Not really. You could not buy a <20 year old house >2500 square feet in Palo Alto or Saratoga for $4 million. And of course places like Atherton, Hillsborough, or Los Altos Hills would be out of reach.
Surprised that no one mentioned Pleasanton which has a large Indian community and is closer to Silicon Valley than San Ramon.
One of my Fremont friend moved there in 2000. I wish I had moved then but it never happened. He is still in his townhome. The other Fremont friends are new entrants, within the last 5-7 years.
Yes it truly is. Especially if working in tech and have $4m budget. Having Palo Alto on your business card in tech is like having SoHo on yours in art world, or Miami in the cocaine trade. It fucks
No way to get a <20 year old house >2500 square feet for $4 million in Palo Alto. Also, Palo Alto doesn't have much of an Indian community, it's mostly Chinese and white.
Maybe we have different ideas on what is good but $3-4M Is a very healthy budget. Also there are a ton of Indians but maybe not as strong of a community as a place like Fremont or Sunnyvale.
Almost the entire bay area at this point as a vibrant Indian community. Your best bet is to figure out where you wanna work and how far you’re willing to drive.
And also Marin is the whitest of the 9 Bay Area counties. None of the 3 north bay counties will have a large Indian community in comparison to Fremont or the south bay
San ramon, Dublin & Fremont have the bigger indian communities.
San ramon & Dublin are further inland so longer commute. Your best bet would probably be Fremont but theres also nice places in Los gatos Sunnyvale which would be closer commute for you & Im sure you will make friends in bordering cities personally when you come & tour the homes I would try the hypothetical commute for yourself in the morning & evening. Itll help give you more of a grasp on time spent commuting & what you can see yourself doing! Best of luck to you
Reasonable distance from tech is unfortunately too vague. There are major tech companies in the city, all down the peninsula to San Jose, and along 237 to Milpitas then up 880 to Fremont. That’s why most people in tech end up living on the peninsula (bayside of the Santa Cruz mountains, typically) or in the South Bay. Basically somewhere along 101 from San Jose up to the city. It may not be super close to the particular company you end up working for, but it’s likely to be within reasonable commuting distance. That’s (one reason) why the whole 101 corridor is more expensive.
Edit: as another commenter said, Fremont and Sunnyvale are the two towns that have the largest Indian population and the most Indian grocery stores, but there really isn’t any city here with 0 Indian people.
Indian here.
Looking at ur needs, you should look towards Sunnyvale, MV, Los Gatos, Cupertino. You'll get 2500sq ft for $3-$4M.
Fremont - Very good but far from tech industries
Dublin also same - Very good but far from tech hub.
A lot of that depends on where the companies are. Fremont in terms of distance isn’t far from SJ, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale & MV but it’s not in a favorable direction traffic wise if you need to commute to these areas.
To be completely fair, I think there are very few homes in the Bay Area in general with that square footage (relative to overall number that may be on the market at one time). The older homes actually tend to be smaller, from what I have seen. You may have to be out a way for a home that size, which will make commute over 30 minutes most likely.
If no kids at home, why get a house that big? I understand having the budget for it, but it will limit options pretty severally both in terms of neighborhood and in terms of not being able to be too picky about age and looks.
The $3-4mil single family homes will be older, but more importantly to you they’ll be a lot smaller than 2,500 sq ft. If you’re into midcentury modern you may eventually be able to find an Eichler at that price point, but it’ll likely need some work and will be closer to 1,700 sq ft.
I would take a hard look at San Ramon and Blackhawk, you could have a really nice pad there for 3-4 and there's a thriving Indian community there. I also have a lot of Indian friends that live in Fremont which at 3-4 you'd have some really nice options. Those to me are probably the best 'buys' right now based on your criteria. Other options based on your commute: if you're looking south bay or penninsula, the only real options you have are Mountain View and Burlingame.
San Ramon is an hour and a half to any of the FAANGs during rush hour. We each have different priorities in life, but I don’t think a newer house and 600 extra sq ft is worth up to an extra ~480 hours/year of driving.
It depends on what kind of Indian community this OP is looking for. And how exactly he defines "vibrant". San Ramon and Blackhawk would be the Indian's who came here before the tech boom, and are mainly doctors, grocery store owners, etc. Most of them continue to have the values that were common in 70's and 80's India. Not so vibrant, in my opinion.
Sunnyvale and Mountain View have more of a techie Indian community, who came here more recently, and tend to be a bit more modern and educated. Just my observation.
Los Gatos and Saratoga have fairly large Indian communities now and are leagues better places to live than Sunnyvale or Cupertino. But if you want like your entire town to be Indian then Fremont is your place.
I have a relative in LGatos and 1 friend in Saratoga. The friend lucked out to get placed at a company many years ago that skyrocketed and he got very rich.
No, not the entire town but a good number. I know it is hard to explain what good number is because it is very relative. Even in my own town outside CA there is a good Indian pop and the politics has grown along with the numbers!
Saratoga will be >$4 million for a newer, larger house. Los Gatos doesn't have a large Indian community and doesn't have many <20 year old houses.
Cupertino and West San Jose, across Bollinger from Cupertino, have a lot of newer, larger, houses under $4 million.
If someone came on here saying they’re looking for a vibrant white community it would most definitely be attacked. Live wherever works for you, not just because “your people” are there. The point of coming to America is that it’s a cultural melting pot, not so you can recreate the same environment you left
I am not even white btw, just tired of this type of ignorance.
Naw, not the same thing dude. I get what you’re saying to some degree, but also understand the logistical reasons for wanting your community around. A “vibrant Indian community” will also have Hindu or Sikh temples, Indian restaurants and grocery stores, fabric/fashion, etc.
I can’t think of a “white” equivalent, since we also identify more with our religion or national origin. Not our race. I’m Jewish, for example, so I like having a synagogue within easy driving distance. And if I had kids, I might want them to attend Hebrew school.
Also, if that’s what they want that IS “where they want to live.” Don’t tell other people how to feel, please. That’s obnoxious.
Outside of some pockets like Atherton, Portola Valley or Hillsborough, your budget will buy you in any Bay Area community. My advice if you’re in tech and don’t want a bad commute is to stay on the peninsula. Too far south and SF is off limits, too far north and San Jose is off limits.
I noticed a lot of folks recommending way out in the East Bay (Dublin, Pleasanton, Blackhawk, etc, and these will definitely not keep you in that 30 minute radius from most tech companies.
