Need advice! Orinda vs. Alamo, Danville (living, dating, locations)

[aslowdodge]

Totally agree with sav858.
I am partial to Danville myself, but it's really splitting hairs, But if commuting to SF I think the Bart option in Lamorinda would make a big differentce.

[kristin1]

sav858 and aslowdodge - Thanks for your advice. Lamorinda does seem to be the way to go for a good commute, but the prices, ouch! We will be renting at first, and hope that we can possibly find a fixer-upper for around 800K in a few years time. Glad to hear about the school system, that really is the most important thing.

Any info on Pleasanton? I'm guessing the comute would be simialr to that of Walnut Creek? We've heard good things about that area. Schools?

Bellalunatic - Thanks for the link!

[N CA]

Alamo attends schools in both San Ramon Valley and Walnut Creek/Acalanes districts. There is an Alamo area near Tice Valley that attends Walnut Creek Acalanes.

Also, there is an ares of South Walnut Creek that attends Lafayette and Acalanes districts.

There is an incorporation drive in Alamo right now which may affect the school districts.

[SFworker]

I can reach the SF Financial District in 19 mins when I drive from our home in Orinda. This means leaving before 6:45 am. On other mornings, the Orinda BART station is easy to use--and quick. The proximity of Orinda to San Fransicso is ideal: City access, top schools that remain exceptional despite budgetary changes in Sacramento (We have a heavily-endowed private fund that we use exclusively for the eduation of our children, and that we manage carefully.)

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by kristin1

sav858 and aslowdodge - Thanks for your advice. Lamorinda does seem to be the way to go for a good commute, but the prices, ouch! We will be renting at first, and hope that we can possibly find a fixer-upper for around 800K in a few years time. Glad to hear about the school system, that really is the most important thing.

Any info on Pleasanton? I'm guessing the comute would be simialr to that of Walnut Creek? We've heard good things about that area. Schools?

Bellalunatic - Thanks for the link!

This is probably too late, but Pleasanton is a great place. Very good schools. As a matter of fact I was talking to a mother who was president of the PTA in Danville and she thought Pleasanton's school system was better than Danville.
Pleasanton does have Bart Station. Pleasanton is very clean and very little crime and very family oriented. Has a cute downtown too. For $800k you can get a 1800 to 2400 sq foot home that doesn't need to be fixed up. Home price are lower that Lamorinda.

Hope this helps if you are still looking.

[18Montclair]

The Sleepy Hollow area of Orinda is very nice and Orinda definitely tops Alamo-Danville as far as public schools. Orinda Schools are darn near incomparable.

[18Montclair]

Speaking of which,
since your talking about working in Redwood City, Fremont also has some top notch school and is much closer to Redwood City. I wouldnt kill myself trying to live near good schools in Orinda when Fremont also has excellent schools-and is much more diverse and has a much broader housing stock to choose from.

[18Montclair]

Now that I think about it, if you look at the East Bay vs SF, San Mateo and Marin, The East Bay has many more top scoring schools both in sheer number and percentage. Considering how much wealthier the West Bay is, I wonder why that is?

[clongirl]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

Now that I think about it, if you look at the East Bay vs SF, San Mateo and Marin, The East Bay has many more top scoring schools both in sheer number and percentage. Considering how much wealthier the West Bay is, I wonder why that is?

I'm guessing that it's more affordable for families. When my husband and I were checking out places like Burlingame, we noticed that there seemed to be far more singles than families. Also, buying a three bedroom house in the East Bay is/was far more doable.

There also seems to be huge financial support for the public schools here and in my case, see donating to the public schools a bargain compared to shelling out 28k a yr on a private one!

[misscassandra]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

Speaking of which,
since your talking about working in Redwood City, Fremont also has some top notch school and is much closer to Redwood City. I wouldnt kill myself trying to live near good schools in Orinda when Fremont also has excellent schools-and is much more diverse and has a much broader housing stock to choose from.

Thank u! I wasn't going to go off and recommend Fremont, yet AGAIN, since it wasn't mentioned already but... Fremont does have excellent schools, nice neighborhoods, and you can get a steal of a bargain here...along with an easy commute for your husband. Fremont is also 100% down to earth, imo. Not really a hint of snobbiness that I've encountered here.

On the other hand, I remember dating a guy from Moraga in 1997 and driving around my 1991 Jeep Cherokee, he warned me the cops might pull me over if they see me driving around his neighborhood (since my car was so old and not a nice make?). That was just a personal experience, and everyone's experiences are different, but that stuck with me and it seemed that the area never lost that desperately snobbish attitude for me imho. Again, just a personal thing, I know the OP said she's good with that and all.

Lamorinda would be an okay commute for your husband, good schools and such...but very hilly, tiny downtown, and such.

Plus the fishing is better around Fremont - did anyone mention that? I've caught a total of one fish in the Orinda reservoir in the years I've gone there. Not that anyone asked about that, just thought I'd share..

Good luck to you and your family! These are all great areas, btw. The east bay is family friendly and you've picked some great places. Other than Fremont, I think Danville is the way to go. They have a great community vibe out that way, nice downtown, and it seems they have a parade for something just about every month. Gorgeous houses, new!, and close to Walnut Creek and such. It would add some time to your husband's commute though.