Bad Neighborhoods in Concord and/or Vallejo? (Richmond, Walnut Creek: middle-class, best town)

[bvhp415]

I am thinking about moving to Concord or Vallejo, but I don't know which neighborhoods are good or bad. I'm looking for homes under $250K, so I am expecting many of these homes to be in bad areas, but I can't tell by looking at the homes online (ziprealty.com).

If I move to Concord I would like to live near the BART Station, so that I can have an easy commute (I don't have a car). I'm curious if the areas near the BART Stations in Concord are bad or not.

If I get a car then I will seriously consider Vallejo. But like Concord I don't know which areas to avoid living.

It would be great if ppl could give me neighborhoods/areas, and zip codes of the areas that I should avoid. The zip codes would really help since I can't tell which area I'm looking at just based on the address.

Much appreciated for all who help.

[skywalker400]

If your looking at the areas near BART in Concord, you're probably seeing places on or near Laguna, Detroit, Ellis and so on. This area to the west is mostly apts and condos and has a large latino immigrant population. I wouldnt categorize it as a bad area, it just holds a more transient, working class population and isn't comparable to say Dtwn Walnut Creek. While you would have close proximity to Downtown Concord and other shopping centers, I would prefer to have a car. Im not all too knowlegable about Vallejo, from what I heard its a mixed bag with quiet suburban areas, a quaint downtown, yet also holds onto to some roughest neighborhoods in the bay area. good luck.

[bvhp415]

Originally Posted by skywalker400

If your looking at the areas near BART in Concord, you're probably seeing places on or near Laguna, Detroit, Ellis and so on. This area to the west is mostly apts and condos and has a large latino immigrant population. I wouldnt categorize it as a bad area, it just holds a more transient, working class population

That's good to hear. Living around a large Latino immigrant population doesn't sound like it should be a dangerous area to live in.

[calnative44]

If you are hispanic this might be an OK area, otherwise, check the homes around the Concord Bart station or North Concord Bart station. Drive through on the weekend and see if the ppl look OK to you. There are too many variables to suggest a location for you without knowing your demographics, how long you want to stay in the area, have high school age kids, etc....

[bvhp415]

Originally Posted by calnative44

If you are hispanic this might be an OK area, otherwise, check the homes around the Concord Bart station or North Concord Bart station. Drive through on the weekend and see if the ppl look OK to you. There are too many variables to suggest a location for you without knowing your demographics, how long you want to stay in the area, have high school age kids, etc....

I'm not concerned about anything except for safety, and transportation.

But if it'd help you to know more about me here you go: I'm black, 25 y/o, have a wife, no kids, plan on living there for a minimum of 5 to 10 yrs, grew up in Hunters Point in SF (lived there from age 4 to 24), now renting a place in Richmond for $800, just blocks away from the BART station (I'm east of the BART station, not in a bad area).

I'm definitely gonna drive through Concord and Vallejo before I make a real decision, just want to get an idea of what to expect living there.

Appreciate the help.

[Alisande]

Originally Posted by bvhp415

I am thinking about moving to Concord or Vallejo, but I don't know which neighborhoods are good or bad. I'm looking for homes under $250K, so I am expecting many of these homes to be in bad areas, but I can't tell by looking at the homes online (ziprealty.com).

If I move to Concord I would like to live near the BART Station, so that I can have an easy commute (I don't have a car). I'm curious if the areas near the BART Stations in Concord are bad or not.

If I get a car then I will seriously consider Vallejo. But like Concord I don't know which areas to avoid living.

It would be great if ppl could give me neighborhoods/areas, and zip codes of the areas that I should avoid. The zip codes would really help since I can't tell which area I'm looking at just based on the address.

Much appreciated for all who help.

You'll need a car. I wouldn't consider Vallejo at all. Concord has a few semi-good areas but if you have school age children neither of those cities are good for them.

[gandude]

Hi,

If you have been in HP most of your life, I would consider looking at the new homes Lenar is building there. 1st time and low income buyers will be 30% of the sales. As for Concord, this city meets your criteria. Good transportation and is a safe place to live. If you move here, I welcome you!

[MPerez707]

I would not recommend moving to vallejo for many reasons. for one the city is going bankrupt and home values are dropping and if you move here and you dont like it than you'll have to sell for less than you bought. the streets are in bad condition and the tap water has high amounts of radon. the public schools are some of the worst in the state and there is a rising graffiti issue. Vallejo has a history of crime and was once the murder capital of the nation, it is still facing crime issues and the budget cuts are making the police force fire many of their top cops. economist have said that eventually vallejo will find itself back to being comparable to richmond or east L.A as it was back in the late 80's and early 90's. also vallejo has a one of the highest pedestrian/vehicle accident rates and also one of the highest auto theft rates in the nation (F.B.I crime database). concord is much better will many more opportunities than vallejo. if me and my family could we'd move to concord ASAP.

[DjRey]

I think Concord would be a better choice.Vallejo aint that great,people seem really cool though.American Canyon is better than Vallejo in my opinoin.But,If you find a deal you cant pass up,roll with it.

[N CA]

Alisande,

Do you live in Concord? I do. I have four children. There are several very nice communities in Concord. Crystyl Ranch and Montecito are newer developments. Both attend high-quality Concord elementary and middle schools. Crystyl Ranch attends Northgate (a Walnut Creek high school) and Montecito attends Concord schools.

Three 'middle-aged' communities, Limeridge and The Crossings, attend Walnut Creek schools (except the Crossings attends a Concord elementary school). Turtle Creek is another highly-regarded middle-class community, and it attends Concord schools.

There are also several neighborhoods, Kirkland, Dana Hills, and the neighborhood with the States Streets that are very nice. These are all along Ygnacio Valley Road.

If I were to make a recommendation, I would look into Live Oak, which is a town home development right behind The Crossings. If I could live with a town home, I'd look there. It's probably one of the best town home communities in the city.