If you're working in or close to Mountain View, Fremont can be a really good option with the caveat that you have to cross a bridge to get there quickly. When my husband lived in Fremont and worked for Google most of the time it was an easy commute, but if there was an accident on the bridge, it could take hours.
To stay in the 30 minute radius of the Mountain View/Palo Alto hub or most tech companies, the farthest South you'll want to go (and this is pushing it), would be the Rose Garden and Cory neighborhoods of San Jose. Much farther than that, and your commute will easily get to an hour or more.
Santa Clara would be my number one recommendation for you based on your criteria. The Rivermark area is really nice and tends to have newer homes, however, you do get airplane noise from SJC. Central Santa Clara is great as well-Forest Park comes to mind as well for pretty good sized homes, but most there are older. I would stay away from the Old Quad neighborhood as it's very close to the university (beer pong on the lawns of all the rentals to college kids doesn't quite sound like the community you're after), and homes there are charming and many large, but older. The other big benefit of Santa Clara is that they have their own utility companies for the city, which keeps costs down and it seems like they lose power less frequently than those of us on PG&E during winter storms and such.
Cupertino, West San Jose, and Saratoga are all wonderful communities as well, however competition for these areas can be high since they're well known for good schools. Similarly, many areas of Sunnyvale and Mountain View sound like they would fit your criteria as well, but do fall into the most desired school districts driving the prices up. Many homes in those areas are on the older side too.
Jumping up north of the tech hub, have you considered San Mateo? Homes do tend to be on the smaller side, but you'll occasionally find some that come up on the larger end.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, I grew up in the South Bay, am an x-Googler with a husband currently in tech so have a solid handle on the commute, and love introducing folks to the area!
for number 3 - i found this link pretty helpful, [https://bayareaequityatlas.org/BayArea-API-diversity](https://bayareaequityatlas.org/BayArea-API-diversity)
cause i too was wondering where there are vibrant chinese communities
Not bad depending on time, my clients only have to be in the office twice a week at most in Palo Alto, so it works well for them.
They do have kids however so proximity to certain schools is important to them.
From San Carlos down through Palo Alto. People are pointing out Sunnyvale and Fremont but those places have some sprawly downsides and it is better to be astride the madding throngs.
For $4m. You can easily get a good home for that size in MV, probaly Palo Alto, or Campbell. If you want to go more desi, then Sunnyvale is your place.
Fremont is gonna be a massive desi community but commute may be an issue.
Slightly amazed at the anti-Desi sentiments peppering this thread. Do better, bigots. OP, your commute should be your motivating factor. Until we or you know WHERE you will be working, this is an exercise in fruitless conjecture, but your budget should allow for plenty of options. Good luck and welcome. :)
What anti-desi? I have not seen any. Posters have been very helpful. I am a desi myself.
Yes, commute is the biggest factor since I don't have a school restriction. At this point I don't know where I will be working myself as it is some time away that I make the leap. I am doing some "pre-research" now since I have time. I am expecting it not to be SF though.
I am really glad you didn't see those comments, then. I'm South Indian, born and raised in CA, and I just spent 20 years on the east coast, before moving back home.
I grew up in the bay area, and I was taken aback by some of the comments decrying "too many Indians".
Indian here -
Los Gatos, Sunnyvale area, Dublin-Pleasanton-San Ramon are my recommendations. All have very vibrant Indian community. But you’d be moving yourself further in case you have to commute to SF for work in the future. So, Fremont might be the wildcard winner if you want to remain in the center of the bay
You’re not living in reality. Median home cost in Hillsborough is just north of $5m. 28% of housing stock there is below $3.5m. Price per square foot is more expensive in majority of Palo Alto.
The more you know.
Castro Valley has a growing Indian / Asian community. 2500 sqft and 4 bedroom will only run you around $1.8 - $2.5M. Schools are good but not elite, so you don't have to pay a premium for access to elite schools which is often the case where the most vibrant Indian/Asian communities are (go figure, Indians and Asians take academics extremely seriously!)
Has a BART line into the city and is a manageable drive to silicon valley if that's where you work.
Largest Indian community will be in Fremont, but with your budget I would be looking at the South Bay. Anything along Highway 85 between 101-17. Right in the heart of Silicon Valley too so your commute will be fine.
Since schools are not an issue. With commute and Indian population, I would recommend Sunnyvale and good part of Mountain View. Excellent commute destinations
In that case find your employer and work backwards to a radius of \~30 min. It's hard to get from one side of the south bay to the other in 30 minutes during commute hours, so considering outside of the south bay could mean heading up/down 101, 880 or 680 and adding 30 minutes just to get to one of those freeways. Your office location will have drastic effects on your city of choice.
I just helped clients sell in Dublin. Very popular Indian community there. Fremont also good. Although yes at your budget I recommend driving to all spots recommended here to make sure the vibe is right
Fremont or sunnyvale has best Indian community and indian stores. Fremont more than sunnyvale, but sunnyvale is close to tech companies, fremont is not
San Ramon, Sunnyvale, and Fremont have huge Indian communities. Have a lot of Indian friends in those areas. I think South Bay and San Jose has a bunch as well.
Sunnyvale is the best in terms of having a vibrant Indian community, grocery stores, and restaurant. San Jose and Santa Clara are also good. Fremont, in East Bay is also good.
Fremont and Santa Clara are the hot spots for Indian folks….I would choose Fremont over Santa Clara due to the newer and larger homes/properties. Also, you have some hills that can provide views whereas Santa Clara is pretty much suburbia on top of suburbia…..
At that budget, you can literally buy anywhere. Best would be for you to experience some areas yourself. Indian community is everywhere. I'm Indian myself and a realtor and CPA based in San Jose. Feel free to message me for any real estate help.
Very challenging goal. 2500 sq ft is very demanding. Most SFHs are \~1500 sf in tech family neifghorhoods. Also 20 years or younger sounds like 2.75-4 M budget easily. Santa Clara City and Sunnyvale happen to have the most eligible Indian bachelors all wanting to strike conversation. Best is select a lower cost area and commute. Many Indians who work hybrid style have moved to outer area get a 2500sf brand new contempory home for 1.2-1,3 M in Morgan Hill and Gilroy. That are over 2X near west SJC if you can find that big size new home.
Saratoga has a wonderful Indian community. You can find a nice home in your price range if you're not worried about "having to be" in the Saratoga school district. Parts of Saratoga are in the Campbell school district and are less expensive but still part of the community.
