Best Bay Area Communities for a Family with Two Dads (Oakland: stats, commute)

[Mack Knife]

Lets see, you are in a same sex relationship replete with a kid and you've managed to grow up and know virtually nothing about the SF Bay Area? I mean for decades have you not watched the news, become aware of generally known information and so on?

mod cut
If you don't know about the societal acceptance of same sex relationships in the SF Bay Area, where have you been all this time? This is a serious question. First of all, in the SF Bay Area the more you make a statement about your same sex relationship, the more tedious it becomes. mod cut

[davdaven]

This is the Bay Area and you are looking at established communities, so you should be relatively comfortable in all of them. However, my impression (short of empirical study) is that the East Bay communities of Albany, Alameda, and Piedmont are going to be your best bet. The Peninsula and Marin are more conservative than the Inner East Bay (which historically has been more liberal than San Francisco) but mostly on par with the Outer East Bay (Orinda, Lafayette, etc.). tl;dr I recommend weighing your options based on cost of living, commute, and school choices.

[kttam186290]

Originally Posted by twins4lynn

You'll be fine in any city in the Bay Area.

Not really. I would never recommend two dads living together and raising kids in any of the following Bay Area cities:

- Richmond (high rate of homophobia in the black community there!)
- Pittsburgh (same)
- Antioch (lots of black homophobes and white/redneck/blue collar homophobes)
- Vallejo (see Richmond!)
- Livermore (very redneck/blue collar/homophobic cowboy town)
- Pleasanton/Dublin (lots of white collar/religious conservative yuppies)
- Danville (rednecks with money, you'd probably be OK, but may not be invited to the PTA meetings)
- Fairfield (see Antioch!)
- Martinez (very blue collar!)
- Concord (like a cross between Fairfield and Danville)
- San Ramon (see Danville!)

Good cities for same sex parents (dads) in the Bay Area:

- Santa Cruz
- Alameda
- Piedmont
- Santa Rosa
- Berkeley
- San Francisco
- Half Moon Bay
- Redwood City
- Walnut Creek (that's iffy)
- Hercules
- Corte Madera

[clongirl]

[quote=kttam186290;31835671]Not really. I would never recommend two dads living together and raising kids in any of the following Bay Area cities:

- Richmond (high rate of homophobia in the black community there!)
- Pittsburgh (same)
- Antioch (lots of black homophobes and white/redneck/blue collar homophobes)
- Vallejo (see Richmond!)
- Livermore (very redneck/blue collar/homophobic cowboy town)
- Pleasanton/Dublin (lots of white collar/religious conservative yuppies)
- Danville (rednecks with money, you'd probably be OK, but may not be invited to the PTA meetings)
- Fairfield (see Antioch!)
- Martinez (very blue collar!)
- Concord (like a cross between Fairfield and Danville)
- San Ramon (see Danville!)

Good cities for same sex parents (dads) in the Bay Area:

- Santa Cruz
- Alameda
- Piedmont
- Santa Rosa
- Berkeley
- San Francisco
- Half Moon Bay
- Redwood City
- Walnut Creek (that's iffy)
- Hercules
- Corte Madera[/QUOT

What a crock. I actually know several gay couples and some singles (3 lesbians couples and the other is a gay couple as well as a single gay man) in some of the towns you mentioned (Concord, Danville, and Fairfield...and even a couple you didn't mention---Brentwood and Pleasant Hill). Sounds like you'd be shocked to know that gay people are everywhere. They're all doing well as far as I know...they even own homes in these towns. How odd that you don't even live here yet have an opinion. You don't really know what you're talking about, do you?

[wave9x]

According to city data stats, SF has 3.0% same-sex couple households, Oakland 2.2%, Berkeley 2.1%, Albany 1.7%, Santa Cruz 1.7%, Alameda 1.5%, Redwood City 1.1%, Walnut Creek 1.0%, Mill Valley 0.9%, San Mateo 0.9%, Corte Madera 0.8%, San Ramon 0.8%, Danville 0.6%, Moraga 0.3%. It does appear SF would be best, then inner-East Bay, followed by the Peninsula, then Marin, then outer-East Bay.

[athleticsfan72737489]

Originally Posted by wave9x

According to city data stats, SF has 3.0% same-sex couples households, Oakland 2.2%, Berkeley 2.1%, Albany 1.7%, Santa Cruz 1.7%, Alameda 1.5%, Redwood City 1.1%, Walnut Creek 1.0%, Mill Valley 0.9%, San Mateo 0.9%, Corte Madera 0.8%, San Ramon 0.8%, Danville 0.6%, Moraga 0.3%. It does appear SF would be best, then inner-East Bay, followed by the Peninsula, then Marin, then outer-East Bay.

These stats explain it all. San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley at the top. In Oakland, I see same-sex couples with children literally ALL THE TIME especially on Lakeshore Avenue and in the Dimond District.

I don't agree with people who are saying "any city in the Bay Area is fine." I don't think I would recommend cities with a lot of conservative Asian immigrants like Fremont.

[twins4lynn]

Originally Posted by athleticsfan72737489

I don't think I would recommend cities with a lot of conservative Asian immigrants like Fremont.

I can't speak about Fremont, but in our very Asian city on the peninsula we have same sex families with children attending our schools. Not a lot of families, but they are there. And no problems.

[wave9x]

BTW, I'm gay and have lived in Marin, inner and outer East Bay, and the Peninsula. The only area I felt uncomfortable was outer East Bay. Inner East Bay, Marin, and Peninsula are all fine choices. I would also recommend avoiding cities dominated by conservative immigrants, like Cupertino and Fremont (much of the South Bay TBH).

[04kL4nD]

I'm gay but I don't have any kids. I'd stick to SF, Berkeley, and Oakland if I were you. Any other city and you'll either be the token gay dads or far worse. Personally, I'd rather live in Oakland and suck up the cost for private schools, but that's just me.

[zitsky]

Originally Posted by Mack Knife

Lets see, you are in a same sex relationship replete with a kid and you've managed to grow up and know virtually nothing about the SF Bay Area? I mean for decades have you not watched the news, become aware of generally known information and so on?

mod cut
If you don't know about the societal acceptance of same sex relationships in the SF Bay Area, where have you been all this time? This is a serious question. First of all, in the SF Bay Area the more you make a statement about your same sex relationship, the more tedious it becomes. mod cut

Sounds like they are in the city and looking for another place. Living in San Francisco doesn't make someone an expert on the Peninsula or East Bay. Please don't tell people how to talk about their family. They can decide for themselves.