Almost all of the cities where search traffic increased 50 percent or more are in California or Florida. Which could indicate that a lot of buyers who hope to get steals in places where home prices are under (downward) pressure are keeping an eye on the market

Home buying is down and many of us have certainly noticed the abundance of houses on the market for months– something not only apparent by the length of time in real estate databases, but also by their accompanying brown lawns. While the financial crisis and constant coverage of sub-prime lending problems are the second most talked about topic these days, many of us might be lost in the wall of terms and information flooding our brains.

Have you actively searched for the value of houses in your neighborhood? Are you looking for investments or are you curious how low a neighborhood home’s asking price has fallen? Or do you know of people from out of state looking for a great deal in our fair valley?

Leave a comment below!

The question asked of the Times ‘Red Phone’ column is, “Why not Whole Foods?” Whole Foods is a good, healthy (and social) fit for this town. Forget that Wal-Mart claims to be bringing a more ‘upscale’ version of its store. There’s still quite a cultural gap between Wal-Mart and Whole Foods Market.

So, why not Whole Foods?

The answer is depressing and complicated.

The explanation from the Times explains the desire of Whole Foods to be here, and much of that is determined by demographic and psychographic profiles. The math involved points to about 50,000 people within a five mile radius of the market, but that’s not good enough– Whole Foods may want that density in a one mile radius.

This is complicated because of the vast amount of open space and farmland in the area.

Trade Joe’s encountered the same situation, being begged to come here. Eventually, TJ’s did make it, and is located right off of US-101 on Dunne Avenue.

So, for all the restrictions on growth to preserve a natural environment, the return is that to sustain some business and income is by bringing in yet another big box retailer. On the other hand, when Morgan Hill turned down the type of retail presence now dominated by Gilroy to the south, all the tax dollars went–guess where?– not here. Most of the time, to get any real shopping done, I find myself driving either 12 miles south to Gilroy, or 12 miles north to south San Jose.

A perplexing situation?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

photo under creative commons license, That Other Paper

In 1984, I was 12 years old, and clearly remember the opening of the Santa Teresa library–a bright, shiny facility located on International Circle, by the Kaiser Santa Teresa Hospital. Covering nearly 14,000 sq ft., it was the haven for working on many school projects. It was a surprise for me to see the library being torn down, before I had a chance to dig up some facts about the demolition.

The $13.6 million dollar Santa Teresa Library reconstruction project began with the its closing in late 2007, with demolition beginning in March of this year. The expected opening date for the new facility is June of 2009. The Branch Library Bond Measure, of which Santa Teresa is the 15th project, was approved by voters in 2000, which provides $212 million dollars over 10 years for new and upgraded libraries in San Jose. This new library is designed by STUDIOS Architecture in San Francisco, and is managed by BRCO Constructors of Loomis, CA.

Notable changes to the new library which, will be built on the same spot on International Circle, include an increase of computers from 13 to 33-40; seating increased from 48 to 122-156; group study and storytelling areas (previously lacking in the old library) ranging from 20-39 seats; and an increase in parking of roughly 20 more spaces. source: SJLibrary.org

More pictures of the demolition (click to zoom):

images: Eric Rice, Microsoft Virtual Earth, Google Maps, STUDIOS Architecture

“About 5 years ago, I decided to pursue [photography] a little more seriously. Now I can hardly look at anything without thinking in terms of light and composition.”

Since her retirement in 2005, Susan has combined her recent involvement in community activities and love of photography, by shooting local events such as the grand opening of the new city library, Puzzle Day, and the Math Mardi Gras.

On why she decided to create a local club, Susan noted, “I am always looking to meet more people in Morgan Hill and I thought that a shared interest in photography could be the basis for creating new friendships.”

Morgan Hill, a bedroom community of approximately 35,000 people, rests at the southern edge of Silicon Valley and is home to a variety of high-tech companies and abundant open spaces. This growing community is known for its yearly Mushroom Mardi Gras, The Poppy Jasper Film Festival, as well as being one of the premier cycling destinations (Morgan Hill is home to Specialized Bicycles) in Santa Clara County.

