I lived in Mountain View and Sunnyvale for 14 years, but left in 2000 when I felt the the area between Palo Alto and Santa Clara changing for the worse.
My friends and I used to hike in Redwoods State Park, The Pinnacles, and thought nothing of driving to Monterey for Sunday dinner.
A few people here on FR have told me that Monterey still largely retains it’s old character, just more crowded.