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Town
San Francisco

Mountain View

#1 in Best Places to Live in Santa Clara County
  • A+
    Overall Grade
  • Town in California
  • 89 reviews
A+
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Public Schools
    A+
  2. Crime & Safety
    B
  3. Housing
    B-
  4. Nightlife
    A
  5. Good for Families
    A+
  6. Diversity
    A+
  7. Jobs
    B+
  8. Weather
    A+
  9. Cost of Living
    D+
  10. Health & Fitness
    A+
  11. Outdoor Activities
    A+
  12. Commute
    A
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Mountain View is a town in California with a population of 78,827. Mountain View is in Santa Clara County and is one of the best places to live in California. Living in Mountain View offers residents an urban feel and most residents rent their homes. In Mountain View there are a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. Many families and young professionals live in Mountain View and residents tend to be liberal. The public schools in Mountain View are highly rated.
About Mountain View...
Population
78,827

Real Estate

Median Home Value
$973,000
National
$184,700
Median Rent
$1,912
National
$949
Area Feel
Urban
Rent vs. Own
  • Rent
    59%
  • Own
    41%
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Mountain View Rankings

Niche ranks thousands of places to live based on key statistics from the U.S. Census and and expert insights.

Crime & Safety

Crime & Safety
B
Based on violent and property crime rates.
Violent Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Assault
    115
    283
  • Murder
    0
    6
  • Rape
    12
    41
  • Robbery
    35
    136
Property Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Burglary
    343
    500
  • Theft
    1,685
    2,043
  • Motor Vehicle Theft
    146
    284
Home Security Options for Mountain View
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  • 24/7 Whole home protection with no contract
  • CNET Editor’s choice winner 2018

Residents

Diversity
A+
Based on ethnic and economic diversity.
Median Household Income
$109,249
National
$55,322
Children
18%
Education Levels
National
  • Master's degree or higher
    37%
    12%
  • Bachelor's degree
    28%
    19%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    17%
    29%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    10%
    28%
  • Less than high school diploma
    7%
    13%
  • Public Schools
  • Private Schools
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Mountain View Reviews

89 reviews
All Categories
I live near downtown Mountain View, very close to the famous Castro Street where much of Mountain View's interesting shops and restaurants are located. Unfortunately, the restaurants have almost universally disappointing food (with some exceptions). I haven't lived in Mountain View very long (about seven months) but I do know that it's a prohibitively expensive place to live. It's a part of what is now called Silicon Valley, and so is inhabited mostly by engineers. Mountain View is very family-friendly, with monthly or bi-monthly open streets festivals with many activities for children. If I was looking to raise a family, this would be an amazing place.
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I've lived in mountain view my entire life. It was a calm quiet neighborhood with no traffic. You could literally get anywhere in mountain view within a five minute drive. Now in the year of 2018. I live within a half a mile from work and most of the time it takes around 30 - 40 minutes to get to there. Absolutely ridiculous. I miss lazer quest! Go kart racing! Arcades! Anything that doesn't require going to a bar/restaraunt to "just to have fun". Don't get me wrong. I'm a bartender and i get it. I do enjoy having the casual drink and having a good time. But literally mountain view is now " Google Town". Lacking the respect for others and quality of life like it use to be.As i mentioned before. I've lived here my entire life. But in the next few years i will be forced to move from the place i love. Specifically because of the cost of living and the over population issue.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely Diane Macias.
Mountain View is a diverse town, with a fun downtown full of great restaurants, lots of parks, and quiet cozy neighborhoods. It also is home to Google, and many other tech firms, making a large segment of the population fast-paced, young, highly educated and well paid. This makes it challenging for families, college students, and non-tech workers (like teachers, service workers, etc) to be able to afford a place to rent or buy. Mountain View used to be a little sleepier, but with the hardware tech boom in the 80's and the software/social media boom in the 2000's, it has become busy, with lots of traffic on the roads, new tall apartment buildings going up everywhere, and an ever increasing culture of productivity. So for those who like a buzzing, high tech, entrepreneurial place with some suburban charm and a diverse population, welcome home.