Is Concord a ghetto? (Richmond, Walnut Creek: appointed, real estate, house)

[sav858]

I moved away in 2001 and every time I go back to Sunvalley I do notice a change, but I wouldn't say it's anymore dangerous than before. There are more minority and "thug looking" type people than there used to be but all the stores are the same basically, so it still seems to cater to the same demographic/income levels. The mall isn't any worse than what I remember growing up, just the people look a little different but I wouldn't say they're ghetto b/c of that. Some just might look that way and I agree with the other poster that said it's the dress code for a fair amount of people here. I've never seen prostitutes anywhere near there, Monument Blvd is the only place I can imagine them hanging out. Many times though there was a homeless person or two hanging out at the NB 680 off ramp or at one of the mall entrances, but it was not that bad or much worse than a lot of other places I've been over CA. Even wealthy places like La Jolla will have homeless people at intersections by freeway off ramps.

Concord is middle to lower middle class with some nicer sections here and there. It's not that bad overall and has a pretty low crime rate overall, lower than other Bay Area suburbs with better reputations. Growing up in Walnut Creek I'll admit we can be snobs and generally looked down on Concord. Outside some dumpy parts in and around Monument Blvd most of Concord is just typical middle class suburbia, nothing to write home about but nothing to be that afraid of either.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

The OP is over the top.

I mean, yeah, there are a few bangers at Sun Valley, but no more than what you'd see at Hillsdale or SF Center. Complete exaggeration by the OP.

[fizbin]

Definitely calling BS on the four hookers hanging on an off ramp in Concord.

[18Montclair]

Another hate-and-run thread by batransplant.

This time talking about 'gangbangers' as if SoCal doesnt have that. LOL...hillarious.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by fizbin

Definitely calling BS on the four hookers hanging on an off ramp in Concord.

total bs.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by batransplant

I guess prostitutes hanging out at freeway exits and gang bangers are acceptable here and not considered ghetto?

No...sorry I've never seen this type of thing in a suburb considered safe for families. Not sure how that is considered trollish. I've been living in city or coastal areas for the past 30 plus years so no I am not familiar with suburbs. I always assumed they were safe places to raise families.

I think it is pretty sad there are so many homeless, thugs, and prostitutes in a community people consider a nice, safe, place to raise a family.

You're talking about Concord California right?

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by jman650

Okay, for starters, a nice, safe place to raise a family is not by the freeway.

Secondly, I have not only never once seen a prostitute hanging out by ANY freeway exit ANYWHERE, but I especially have not seen any in Concord of all places. How were these women supposedly soliciting their potential clients?? Did they have signage displayed so people could know what was going on as they decelerated from 65 mph to 20? Were they posted up on a freeway offramp or did they simply hang out in the shoulder right before the exit?

Your story is ridiculous and your ONE time in Concord doesn't even remotely resemble the 40 or 50 times I've gone there, so forgive me if I'm a bit skeptical, especially considering your tendency to have Twilight Zone-esque tales of life in the Bay Area. Notice how you're not attracting much of a following on here? There are plenty of Bay Area residents that will be quick to agree with accurate negative criticism of how things are here, but your tales just don't mesh with reality.

To help you out here, no, prostitutes and gangsters are not considered acceptable. But teenagers who listen to hip hop and dress in that style the same way kids all across the nation do is considered acceptable. And if you're afraid of what you saw in that mall then I don't know where in this entire nation you wouldn't end up frightened. I'm hesitant to even recommend Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton b/c you might flee with your children in tow from some 12 year old skater with baggy jeans. You sound extremely out of touch with the world, assuming you are actually being serious here and not just TROLLING.

And fyi, not all suburbs are safe. East Palo Alto is technically a suburb, as is Marin City, and both of those would be mentioned in the same breath as any ghetto in deep East Oakland or Hunters Point. Gang members do exist in just about every city in California w/ a population over 10,000 (both in NorCal and in SOCAL ), with the exception of a handful of extremely affluent municipalities (such as Hillborough).

But judging from the microscope you seem to be holding to the Bay coupled with your tendency to blow these things out of proportion, you counted every person who wasn't wearing a polo and tennis shorts with a sweater wrapped around their shoulders as a "gangbanger." If "half of the mall" was filled with actual gangmembers there would have been a riot and we would have heard about it all over the news. Unless of course you're under the impression that Concord has one gigantic, monstrous gang with 10,000 members like what the Discovery Channel wrongfully described Oakland as having (lol), and that every thug in attendance there was on the same side. Otherwise feel free to theorize as to why all these "gang bangers" you saw weren't in the midst of battle.

And no, there are not "so many homeless, thugs, and prostitutes in a community people consider a nice, safe, place to raise a family." This is your own warped perception of the place, just like all your other twisted observations of the East Bay. Its getting old really fast. Concord at worst has a handful of homeless and I have never heard of it being a haven for prostitutes nor have I ever seen any there. Its not even the type of place a hooker could prosper without getting shut down by the cops right away, let alone "so many" of them as you put it. If there are any there at all they are extremely scarce. Have you ever even seen a real prostitute or red light district before? Get a life.

