Help a Dad decide where move his family in the Bay Area

[jaynetarzana]

I'd love to hear more about Piedmont. Sounds like the schools are superb and the air quality is great.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by jaynetarzana

I'd love to hear more about Piedmont. Sounds like the schools are superb and the air quality is great.

And it has the coolest old estate houses.. an interesting aspect of Piedmont is that in spite of the massive amount of wealth concentrated there, it has one of the oldest housing stocks in the country, and certainly in California.

http://www.city-data.com/top21.html

[jaynetarzana]

But then I looked at the median home price and some of the homes on mls. It is WAY out of our range. When we buy, it will be in the $500-$650K range. I don't think even after this market downturn that there will be anything decent in that range.

Sorry OP, didn't mean to steer the thread in this direction. Has your family decided on a place?

[doho95fu]

I would like to thank everyone for their help. I just got back from our first exploratory trip and are more confused than ever. Some conclusions based on our opinions only. Pleasanton will get you more bang for your buck, but I just did not like to feel of the place. Too manufactured - reminded me of Irvine in Orange County - all the numbers are there but just not for us.

Danville and Alamo had no real feel for me either. Walnut Creek is a city with little character as well.


Lafayette we loved, but did not find a house we liked. Orinda downtown was less but still liked the area.

we loved Larkspur, Kentfield/Ross, San Anselmo - reminded us more of home I guess and the people seemed more like what I am used to.

Mill Valley was ok. Weather is foggier than I would like.

Tiburon traffic was unbearable through town.

If I could pick it now I would do Larkspur - however, we need to go back since we were unable to find anything. If anyone that was considering the same move wants more specific comments please let me know.

[bayarea-girl]

doho95fu, I love San Anselmo! I love Walnut Creek, wonder what parts you went to?

[Taboo2]

Originally Posted by doho95fu

If I could pick it now I would do Larkspur - however, we need to go back since we were unable to find anything. If anyone that was considering the same move wants more specific comments please let me know.

And they have a ferry to SF.

Great choice. Great town.

San Anselmo you have a a bit of a drive to the freeway.

[G Grasshopper]

[quote=Taboo2;7181085]
I love Marin but it's cold.


No so. Mill Valley is cold sometimes because of the fog, as are some of the inland valleys (that's why the redwoods grow there). The coast along the ocean, anywhere in CA gets more wind and fog than inland areas. But the 101 corridor from Corte Madera north is not on the ocean coast, so it is warmer. I remember taking my son to summer school on the East Bay (El Cerrito/Albany) and just freezing. The wind would whip across the bay and was so cold! I couldn't wait for his classes to be over so that I could return to warm, sunny Marin. We live in San Rafael. Also, the seasons are very different in CA than elsewhere. In the summer we have warm air but cold water because it is "upwelling season". The warmer water is around October. I like the fact that we have microclimates with often very different weather. It can be a 95 degree heatwave in San Rafael, but you can just go to Samuel P. Taylor park (close to Mill Valley) to take a cool walk in the redwoods - and may need a sweater!

[Taboo2]

[quote=G Grasshopper;7705111]

Originally Posted by Taboo2

I love Marin but it's cold.


No so. Mill Valley is cold sometimes because of the fog, as are some of the inland valleys (that's why the redwoods grow there). The coast along the ocean, anywhere in CA gets more wind and fog than inland areas. But the 101 corridor from Corte Madera north is not on the ocean coast, so it is warmer. I remember taking my son to summer school on the East Bay (El Cerrito/Albany) and just freezing. The wind would whip across the bay and was so cold! I couldn't wait for his classes to be over so that I could return to warm, sunny Marin. We live in San Rafael. Also, the seasons are very different in CA than elsewhere. In the summer we have warm air but cold water because it is "upwelling season". The warmer water is around October. I like the fact that we have microclimates with often very different weather. It can be a 95 degree heatwave in San Rafael, but you can just go to Samuel P. Taylor park (close to Mill Valley) to take a cool walk in the redwoods - and may need a sweater!

True, i was talking about the ocean side, not bay side. I am sure things are just steamy in San Quentin.

[kristin1]

Originally Posted by doho95fu

I would like to thank everyone for their help. I just got back from our first exploratory trip and are more confused than ever. Some conclusions based on our opinions only. Pleasanton will get you more bang for your buck, but I just did not like to feel of the place. Too manufactured - reminded me of Irvine in Orange County - all the numbers are there but just not for us.

Danville and Alamo had no real feel for me either. Walnut Creek is a city with little character as well.


Lafayette we loved, but did not find a house we liked. Orinda downtown was less but still liked the area.

we loved Larkspur, Kentfield/Ross, San Anselmo - reminded us more of home I guess and the people seemed more like what I am used to.

Mill Valley was ok. Weather is foggier than I would like.

Tiburon traffic was unbearable through town.

If I could pick it now I would do Larkspur - however, we need to go back since we were unable to find anything. If anyone that was considering the same move wants more specific comments please let me know.

It sounds like you went through the same process we did a few weeks ago!

We loved Lafayette and Orinda but couldn't find a rental home in the area. (FYI - the rental homes we did find there were generally owners who were asking substantially less for the rent than their mortages and we weren't very comfortable with the possiblilty of foreclosure!) We drew the same conclusions about Danville, Alamo, and Walnut Creek. Pleasanton was just too far of a commute for us.

We move to San Anselmo this past Tuesday and so far are pleased. We were hoping to be a little closer to the city, but really like the neighborhood we found. Obviously I am not an expert on the area but I think we made a good decision overall. Your wife should check out the Ross Valley Mothers Club if you move to this general area - I posted a few questions on their message forums and wound up with many e-mails from other east coast transplants and a few playdates as well!

We are in the Sleepy Hollow area of San Anselmo, which does have a neighborhood pool: Sleepy Hollow Homes Association

Feel free to ask quesstions or PM me for more info!