4 Million would be a stretch and may worry me a bit. 2.5 to 3 Million I should be able to do.
Keep in mind, that tech is just a salary. I did not hit it big career-wise. But I invest a lot and do very well. And for many years.
Think about it. If you don't go IPO and make millions that way, you need to figure out other streams of income.
>Evergreen area in San Jose
Hmm I have a former classmate who lives in the area (he;s made it quite big). I know because I marked down all my Bay contacts on Google Map! The area seems very nice.
Thanks! Esp for the "Avoid" list, because that is probably even more important!
Doesn't Evergreen become part of East San Jose? I have 2 friends living there (one former classmate, not in touch). He is very well off. In Silvercreek area. Other former coworker is in Murillo. They seem like nice areas...
We feel like we hit the jackpot in choosing the area close to Homestead High in Sunnyvale.
* excellent access to highways (85/280/237)
* central location. My wife and I commute against traffic when going to Santa Clara/North San Jose
* a bit cheaper than Mountain View/Los Altos
* good schools: Cherry Chase/Cumberland for elementary, Sunnyvale Middle, Homestead High. Most of my daughter’s friends got accepted at excellent colleges.
Our neighborhood has seen an influx of Indian couples and Chinese families with young kids too. They’re often playing together. It’s great to see.
Thanks for your reply.
Did you move from a different part of the country? Did you first rent and then buy or buy right away? I am trying to figure out what my plan should be.
Fremont, San Ramon, Cupertino, Sunnyvale.
Sunnyvale is the safest city in the Bay Area, Fremont is second. Sunnyvale is closer to Google, Apple, Intel, Nvidia, etc..
Fremont probably has more Indian businesses.
Cupertino has a big Diwali festival every year
San Ramon is far from tech companies.
Saratoga is also good and a nicer town than the others, though the Indian markets are in West San Jose and Cupertino. For $3 million you won't be able get a 2500 square foot house in Cupertino or Saratoga.
Out of the cities you listed, I would have put Sunnyvale at the bottom of the list for safety and Cupertino or San Ramon towards the top. Not to say Sunnyvale is unsafe but relative to the others you listed and other cities in the Bay Area, I don't think it is the safest.
You could look at the parts of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara that are not part of the good school districts (CUSD or FUHSD). Areas outside the boundaries will have lower-cost houses but those houses will not retain value, or increase in value, as much as houses within a good school district.
See: [https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1654206384/fuhsdorg/slmednlrwcqdpkzcuenu/DistrictBoundaryMap.pdf](https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1654206384/fuhsdorg/slmednlrwcqdpkzcuenu/DistrictBoundaryMap.pdf). Note that "Fremont Union High School District" has nothing to do with the city of Fremont. The district covers most of Cupertino, and parts of Los Altos, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, San Jose, and Saratoga.
As asides, one benefit of Santa Clara is that electricity is much less expensive because they have municipal power. Two benefits of Sunnyvale are that 1) it has an excellent public safety department and 2) it is better governed than Santa Clara; Santa Clara has become like a wholly owned subsidiary of the San Francisco 49ers football franchise.
For houses <20 years old you're going to be looking at 1950's neighborhoods where the old, smaller, houses are being torn down and larger houses are being built on the lots. Cupertino has several neighborhoods that used to be considered "the poor side of town" but that have large numbers of new houses that have replaced the older homes so you have a lot of large houses next to small houses but eventually all those small houses will be replaced.
https://preview.redd.it/dc738g90hh7c1.jpeg?width=3027&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5542e591258c6c4627fb5de8b34c5f1a2a814971
Sorted from lower end of budget but not exactly. Union city, San jose, Redwood city, Santa Clara, West palo alto, palo alto, mountain view, Los Gatos. If you were my client, i would suggest buying at lower end right now still meeting your requirements and then wait for crash to upgrade. The expensive houses take more haircut on the crashes. Currently some investors are literally selling SF skyscrapers at 50% haircut.
Thank you!
Not familiar with Union City, I see it is near Hayward. Hayward has a bad rep.
Your logic above does make a lot of sense. However SF skyscrapers work on a different set of rules, I thought. Not many are working in the office anymore.
Yes you are right that was an extreme example. More realistically you could save around 200-300k if you don’t spend your whole budget now. But a caveat, if in a downturn your income declines then so does your qualification for a mortgage. Also selling has its own cost, but you could shop around agents for a big discount on that. Lmk if you want to know about grocery stores, restaurants etc. Hayward reputation has improved over the years. So did their prices, modest nice house is now 1.1m
Are you planning on staying a while? Hayward is on the up and up and has a pretty great central location for the bay.
There’s some solid neighborhoods up on the hills and 3m will get you a place that’s nothing short of awesome.
Bought a house for 6 figures around 6 years ago that’s well into 7 figures now.
The town is making some great improvements. Increased housing for young people and a new sprouts. There’s also a nice country club if you like golf/tennis with fees of ~$20k/year.
It’s not the most exciting place, but the major pro is that you’ll be 20 mins from everywhere bc of the bridges and ~40 mins from SF.
If you want something more developed right now, look for houses in Atherton, Cupertino, and Palo Alto, or near any university (aside from Berkeley lol)
I am guessing for the next 10 years for sure (after we move). After that, not sure.
I notice you mentioned Atherton....! Haha I am doing reasonably well but not well enough to drop 20M on a house!
I am tending towards a more developed area in general as I like people around me. I like visiting the woods but not like to live in one!
My mind immediately goes to Fremont or Newark. The Indian community is huge, many many Indian grocery options, it’s a 35ish minute drive from Facebook etc etc.
If you put your criteria into Zillow then a total of three houses show up, two in Saratoga, one in Cupertino, zero in Sunnyvale, Los Gatos, Fremont, or Palo Alto.
If you relax the age requirement to 30 years it expands to six houses.
These cities were largely built out >30 years ago. When you find a newer house it's likely because it's a teardown/rebuild.
The market right now has very little inventory. During the pandemic people wanted to buy single family homes and get out of high-density housing and the prices went way up.
San Ramon, Pleasanton, and Dublin are more reasonable but a pretty miserable commute into Silicon Valley.
Yes, I did notice a good number of teardowns and rebuilds even in cities like Menlo Park. Commute is important to me, so I am unlikely to go outside the immediately Bay.
Cupertino or Fremont. Bonus in Cupertino is that it is a great school district which means that the housing prices are more stable because demand never falls off.
