Castro Valley? (San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland: insurance, crime, houses)

[gizmo980]

Hi all... my soon-to-be ex-roommate is looking for a house outside of the city, and has found some good places in Castro Valley. Since I don't know much about that area, I told him I'd "ask my people" for advice and opinions. Anyone have something to say about this town? He works in San Francisco - Marina Bay, and would be taking BART to work every day. The friend he'll be living with got a job in East Oakland, and her boyfriend (who will also most likely be living there) is looking for landscaping work around Oakland or SF.

They are hoping to find a quiet community with access to public transit, cheaper prices than SF/Oakland, and hopefully some open space and serenity. At the same time, they'd like to have the major amenities (grocery, videos, a few bars/clubs, etc) within a short drive or BART ride. They really aren't "city people," hence the move from SF even though he works here. Does this sound like a good match for Castro Valley? If not, can anyone suggest other places they should be looking? He originally wanted to live on the coast or north Peninsula, but that won't be logical since his friend will be working in Oakland. TIA for any advice!

[18Montclair]

good spot. Not too hot, decent area, close to lots of rich customers for landscaping.

[Ultrarunner]

My brother lives and works in CV and is likes it...

Prices are down some so your housing dollar will go a little farther... like most places.

3 years ago I sold a 4 bedroom 3 bath home in the CV hills for 725k and now it might bring 650K, but the selection of properties to choose from is much better.

CV has some great grade schools and some OK schools. Brother is not sure what he will do when kids start high school...

I wouldn't say CV is cheaper that Oakland unless you mean the Oakland Hills?

There are a lot of homes in the Fruitvale district, near BART going in the 300k plus range... at least last time I checked.

CV has always been a safe bet and taxes are a little lower since in is unincorporated county and not a city.

[Taboo2]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

My brother lives and works in CV and is likes it...

Prices are down some so your housing dollar will go a little farther... like most places.

3 years ago I sold a 4 bedroom 3 bath home in the CV hills for 725k and now it might bring 650K, but the selection of properties to choose from is much better.

CV has some great grade schools and some OK schools. Brother is not sure what he will do when kids start high school...

I wouldn't say CV is cheaper that Oakland unless you mean the Oakland Hills?

There are a lot of homes in the Fruitvale district, near BART going in the 300k plus range... at least last time I checked.

CV has always been a safe bet and taxes are a little lower since in is unincorporated county and not a city.

CV has gotten a little more crime ridden over the years (we are talking 35 of em) but for the most part it's safe and reasonable. Pretty family oriented town (if you count hoodlum wannabe teens as family), Not so many little kiddie parks but plenty of larger swimming parks and open spaces galore.
The only thing is people from the surrounding yuck areas come in and shop cos its safe and nice and they kinda crap the place up a bit with ghetto life. But otherwise, I love it. Much better than when the KKK Would leave fliers on our cars in the 90's. It's diverse now.

[gizmo980]

Thanks for the replies, and I'll pass the info along! Schools and home costs aren't a concern for them, but they do apply to the overall quality of life... otherwise it sounds like what they're looking for, based on what you all said. One question though - how conservative and/or "family-oriented" is it? These are three young hippie types, one of whom (my ex-roommate) is rather, ummm, unique looking. Will the neighbors be less than welcoming? I know the Bay Area in general doesn't care much, but I worry Castro Valley is TOO suburban and family-oriented.

Oh, and regarding my comment about Oakland being more expensive, I was referring to the "nicer parts." I suggested Fruitvale and Lake Merritt to them, and they were rejected for being too urban-like... so most likely they'd only consider areas like Piedmont or Oakland Hills. Anyway, thanks again!

[Taboo2]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Thanks for the replies, and I'll pass the info along! Schools and home costs aren't a concern for them, but they do apply to the overall quality of life... otherwise it sounds like what they're looking for, based on what you all said. One question though - how conservative and/or "family-oriented" is it? These are three young hippie types, one of whom (my ex-roommate) is rather, ummm, unique looking. Will the neighbors be less than welcoming? I know the Bay Area in general doesn't care much, but I worry Castro Valley is TOO suburban and family-oriented.

