continues to attract the best and brightest from all over the world. (more…)
by Mary Pope-Handy | Sep 30, 2013 | Lifestyle
Snow sports are very popular with Californians, whether it’s downhill skiing, cross country, snowboarding or snowmobiling. If you move to Silicon Valley, or anywhere in the San Francisco Bay Area, where is the nearest ski resort? The closest sites are all in northern California, of course – but there are more in SoCal, so if your travels bring you closer to LA or Palm Springs, you will want to research southern California ski resorts.
The shortest travel time for snow boarding, skiing and cross country seems to be Bear Valley, which is about 3 hours east of San Jose and Santa Clara County. Not bad!
A more popular area, though, is a little further: Lake Tahoe. This spectacularly scenic area straddles the states of California and Nevada and people speak generally of “north shore” and “south shore” Tahoe. The resorts are spread around the region and include spots at Truckee and Donner as well as closer to the water. There are 15 resorts in all! Some have higher elevations (such as Mt. Rose), so they will be open later into spring than those closer to the lake. If you want to gamble and see shows, you will likely find yourself drawn to either Reno or South Shore, since they are in Nevada and casinos abound. Some of these resorts have shared season passes (such as Squaw and Alpine). A good site which gives and overview of each one is: http://www.onthesnow.com/lake-tahoe/ski-resorts.html This tends to be about a four to five hour drive unless there’s terrible traffic, an accident, bad weather – in which case, it can be many times as long a drive.
Yet another beautiful place to ski is Yosemite Valley’s Badger Pass. Yosemite, like Lake Tahoe, is a beautiful place to visit year round. (For Tahoe, winter and summer are strong tourist months, and there are often great deals on hotels in the “in between” seasons – between skiing and golf or hiking.)
How long is the ski season in northern California? The weather varies from year to year but often snow skiing season begins in November and finishes in March, but it all depends on the snow levels and temps.
It’s not too soon to begin planning your snow adventures! Have a great season!
by Mary Pope-Handy | Sep 16, 2013 | Almaden Valley, Buying Tips, Campbell, Communities, FAQs, Lifestyle, Los Gatos, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Relocation, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Willow Glen
The beautiful Beckwith Building in downtown Los Gatos, California
I have been fortunate to have made 5 trips to Europe, one of them lasting 9 months, and will be returning again before the end of 2013 (this time to Belgium). It is so diverse, beautiful and compelling! Having experienced a little culture shock myself (when living in Florence, Italy, for one year of university), I’m very sympathetic about how hard an international move can be, and I understand that for Europeans moving to Silicon Valley, there can be an acute culture shock, particularly for those coming from more rural areas.
The bulk of Silicon Valley is located in Santa Clara County, which is at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay. In this county, there are approximately 1.8 million people, almost a million of them in the city of San Jose. Some areas, or districts, of San Jose have a distinctive character and are almost like towns or small cities themselves. So in this article I’ll mention both cities and towns, but also areas or districts of San Jose, which might appeal to our European transplants. Most of my comments will reference Santa Clara County or “south bay” locations, but I will also mention others on the San Francisco Peninsula and SF Bay Area too.
Architecture, Urban Centers and Charm
It is an unfortunate negative in Silicon Valley that much of our housing consists of ranch style tract homes, and truthfully, they are not exactly a work of art. New or newer homes tend to be on very tiny parcels of land (or “lots”) and for many people may simply feel too congested or crowded. But there are beautiful residential neighborhoods – you just need to know where to look! In many ways, the areas with higher charm can make our global home buyers feel more comfortable than if they were faced with only track, ranch neighborhoods.
Do you value unique, older architecture with Victorian, Craftsman, Tudor or other home styles? Then check out these areas:
- Within San Jose: the Japantown, Vendome, and Naglee Park areas of downtown San Jose. Also in central San Jose are the Rosegarden, Shasta Hanchett and Burbank neighborhoods which all boast some lovely older homes. Or, if you love classic Spanish Revival style homes with views, consider the old Alum Rock area of San Jose near the country club (golf course). The Willow Glen area of SJ (zip code 95120) is full of lovely old established neighborhoods with historic homes and tree lined streets. If your job takes you to downtown San Jose, all of these areas will be fairly close.
- If you want a rural, eclectic atmosphere, check out the “New Almaden” area of San Jose. This is actually a county pocket with a San Jose mailing address.
- Other towns or cities with older, more interesting architecture include the “downtown” ares of Los Altos, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Campbell, Mountain View, Saratoga and Menlo Park (in San Mateo County, just north of Palo Alto).