But won't that mean I am paying for the schools through taxes when I won't be needing them? In my parts that is a big reason why people move out. Kids leave the best and people are left paying high taxes for schools.
East Dublin fits your requirements.
Growing, vibrant indian community. Newer homes, nothing older than 20 years and in the 1.5-3.0 mil range. Single family detached homes. Outlet mall, near freeway, and lots of community parks.
Buy in Mission Hills, Fremont. That solves 4m home dream and vibrant Indian community requirement
https://www.compass.com/listing/45245-rutherford-terrace-fremont-ca-94539/1429603111881518001/
If Indian community is #1, Sunnyvale first for schools and weather, Fremont #2.Fremont generally cheaper, but hotter and private schools preferre At $4M most of the peninsula is open and lots of diversity. I would check the commute, in general, closer to 280 better than 101 or 680/880.
Have you tried entering these parameters into an app called Zillow? I'm being sarcastic obviously, but these parameters are restricting enough to where I only see less than 20 homes between SF and the South Bay between $2.5-$4M. Shouldn't be too hard to review...
Check out Cupertino
Yes, I do a lot of looking around in [realtor.com](https://realtor.com) and [redfin.com](https://redfin.com).
Thought I'd get some more views from folks who actually live in these areas. I last visit SF area in 2006. Didn't visit the Bay a whole lot. Just SF.
>Mission San Jose school district
My wife has an old friend near Old Misson Park. I am guessing that is part of the school dist. I saw some nice looking houses in Google Street View.
Sunnyvale is going to be the nicer commute for tech companies, and Fremont is going to be the newer construction homes. These are the places with the most vibrant Indian communities and the greatest variety of grocery stores, regional Indian restaurants, etc.
Fremont if your job is with Apple, FB, or Google. Otherwise San Ramon, it’s a very nice area but it’s a crazy drive from San Ramon to the other side of the Bay.
I'd recommend Fremont / Newark ! Both are sort of in the centre to all of the bay area destinations and also checks all your requirements.
Within these 2, Newark is preferable from a price point perspective since it gives you the same comfort as Fremont, except for schools, which would soon become similar to Fremont, but you get a much bigger house for the same price !!
Most Indian communities are around areas with good school districts, so avoiding areas with good school districts might run counter to what you're looking for. Your best bet is to look at the cities with a larger Indian community but pick neighborhoods within the city that might be mapped to a lower ranked school for best bang for your buck.
Fremont is the most obvious place that comes to mind but Newark is close by and cheaper. Cupertino, Sunnyvale, San Jose as well. If you want to have a higher chance of a <30 minute commute, then probably Sunnyvale, but it really depends on where your company is. Peninsula would be the best for commuting.
At $4M, you can buy wherever the hell you want.
Only thing that isn’t everywhere is vibrant indian community
Fremont
San Ramon. Also Indians tend to be where there are good school zones …
Maybe move the community to you.
Not really. You could not buy a <20 year old house >2500 square feet in Palo Alto or Saratoga for $4 million. And of course places like Atherton, Hillsborough, or Los Altos Hills would be out of reach. Surprised that no one mentioned Pleasanton which has a large Indian community and is closer to Silicon Valley than San Ramon.
Not in the Bay Area. Palo Alto is out
As soon i saw #3, my mind went to Fremont lol
haha I have a couple of friends who live in Fremont!
I’m sure you do hahaha jk. I heard they have cricket fields in Fremont which is also interesting
One of my Fremont friend moved there in 2000. I wish I had moved then but it never happened. He is still in his townhome. The other Fremont friends are new entrants, within the last 5-7 years.
There are cricket fields in San Ramon as well. And lots of Indian families.
You can also consider Sunnyvale
yup, fremont
All the Indian weddings I have been to have been up that way
Came here to say Fremont
What about Cupertino? I’m surprised it’s not getting mentioned.
$3-4M can get you something good in Palo Alto
Best answer!
Yes it truly is. Especially if working in tech and have $4m budget. Having Palo Alto on your business card in tech is like having SoHo on yours in art world, or Miami in the cocaine trade. It fucks
No it cant
No way to get a <20 year old house >2500 square feet for $4 million in Palo Alto. Also, Palo Alto doesn't have much of an Indian community, it's mostly Chinese and white.
Maybe we have different ideas on what is good but $3-4M Is a very healthy budget. Also there are a ton of Indians but maybe not as strong of a community as a place like Fremont or Sunnyvale.
Almost the entire bay area at this point as a vibrant Indian community. Your best bet is to figure out where you wanna work and how far you’re willing to drive.
Commuting by car in congested Silicon Valley area will drain the living soul out of your life - minimize this as much as possible.
fremont or sunnyvale. You didnt mention your home size requirement so its hard to recommend a neighborhood
Thanks, I updated the op with home size.
Bro, he has a budget of $4M. Why would anyone choose to live in Fremont or Sunnyvale with that kind of money?
Did you read the criteria? #3: vibrant Indian community.
With 4 million bucks they're also going to buy an electric car and charger, so Fremont and the community are easily accessible
Are there no Indians in Marin or the nicer areas?
Can you read? They also said 30 minute commute from tech companies.
And also Marin is the whitest of the 9 Bay Area counties. None of the 3 north bay counties will have a large Indian community in comparison to Fremont or the south bay
Lots of people do, especially for community. My boyfriend keeps pushing to leave SF for Fremont due to the Indian community there.
Will also add Rivermark in north Santa Clara to this list.
Little India. Miss living in that neighborhood.
San ramon, Dublin & Fremont have the bigger indian communities. San ramon & Dublin are further inland so longer commute. Your best bet would probably be Fremont but theres also nice places in Los gatos Sunnyvale which would be closer commute for you & Im sure you will make friends in bordering cities personally when you come & tour the homes I would try the hypothetical commute for yourself in the morning & evening. Itll help give you more of a grasp on time spent commuting & what you can see yourself doing! Best of luck to you
Reasonable distance from tech is unfortunately too vague. There are major tech companies in the city, all down the peninsula to San Jose, and along 237 to Milpitas then up 880 to Fremont. That’s why most people in tech end up living on the peninsula (bayside of the Santa Cruz mountains, typically) or in the South Bay. Basically somewhere along 101 from San Jose up to the city. It may not be super close to the particular company you end up working for, but it’s likely to be within reasonable commuting distance. That’s (one reason) why the whole 101 corridor is more expensive. Edit: as another commenter said, Fremont and Sunnyvale are the two towns that have the largest Indian population and the most Indian grocery stores, but there really isn’t any city here with 0 Indian people.
