Are there still nice places to live in the SF Bay Area for $500K? With good air quality, quality of life.

[timrogers]

Not exactly sure about air quality, but peaceful neighborhoods with good schools and still close to BART and with houses occasionally sold for ~$500,000 are Martinez, Pacheco and some parts of Concord (Concord / Clayton border). In particular Pacheco and Martinez near Pleasant Hill border are conveniently located with great infrastructure. We live in this area since three years and commute to Berkeley on a daily basis (by car).

[Perma Bear]

Originally Posted by silverkris

Well, maybe in the fifties and early sixties there were a lot of places that wouldn't rent or sell to Asians, due to restrictive covenants. These gradually went away with the Mumford Act which outlawed discrimination in housing, though there were still blatantly racist places like San Leandro where the government, real estate agencies, and businessese all worked to discourage black people from moving there. Radio personality and entertainer Brian Copeland talks about his experiences of being among the first black families to move to San Leandro (where he still lives) in Not a Genuine Black Man

Well there are lots of Chinese moneyed folks who have bought places in Atherton recently, so you can work and live there. Willie Mays, the famous Giants baseball superstar, still lives there. It just takes a lot of money - nobody cares what color you are, as long as you bring enough green to live there!

Enough green could also let you bribe racist covenants.

[SFBayBoomer]

Originally Posted by silverkris

Well, maybe in the fifties and early sixties there were a lot of places that wouldn't rent or sell to Asians, due to restrictive covenants.

Asians, primarily Japanese Americans, have lived in San Leandro as homeowners for many decades, at least back to the early 1950's.