Something every new comer to Silicon Valley encounters is figuring out a place to live. Your company may be generous enough to allow you to stay at Corporate Housing for a few weeks or if you were like me, your company only gave you a moving allowance (usually a couple thousand) and you could spend it however you like (air ticket, moving expense, housing, etc.). I’ll be focusing on the latter in this post and showing you when and where the best place to stay is.
First off, depending where in Silicon Valley you’re staying, use Google to check out if there are any nearby colleges in the area (such as San Jose State). The best time to move would be during the summer because the dorms will be available for dirt cheap (~$20/night vs $150+/night at a hotel). The benefits of staying at campus housing are:
- Price – as stated, it’s ridiculously cheap considering rental rates in Silicon Valley.
- Duration – typically you can stay until late August when college kids start to move in.
- Good amenities – you get utilities, internet, shower, etc. But of course, none of the hotel goodies like soap or hand lotion.
- Close to public transportation – if you’re staying at SJSU, it’s close to light rail so you can hop on for $1.25 and take a tour of Silicon Valley at your leisure.
- Excellent security – this should probably be the #1 reason. Although Silicon Valley and San Jose specifically is one of the safest “big cities” – defined as over 1 million residents – you wouldn’t want to be lost in an unknown area. Having campus police patrolling and being available 24/7 is added bonus.
- Locals to talk to – being new to the area, no one is better to ask about the area than locals. They’ll be glad to answer your questions and unlike other big cities, people here tend to me mellow and open to strangers.
Once you’ve settled down and enjoyed the scenery a bit, the next thing you should be doing the very day you arrive is to find a drug store. Look for a Walgreens, CVS, Target, or Wal-Mart (feel free to change the city in the search term as I used San Jose as an example). The reason being is you’ll need toothpaste, aspirin (just in case), toothbrush, shampoo, soap, etc. Plus, if you were like me and never heard of a Walgreens, you’ll get an idea of what they sell and more importantly, what they don’t.
In my next post, I’ll be discussing other things you should consider within the first week of moving here, such as renting a car.
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Valley Tip is an ongoing series of helpful tips for newcomers to Silicon Valley to assist them in their move and acclimatizing to the area. Feel free to comment below if you have any questions.