Campbell, the Switzerland of the Bay Area
The new hot spot in Silicon Valley? That’s right, Campbell!
Along the cul-de-sacs that eddy out of Cambrian Drive, a civil war is being fought on battlefields with names like Sweetbriar and Stonehurst, where residents are waging a determined campaign to get into what they are certain is Silicon Valley’s most desirable dwelling destination.
San Jose’s city limit is only a few hundred yards away, but that’s not the velvet rope they’re trying to slip under. These people are attempting to drive a stake through the municipal heart of the Bay Area’s biggest city, planting yard signs that rise like middle fingers to declare: “We’re For Campbell Annexation.”
That’s right, Campbell. These days everybody wants to be in Campbell.
“To me, it’s more prestigious to say we’re in Campbell,” explained Lisa Dow, a real estate agent who lives in this unincorporated pocket of Santa Clara County that wants no part of San Jose. “Campbell is kind of the hip place now. Affordably hip.”
With the city’s sixth hotel — a 162-room Courtyard by Marriott on Creekside Way — opening Thursday, and with businesses such as Katie Bloom’s Irish Pub and Chacho’s Mexican restaurant moving to its downtown shopping district from San Jose, Campbell is viewed by some of its most recent transplants as the “anti-San Jose.”
Campbell sits comfortably at the hub of San Jose, Los Gatos and Saratoga, much as Switzerland forms a beautiful bull’s-eye amid France, Germany and Austria. According to Courtyard general manager Michael McClintock, Marriott picked Campbell in part because its guests can step out the door and board a light-rail train to HP Pavilion for a Sharks game, or be at eBay’s headquarters in a matter of minutes. Campbell is in the middle of everything.
…
“People used to say we were the next Los Gatos,” said Low. “They don’t say that anymore.” Not long ago, the merchants association from Los Gatos — with its famously bustling little downtown — sought advice on how to generate foot traffic from Campbell.
Natasha for this find!
Wow! Who knew that Campbell was the Bay Area’s Switzerland! Or that it was such a hip and happening place! Heck, it’s going to be the NEXT Los Gatos. THE NEXT LOS GATOS! Wow!
Let’s just say that NY and Washington DC had best be shaking in their boots. With San Francisco, Palo Alto, Cupertino, and now Campbell – the Bay Area is fast becoming the place to be in America.
What this really means is that if you haven’t bought a place in Campbell yet, you really should because soon it will be too late and you’ll be priced out forever.
Let’s have a vote: which store will next move into the Pruneyard?
1. Tiffany’s?
2. Nordstrom’s?
3. Nieman Marcus?
4. Apple Store?
5. A Wolfgang Puck restaurant?
February 24th, 2010 at 8:02 am
A combination soup kitchen, Goodwill/Second Hand store and Food Bank. LaRaza headquarters on one side and unwed immigrant mothers hoping for amnesty community organizing on the other.
Fire the teachers, give fireman raises and give illegal aliens free health care and anchor babies.
Liberalism is great. Ask Feinstein, Boxer or Pelosi your leaders.
February 24th, 2010 at 9:19 am
Don’t knock Campbell. Los Gatos Creek trail is great and downtown can be fun. I lived near downtown for 3 years and enjoyed it, wish I could go back. The housing is still inflated though…still not a time to buy.
February 24th, 2010 at 10:42 am
At least Campbell has a lively downtown (lined with unassuming restaurants, street music and easy street parking). Many surrounding cities couldn’t claim as much (Cupertino? Sunnyvale? Santa Clara? Anyone? Anyone?) It offers a very good counterpoint to Santana Row’s snobbery.
February 24th, 2010 at 10:43 am
Campbell certainly isn’t some “up and coming” secret. Ebay/ Skype is there, and housing certainly isn’t cheap. Maybe cheaper than los gatos or saratoga, but that just means the prices aren’t astronomical.
May be a good thing for my friend who bought there at the peak of the peak and his home value is down over 100K.
February 24th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Santa Clara has a good downtown, if you like watching drunk, rich SCU students staggering around the Bronco or Cluck U, or the wonderful smell of bus exhaust from Franklin Square. (I live in Santa Clara and like it, but night life? Not so much). Campbell is kind of a nice town, with reasonably-priced restaurants like Sonoma Chicken and fun bars.
BTW not just this site, but what is it with seriously mad people making not-always-coherent comments about poor and minorities? Was there some entitlement that I didn’t know about, if you’ve lived in a place for three generations?
February 24th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
Santa Clara has a good downtown, if you like watching drunk, rich SCU students staggering around…
Sounds like a good place for Herve’s Cougar Convention.
As for your question, Dewane, I’m not sure what you are referring to, but perhaps too much time spent in one place makes one feel entitled to stay there regardless of changing circumstances. Same sort of thing used to happen in the old days when someone would work for the same company for 30 years and “retire” while still collecting their paycheck.
