Job offer in Walnut Creek (currently living in Chicago) (San Francisco: transplants, real estate)

[ChicagoToEastBay]

Hi,

I've spent quite a little bit of time, trying to find a similar thread, I do realize there are some similar, but not quite the same

First our current situation:
- we are a young and diverse family (both my wife and I in our early thirties and 1 almost one year old baby boy, all and all 3 different nationalities ).
- we currently live in Chicago (in the city, not in the suburbs) and we really like it.
- I drive to the NW suburbs for work and quite frankly, I'd love not to have to do the same should we finally move to the East Bay area (BART commute or no commute would be great).

I recently got a job offer which I have to accept/reject soon, the job is in Walnut Creek in the same sector where I currently work. The offer comes with a raise of about 15% compared to what I currently make in Chicago.

The move is obviously a big deal as I've been employed by my current company for 9 years, but we are very excited about the opportunity to change scenery and discover new places and people.

We will probably rent for a while as the real state prices are still pretty high out there.

I know that folks recommend Walnut Creek and that would make sense from the commute stand-point, but I would also like to get feedback on other areas/towns, including Oakland. I see all the bad rap about Oakland, but then again, we live in Chicago and we know that there are both cool and bad areas to live anywhere.

Thanks!

[Steerpike]

I live in Walnut Creek and love it. I think it is a hidden gem of a place. I lived in SF for 12 years, but finally got tired of the cold summer fog, the homeless, and many other things, and moved out to WC - and never looked back. I've been there ~ 15 years. I'm currently away from there on a long-term assignment, but return each month.

First of all, where in WC will you be working? If you are working close to BART, you could bart INTO WC from elsewhere (ie, SF) but if the company is out on, say, Ygnacio Valley Blvd, you will have a harder time of it - a car will become a necessity. I used to work in the cluster of buildings right next to the station, and we had a lot of SF-based employees.

Given your age and tastes, WC may be a bit 'staid' for you. It has great restaurants and shops, and they have built several 'downtown' condos that are fabulously situated, but it's not exactly 'edgy'. It does have 3 good vietnamese restaurants, several Chinese restaurants, Japanese restaurants, a cuban place, several Thai places (all independent), plus some bigger chains like California Pizza Kitchen and Cheescake Factory - but my SF and Oakland friends still like to ridicule it!

You can size the place up pretty quickly - it has a compact, walkable downtown consisting of several blocks of the old town (Main/Locust/California, bounded by Civic and Mt. Diablo) plus a big outdoor shopping area (one of the nicest in the country, I think - Broadway Plaza) on the other side of Mt. Diablo and south of Main - plus the newest section, where the "Cost Plus", Movie Theater, and Cheesecake Factory reside. If you like the 'mood' around those areas, you'll be happy; if you don't, it's not for you.

Alternatives would then be Rockridge on the other side of the Caldecott Tunnel (which is technically Oakland but quite different in style), Berkeley, or SF. Oakland has some decent parts but the downtown is just awful, sadly. Rockridge would be my second recommendation after WC - more diverse, younger, and more 'compact' than WC. Berkeley is just too ... grungy ... for me, I'm sorry to say - but it is the epitome of an edgy university town and you may like it. It has great food. Rockridge is 4 stops away on bart (roughly 5 minutes/stop, so 20 mins). Berkeley would be a 'line change', so add some waiting time. SF has several bart stations but you are unlikely to live near one so factor in 35 mins for the bart ride plus 'getting to bart' ... and then getting from bart in WC ... which is why a car becomes essential to make that work. Driving OUT of the city in the am is not that bad (reverse commute). I lived in the Avenues (aka sunset) and Richmond district, and also Castro. South of Market may appeal, and is convenient to bart - it's a very hip/young area, and as 'multicultural' as you can get. After 12 years in SF, I'm jaded by it so you should probably look to others for advice if that's your chosen location. Just be ready to pay a lot for a small place!

Good Luck! I hope you enjoy WC as much as I do.

[artemis78]

I'd second the Rockridge recommendation if your workplace is BARTable, since it's a pretty easy commute by train if you're walkable on both ends. Much less pleasant if you have to drive---we have many friends who do it, but the Caldecott Tunnel can be painful when it's backed up (though on the upside, it's something of a reverse commute).

The Rockridge area is less suburban than WC and has the plus of being a quick trip into SF, so if you enjoy being in the city now, it may be more your style. It's also more diverse, if that's important. A bonus is that the elementary schools there are excellent and consequently there are a lot of young families (it's literally crawling with strollers!) so there are the correlating resources (preschools, daycare, play areas, etc.) There are also several great parks and a farmers' market that, with the local shops, make it a pretty nice place to live. It's expensive as Oakland goes, but I suspect the cost is on par with WC. It is also pretty yuppie, so you'd have to be okay with that---lots and lots of San Francisco transplants who migrate to the East Bay when they're ready to have kids.

Good luck with the decision!

