Concord, California (Oakland, Antioch, Walnut Creek: HOA fees, sex offenders, crime)

[Nursegirl62]

I saw two homes today. One in Brentwood and one in Concord. The one in Brentwood is the perfect house and the one in Concord is a better location. I don't mind moving to Concord, but I am concerned about the crime rate. I did a search and it did not remark on theft, assault or murder, but there were 14 sex offenders in the area and YOU SHOULD see their photos. Help!!! Does anyone know about Concord, California? Thank you

[ttocs99]

Hi Nursegirl62, and welcome,


Like neighborhoods all across America, there are nice parts of Concord, and bad parts. For instance, I went to Oakland this weekend for a wedding, and though the word "Oakland" brings up thoughts of gangs, drugs and murder, those who know better, know there are some great parts of Oakland. Some of Concord is absolutely beautiful, and some of it is very dangerous. Since I'm not an expert on Concord, I'd defer to the experts. Best of Luck !

[stateofgreen]

New here.
So are there any experts on Concord? I'm wondering about the safer places too....of course I would drive to see how potential neighborhood is at night...but not sure of that either. By the way, the classification on this site is a misnomer...should be a section for Contra Costa County as Concord really isn't in S.F. County. I was considering Clayton, but there are HOA fees in the place I liked that were $325 a month....and I want control of the exterior of my potential home, even though it was a pretty nice neighborhood. Edit: Should add, am single female with no kids. Don't care about restaurants or schools, just a relatively safe area to call home and not too near freeway. Native Northern Californian. Unfortunately limited in budget to $250,000 and under. Would like in general, the "safer" areas of Concord pointed out. Did drive around the part near Walnut Creek so I would guess that part is a bit "safer" whatever that means nowadays.

[Hemlock140]

I did go to high school there (DeLaSalle) but that was a while back, and since returning on occasion it seems to have gone downhill some. Generally any area of CA where the home prices are $250k or under is not going to be in what most people would consider a safe area. The worst parts of Concord are still not that bad, however. My uncle is still there on Arleda lane where the homes are showing their age and prices are close to that, but has not had any crime problems.

[theh]

Concord really isn't that bad. It's kind of boring(ish), yes, but dangerous and scary? No, not really. Some neighborhoods are ugly. Most of it is fine though. I don't think it deserves the bad rep it sometimes gets on these boards. Not every town can be Walnut Creek.

[theh]

I would also recommend checking out Hercules and Martinez.

[kenrobin]

There are definitely some nice areas in Concord. My understanding is that being close to the downtown area is not the best for safety. I just moved to Clayton and I absolutely love it!

[mayorhaggar]

Originally Posted by stateofgreen

New here.
Concord really isn't in S.F. County.

You think?

[magnru]

Concord is a relatively safe city to live in. Most neighborhoods in Concord are quiet. BART also runs through Concord. Brentwood is a much newer developed area with larger houses and shopping centers. Brentwood is warmer in the summer 3-10 degrees and a little cooler in winter which makes sense since it's 25 miles further east. Commuting Brentwood to the Greater Bay Area involves a trip on HWY 4(one of the worst commutes in the Bay Area). You will pay for convenience living in Concord. It's closer to Oakland and SF therefore it is more expensive and the homes seem to be smaller. The school districts are comparable. If you want a better school district you have to move to Walnut Creek, Orinda, Moraga, Alamo, or Danville. I have lived on the Antioch-Brentwood border 15 years and on the Walnut Creek Concord Border the last 5. I like the Concord side of willow pass much better.

[stateofgreen]

How is the Concord BART station (not the North Concord one, the regular Concord one on Oakland Avenue)? Is that a pretty safe station? Would parking be bad there? Did drive past it this weekend. Was going to do a real-time test commute from there into downtown S.F.