February 24th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
[...] A somewhat old Merc story compares the sleepy town of Campbell to a certain neutral European country: “Campbell sits comfortably at the hub of San Jose, Los Gatos and Saratoga, much as Switzerland forms a beautiful bull’s-eye amid France, Germany and Austria. … Guests can step out the door and board a light-rail train to HP Pavilion for a Sharks game, or be at eBay’s headquarters in a matter of minutes. Campbell is in the middle of everything.” Seriously, the little town with “diversity sizzle” is apparently Silicon Valley’s new hot spot. [Merc, via Burbed] [...]
February 24th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
Campbell is a decent city. The downtown has improved greatly over the years. They have a nice farmer’s market on Sunday mornings. Stax is a great place to have breakfast.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
Ohhh, I’m probably late to mention it but I’m sure our housing “investors” on here luuuuvvved the story out today that home sales were down the most… on record. That’s saying a lot since it basically beat all those months during the initial crash days.
February 24th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
> I’m sure our housing “investors” on here luuuuvvved the story out today that home sales were down the most… on record.
Simply a healthy pullback to weed out the weak hands.
February 24th, 2010 at 9:35 pm
Bob,
Did you not see the stat that home prices are up in most parts of the Bay Area?
February 24th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
bob, that was NEW home sales. Not a lot of those around here, even during the bubble.
February 24th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Campbell: Putting butter on mashed potatoes is getting miiiiighty spicy!
February 24th, 2010 at 10:48 pm
Home prices are up and sales are down! It appears as if the never ending stock of suckers is rapidly depleting.
February 24th, 2010 at 11:14 pm
I did a quick check, and found only 10 homes for sale in Palo Alto 94301 under $2M. Sunnyvale 94087 has just 37 homes under $1M. May be sales are down because there is nothing for sale?
February 24th, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Of course! Home prices are down from where they were and nobody wants to “give their home away!” They’ll just wait till prices come around…
February 24th, 2010 at 11:33 pm
No they’re bidding their time until they can ask the magic price
February 24th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
Interesting…one can now link to a page in mlslistings.com.
February 25th, 2010 at 12:12 am
Did you not see the stat that home prices are up in most parts of the Bay Area?
——
Old news!
February 25th, 2010 at 12:18 am
> No they’re bidding their time until they can ask the magic price
From the listing: Open House on Sat 2/20 and Sun 2/21. Will be accepting offers until Wed 2/24 at 5pm.
2005 called, they want their listing back.
February 25th, 2010 at 7:20 am
PRalay says,
>>Old news!
That’s why I said “Did you not see”. Duh.
February 25th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
#20 – Pending with release
February 9th, 2011 at 8:51 am
Home prices stay up courtesy of the bailouts of the banks by involuntary tax payers to keep housing prices up, and property tax revenue high.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/4mb5ur5
There are tons of foreclosures. Banks just sit on them to keep market prices high. They’ll be vacant lots before they sell for a loss. What most people miss is that the banking system has an unlimited cash cow called the Federal Reserve they can eat from.
Local governments don’t want to see a decrease in property prices and therefore tax revenue.
Home owners (renters?) don’t want to see a decrease in property prices.
Banks don’t want to see a decrease in property prices.
Those all culminate to, you’re not going to see lower home prices. What you are going to see, is inflation.
February 9th, 2011 at 9:04 am
Those all culminate to, you’re not going to see lower home prices.
Damn, I want to live in your alternate universe. Out here prices are down all over.
February 9th, 2011 at 9:24 am
“What most people miss is that the banking system has an unlimited cash cow called the Federal Reserve they can eat from.”
Before we go too far down this path, let me remind you that banks are shut down for poor performance, and here lately that seems to be happening just about every Friday.
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2011/
And take a look at last years long list of closures:
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2010/
Credit unions have failed too.
As far as that inflation/deflation discussion, please see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UG_r8bDWa8
Guest: Stanford economist John Taylor
Taylor Rule
February 9th, 2011 at 12:30 pm
Richard Wicks, a little context might help you. If what you say is true – that the banks have an unlimited cash cow from which to eat, then why would they care in the slightest whether or not home values go up?
Bernanke keeps saying that ‘we won’t have inflation.’ Is he right? Maybe. Look at what ol’ Thomas Jefferson had to say about the matter:
“If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their Fathers conquered…I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies… The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.”
By inflating things (as the bankers did in the 00s), people were induced to spend their money and take on heavy debt loads. Then the rug was pulled out from under them and now they are left with large debts and a diminished ability to earn to pay them back. Do you really think that the powers that be will just print more money for these same people to use to pay their debts back? Not if they can help it…