Questions about Novato/San Rafael…moving from Oakland (Berkeley, Antioch: section 8, how much)

[LeavingOaktown]

We’ve lived in Oakland for 10 years now, but now that we have kids we’re ready for a change. The public school issues, crime, etc. are starting to get to us, as well as the commute time for my husband who works in the Hamilton Field area of Novato (I telecommute). We’ve been considering moving to Novato (even when my husband worked in SF). I’ve checked out some schools (Pleasant Valley, San Ramon, Rancho) and really liked them, enjoyed the parents I met, and it fits our home price range.

One of my nagging concerns is this: I grew up in Antioch and since my parents still live there I've seen what's happened there the last few years with overbuilding, Section 8 abuse, crime, etc. With so much open space in Novato, how much new housing is planned? I’m anxious to avoid the Antioch scenario.

The other consideration I have is, by the time we were in high school in Antioch we were bored and felt isolated from exciting places like Berkeley…Do older kids in Novato feel like that? I know kids can always find fault with any place they live . But seems like its proximity to lower Marin/San Rafael, Petaluma provides a lot of options whereas Antioch really was geographically pretty isolated.

We’ve also considered San Rafael, the Dixie district, but seems like the public high school Dixie feeds to (Terra Linda) is not as good as Novato high schools. Although who knows by the time our kids are that age. Does that area have the nice community vibe I sense in Novato?

Thoughts (and data) appreciated, thanks!

[Stacy From Cali]

Marin County has pretty strong laws protecting their open space from development, so its probably less of a concern than you think. As for the rest of your question...I have no idea

[rcwolf]

There's not too much space for any more building in Novato and it has been built up quite a bit over the years. I think most of the rest of it has been reserved for open space, although I'm not positive. There has been concern that it is getting close to being overbuilt and I doubt any more large projects would pass through city counsel.

We actually just moved from the Pleasant Valley area and pulled my second grader out of school there. It's a great school and we were sad to go. You would make a good choice with any of the public schools you mentioned. I grew up in Terra Linda and went to the high school there. The ratings unfortunately are probably correct. It was such a joke. That was a while ago, but if it's the same, I didn't learn anything after 8th grade until I went off to college. I definitely think the Novato high schools are better.

Teenagers will probably be bored anywhere in the suburbs, so I guess you just try to involve them in a lot of sports to keep them busy and out of trouble.

If you want any more information about either San Rafael or Novato, please feel free to contact me. Like I said, I was born and raised in Terra Linda and spent all my adult life in Novato up until 2 months ago when we moved out of state for a job relocation.


Good luck with your search!

[18Montclair]

Coincidence, I just moved from Tiburon to Oakland.

Anyway, change is nice and Im sure you'll like it up there.