Relocation Discussion SF (San Francisco, Concord, Walnut Creek: renting, crime, home)

[sonik555]

Hello everyone.
I have been planning to move to California from Northeast for a few years now and have been to California twice in the past two years and absolutely fell in love with your state.
I am currently planning another trip to California sort of to check out different areas for relocation.
These are the areas I am looking to check out:

Danville
San Ramon
Pleasanton
Walnut Creek

My questions apply to any of those towns and will appreciate any suggestions or comments, positive or negatives.
Things of importance:
1 Safety
2 Great schools
3 Weather
4 Family oriented communities
5 Sidewalks (believe it or not something very rare here in northeast suburbs)
6 Parks, hiking, outdoor activities ( one of the main reasons for moving as we can do that year round)


- Which towns would you suggest over the others and why?
- Schools quality?
- Safety?
- Young, active, engaged, and friendly families?
- Weather differences if any? How is the weather in general in that area? Is it much different from San Francisco?
- How different are similar Southern California towns when compared to above listed towns?
- I know everyone complains about the traffic in SF. How is the traffic in towns I listed?
- Should I add anything to my trip list and any activities that would help me better understand the local culture?
- Also if anyone is from Northeast would you please provide any comparison, and any positive or negative experiences you have had?

Thank you in advance.

[clongirl]

Job?? Salary??

[KatieDent]

Hi Soni555,

I am an East Bay native and know the areas well! Walnut Creek, Danville, San Ramon, Pleasanton are all great areas and VERY safe and family oriented. Walnut Creek and Pleasanton are closest to BART (out public transit). The San Ramon Valley School District is TOP rated and highly desired. The home prices in Danville are higher than San Ramon.

Pleasanton is super hot right now because people are buying there and commuting to the South Bay. The Pleasanton Unified School District is rated high as well, but there are schools rated higher than others based on the area you live in.

Walnut Creek is super urban and family oriented. Excellent restaurants, shopping, night life, top rated schools. Easy and quick to San Francisco on BART train.

Yes, we do have sidewalks and they are the norm. Walnut Creek and Danville are right at the base of Mt. Diablo with great hiking. There are so many parks and trails throughout the neighborhoods that it's easy to bike and walk with your family.

Depending on your budget whether renting or buying, Danville and Walnut Creek will be higher priced. The traffic is about the same and during commute time it would take about 40 minutes to Pleasanton from Concord/Walnut Creek area but there is a fast lane. I would take Bart to SF if you can, parking is hard and can be very expensive.

The weather is the same with all the cities. I would say that Pleasanton gets a little more windy than the others. Our winters have really gotten shorter and more mild. San Francisco stays the same all year except summers are cold and foggy.

Moderator cut: see note I'm excited for you....you will love living here!

[hken]

I grew up in Boston (just moved back) after 10+ years in California....your questions are way way too vauge. SoCal and NorCal are VERY different in terms of vibe, jobs, housing...everything. Typically people move to either location because of jobs or a personal reason to go north or south....additionally with housing and traffic in both places being such a pain, 'wishing' to move out here vs actually doing it and having a stable job and home situation that makes you happy is complex. Having moved a family from SoCal->NorCal->Boston in the last 2 years I would start with your career goals and budget and then zone in on a location that meets both. Picking towns without the other items started is not very helpful.

[zitsky]

Originally Posted by hken

I grew up in Boston (just moved back) after 10+ years in California....your questions are way way too vauge. SoCal and NorCal are VERY different in terms of vibe, jobs, housing...everything. Typically people move to either location because of jobs or a personal reason to go north or south....additionally with housing and traffic in both places being such a pain, 'wishing' to move out here vs actually doing it and having a stable job and home situation that makes you happy is complex. Having moved a family from SoCal->NorCal->Boston in the last 2 years I would start with your career goals and budget and then zone in on a location that meets both. Picking towns without the other items started is not very helpful.

Aren't the cities in OP's post all in Northern California?

[sonik555]

thank you for your responses and information.
I know my question is somewhat vague. I am just trying to get any extra first hand information as I am planning another trip before definitively starting job search next year.
The reason for the move is primary weather, more outdoorsy lifestyle, beautiful landscape and, slower and calmer lifestyle.
The reason for comparing to Southern California is because I am pretty open to different areas and like different areas for different reasons, thus, wanted to hear any comparisons from people that actually live there.
Hken, If you don't mind me asking the reason for moving back to Boston? personal or job related?
Thank you once again.

[jade408]

Dublin
Pleasant Hill
Alamo

These are all pretty similar to the places on your list and neighbor each other. It all depends on your budget. Those places are all pretty much the same in terms of amenities, safety and city layout.

[zitsky]

I think it's hard to find a relaxing lifestyle in the Bay area. Too intense right now.

[clongirl]

Originally Posted by sonik555

thank you for your responses and information.
I know my question is somewhat vague. I am just trying to get any extra first hand information as I am planning another trip before definitively starting job search next year.
The reason for the move is primary weather, more outdoorsy lifestyle, beautiful landscape and, slower and calmer lifestyle.
The reason for comparing to Southern California is because I am pretty open to different areas and like different areas for different reasons, thus, wanted to hear any comparisons from people that actually live there.
Hken, If you don't mind me asking the reason for moving back to Boston? personal or job related?
Thank you once again.

They're all nice--safe, tidy suburban cities, with good schools and fit all of your needs, but without knowing anything about your budget or even where your job will be located, it's far too general because if you got a job on the Peninsula/South Bay or in Marin for instance, it would make no sense for you to be looking into Walnut Creek/Danville/Pleasanton areas. Around these parts, it's kind of difficult to put the cart before the horse, or so to speak. The job location/cost is the biggest factor as to where you will want to be. Housing in these areas generally runs 900k and up though.

Sorry, I can't help in the SoCal comparisons though--I'm not intimately familiar enough.

[sav858]

I grew up in Walnut Creek and prefer it to the other cities on your list to this day as well. I just enjoyed having it's large, vibrant downtown right there. It's also the most convenient imo because you have two freeways and two BART stations.

Schools - All have excellent schools, Danville might have the "best" though. The thing with Walnut Creek is that it is split up into several districts and you basically want your kids feeding into Las Lomas or Northgate High Schools. I guess College Park too but definitely not Ygancio Valley High.

Safety - All are similarly safe and crime wouldn't be an issue in any of those cities.

Weather - All pretty similar and only vary a few degrees at most. But all are a lot hotter and sunnier than SF too. Colder in winter at night as well.

Family Oriented - All of them are family oriented, WC probably has the most mix though with younger singles/couples, families, and retirees.

Sidewalks - San Ramon and Pleasanton have them everywhere. Westside of Danville (west of 680) doesn't really have a lot in the residential areas, eastside does though. Walnut Creek varies as well, generally the eastern parts are more likely to have neighborhoods with them with some exceptions.

Parks - Don't think there is much of a difference in that regard, I think San Ramon might have the least amount though.

San Ramon and Pleasanton are the most SoCal like imo, more cookie-cutter and heavy on the chain stores. San Ramon is also the only one that completely lacks any sort of walkable downtown area.