Emeryville, CA..moving from East Coast - Help (Oakland, Concord: apartments, to rent)

[sh2122]

Hi there,

I got job in Emeryville, CA. could anyone please let me know which is good place to rent apartment where good elementary school with less crime. I have a 2 yrs old kid. Please let me know any Kid friendly neighborhoods.

thanks in advance,
SH

[jade408]

Emeryville is a really small city. Most apartments are newer compared with most of the easy bay, but there aren't many families in general. Lots of condos and lofts in town and a few blocks of single family homes. You might want to expand your choices to Berkeley and Oakland for more kid friendly neighborhoods.

[thecooler]

Second the vote that Emeryville is not family oriented and you should look in the surrounding towns instead. Oakland has notoriously horrible schools, so I wouldn't recommend that. Berkeley is a mix, and I don't know how the schools are, but in general North Berkeley and the hills in Berkeley are the nicer areas (less crime). Some good choices would be the town of Piedmont (which is completely surrounded by Oakland, so dont confuse with Piedmont Ave in Oakland), its known for being an oasis in an urban area and good schools, but will probably be very hard to find a rental. Just to the north of Berkeley is Albany and I understand it has good schools and lots of families/low crime, I believe its also relatively affordable, so this may be your best option if you want a short commute - otherwise I'd recommend any of the towns east of the Caldecott tunnel-Orinda, Moraga, Lafayette, Walnut Creek - all nice family oriented suburbs.

[LisainCalifornia]

I agree--if you can afford it, try for Lafayette, Moraga or Orinda. Family oriented, beautiful scenery, great schools, good libraries in each. Very safe and pleasant towns to live in.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by LisainCalifornia

I agree--if you can afford it, try for Lafayette, Moraga or Orinda. Family oriented, beautiful scenery, great schools, good libraries in each. Very safe and pleasant towns to live in.

There are good elementary schools in the inner east bay cities, commuting to Emeryville from Lamorinda (or the other side of the tunnel) would not be fun. You'd be stuck in all of the Bay Bridge traffic. I'd stick to Berkeley, Oakland, Piedmont, El Cerrito or Albany. A few other people posted a link to a schools website, but I have no idea what it was. There were schools with scores above 800 in all of the cities listed.

School decline in Berkeley and Oakland around high school, but by the time your kids are ready for that things could be very different.

[LisainCalifornia]

Actually, the short commute to Emeryville from Lamorinda is what draws many people to live in the area. My husband works in the city, but commutes to S.F. When we moved out here he was commuting to an office in Alameda, but that closed and they moved to S.F. It is a very manageable commute.

I am not anti-city (I lived in S.F. for 15 years and we bought our first home there), but I gave advice based on what I thought the OP was looking for. I agree, there are some great schools in Piedmont, but the area has a very different feel than Lamorinda. What I like about living in Lamorinda with a family isn't just about the schools--it is the open space, safety (my kids play outside on our block all the time and walk to school), and slower pace. Some people may find it boring here, but we like it for those reasons.

I lived in Berkeley for a short time (4 months) and didn't really enjoy living there. As far as the East Bay goes, I like where I live. I realize your milage may vary.
Lisa

[mayorhaggar]

Definitely look at Albany. Lafayette/Orinda/Moraga are a lot more suburban and are much hotter in the summer, Albany is right on the bay and is generally much cooler in summer.

[LisainCalifornia]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

Definitely look at Albany. Lafayette/Orinda/Moraga are a lot more suburban and are much hotter in the summer, Albany is right on the bay and is generally much cooler in summer.

I don't mean to be arugumentative, but this is just incorrect. In Moraga, our average temperature in the summer months is in the mid to upper 70's. It is actually perfect, and that is one reason (among many) that it is expensive to buy a home here. Here are the average temps for Moraga for the year:

Average Weather for Moraga, CA - Temperature and Precipitation

I grew up in Davis, CA--which is also a great town, but if you want to talk about some "hot" temps in the summer Davis is your town. Some people love the warmth in the summer, though (like my dad) and finds the Lamorinda area "cold". Areas further inland like Walnut Creek, Concord, San Ramon and Danville get much warmer in the summer than we do in the summer. Some people love those hot summers and think that is a bonus.

Take care,
Lisa

[tstieber]

I agree Moraga isn't THAT hot. It's actually pretty nice in the summer. Lots of swim meets and outdoor activities for kids. I grew up in eastern Walnut Creek, and we had friends in Moraga, and it was a good ten degrees hotter in WC (or more), and they would complain about how hot it got on some days in WC. Plus, in Moraga, there are virtually no balmy nights to sit outside on your patio like in WC. Personally, I like the heat better.

In any case, I would say, with elementary-aged kids, Lamorinda is a great area, and Albany would be very convenient too.

[mayorhaggar]

Originally Posted by LisainCalifornia

I don't mean to be arugumentative, but this is just incorrect. In Moraga, our average temperature in the summer months is in the mid to upper 70's. It is actually perfect, and that is one reason (among many) that it is expensive to buy a home here.

Really? Well, ok. I know a couple of people from Moraga and they often complain in summer about how hot it is there. Are Lafayette and Orinda similar in climate or are they more like a hotter place like Walnut Creek?