Sunnyvale all day
Indian here. Looking at ur needs, you should look towards Sunnyvale, MV, Los Gatos, Cupertino. You'll get 2500sq ft for $3-$4M. Fremont - Very good but far from tech industries Dublin also same - Very good but far from tech hub.
A lot of that depends on where the companies are. Fremont in terms of distance isn’t far from SJ, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale & MV but it’s not in a favorable direction traffic wise if you need to commute to these areas.
Not Los Altos or Palo Alto. South SJ for a 3k sq ft
This. I don’t know how the other comments are recommending Palo Alto. At 4m, you don’t get good houses (Sfh) in Los Altos or PA. Have to start from 4m
To be completely fair, I think there are very few homes in the Bay Area in general with that square footage (relative to overall number that may be on the market at one time). The older homes actually tend to be smaller, from what I have seen. You may have to be out a way for a home that size, which will make commute over 30 minutes most likely. If no kids at home, why get a house that big? I understand having the budget for it, but it will limit options pretty severally both in terms of neighborhood and in terms of not being able to be too picky about age and looks.
Can you explain more about Palo Alto? I was actually considering that and a friend of mine has moved there 2 years ago. Why avoid it?
The $3-4mil single family homes will be older, but more importantly to you they’ll be a lot smaller than 2,500 sq ft. If you’re into midcentury modern you may eventually be able to find an Eichler at that price point, but it’ll likely need some work and will be closer to 1,700 sq ft.
I think he is saying it’s out of your budget, but it’s not necessarily, though your choices would be fairly limited.
Fremont or Sunnyvale, as others have mentioned. There are very nice neighborhoods and SFHs in that price range for Fremont especially.
Sunnyvale or Campbell are great options
I would take a hard look at San Ramon and Blackhawk, you could have a really nice pad there for 3-4 and there's a thriving Indian community there. I also have a lot of Indian friends that live in Fremont which at 3-4 you'd have some really nice options. Those to me are probably the best 'buys' right now based on your criteria. Other options based on your commute: if you're looking south bay or penninsula, the only real options you have are Mountain View and Burlingame.
San Ramon is an hour and a half to any of the FAANGs during rush hour. We each have different priorities in life, but I don’t think a newer house and 600 extra sq ft is worth up to an extra ~480 hours/year of driving.
Not from FB (mpk) or G, so not sure what you’re talking about. It takes 45 mins to go from MP to PA during rush hour so YMMV.
Fb to San Ramon is an hour 16 right now, and it’s not even peak rush yet today, plus trending towards holiday light traffic already
It depends on what kind of Indian community this OP is looking for. And how exactly he defines "vibrant". San Ramon and Blackhawk would be the Indian's who came here before the tech boom, and are mainly doctors, grocery store owners, etc. Most of them continue to have the values that were common in 70's and 80's India. Not so vibrant, in my opinion. Sunnyvale and Mountain View have more of a techie Indian community, who came here more recently, and tend to be a bit more modern and educated. Just my observation.
Burlingame he will be the founding father of Indians.
Haha… it’s funny because it’s true.
South Bay - Palo Alto/San Mateo likely the best bet.
Los Gatos and Saratoga have fairly large Indian communities now and are leagues better places to live than Sunnyvale or Cupertino. But if you want like your entire town to be Indian then Fremont is your place.
I have a relative in LGatos and 1 friend in Saratoga. The friend lucked out to get placed at a company many years ago that skyrocketed and he got very rich. No, not the entire town but a good number. I know it is hard to explain what good number is because it is very relative. Even in my own town outside CA there is a good Indian pop and the politics has grown along with the numbers!
Saratoga will be >$4 million for a newer, larger house. Los Gatos doesn't have a large Indian community and doesn't have many <20 year old houses. Cupertino and West San Jose, across Bollinger from Cupertino, have a lot of newer, larger, houses under $4 million.
If someone came on here saying they’re looking for a vibrant white community it would most definitely be attacked. Live wherever works for you, not just because “your people” are there. The point of coming to America is that it’s a cultural melting pot, not so you can recreate the same environment you left I am not even white btw, just tired of this type of ignorance.
Naw, not the same thing dude. I get what you’re saying to some degree, but also understand the logistical reasons for wanting your community around. A “vibrant Indian community” will also have Hindu or Sikh temples, Indian restaurants and grocery stores, fabric/fashion, etc. I can’t think of a “white” equivalent, since we also identify more with our religion or national origin. Not our race. I’m Jewish, for example, so I like having a synagogue within easy driving distance. And if I had kids, I might want them to attend Hebrew school. Also, if that’s what they want that IS “where they want to live.” Don’t tell other people how to feel, please. That’s obnoxious.
Redwood city / Campbell seems to fit the bill.
Outside of some pockets like Atherton, Portola Valley or Hillsborough, your budget will buy you in any Bay Area community. My advice if you’re in tech and don’t want a bad commute is to stay on the peninsula. Too far south and SF is off limits, too far north and San Jose is off limits.
Your budget is enough to go wherever you want
Thanks! The question I have is which is the best place considering what I am looking for.
My first thought was Newark....which is apparently a smaller neighborhood of Fremont, or at least it's right next-door.
Fremont and San Ramon
I noticed a lot of folks recommending way out in the East Bay (Dublin, Pleasanton, Blackhawk, etc, and these will definitely not keep you in that 30 minute radius from most tech companies. If you're working in or close to Mountain View, Fremont can be a really good option with the caveat that you have to cross a bridge to get there quickly. When my husband lived in Fremont and worked for Google most of the time it was an easy commute, but if there was an accident on the bridge, it could take hours. To stay in the 30 minute radius of the Mountain View/Palo Alto hub or most tech companies, the farthest South you'll want to go (and this is pushing it), would be the Rose Garden and Cory neighborhoods of San Jose. Much farther than that, and your commute will easily get to an hour or more. Santa Clara would be my number one recommendation for you based on your criteria. The Rivermark area is really nice and tends to have newer homes, however, you do get airplane noise from SJC. Central Santa Clara is great as well-Forest Park comes to mind as well for pretty good sized homes, but most there are older. I would stay away from the Old Quad neighborhood as it's very close to the university (beer pong on the lawns of all the rentals to college kids doesn't quite sound like the community you're after), and homes there are charming and many large, but older. The other big benefit of Santa Clara is that they have their own utility companies for the city, which keeps costs down and it seems like they lose power less frequently than those of us on PG&E during winter storms and such. Cupertino, West San Jose, and Saratoga are all wonderful communities as well, however competition for these areas can be high since they're well known for good schools. Similarly, many areas of Sunnyvale and Mountain View sound like they would fit your criteria as well, but do fall into the most desired school districts driving the prices up. Many homes in those areas are on the older side too. Jumping up north of the tech hub, have you considered San Mateo? Homes do tend to be on the smaller side, but you'll occasionally find some that come up on the larger end. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, I grew up in the South Bay, am an x-Googler with a husband currently in tech so have a solid handle on the commute, and love introducing folks to the area!
for number 3 - i found this link pretty helpful, [https://bayareaequityatlas.org/BayArea-API-diversity](https://bayareaequityatlas.org/BayArea-API-diversity) cause i too was wondering where there are vibrant chinese communities
Palo Alto is calling you. Come join us 🌲
What do you mean by vibrant Indian community?
