I live in an apartment in Capitola and commute to Silicon Valley once to twice per week. Before interest rates spiked last year I thought about purchasing a home in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where home prices are considerably lower than either in Silicon Valley or along the coast.

Besides the wildfire risk (there was a devastating fire a few years ago), other concerns include:

- Inconveniences due to falling trees in the winter months during heavy storms, such as blocked roads (which could ruin your commute due to few alternatives) and power outages (could be a problem for remote/hybrid workers).

- Earthquakes: the San Andreas fault runs roughly parallel to Highway 35, and the epicenter of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake was in the Santa Cruz Mountains in a place called Loma Prieta. I have a colleague who is a long-time resident of Boulder Creek in Santa Cruz County. When the earthquake struck in 1989, it knocked his house off its foundation.

- Living in the mountains is a different lifestyle from living in a suburban area, and it can be quite a transition for those who never lived in such an environment. For example, consider the consequences of living near animals such as deer and mountain lions.

I ultimately decided against it, but I know people who live in the Santa Cruz Mountains and love it. It depends on how willing you're able to deal with the potential inconveniences and challenges.

It's great if you work at Netflix. Not all of los Gatos is tucked in the mountains either. It's a reasonable commute to the valley and San Jose. But SF is problematic