Very well said! I agree completely; if you're going to bash the bay area at least do your homework so you don't look completely retarded.

[Definca]

Concord has a wide bandwidth of areas. You can find bad spots where there are homeless and druggies and you can go to nice areas where you will feel totally safe. Overall crime is lower than many other bay area cities. Concord cops do a pretty good job of lowing the boom on individuals who decide to be bad boys. There are a LOT of families in Concord. Wide scope of incomes and races. Not a bad place but compared to Danville or Lafayette, yes, Concord can seem ghetto. The new Brenden Theater has had some pretty challenging times to make it a "hub" area like Walnut Creek certainly is.
Concord does have quite a large infrastructure however, large industrial / retail areas. You can get anything made, custom made, find deals on any kind of item you need for a house or business, bridal shops and prices that get the rich girls to drive their BMWs to the "concord ghetto" ha ha ha.

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by batransplant

So we decided to get some Christmas shopping done last weekend, and since it was raining, we opted for Concord due to having an indoor shopping center. I have never been there before, and heard mixed things about the area, but figured it just had a few rough spots, probably not near the shopping area.

When we exited the freeway, there were 4 women soliciting themselves at the off ramp! Then as we were driving toward the mall, we passed several able bodied looking young guys begging for change at every intersection.

When we got inside the mall, I would say 1/2 of the people there looked like gang bangers or punks. I actually felt scared since we had our little one with us, and decided to leave due to seeing very little security on the premises.

Is this an area just best avoided?

California is a place where there are upscale and downscale areas. There is a thin red line known as the "middle class" that is ever eroding in the state. In the bay area most cities do not fall on this red line, they are either on one side or the other. There are some such as Brentwood and castro valley that fall slightly on the upscale side, and there are places like concord that are slightly on the downscale.

Back in the late 80s early 90's concord was the edge of the bay area suburbs. To this day that element exists in concord. Very working -middle class in the single family home residential areas.

The problem with concord to me is, while there are many decent middle income areas there are simply too many rentals in the area. Lots of rental scarred ranch homes and bungalows with brown lawns, multiple families in a dwelling, cars parked in the front yard, cheap rv's parked on the side of the road. This is in addition a massive amount of apartments and some trailer parks, many with section 8ers, who can or can not be a problem. It is well known amongst t law enforcement that the only city along the 680 corridor with gang issues is concord.

In addition to this concords schools are really on the down swing. Mt. Diablo High is straight up doing bad, and rates just as low as schools in the lower income east bay communities, Ygnacio Valley is struggling, even Clayton Valley high is not doing so hot.

As far as the mall goes, when you talk to a lot of people from that area they will tell you the mall has been on a downswing for quite some time. They really are just having a hard time competing with more upscale shopping destinations such as walnut creek and pleasant hill.
Some of the malls ghettoism is documented here:
CLAYCORD.com: ANOTHER ROBBERY AT THE SUNVALLEY MALL....

As far as the ghetto nature of shoppers, that is just a part of California culture in general. The ghetto, loserism, druggie, punk, thug mentality is very pervasive here. And because it costs so much to live in an upscale area, middle income people are exposed to it much more, than in other places in the country. As a black male I've seen it in all shapes and sizes, black kids on "scraper bikes" trying to sell me x while I am driving in my car, mexican cholo gang bangers, Bro's who think they are "core" because they have a thousand tattoos and rings and their dad is a wanna be hells angel, wanna be UFC chads, asian gang bangers, and every form of wanna be. I think the most disappointing thing out of all are some of the parents, who can be just as thuggish and ignorant as their children.

Is concord a ghetto to be avoided? In some cases, yes, and depending on your level of tolerance with ghetto, you might want to look else where. As a black man I can honestly say if I had to uproot my family to that area, I would much rather go with a town home in pleasant hill or a home in brentwood (*brentwood schools*) before choosing concord.

[batransplant]

So what do you call 3-4 scantily dressed women literally twirling around the freeway sign post at the off ramp?? I really don't think...as creative as you may think I am...that I could make this up?

Yes...I have seen many prostitutes of all genders, sexual orientations etc. walking the streets, gang bangers hanging on street corners, but in places like east hollywood, East LA, or the mission and parts of SOMA in San Francisco, not suburban communities.

I am unclear why so many people are taking this thread so personally? Again, I find it very sad that the families living in suburban Concord trying to raise their children decently have to be stuck around all these low lifes dragging down this community. I really thought gang bangers and hookers were relegated to inner cities, not suburbs.

I never lived in suburbs before until I moved to the east bay so forgive me if I find the prostitution and thug life here an unexpected tragedy.