What You Need to Know Before Moving to Mountain View

The land where Mountain View now sits was once simply a stagecoach stop between San Francisco and San Jose located near the crossroads of where El Camino and Grant lie today. It was originally inhabited by the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, with the first European settlers arriving in 1777. Part of Mexico until California joined the U.S. in 1850, just two years later, the first store was opened, owned by Richard Carr and managed by John Shumay who gave the city its name in 1854.

Of course, the area has a totally different look today as the home of many tech giants like Google, but you'll still enjoy a gorgeous view of the Santa Cruz Mountains. If you're thinking about making a move to one of the Mountain View apartments, a home or any other space here, there are a few things you should know first. 

Thanks to Google You'll Get Free Wi-Fi

While the S.F. Bay Area isn't exactly the cheapest place to live in the country, one of the perks of living in Mountain View is that you'll get free Wi-Fi. With the corporate headquarters of Google here, the city allowed the company to place wireless transmitters on its streetlight poles to create one of the first city-wide free Wi-Fi networks in the country.

Bike Sharing and Public Transport

There are a few cities in the Bay Area that are participating in a pilot bike share program and Mountain View is one of them. That means that Bike Share members can check out a bike from one of the automated stations, use it for a ride to another destination and then return the bike there or at another station. It's a great way to avoid traffic congestion, burn some calories, and enjoy the cycling paths.

This is a city that's very bike and pedestrian-friendly in addition to offering public transport that includes light rail and transit services provided by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. While it might be easier to get around by car when venturing outside of the city, you don't have to have your own vehicle here.

Castro Street is the City's Heart

The main street in Mountain View is Castro Street, a place that's jam-packed around the lunch hour and in the evening, bringing out a lively crowd who take advantage of the wide range of restaurants, cafes, bars, and boutiques. When the city hosts a festival or an event, this is where

Live Performances

If you enjoy theater, music, and the arts in general, you're in for a treat. The Mountain View Center for Performing Arts features state-of-the-art technology for theater and dance performances year-round. But Shoreline Amphitheatre is where you can often catch those big-name performers in an open-air environment with seats on a grassy lawn or in the stands.

The Weather

If you're moving from a more northern climate where you're used to scraping ice off your windshield in the morning and shoveling snow off the sidewalks, you're not going to have to worry about that here. While it can get warm in the summer, it's not humid, with the average high in July just 81 degrees and there are only 37 days a year with any measurable precipitation. All in all, the climate is mild and you'll be able to enjoy the outdoors pretty much all year-round.