newbie Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 TIA:bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny Piaaree Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 I live near Oakland, and travel a lot through Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Can you be more specific about what you are looking for? How far are you willing to be from Oakland? Renting or buying? Is price an issue? Are you looking for urban, suburban or country living? Do you prefer newer tract housing or older neighborhoods with more charm? Your dds are teens - will you be homeschooling through high school, or will your school district be important? Sorry not to answer directly - it's just that there are so many options! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 I lived in Concord, Contra Costa County for a few years about 10 years ago. Loved it. It's expensive, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alenee Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Ummm, anywhere? :lol: I grew up in the Bay Area and hated Oakland. How about Livermore, Mountain House, or Tracy??? Livermore has really blossomed over the years with a revitalized Main street, performing arts theater, vineyards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Can you be more specific about what you are looking for? Sorry not to answer directly - it's just that there are so many options! :iagree: It's hard to give suggestions when we don't know what kinds of things you are looking for in a neighborhood. We just moved to the East Bay and one of our major criteria was that it had to be a reasonable commute on BART to S.F. We also wanted to stay away from the Hayward Fault as that's the one that has the highest risk at the moment for a major quake. So we wound up buying in Central Contra Costa County. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted March 25, 2010 Author Share Posted March 25, 2010 Sorry, I wanted city living, good for walking to everything. Either something w/bayview or victorian charm. Just a rental. Need to be w/in 30 min drive from Oakland. Needs to be super safe. Public trans. is not an issue and hsing is not an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Off the top of my head, I'd say check out Emeryville but stay away from the area near San Pablo Ave. There are some really nice recently built condos along the Bay and you can probably rent them for a fairly reasonable price at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlygirlzx2 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 How about Napa? I lived there for a short time and it was really nice. We also lived in Fairfield but I wouldn't suggest it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Sorry, I wanted city living, good for walking to everything. Either something w/bayview or victorian charm. Just a rental. Need to be w/in 30 min drive from Oakland. Needs to be super safe. Public trans. is not an issue and hsing is not an issue. City living as in "culture"? Then I'd look or a place in North Berkeley in the "Gourmet Ghetto." In walking distance of the original Peet's Coffee, the Cheese Board (one of the best cheese shops ever) and Chez Pannise. A walking distance from Cal. Butthere are many (many) nice areas in the East Bay. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane in CO Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Albany is very nice....close access to Berkely and Oakland but there is definitely a smaller town feel to it. We lived there about 12 years ago and I miss it. Diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieB Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Is whereever you need to communte to in Oakland near the BART system? If so, I'd check San Francisco. You wouldn't even need a car then. It can be expensive, but there are parts that are cheaper....it's safe, it's got more culture than you can do in a lifetime, getting around is uber-easy without a car (in fact if you won't live without a car don't do SF, as a parking space is sometime more costly than an apartment!). When you do need a car because you're leaving the Bay Area you rent it for the day or weekend you want it. If SF isn't for you....try going south from Oakland down the 17/Nimitz to Castro Valley, San Leandro, Hayward, Union City, Fremont, Newark....they're all bedroom communities, a reasonable commute to Oakland via car or BART.....not so much a bay view, but you'll pay through the nose for that anywhere. El Cerrito has some good places....Berkeley is a college town so rents can be relatively cheap if you can handle the college atmosphere. Into Contra Costa (Concord, Walnut Creek, Lafayette, etc) is going to be safe but more expensive, and no bay view. Someone else mentioned Emeryville....be sure to ask around about different neighborhoods as that town has a lot of bad pockets. In the good parts, it's great. Also check out the Oakland Hills.....gorgeous houses, away from Oakland proper it's relatively safe. We lived on Sunnyhills for a couple years and it was safe enough that people let their kids play in the front yards. Livermore is a bit further than a 30 minute commute and Tracy is double that. Because DH was career military we have lived in a lot of different places....somehow the SF Bay Area is where I always think of "home". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane in CO Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 City living as in "culture"? Then I'd look or a place in North Berkeley in the "Gourmet Ghetto." In walking distance of the original Peet's Coffee, the Cheese Board (one of the best cheese shops ever) and Chez Pannise. A walking distance from Cal. Butthere are many (many) nice areas in the East Bay. Bill We had friends that used to live in that area and it was very beautiful! Lots of good food, beautiful streets to walk down and the smell of Jasmine wherever you went. Diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 We lived in Fremont for awhile. Nice area! It had lots of bike paths and beautiful areas to walk and bike. We REALLY missed that when we came up here! There's Union City, which is closer to the Bay. Hayward also. Before dh and I got married, I lived in Union City. But see, that was over 22 years ago, so I am not sure what it's like there now. We moved from Fremont about 20 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Commuting up the East Bay by car can be a nightmare. It is frequently bad even during the middle part of the day. I wouldn't go any further south than the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge if you want to keep to within a half-hour of Oakland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny Piaaree Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I agree that Berkeley and Albany might be good to check out. You might also give a look at Walnut Creek. It has grown into a nice city in its own right, but it is not on the Bay. It's within 30 min. from Oakland. It's very safe, and offhand I can't even think of any bad neighborhoods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Rodeo---you can have a bay view for a reasonable price(CA reasonable). You can walk depending on where you live. There will be no culture unless you love watching kids play baseball! I second going for SF for everything you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbmom Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I agree with Berkeley (the Gourmet Ghetto is really fabulous-a meal at Saul's followed by a trip to the cheeseboard is my idea of a great morning/afternoon) Walnut Creek or Emeryville if you want city living within 30 minutes of Oakland. Technically, San Francisco fits the bill too, but the nice areas are pretty pricey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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