I want to live someplace I can get around by bicycle. Perhaps that's technically possible in, say, mountain view, but mountain view isn't really a town unto itself, but a suburb or exurb or something. For all practical purposes, all those peninsula towns are part of a big, urban area that stretches from SF to San Jose. I agree that it would be good in a lot of other ways, and it's a tough decision, but in terms of livability I get sick of it every time I'm there, and I'm unenthusiastic about trying to raise a child there.
i get around on a bicycle in mountain view, palo alto, and the other towns around here. you just need to figure out the bike routes.
Yeah, Palo Alto and Stanford are very bike friendly and very expensive :/ I got around for most of my first year on bike.