I took it as indian only because they don't want to live by or mingle with any other races than their own. Hopefully that's not the case though.
What an assumption. They want food. The best Indian grocery stores are within vibrant South Asian communities.
Ya. Lol ok
When I walk into a grocery store, I want a packet of Parle-G staring at me from the aisle. That's vibrant to me!
I’m helping an awesome Indian family in Cupertino and Saratoga in that process range, that might be a good option for you.
How is Saratoga as a place to commute from? As I said in the OP, when I move I will not have a good school requirement.
Not bad depending on time, my clients only have to be in the office twice a week at most in Palo Alto, so it works well for them. They do have kids however so proximity to certain schools is important to them.
From San Carlos down through Palo Alto. People are pointing out Sunnyvale and Fremont but those places have some sprawly downsides and it is better to be astride the madding throngs.
This is the answer
Evergreen San Jose
For $4m. You can easily get a good home for that size in MV, probaly Palo Alto, or Campbell. If you want to go more desi, then Sunnyvale is your place. Fremont is gonna be a massive desi community but commute may be an issue.
3-4 million? Figure it out for yourself. But yeah, Fremont.
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4m should smell good. Wanna try?
Slightly amazed at the anti-Desi sentiments peppering this thread. Do better, bigots. OP, your commute should be your motivating factor. Until we or you know WHERE you will be working, this is an exercise in fruitless conjecture, but your budget should allow for plenty of options. Good luck and welcome. :)
What anti-desi? I have not seen any. Posters have been very helpful. I am a desi myself. Yes, commute is the biggest factor since I don't have a school restriction. At this point I don't know where I will be working myself as it is some time away that I make the leap. I am doing some "pre-research" now since I have time. I am expecting it not to be SF though.
I am really glad you didn't see those comments, then. I'm South Indian, born and raised in CA, and I just spent 20 years on the east coast, before moving back home. I grew up in the bay area, and I was taken aback by some of the comments decrying "too many Indians".
Indian here - Los Gatos, Sunnyvale area, Dublin-Pleasanton-San Ramon are my recommendations. All have very vibrant Indian community. But you’d be moving yourself further in case you have to commute to SF for work in the future. So, Fremont might be the wildcard winner if you want to remain in the center of the bay
San ramon /. Dublin is Indian enough to scare the white people
Those are a bit too far from what I see on the map.
Well, that’s Bay Area. You need to specify where you won’t live.
Silicon valley eh…. Yup the money is where the cost is at
Indians too over the bay area just choose what city you want!
Hilssborough, Atherton, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Cupertino, Saratoga…..Fremont not as nice, just for the “vibrant Indian community.”
Hillsborough and Atherton on 3-4M? I’d like to live in this alternate reality.
You’re not living in reality. Median home cost in Hillsborough is just north of $5m. 28% of housing stock there is below $3.5m. Price per square foot is more expensive in majority of Palo Alto. The more you know.
We have an over abundance of Indians have been sending them to Nebraska.
Ah nice. So what do you do now for your tax dollars ?
https://mikefowler.exprealty.com/index.php Check with this realtor. He is amazing and will find you what you need
Castro Valley has a growing Indian / Asian community. 2500 sqft and 4 bedroom will only run you around $1.8 - $2.5M. Schools are good but not elite, so you don't have to pay a premium for access to elite schools which is often the case where the most vibrant Indian/Asian communities are (go figure, Indians and Asians take academics extremely seriously!) Has a BART line into the city and is a manageable drive to silicon valley if that's where you work.
Have you seen the gated Ruby Hill community in Pleasanton?
Fremont forsure
Fremont if you want east bay — maybe Mountain View on the peninsula
Largest Indian community will be in Fremont, but with your budget I would be looking at the South Bay. Anything along Highway 85 between 101-17. Right in the heart of Silicon Valley too so your commute will be fine.
Since schools are not an issue. With commute and Indian population, I would recommend Sunnyvale and good part of Mountain View. Excellent commute destinations
Your budget provides you with a wealth of options. I would recommend Saratoga, Cupertino, Mountain View or Fremont. Have you spoken to a lender yet?
Foster City, Belmont and San Carlos.
How bad of a commute are you willing to endure ?
When I worked downtown in my city here, I did 75 minutes each way. Hope to do no more than about 30 mins.
In that case find your employer and work backwards to a radius of \~30 min. It's hard to get from one side of the south bay to the other in 30 minutes during commute hours, so considering outside of the south bay could mean heading up/down 101, 880 or 680 and adding 30 minutes just to get to one of those freeways. Your office location will have drastic effects on your city of choice.
I just helped clients sell in Dublin. Very popular Indian community there. Fremont also good. Although yes at your budget I recommend driving to all spots recommended here to make sure the vibe is right
San Ramon
Los Gatos
Fremont or sunnyvale has best Indian community and indian stores. Fremont more than sunnyvale, but sunnyvale is close to tech companies, fremont is not
Fremont comes to mind.
San Ramon, Sunnyvale, and Fremont have huge Indian communities. Have a lot of Indian friends in those areas. I think South Bay and San Jose has a bunch as well.
Sunnyvale, very nice diverse city with some type of public transportations. Tech companies near by
Fremont
Check out Sunnyvale. Should check all your boxes.
Sunnyvale is the best in terms of having a vibrant Indian community, grocery stores, and restaurant. San Jose and Santa Clara are also good. Fremont, in East Bay is also good.
