Considering move to Livermore, CA (San Francisco, Pleasanton: low crime, purchasing, middle school)

[youngmomto2]

We've been offered a job in Livermore making about $125,000 a year. We would want to live in an area that is very family friendly, with parks, good schools, and is safe. It doesn't need to be in Livermore - we would prefer a commute less than an hour. - Although we don't know the exact location of the job... so I'm sure that would be an issue.

[sonarrat]

Livermore itself would be great for you. Pleasanton would also be a good match, and the commute on 580 is painless enough that it wouldn't really seem any farther away. Both have great schools, low crime, and ample parkland. Between the two, Pleasanton is preferred because it also has easy access to San Francisco via BART.

[Mr. Ozo]

By all means move to Livermore. The town is very friendly and still seems right of the 1950's.

[Beat02]

I'd prefer Pleasanton to Livermore. It's not but like 8 miles east of Livermore.

[mstnghu2]

Livermore is nice place to raise a family. There are plenty of parks and outdoor recreational opportunities in the area. Lake Del Valle is about a 15 minute drive from the city and has hiking, camping, paddleboating, etc. Mount Diablo is very close and also has great hiking and beautiful views. There are numerous wineries in the area as well. The cities directly near Livermore (Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon) are also very nice, although typically more expensive. Pleasanton borders Livermore on the west and has one of the highest median household incomes of any city of its size in the country. If housing costs will be a concern, Tracy offers a reasonably easy commute to Livermore and is much cheaper. Tracy isn't a bad choice as far as central valley towns are concerned, but I think you'll find Livermore to be far more desirable to live in. Livermore is pretty much on the outer edge of the Bay Area and Tracy would take you even further out. With that said, I think Livermore is a great choice.

[Momma_s]

We moved to Pleasanton from No. VA almost a year ago, and absolutely LOVE it here. I haven't stepped foot in Livermore, so can't say anything about it there personally, but people here have said there are some "not-so-good" area's of Livermore (again, just what I've been told, not experienced).

One thing I like about Pleasanton that Livermore doesn't have is a BART stop. We've used this a few times already to get around the bay area... Personal preference, perhaps.

[chadetroit]

I would suggest South Livermore or Pleasanton. Pleasanton is a little higher class, more money flowing around. Livermore is a mix of all classes. I've lived in both areas and Livermore was the best fit for my wife and I. Both have great downtowns and an active community with music in the park and farmers markets in the summer time. Pleasanton is going to have better schools and you will pay for that when purchasing a home. Livermore has good schools with wineries scattered throughout the south east of the city. Can't really go wrong with either, just spend some time in both cities as they do have their individual personalities.

[Frank99]

Pleasanton schools are VASTLY superior to Livermore schools. This difference is very evident when you do your housing price comparisons. Pleasanton has more parks than any other city. Location, location, location. Move to Pleasanton and you will have no regrets. (I'm in Dublin and have regretted this decision). Do you know who John Madden is? He lives in Pleasanton. How about Rod Woodsen? He lives in Pleasanton. Pleasanton's 2 high schools will compete with any in the State. Talk to a realtor in the Tri Valley and ask their opinion. If you see something to your liking Pleasanton is a no brainer.

[Beat02]

Pleasanton.

[NorCal Dude]

Pleasanton is by all means a higher class town than livermore, and the schools are better but not by a whole lot in some cases. Same goes for dublin. High schools in pleasanton are in the top 20% percentile of api where as livermore and dublin are in the top 30%. There are a couple iffy elementary schools in the older part of livermore which do not score so high, but those schools feed into a middle school with children who are more well off and the middle school also is in the top 30% percentile, scoring an 8 in api.

I think a lot of negative connotations with livermore are because of its past and its demographics. Livermore is kind of at the edge of the bay are and used to be an ag town so many people still look down on it. It has a small mexican population too and most of the gang activity(what little activity there is) in the tri valley is in the older part of livermore, so many people precieve it as being a bit worse than it really is.

Overall that whole area is nice and you can't go wrong for the most part.