An Expat Talks about Living in Palo Alto, California

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

Palo Alto

What activities, clubs and organizations would you recommend to newcomers to help them meet others?

• Sierra Singles is a branch of the Sierra Club. It has hikes every weekend.
• Menlo Park Presbyterian Church is one of the largest churches with many activities for people of all ages.
• Biking clubs are also an excellent way to meet people (check with the local bike store).
• Stanford University has a Continuing Education program for adults with fantastic classes in a broad range of topics.

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In terms of religious, racial, economic and cultural diversity, are the people of this city or town diverse? Are they accepting of differences? Describe.

PA is a wealthy suburb with liberal and accepting people. There are many non-American professionals that live here and work in hi-tech or at Stanford.

What are the main industries in this city? What types of career opportunities commonly exist? How do most people find new jobs?

Hi Tech and Biotech are the two biggest industries. Networking is a great way to find jobs here or job postings on the Internet. Check out Software Development Forum for tech events and networking (www.sdforum.org).

In general, what are peoples' priorities in this city? For example, do lives revolve around work, family, socializing, sports, etc.?

Sports are a big priority here. Many people roadbike, mountain bike, hike, run. This is a family community with a large population of 20-30 year old singles and students.

If a friend of yours was thinking of moving to this city or town from far away, what other advice would you give them.

• Check out Craig’s list (www.craigslist.org) for info on housing, jobs, activities.
• Stanford Lively Arts Series has great cultural performances check out their website.
• Palo Alto Weekly has the best listing of rental apartments.
• Don’t forget that the cost of living here is very high.
• There are great weekend trips from Palo Alto – Carmel, Napa Valley, Yosemite, Big Sur.