Danville? (San Jose, Oakland, Walnut Creek: crime, townhomes, neighborhood) - San Francisco - Oakland - California (CA) - Page 4 - City-Data Forum

casey1996 · 10-04-2007, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2KidsforMe

Hi everyone. I'm a native Californian (Orange County) living in the Boston area with my family. A move back may be in the works next year, but to the Bay Area. My brother-in-law & his wife/kids live in Concord. Danville seems like a nice place to live, good schools, close enough to family etc. Walnut Creek is nice, but we prefer something a littel more bedroom-y. I have heard that there is a snob factor in Danville, is that true? My fear is that we wouldn't be able to keep up, so to speak, and that my kids would suffer from that in school. We would be bottom feeders, (crazy that a 900k to million dollar home is bottom feeder

). We just want somewhere that is safe, quiet, with good public schools, community involvement, friendly, and some natural beauty. Basically what everyone else wants. Would Danville work, if we could manange it, or are there any other places we are missing? Thanks in advance.

I live in Danville, and the snob factor that everyone talks about cracks me up. I think Blackhawk gave Danville that reputation (unfairly). Blackhawk has it's own zip code, so it doesn't have to be lumped in with Danville's. Now, there's your snob factor. I've lived here for 13 years, previously Napa and Concord. I LOVE this town. It's small, quaint, uncongested, virtually no traffic, compact, and beautifully laid out. It reminds me more of a New England town. There are snobs everywhere, but I have not found it to be the norm here. It's clean, walkable, with low crime, and compared to lots of California public school districts, pretty good. But the California public school system is pretty bad in general. The down side, it's VERY expensive, even in this market, the median price home is $1MM+.

Walnut Creek has a fabulous downtown shopping area, and a lot of great neighborhoods, but is growing like Concord.

Concord is less expensive, but big, spread out, and has lots of traffic. Based on your requirements, Danville is a great choice, and only 15 minutes or so to Concord, depending on where your family lives.

Personally, Danville's my favorite town in the county. I wanted to move here in the 80s, but couldn't afford it, and ended up in Concord. Coming from Boston, you probably won't have quite the sticker shock some people have.

2KidsforMe · 10-04-2007, 06:12 PM

Thanks Casey. I'm glad to hear you like Danville. Even comming from Boston, we are still a little freaked out by the housing prices in the Bay Area. I have heard that Danville schools are very good. What do you think? Are you familiar with New England? We are a little spoiled here with the public schools, and quite honestly, the rural charm, but I am sure we could be very happy in CA too. Any other imput would be appreciated.

casey1996 · 10-04-2007, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2KidsforMe

Thanks Casey. I'm glad to hear you like Danville. Even comming from Boston, we are still a little freaked out by the housing prices in the Bay Area. I have heard that Danville schools are very good. What do you think? Are you familiar with New England? We are a little spoiled here with the public schools, and quite honestly, the rural charm, but I am sure we could be very happy in CA too. Any other imput would be appreciated.

I lived in upstate NY from 4th grade thru 12th. I adore New England, and I love Boston. The public schools in NY and in the East in general are excellent. The public schools in California used to be excellent. But, Danville does have good schools for California. Fortunately, or unfortunately (however you want to look at it), the wealthiest towns here tend to have the best schools. I'm not sure where you live exactly, but you aren't going to find 'the rural charm' right here. The county has $1mm people. But, Danville (43,000) has biking trails, homes do back up to open space, and it's a beautiful town. It, also, has many restrictions which have contributed to maintaining the charm of the town. The east and west side are very different from one another. Hwy. 680 dissects the town. The west side (with probably 1/3 of the population) is the older section where the older homes and downtown are - more trees etc. The east side is the newer area, with subdivisions, more houses, that extend to Blackhawk. So, very diffferent in character. I'm talking mainly about the west side of town. It's somewhat of a through-back to small town America with craftsman-style buildings, a 4th of July parade, little lights on all the buildings and trees during November and December. That kind of thing. It's not your typical California suburb.

Hope this helps.

mburns · 10-04-2007, 09:35 PM

Hi '2Kidsforme',

I also would recommend Danville or the Lamorinda (Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga) area for you. They have some great neighborhoods, very family orientated, and excellent public schools.
Where are you from in MA? I grew up on the south shore (Norwell) and am familiar with most of the towns there.
Moderator cut: Realtor advertising

prostaffed · 10-04-2007, 10:56 PM

Ours was close to the same type of decision you faced..cept that we're from this area. I live in Windermere in San Ramon, you can get slightly more house for the money here (which is important with kids) but I admit that trip into SF on BART from this side (Dublin/Pleasanton station) is further than if I were coming from Larmorinda. Also I recomend San Ramon for having top schools and a very livable subburb feel. Its not "hometowny" though. The down-side of danville and lamorinda is that the shopping isn't quite as good as from San Ramon, which gives access to the Dublin and Pleasanton shopping areas. ..instead one is forced to the 'creek' which is hell to drive & park.