[Steerpike]

One more thought on Rockridge - if you come out for a look ahead of time, be aware that the Caldecott tunnel switches 'bores' for the am and pm commute; so if you were driving from Rockridge to WC in the am, the tunnel will be only one bore eastbound - and thus pretty slow, even though it is reverse commute. Also be aware that the bart station has limited parking. My bart buddies end up parking all over the place (this may have changed since they started charging for parking, and/or since the economy nose-dived!).

Keep in mind that while WC is less diverse than the 'inner east bay' (other side of the caldecott tunnel), it is still pretty diverse by comparison to much of the US! And, while 84% of SF voted for Obama, and 78% of Alameda county (where Rockridge is), 'only' 67% of Contra Costa county (WC's county) voted for Obama - still a majority of democrats there!

Housing IS expensive in the area; one thought, if you are really struggling, is to look at Benicia - to the north and across a bridge from WC. I have a few friends who moved there to have a family. It is apparently quite 'funky' and appeals to SF folks. Wouldn't be my first choice, but ... something to consider.

[ChicagoToEastBay]

Thanks much to both for the very useful information and prompt replies, this helps a lot.

My job would be literally next door to the Pleasant Hills BART station.

Both Walnut Creek and Rockridge sound like good options for us at this point, we do like the city vibe, but then again, with a baby you enjoy the city in a different way, so living there is not so critical anymore.

The area where we live in Chicago feels like a close neighborhood, folks know each other, we have a good mixture of independently owned business and chains/franchises.

Having young families around will be convenient, specially since we don't yet have friends in the area.

Thanks again and have a great Sunday!

[gatorman]

I've made this same move- chicago to east bay. Am currently residing in Oakland.
would love to give you some recommendations or ideas about the general area.

If you could, please tell us what neighborhood in Chicago you're now living in to give us a better idea of what you like. Also tell us what neighborhoods in Chicago or surrounding areas would be ideal for your family.

[Chava61]

I lived for one year in Walnut Creek several years. I have visited more recently my uncle who still lives there and it is still a very nice place. When I lived there I was close to the local BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station so I had easy access to San Francisco (where I was working at the time) and any place else on the BART system which was very convenient.
The small downtown area is quite nice with small stores, etc.
I also have another uncle (not related to the WC one!) who lives in the nearby town of Lafayette, which is also a nice area.

[artemis78]

In that case, I would take a look at the Rockridge neighborhoods that are walkable to the BART station---that would be a pretty pleasant commute as Bay Area commutes go, since it's a straight shot on the Pittsburg/Bay Point line. BART also has "live" updates so you can see exactly when the train is coming online---nice if you live close to the station and can just walk over when it's time.

Here's the SF Chronicle's little "blurb" on Rockridge---a few years old, but still gives a taste of the neighborhood: Rockridge (It also notes the high real estate prices---still true, but much more accessible now if you're renting as a lot of people are choosing to rent their homes rather than sell in the down market, and even the single-family prices are finally starting to drop a bit there.)

The Lamorinda area (Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga) is also quite nice and is an easy commute to WC, but it's much more suburban (and even rural in the farthest reaches) than either Rockridge or Walnut Creek, and thus it's much more difficult to have a walkable/BARTable commute---the BART stations there aren't really designed for pedestrians, as most people drive and park.

[Steerpike]

Originally Posted by ChicagoToEastBay

...
My job would be literally next door to the Pleasant Hills BART station.
...

Oh bummer !

The PH Bart station location is quite different from the WC station. The PH station is surrounded by a cluster of offices, just like WC station, and even has some condos and rentals (a massive new development is going up right on what was the station parking lot - saw that last week for first time!) but - there is no 'downtown' nearby, no cluster of shops, no restaurants to speak of - it's a corporate island. Now, you could live in WC downtown still, and take the 1 stop ride to PH; or just drive or take a bus from WC to PH - hell, you could prob. walk it in 20 minutes! But the 'vibe' at the PH station area is just not the same and I would not be at all excited about living there. I'd def. go for Rockridge if WC does not appeal. The great thing about WC is that the station is walking distance from the center, so you could live 'in the middle' and walk to work, and walk to shops/restaurants - my dream! BUT - there are probably some very attractive living options near the PH station, and you could drive or bart to WC for 'dinner'/outings.

Have you looked at rental prices? You mentioned a raise; is the raise enough to offset the rental increase you are likely to encounter (if any - maybe downtown Chicago is not cheap either).

[ChicagoToEastBay]

All, thanks again!

We currently own a condo in Andersonville/Edgewater in Chicago.

We have looked at rental prices and if we manage to stay in the $1500/1600 that would not be too bad, pretty similar to what we spend nowadays (mortgate+condo assoc fee+ taxes).

I agree that the area about PH BART station looks a little too corporate-land , but as you said, a short commute from WC would not be a problem.

In general any option that allows me not to drive for over an hour on my way back home after a long day of work with traffic moving at 1.5 mph will be a big win