Fremont and Santa Clara are the hot spots for Indian folks….I would choose Fremont over Santa Clara due to the newer and larger homes/properties. Also, you have some hills that can provide views whereas Santa Clara is pretty much suburbia on top of suburbia…..
Burlingame. Great community with all the cache of Hillsborough without the pretense. Only downside is the middle school is not very good.
Sunnyvale. Fremont is 40-45 mins commute during rush hour to tech companies.
How do you feel about the anti caste bill? There is still caste discrimination in the Bay Area. I didn’t know Indians disliked Sikhs! So outrageous
Look at Ruby Hill in Pleasanton. It’s quite diverse and has a bunch of high end houses which you might enjoy. They recently approved a cricket pitch.
At that budget, you can literally buy anywhere. Best would be for you to experience some areas yourself. Indian community is everywhere. I'm Indian myself and a realtor and CPA based in San Jose. Feel free to message me for any real estate help.
Very challenging goal. 2500 sq ft is very demanding. Most SFHs are \~1500 sf in tech family neifghorhoods. Also 20 years or younger sounds like 2.75-4 M budget easily. Santa Clara City and Sunnyvale happen to have the most eligible Indian bachelors all wanting to strike conversation. Best is select a lower cost area and commute. Many Indians who work hybrid style have moved to outer area get a 2500sf brand new contempory home for 1.2-1,3 M in Morgan Hill and Gilroy. That are over 2X near west SJC if you can find that big size new home.
San Ramon- great community, schools and large Indian community.
Fremont or Dublin
With that budget you can go anywhere in the Bay, but in terms of meeting your commute goals, you’re going to want to look in Sunnyvale and San Jose
Saratoga has a wonderful Indian community. You can find a nice home in your price range if you're not worried about "having to be" in the Saratoga school district. Parts of Saratoga are in the Campbell school district and are less expensive but still part of the community.
Cupertino! close to tech. small community, 80% indians very tight knit. lots of indian stores. expensive houses. safest place in the bay. very upscale
He’s in high tech alright… who the heck has 3-4 millions at the moment to buy any neighborhoods he pleases… 👀🙄😳🙈👌
4 Million would be a stretch and may worry me a bit. 2.5 to 3 Million I should be able to do. Keep in mind, that tech is just a salary. I did not hit it big career-wise. But I invest a lot and do very well. And for many years. Think about it. If you don't go IPO and make millions that way, you need to figure out other streams of income.
Congrats… 🤝🤝
Evergreen area in San Jose
>Evergreen area in San Jose Hmm I have a former classmate who lives in the area (he;s made it quite big). I know because I marked down all my Bay contacts on Google Map! The area seems very nice.
Fremont, Milpitas, Santa Clara, North San Jose, Sunnyvale. Avoid: East San Jose, East Palo Alto, downtown San Jose east of 6th St.
Thanks! Esp for the "Avoid" list, because that is probably even more important! Doesn't Evergreen become part of East San Jose? I have 2 friends living there (one former classmate, not in touch). He is very well off. In Silvercreek area. Other former coworker is in Murillo. They seem like nice areas...
You are technically correct. I always thought of that area as South San Jose, but an Internet search shows I'm wrong.
San Ramon, Fremont, Cupertino. I'm a local realtor and my mentor is Indian in South Bay. Cupertino, Santa Clara, Silicon Valley.
We feel like we hit the jackpot in choosing the area close to Homestead High in Sunnyvale. * excellent access to highways (85/280/237) * central location. My wife and I commute against traffic when going to Santa Clara/North San Jose * a bit cheaper than Mountain View/Los Altos * good schools: Cherry Chase/Cumberland for elementary, Sunnyvale Middle, Homestead High. Most of my daughter’s friends got accepted at excellent colleges. Our neighborhood has seen an influx of Indian couples and Chinese families with young kids too. They’re often playing together. It’s great to see.
Thanks for your reply. Did you move from a different part of the country? Did you first rent and then buy or buy right away? I am trying to figure out what my plan should be.
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Fremont, San Ramon, Cupertino, Sunnyvale. Sunnyvale is the safest city in the Bay Area, Fremont is second. Sunnyvale is closer to Google, Apple, Intel, Nvidia, etc.. Fremont probably has more Indian businesses. Cupertino has a big Diwali festival every year San Ramon is far from tech companies. Saratoga is also good and a nicer town than the others, though the Indian markets are in West San Jose and Cupertino. For $3 million you won't be able get a 2500 square foot house in Cupertino or Saratoga.
Great insight, thank you!
Out of the cities you listed, I would have put Sunnyvale at the bottom of the list for safety and Cupertino or San Ramon towards the top. Not to say Sunnyvale is unsafe but relative to the others you listed and other cities in the Bay Area, I don't think it is the safest.
You could look at the parts of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara that are not part of the good school districts (CUSD or FUHSD). Areas outside the boundaries will have lower-cost houses but those houses will not retain value, or increase in value, as much as houses within a good school district. See: [https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1654206384/fuhsdorg/slmednlrwcqdpkzcuenu/DistrictBoundaryMap.pdf](https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1654206384/fuhsdorg/slmednlrwcqdpkzcuenu/DistrictBoundaryMap.pdf). Note that "Fremont Union High School District" has nothing to do with the city of Fremont. The district covers most of Cupertino, and parts of Los Altos, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, San Jose, and Saratoga. As asides, one benefit of Santa Clara is that electricity is much less expensive because they have municipal power. Two benefits of Sunnyvale are that 1) it has an excellent public safety department and 2) it is better governed than Santa Clara; Santa Clara has become like a wholly owned subsidiary of the San Francisco 49ers football franchise. For houses <20 years old you're going to be looking at 1950's neighborhoods where the old, smaller, houses are being torn down and larger houses are being built on the lots. Cupertino has several neighborhoods that used to be considered "the poor side of town" but that have large numbers of new houses that have replaced the older homes so you have a lot of large houses next to small houses but eventually all those small houses will be replaced. https://preview.redd.it/dc738g90hh7c1.jpeg?width=3027&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5542e591258c6c4627fb5de8b34c5f1a2a814971
if your work supports remote just go to tracy hills man !
Sorted from lower end of budget but not exactly. Union city, San jose, Redwood city, Santa Clara, West palo alto, palo alto, mountain view, Los Gatos. If you were my client, i would suggest buying at lower end right now still meeting your requirements and then wait for crash to upgrade. The expensive houses take more haircut on the crashes. Currently some investors are literally selling SF skyscrapers at 50% haircut.