Oh, and regarding my comment about Oakland being more expensive, I was referring to the "nicer parts." I suggested Fruitvale and Lake Merritt to them, and they were rejected for being too urban-like... so most likely they'd only consider areas like Piedmont or Oakland Hills. Anyway, thanks again!

I think they would be fine. My neighbors are vegans and CV is pretty much open to all kinds of people. My block alone has run the gammut of interesting and diverse people. It's not like San Ramon or Ptown where they would be in trouble.

[prrowler3]

Agreed.

Too far into the East Bay, you're going to run into more stuck-up and prejudicial attitudes (Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon), but I've never felt that CV didn't appreciate a level of diversity. It's always had a nice, open, community feel for me. Keep in mind, I've always thought that pretty much the entire Bay Area maintains a generally higher level of acceptance for other lifestyles, races, etc. than many other areas around the country, but you're going to find "square pegs" like you would anywhere else, whether it's racists, sexists or what have you. The general idea is that that kind of prejudice doesn't feel like the norm here.

Anyway, I've lived in CV most of my life and always liked it, besides the fact that it's kinda boring. I have to drive ten minutes in any direction to find something to do. But it's a great central location, reasonably quiet, housing costs have gone down a lil so it's easier to buy in, BART runs right through it so it's very convenient. But if you're talking about hippie types, why not go all the way and give Berkeley a shot? Or Emeryville, which is close to Oakland/Berkeley/SF, has great shopping and connects well with BART. And what are you talking about, Piedmont as a "nicer part"? Any time I've gone through, it's ghetto as hell. Oakland Hills are lovely though. Maybe check out the Hayward Hills, they have some beautiful houses there and it's probably a tad safer than the Oakland Hills. They would just have to avoid lower Hayward.

[Taboo2]

Originally Posted by prrowler3

Agreed.

Anyway, I've lived in CV most of my life and always liked it, besides the fact that it's kinda boring. I have to drive ten minutes in any direction to find something to do.

You don't like putt putt golf or big golf for that matter? What about boating, fishing, hiking? Yeah me neither.

I would love love love a department store and more shizz like a target or walmart or how about making the old daughterys into something like a chuckecheese or kids castle or whatever they are called.

The one thing that irritates me beyond belief is that they put a fence around the school playgrounds.

I know they need to protect the schools from vandalism (especially since all the schools USED to have people live on campus in trailers). i grew up near vannoy and they were one of the only schools to not have a live on campus person and we saw lotsa people getting in trouble up there and our neighbors called the cops frequently. But couldnt they have left the playground part outside the fence? Insurance wasn't the issue they claim, it was vandalism. And hardly EVER are there cases of the playground being vandalized (perhaps a little grafitti).

What they need to do is build some more parks then, because they essentially took the lower income kids playgrounds away. Not all of the folks in town have a backyard (see anita or wisteria).

tsktsk

[Ultrarunner]

I previously had a home very near Vannoy School... so near that on several occasions, out of area youths, per the deputy, would go up to playground to shoot hoops and drink.

Several times myself and others neighbors had broken glass in our yards tossed from the playground... always happened on a weekend.

[tennis368fan]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

My brother lives and works in CV and is likes it...

Prices are down some so your housing dollar will go a little farther... like most places.

3 years ago I sold a 4 bedroom 3 bath home in the CV hills for 725k and now it might bring 650K, but the selection of properties to choose from is much better.

CV has some great grade schools and some OK schools. Brother is not sure what he will do when kids start high school...

I wouldn't say CV is cheaper that Oakland unless you mean the Oakland Hills?

There are a lot of homes in the Fruitvale district, near BART going in the 300k plus range... at least last time I checked.

CV has always been a safe bet and taxes are a little lower since in is unincorporated county and not a city.

Well, as of this year the schools are all highly rated. They have managed to get the "okay" schools to do well also. Castro Valley High is now rated more highly than Dublin High by the state as of the latest Academic Performance Index report, as well as many of Fremont's high schools, except Mission San Jose, and those in Livermore.

County List of Schools