New job in Emeryville--Live in Walnut Creek or "similar" areas? (Oakland: apartment, to rent)

[thorvitz]

Hello,

I have a possible job in Emeryville (1900 Powell, near 580 freeway). I'd like to rent an apartment in downtown Walnut Creek. I like that it's very safe, clean, walkable to shopping...not bordering on any gritty areas. I know the criticisms of WC (antiseptic, boring, no culture) and am a-ok with it :-) I'm in my early 40s, married, and hoping to buy a condo, start a family soon.

Questions---

1. How will the commute be to that part of Emeryville (8-5ish job)? I believe I could BART to Emery-go-round or drive.

2. Are there any similar towns I could live? I'd REALLY like to live in Santa Clara County (Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Palo Alto) but from all my research that would require a 1 to 1.5hr nightmarish commute. No thanks. Ideally want to keep commute to under 45min.

Thanks so much!

Todd

[jade408]

Walnut Creek to Emeryville is a terrible commute. You are caught up in all of the Bay Bridge traffic. Would take about an hour via car and similar via transit. Try Albany. Or closer to the tunnel i.e. Orinda so at least you could take the streets fairly quickly.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Look at Alameda. It's close to Oakland, but doesn't have the crime. Charming town with shallow, warm beach & farmer's market. Easy commute. Desirable area, I heard the schools are good, too.

[sav858]

If you a 45-60min commute is too long for you then maybe look at Alameda. You're not really going to find anywhere in the inner East Bay that doesn't border some gritty areas at least somewhat imo.

[roadwarrior101]

What about some of the towns in Marin county? You're going to get sort of a reverse commute until you get to Berkeley, but then its only a few miles on I-80, until you get to Emeryville.

[jade408]

The only challenging thing for you OP, is really around "town character" places like WC and Santa Clara county are a lot newer than places near Emeryville. If part of the reason you like WC is because of the new factor, you'll have to open up yourself to a longer commute.

The commute is actually shorter to E-ville from Dublin/Pleasanton area. (Less Bay Bridge backup) so you may want to look over there. There big thing is avoiding 24 and the tunnel as much as possible.

[Destiny2008]

If you don't want to drive, you can take BART to MacArthur station and then catch an AC Transit bus to Powell. I did that public transit commute for a few years but I cannot remember how long it took. Perhaps there is a better option for getting from the MacArthur station to Powell. If you are living in downtown Walnut Creek you can walk to the BART station and not have to worry about parking. Walnut Creek is a great place to live...clean, low crime, lots of amenities ( open space for hiking, a new library, shopping) and a good place to raise a family.

[jade408]

If you don't mind a few transfers, you can use the Emery-go-round shuttle to get from Macarthur BART to most parts of Emeryville. It is fairly regular and runs into the evening.

[athleticsfan72737489]

Originally Posted by jade408

The only challenging thing for you OP, is really around "town character" places like WC and Santa Clara county are a lot newer than places near Emeryville. If part of the reason you like WC is because of the new factor, you'll have to open up yourself to a longer commute.

The commute is actually shorter to E-ville from Dublin/Pleasanton area. (Less Bay Bridge backup) so you may want to look over there. There big thing is avoiding 24 and the tunnel as much as possible.

Dublin/Pleasanton to Emeryville isn't as easy as it used to be. 580 gets backed up a lot in the mornings through Oakland nowadays, especially around Keller and between 35th and Harrison. It's like this everyday.

My suggestion is to take BART from Walnut Creek to MacArthur BART and then take the free Emery-Go-Round shuttle. There is a "Watergate Express" bus that goes directly from MacArthur BART to the Watergate Towers (1900, 2000, 2100 Powell Street) via I-80 - it is very simple.

OP might also want to look at Albany, Berkeley or El Cerrito even though none has the "newness" or "suburban factor" of WC.

[sav858]

How is traffic on Ashby Ave from 24? I think if the OP can avoid the MacArthur Maze and most of 24 west of the Caldecott Tunnel it might not be too bad. Traffic east of the Caldecott can be heavy but it usually moves and isn't stop and go, even in the morning.