New job in Fremont and Dublin, considering living in Pleasanton/Danville area. Bad idea? (San Jose: 2015)

[Mamabear1NYT]

Hello!

We are moving to the Bay Area for my husband's new job and would like to ask for your advice! He will be working approximately half the week in Fremont and the other half in Dublin and we are getting mixed recommendations on where to live. We are considering Pleasanton or maybe as far as Danville (for better housing values, better schools, crime rates, etc than Fremont area) but we hear that the 680 commute to Fremont is terrible! We do own an electric car so my husband can use the HOV lanes but do the HOV lanes make a big difference or are they just as backed up as any other lane during peak hours? It would be great to hear from someone who actually lives in Pleasanton/Dublin area and works in or around Fremont or knows someone who does. What is your daily commute like? Is it consistently under or over an hour each way?

We will most likely rent first, then buy a home in the future. We're also currently open to finding housing in Milpitas or anywhere in the South Bay/Peninsula if the Pleasanton commute is really that bad but our housing options will not be that great on that side of the bay due to higher cost

(I am aware that someone has already asked about the Pleasanton-to-Fremont commute in 2015, but things can drastically change over 4 yrs and I'd really like to know your updated opinions/experiences. Plus, that thread focused more on the Pleasanton-to-South Bay drive more than Fremont

We would appreciate your honest opinion and any suggestions that you think might be helpful for our growing family (expecting our first-born any day now!).

Thank you very much!!!

[roadwarrior101]

I live in Danville and think its a great community to live in and raise a family. The days your husband commutes to Dublin will be a breeze (20 minute commute - tops). Fremont will be more of a challenge. In my experience, if you can get out the door really early (like 6:30am), the commute won't be too bad. On the other hand, the afternoon will be slow on 680 all the way from Mission Blvd to the Livermore turnoff. Wouldn't be uncommon for the commute to be well over an hour and it starts getting bad around 2pm, so you can't avoid it.

However, if its only a couple days per week in Fremont, its probably worth bearing the commute. I think Danville is a much better community than Fremont, even though the schools are great in both areas. If you wanted to live in Pleasanton, it would be marginally closer to Fremont, but not enough to make a huge difference. While Pleasanton is nice, Danville is generally nicer. Good luck!

[Ruth4Truth]

Well, there might be something to be said for the fact that if you lived in Fremont, and commuted out to Dublin, it would be a reverse commute to the main flow of traffic, and therefore easier. I don't know if weather is an issue for you, but Fremont has cooler summer weather, too. However, if your budget favors Danville and Pleasanton, that may be the deciding factor. Pleasanton is close to Dublin, and closer to Fremont than Danville is. You could look in Castro Valley in-between Fremont & Dublin to check, affordability-wise, as well.

[Mamabear1NYT]

Thank you very much for your replies!! Your suggestions/information help tremendously!

Do either of you or anyone else out there know if the HOV lanes are any faster on the 680?

Thank you!!

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by Mamabear1NYT

Thank you very much for your replies!! Your suggestions/information help tremendously!

Do either of you or anyone else out there know if the HOV lanes are any faster on the 680?

Thank you!!

Probably a bit faster, but that would be an expensive way to commute on a daily basis. Lots of companies in the valley have shuttles which use them as well. If your husband's company has a shuttle program, I would highly recommend he uses that. Its far less stressful than driving daily and you can be more productive with email/conference calls or even rest while commuting. In addition, you don't have to pay for this.

[KNPV PSD]

The answer to the HOV question is that they definitely help, but the express lanes on 680 are not as helpful because they can fill up with people willing to pay the $$$ to use the lane. The heavier the traffic the worse the problem...


My wife commutes 680 Pleasanton to N. San Jose in an EV and it takes about an hour. She says going to Fremont should be 35-45 minutes with a little extra time when coming back N/B due to no HOV lanes yet. They are currently installing the N/B express lanes though.

[justinbro2002]

If you lived in Fremont you would avoid heavy traffic going to Dublin.

[davdaven]

I would move to Fremont rather than Dublin for an easier commute and more mild weather. As for the schools in Danville, they're good because rich kids buy extracurricular coursework to boost their grades. Personally, I'd rather send my kids to more normal schools.