Santa Clara's roots are linked to the famous redwood trees of Northern California. It is an older and more established community than the rest of Silicon Valley, and the real estate is a little more affordable than the rest of the area. Real estate in Santa Clara became wildly popular in the late 1990's during the dot-com boom.
In fact, between 1999 and 2000, home prices in Santa Clara increased by an impressive 30%. Santa Clara has about 100,000 residents, but during the work week the population more than doubles when 150,000 people come to work at companies like Yahoo!, HP, and Intel, among others. You will find a wide variety of options when buying a home in Santa Clara. There are studio apartments, large condominiums, two bedroom homes, and mansions.
The Santa Clara school system is very good and contributes to the city's popularity among families. The city has two public high schools, Santa Clara and Wilcox High, both with a student-teacher ratio of 1:20. According to The School Report, 94% of Santa Clara's seniors graduate from high school, and 86% of those graduates go on to pursue higher education opportunities.
The good weather and cultural and recreational diversions also contribute to Santa Clara's popularity. In addition, it is right between two major freeways, 101 and 280, 10 minutes from downtown San Jose and one hour south of San Francisco. The city's proximity to the San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains, Tahoe ski resorts, and wine country, as well as the shopping, restaurants, museums, and theaters of the city make Santa Clara an attractive place to live for singles, families, and seniors alike.
Buying a home in Santa Clara is a little less competitive than the rest of the area, though prices are competitive. In February 2010, the average home sales price for a single family home or condo in Santa Clara, CA was $504,819. While this data is collected from the MLS and deemed reliable, it is not guaranteed.
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