- If work will be on The Peninsula, there are many areas nearby that may work. San Mateo has some fantastic neighborhoods! Also San Francisco, which is tiny but full of beautiful areas, may be a strong draw (I do not sell there – it’s too far for me). Warning: the weather in San Francisco is very often COLD in summer!
- Across the bay, Berkeley has some great Victorian and other homes and several really interesting pockets, as does parts of Oakland. (I do not work these areas either as they are too far for me, but I did live in Berkeley in graduate school and can connect you with a great agent there.)
If what you want is a “walk to town“, urban experience, many of the areas above will work for you. Additionally, there are a couple of more recently built areas that might appeal to you – Santana Row in San Jose (along the Santa Clara border) or the Rivermark area of Santa Clara off of highway 237, close to the bay.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Jun 18, 2010 | Communities, FAQs, Lifestyle
Got swimmers? Our sub tropical climate in Silicon Valley makes swimming a popular sport, so if you relocate to the “Valley of Heart’s Delight” you may find an increased desire for jumping into a pool.
Perhaps swimming is already important to you or to your family.Several community centers have excellent swimming facilities, including the Cambrian Park Community Center in San Jose (at Union & Camden Avenues, approximately), the Y and several provate clubs.
If you are looking to live in a neighborhood with a swim club and cabana, you will find many options in the San Jose – Santa Clara County region.
The city of Santa Clara probably has more pools, cabanas and swim teams than any other part of the south bay. There are plenty in San Jose, too, though, including in Los Gatos, Cambrian Park and Almaden Valley. There are different leagues, not all of them with easily findable websites.
Valley Cabana Swim League is a local association with these member teams
- Almaden Country Club (in San Jose’s Almaden Valley)
- Belwood Dolphins (Los Gatos – Belwood & Belgatos area)
- Los Paseos
- Montevideo (in Almaden)
- Silver Creek Valley Country Club (in Evergreen area of east San Jose)
Here’s a good list of local and greater Bay Area swim teams:
http://www.swimconnection.com/pc/exec/Teams
Relocation can be challenging but if you know what features you want to find when you get to Silicon Valley, I can help you to locate them, whether it’s a place to swim or virtually anything else.
by Mary Pope-Handy | May 25, 2010 | FAQs, Lifestyle
Silicon Valley’s rush hour traffic can begin as early as 6:45 or 7 am and last until 9 or 9:30am most workdays. The evening commute begins to get congested around 3 or 3:30pm with a knot of traffic in place by 5pm and lasting until around 6:30 or 7pm on some roads.
Looking for a reverse commute? Many commuters do precisely that!
If you work in Scotts Valley (just “over the hill” in Santa Cruz County), living in Los Gatos, Campbell, Cambrian Park or West San Jose will be a reverse commute for you. You’ll be going against the flow of traffic and your commute will be immensely easier.
Ditto that if you work in the south San Jose or Edendale region and begin your commute in Almaden Valley. Once you get to 85, it will be a breeze!
Work in Gilroy? Living in Blossom Valley or Almaden, you can engineer a reverse commute on the back roads or take Santa Teresa Blvd going south.
Most employees and workers try to carpool, take light rail, or otherwise beat the rush by using tricks of timing or alternate routes to avoid spending twice as much time on the road as necessary. Many companies have flexible hours – it’s worth investigating to see if you can shorten the length of your time in the car!
Relocation to Silicon Valley can be a bit of a shock to people in terms of the traffic and commute times if they are not accostomed to suburban living (which is most of the valley). Typical commute times are about 30 minutes, though some people have longer or shorter commutes, of course.
Traffic moves toward downtown San Jose primarily along Highways 87, 680 and 280 and toward the Cupertino – Sunnyvale – Mountain View areas along Highway 85 (and 280). Bringing traffic in from the south county is 101. Other roads getting a lot of use too are 17 and 880 (same road, different stretches), San Tomas Expressway, Montague Expressway, Lawrence Expressway, Santa Teresa Boulevard, Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, Stevens Creek Blvd. and Almaden Expressway.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Jan 5, 2010 | FAQs, Lifestyle
With 300 sunny days a year, you know that sports are an important part of Silicon Valley life. If you are thinking of or planning to relocate to Santa Clara County, you may be wondering what the major professional teams are here.
The San Jose Sharks (ice hockey)
The San Jose Earthquakes (soccer)
The San Francisco Giants (baseball)
The Oakland Athletics (baseball)
The San Francisco 49ers (football)
The Oakland Raiders (football)
Golden State Warriors (basketball)