Having outgrown the bookstore’s cafe, the next gathering of the MH Photography Club will be held at the Morgan Hill Community Recreation Center (171 Edmundson) on May 7th at 7pm. All levels are welcome to share and learn.

Of course, what exactly should you do if you find an animal which you’ve determined is safe and friendly? The flyer-on-the-pole is one approach, yet there are other ways to report a lost or found pet.

1. Call your local Animal Control (the police or sheriff can redirect you) to file a found (or lost) animal report. This never initially occurred to us as we have the thought that Animal Control = Impound and Put Down. You’ll learn about jurisdictions when you call. When we called Morgan Hill Police, they first had to determine if we were in city limits or unincorporated Santa Clara County, so they could properly route our call. (Anyone who lives in those old areas near Westfield Valley Fair are technically not in San Jose, but Santa Clara County, and the same applies to parts of the South Valley).

As an aside, pets found in Morgan Hill are not necessarily able to be taken to the San Martin animal shelter, but San Jose instead. San Martin is for animals found in unincorporated areas around town. San Martin still took the report since logic would dictate that they might be the first place people would call due to its proximity.

2. Have the animal scanned by law enforcement or a vet. Many pets have a microchip implanted in their back or neck which has a serial number, which can assist in the recovery and identification of a missing pet. Unfortunately, this Basset had no chip.

3. If you are lucky enough to live near a pet groomer (we have two), take the animal in (or take a picture of it)…never know who might have a thing for a certain type of animal (I notice Dachshunds as a rule, and who is walking them).

4. Flyers and Craigslist might work, although Flyers tend to be immediate and on-the-spot.

5. See if there is a local club if you find a dog that has a clear breed association. We could tell this was a pure-bred and started looking up local dog clubs for the breed.

We were informed that technically and legally, if you maintain shelter and possession of an animal for five days, and you have taken steps to find the owner, the animal becomes yours.

After four days of caring for her (and dealing with her new found status of being ‘in-season’, heh), we were able to track down the owners by way of an e-mail address from a Mercury News web listing, which we traced to the owners’ MySpace page, something we didn’t quite expect to be the final outcome.

It was sad to see her go, as we (and our neighbors and their kids), began to consider what would happen next. Would we keep her? Would our neighbors keep her? Would we contact a local Basset club to find her a home?

Her name? Daisy. We miss her a little, but we’re happy she’s home.

There’s a fine line between of hyperactive visibility and importance, and casual, comfortable obscurity–San Jose seems to sit right on that line: above average and oh-so very Californian. Functional. Smart. Comfortable. Diverse. An epicenter of technology, past, present and future. Casual living without too many big-city pressures. And yet, somewhat obscure enough that the little things get us excited.

If you’re like me, then you might have applauded a little bit when that big-rig car carrier was launching cars all over Highway 87 under the 280 overpass, while our new Light Rail system whizzed by in the background in the 1990 flick The Rookie, starring Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen. Maybe not the best movie, sure, but hey! That’s our city! And just the other day, I discovered a track from Bay Area hip-hop artist E-Money, who mentions San Jose by name in the track Skrillacon Valley. Our city!

I grew up in Blossom Valley, which is close enough to the South Valley to catch a slight morning whiff of garlic, yet far enough away to avoid the evening aromas of the mushroom farms– and let me tell you, living in Morgan Hill, the Mushroom Hour causes most nostrils in the immediate area to scream out in abject horror. Nothing is worse than a screaming nostril., trust me.

Every morning I could walk outside and see Lick Observatory on top of Mount Hamilton to the east, and the square box perched atop of Mount Umunhum to the west. These are just a couple memories that fill my head when I remember my hometown.

Over the next few weeks, as I get settled into my new digs here at Metroblogging San Jose, I think I’m going to dig through my garage to find that report on San Jose that I did in fifth grade. The one about the place I loved then and the place I love now. The one about San Jose. El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe. The capital of Silicon Valley.

The place we call home.