Concord, California? (Oakland, Vallejo, Richmond: crime, credit, home)

[Hemlock140]

I grew up in Lafayette and went to DelaSalle. With family still there I go back to visit often. Concord continues to have more crime and other problems than Walnut Creek, Lafayette and Danville, but is still better off than Antioch, Pittsburg and Bay Point.

[ssmaster]

Originally Posted by gswhoopsfan08

I grew up in Concord and went to Clayton Valley High School, graduating in 2008. I've also lived in Fullerton, CA and Boise, ID. Crime in Concord seems to be way worse than in the other two cities I've lived in. Drugs are rampant and there's a lot of gang activity. Concord also has a terrible reputation among people from other Bay Area cities. The bad rap is for a good reason. I honestly been shot at. They weren't aiming for me, but for one of the guys I was hanging out with. It was over ten ounces of weed. I also knew a guy who was recently stabbed and killed because he stepped on a guys sneakers. I will never live in Concord again. Don't where red or blue at night, and NEVER where a red or blue belt, because you run the risk of being jumped by Nortes or Sorrenos. The gang violence in Concord has gotten way out of hand. It seems like the entire Bay Area is going in that direction too. It's very sad considering the Bay Area was, at one time, a great place to live. It's gotten pathetic honestly. The average IQ in Concord must be well below 100. People are just straight stupid.

you hang out with drug dealers you get shot at.
that happens everywhere

[mileena]

Concord = ghetto. End of story. Anybody else is lying.

No More Section 8 in Antioch!!! | ContraCostaTimes.com Forums (http://forums.contracostatimes.com/topic/no-more-section-8-in-antioch - broken link)

"The Contra Costa Housing Authority broke down its distribution of vouchers by city and unincorporated communities in December 2007. Richmond and Pittsburg operate separate housing authorities.

Keep in mind these numbers are from 4 years ago!

Antioch: 1,499
Concord: 1,137
San Pablo: 815
Bay Point: 391
Brentwood: 319
Martinez: 307
Walnut Creek: 295
Hercules: 245
Oakley: 218
Pinole: 215
El Sobrante: 198
Pleasant Hill: 194
Rodeo: 125
San Ramon: 94
El Cerrito: 69
Lafayette: 47
Richmond: 26
Crockett: 25
North Richmond: 23
Discovery Bay: 17
Danville: 13
Pacheco: 13
Byron: 8
Moraga: 4
Alamo: 3
Bethel Island: 3
Clayton: 3
Clyde: 2
Kensington: 1
Knightsen: 1
Pittsburg: 1
Port Costa: 1"

The fact that 1,137 Section 8 resident are from Concord, almost the same as Antioch, should tell you something.

BTW, although I do not received Section 8 since the waiting list is closed, I am eligible for Section 8 since I am disabled and received SSDI, Medicare, Medi-Cal, and SNAP benefits (food stamps). I am from nearby Pleasant Hill.

[Hemlock140]

That data is useless without the corresponding overall population numbers.

Also, the assumption that section 8 = ghetto may be common, but not always true. Around here all new developments must set aside a certain number of homes for low income, even in an area with median income $150,000 and average home $675,000.

[ImRandy]

2010 Population

Antioch ~102K
Concord ~122K

[tstieber]

Originally Posted by mileena

Concord = ghetto. End of story. Anybody else is lying.

The fact that 1,137 Section 8 resident are from Concord, almost the same as Antioch, should tell you something.

THat's fewer than ONE percent of the city's population. So more than 99 percent of people are not on Section 8. Again, it's a neighborhood thing.

The nicest area in Concord (IMO) is Crystyl Ranch. I googled it and found a video that shows it really well. It does belong to a realtor, so I'm kind of giving him a plug I guess, but I have no idea who he is, and he isn't me. He may be great, or he may suck. The video is the best way to showcase the nicer areas of Concord. Videos.com: Crystyl Ranch Homes & Real Estate- Concord, Ca ~ Concord 30

Also, Todos Santos Plaza is a nice place to hang out on a warm summer's night, get dinner, grab coffee, etc., and the Willows is a decent shopping center that's safe and has quality tenants. Waterworld USA is a nice and safe park too. But yes, there are bad areas in Concord. You just can't paint an entire city by that.

[Suebruce]

Looking to move closer to job in Berkely. Concord seems affordable. We will rent for a couple years. Is it out of the question to find a house with a yard under $1700? Seen some on the net, but am unfamiliar
With the areas. Any help from locals would be cool

[BayAreaHillbilly]

The classic stereotype of Concord was of a WT town with a sprinkling of gang bangers. Obviously that is vastly oversimplified. I suppose compared with Lafayette and WC it comes off as a pit. But I have seen far, far worse, even in some of the nasty hoods here on the Peninsula.

[Nella925]

lol, I don't get why concord is considered ghetto? Its the biggest city in the CCCounty...so of course it is going to have more 'problems' than the smaller cities...but that does not make it a bad place to live. I don't understand why people on here talk so negatively about Concord...

There's more nice areas than bad...

[ImRandy]

Originally Posted by Nella925

I don't understand why people on here talk so negatively about Concord...

It's all relative but take for example the crime statistics for Concord (where I live now) and compare it to the similarly sized city of Thousand Oaks (where I used to live). Which would you consider more "ghetto"?