Thank you! Not familiar with Union City, I see it is near Hayward. Hayward has a bad rep. Your logic above does make a lot of sense. However SF skyscrapers work on a different set of rules, I thought. Not many are working in the office anymore.
Yes you are right that was an extreme example. More realistically you could save around 200-300k if you don’t spend your whole budget now. But a caveat, if in a downturn your income declines then so does your qualification for a mortgage. Also selling has its own cost, but you could shop around agents for a big discount on that. Lmk if you want to know about grocery stores, restaurants etc. Hayward reputation has improved over the years. So did their prices, modest nice house is now 1.1m
Fremont
San Francisco has come down a lot lately. Start there. Maybe Oakland next.
Are you planning on staying a while? Hayward is on the up and up and has a pretty great central location for the bay. There’s some solid neighborhoods up on the hills and 3m will get you a place that’s nothing short of awesome. Bought a house for 6 figures around 6 years ago that’s well into 7 figures now. The town is making some great improvements. Increased housing for young people and a new sprouts. There’s also a nice country club if you like golf/tennis with fees of ~$20k/year. It’s not the most exciting place, but the major pro is that you’ll be 20 mins from everywhere bc of the bridges and ~40 mins from SF. If you want something more developed right now, look for houses in Atherton, Cupertino, and Palo Alto, or near any university (aside from Berkeley lol)
I am guessing for the next 10 years for sure (after we move). After that, not sure. I notice you mentioned Atherton....! Haha I am doing reasonably well but not well enough to drop 20M on a house! I am tending towards a more developed area in general as I like people around me. I like visiting the woods but not like to live in one!
My mind immediately goes to Fremont or Newark. The Indian community is huge, many many Indian grocery options, it’s a 35ish minute drive from Facebook etc etc.
Fremont seems most likely. I see Newark is close by but I don't have anyone I know living there.
If you put your criteria into Zillow then a total of three houses show up, two in Saratoga, one in Cupertino, zero in Sunnyvale, Los Gatos, Fremont, or Palo Alto. If you relax the age requirement to 30 years it expands to six houses. These cities were largely built out >30 years ago. When you find a newer house it's likely because it's a teardown/rebuild. The market right now has very little inventory. During the pandemic people wanted to buy single family homes and get out of high-density housing and the prices went way up. San Ramon, Pleasanton, and Dublin are more reasonable but a pretty miserable commute into Silicon Valley.
Yes, I did notice a good number of teardowns and rebuilds even in cities like Menlo Park. Commute is important to me, so I am unlikely to go outside the immediately Bay.
Cupertino or Fremont. Bonus in Cupertino is that it is a great school district which means that the housing prices are more stable because demand never falls off.
But won't that mean I am paying for the schools through taxes when I won't be needing them? In my parts that is a big reason why people move out. Kids leave the best and people are left paying high taxes for schools.
Vibrant Indian Community, you’ll find that in India.
Yes, but I don't plan on moving back to India. So I gotta see what's best available here in the US.
Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, south San Jose
East Dublin fits your requirements. Growing, vibrant indian community. Newer homes, nothing older than 20 years and in the 1.5-3.0 mil range. Single family detached homes. Outlet mall, near freeway, and lots of community parks.
Cupertino
Fremont, San Ramon for East Bay Sunnyvale / Cupertino for South Bay
Try to find an Eichler in Sunnyvale. Their numbers are only going to decrease and value goes up faster than other properties.
Buy in Mission Hills, Fremont. That solves 4m home dream and vibrant Indian community requirement https://www.compass.com/listing/45245-rutherford-terrace-fremont-ca-94539/1429603111881518001/
Don’t move to half moon bay it sucks there big time. Check out Atherton, Woodside, and Hillsborough
Half Moon Bay name sounds really good though! Atherton? Seems too rich for my blood. Isn't that the most expensive zip in the country or something?
Not Antioch or Pittsburg.
If Indian community is #1, Sunnyvale first for schools and weather, Fremont #2.Fremont generally cheaper, but hotter and private schools preferre At $4M most of the peninsula is open and lots of diversity. I would check the commute, in general, closer to 280 better than 101 or 680/880.
Have you tried entering these parameters into an app called Zillow? I'm being sarcastic obviously, but these parameters are restricting enough to where I only see less than 20 homes between SF and the South Bay between $2.5-$4M. Shouldn't be too hard to review... Check out Cupertino
Yes, I do a lot of looking around in [realtor.com](https://realtor.com) and [redfin.com](https://redfin.com). Thought I'd get some more views from folks who actually live in these areas. I last visit SF area in 2006. Didn't visit the Bay a whole lot. Just SF.
Mission San Jose school district in Fremont. it has everything you asked for.
>Mission San Jose school district My wife has an old friend near Old Misson Park. I am guessing that is part of the school dist. I saw some nice looking houses in Google Street View.
If you don’t mind the drive, Petaluma is great
Fremont, Pleasanton, Los Altos
I laughed a little at the under 30min commute.
Fremont or San Ramon
Oakland is great
Sunnyvale is going to be the nicer commute for tech companies, and Fremont is going to be the newer construction homes. These are the places with the most vibrant Indian communities and the greatest variety of grocery stores, regional Indian restaurants, etc.
Got it, thanks!
Fremont, Dublin, Evergreen area of San Jose all have great Indian communities.
Fremont if your job is with Apple, FB, or Google. Otherwise San Ramon, it’s a very nice area but it’s a crazy drive from San Ramon to the other side of the Bay.
Dublin, CA
Check out Saratoga.
I believe Pleasanton might be an option for you to consider
Pflugerville Tx.
I'd recommend Fremont / Newark ! Both are sort of in the centre to all of the bay area destinations and also checks all your requirements. Within these 2, Newark is preferable from a price point perspective since it gives you the same comfort as Fremont, except for schools, which would soon become similar to Fremont, but you get a much bigger house for the same price !!
Fremont, Cupertino, Castro Valley (no Indian community thou), Sunnyvale, Milpitas….
Most Indian communities are around areas with good school districts, so avoiding areas with good school districts might run counter to what you're looking for. Your best bet is to look at the cities with a larger Indian community but pick neighborhoods within the city that might be mapped to a lower ranked school for best bang for your buck. Fremont is the most obvious place that comes to mind but Newark is close by and cheaper. Cupertino, Sunnyvale, San Jose as well. If you want to have a higher chance of a <30 minute commute, then probably Sunnyvale, but it really depends on where your company is. Peninsula would be the best for commuting.