Compare particular school stats at GreatSchools.net

azsundevil · 10-05-2007, 10:31 PM

I would recommend Lafayette over Danville if you like to enjoy the city at all. Danville has no access to bart while lafayette has their own station. Schools here are not as bad as everyone makes them sound. Basically, less diversity and higher socioeconomics= better schools. The only reason California rates so low on all the stats is it is a very large state with ALOT of diversity and alot of ESL students. Check out Berkeley Parents Network. You will find a wealth of information here about neighborhoods and schools.

aslowdodge · 10-09-2007, 01:36 AM

This is true, But Lafayette is pretty expensive. I would venture to say that a 3-2 tract home in Danville will run 700 to 850 K and lafayette would probably be about a 125k more. Both areas have pretty good schools

danvillemom · 11-21-2007, 02:29 PM

Hello,

This whole perception of Danville being uppity and racist really puzzles me!

Our family moved to Danville 5 years ago. After living in Pleasanton for nearly 10 years, I was very hesitant about leaving my "comfort zone", but am very happy that we did! Danville is very friendly, easygoing and family oriented. Yes, there are pockets of extremely wealthy people, but you will find that anywhere...There are many working/double income families also.

As a non-white, I have not encountered any racism here - I was subjected to it while growing up in Fremont, but have never experienced it in Danville, Alamo, or Pleasanton...

For a "community" experience, it doesn't get much better than Danville. There are always activities, festivals, etc. The sports leagues are very good and the schools are EXCELLENT (it was the primary reason we moved to Danville). The recreation services are also fantastic. We have enrolled our kids in swimming lessons & other classes/activities through the Town of Danville and have been very satisfied.

Danville does have a "small town" feel as opposed to other suburbs like Pleasanton, Dublin and San Ramon, but it's also about a 5 - 10 minute trip on the freeway to Walnut Creek - if you need more hustle & bustle...

Good luck with your relocation!

marisita · 02-17-2008, 10:21 PM

Hi 2kidsforme...
I have two kids as well!
Re. your question on city-data.com on moving to Danville- it is a beautiful city/great neighborhood/great downtown. I would not say so much a snob factor as you will find a rich factor. Not that it matters, but there is a lot of keeping up with the joneses in Danville, as there tends to be in Alamo and Lafayette/Orinda. If you are looking for a nice city with great schools, I might suggest Walnut Creek. We live here now with our two children, and it is a wonderful city to live in. People are pretty down to earth. There sure are niche neighborhoods where people live over the top, as well as entry-level ones, but for the most part, it's a pretty "normal" place to live. The prices in Walnut Creek tend to be slightly less than in Danville, so it's a little more affordable, depending on what you are looking for. No advertising ~Marisa Cox

jaynetarzana · 02-20-2009, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danvillemom

Hello,

This whole perception of Danville being uppity and racist really puzzles me!

Our family moved to Danville 5 years ago. After living in Pleasanton for nearly 10 years, I was very hesitant about leaving my "comfort zone", but am very happy that we did! Danville is very friendly, easygoing and family oriented. Yes, there are pockets of extremely wealthy people, but you will find that anywhere...There are many working/double income families also.

As a non-white, I have not encountered any racism here - I was subjected to it while growing up in Fremont, but have never experienced it in Danville, Alamo, or Pleasanton...

For a "community" experience, it doesn't get much better than Danville. There are always activities, festivals, etc. The sports leagues are very good and the schools are EXCELLENT (it was the primary reason we moved to Danville). The recreation services are also fantastic. We have enrolled our kids in swimming lessons & other classes/activities through the Town of Danville and have been very satisfied.

Danville does have a "small town" feel as opposed to other suburbs like Pleasanton, Dublin and San Ramon, but it's also about a 5 - 10 minute trip on the freeway to Walnut Creek - if you need more hustle & bustle...

Good luck with your relocation!

We are considering Pleasanton and Danville. I'd love to hear more from the locals of Danville from Pleasanton. We have little ones and are concerned about good schools etc... Thanks!