Attempt to marginalize central and east Contra Costa County residents (San Francisco: university, live)

[milkit]

Some jerk made a statement on another forum that the East Bay was west of the Oakland hills. He said that places like Orinda and Antioch were not East Bay.

This is outrageous and I take umbrage to this. He is attempting to marginalize us residents.

Here is a lesson for everyone:

Bay Area = nine counties, as follows:

East Bay = Alameda and Contra Costa Counties
South Bay = Santa Clara County
North Bay = Marin, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma Counties
West Bay or Peninsula = San Mateo and San Francisco Counties

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by milkit

Some jerk made a statement on another forum that the East Bay was west of the Oakland hills. He said that places like Orinda and Antioch were not East Bay.

This is outrageous and I take umbrage to this. He is attempting to marginalize us residents.

Here is a lesson for everyone:

Bay Area = nine counties, as follows:

East Bay = Alameda and Contra Costa Counties
South Bay = Santa Clara County
North Bay = Marin, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma Counties
West Bay or Peninsula = San Mateo and San Francisco Counties

Yeah, we had this conversation on a thread a few years ago. It was decided that all of it's the Bay Area, of course, but that there was the "Inner Bay Area" and the "Outer Bay". So, for the East Bay, anything between the hills and the Bay front = "Inner Bay". But it's all the Bay Area. Saying Orinda isn't the East Bay is laughable. What would he call that area, then? "The Boonies"? Nope. Not gonna happen.

OP, he can "attempt", but he can't succeed. . It's just ignorance, that's all. Ask him, then, what he would call Orinda/Lafayette/Walnut Creek. And what about Benicia? Here's a good one: what's Pacifica? In or out of the Bay Area? Is it possible to be on the Pacific, but still part of the Bay Area? Are Stinson Beach & Bolinas part of the Bay Area? Should we coin the term, the "Greater Bay Area" for referring to the more far-flung locales?

I defer to those wiser than me. Have at it, folks!

[tstieber]

I remember growing up in Walnut Creek in the 80s and feeling very disconnected from the inner bay area, to the point that people out there almost never went into San Francisco unless it was for out-of-town visitors or for work. And we were pretty much invisible to people in the inner East Bay. But even then, it was considered Bay Area. Today, It would be even harder to argue against being part of the greater whole.

[milkit]

Thanks for your support guys!

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by tstieber

I remember growing up in Walnut Creek in the 80s and feeling very disconnected from the inner bay area, to the point that people out there almost never went into San Francisco unless it was for out-of-town visitors or for work. And we were pretty much invisible to people in the inner East Bay. But even then, it was considered Bay Area. Today, It would be even harder to argue against being part of the greater whole.

I had cousins in Orinda, Lafayette, and later--Walnut Creek. And we lived in a part of Berkeley near the Caldecott Tunnel, so those places were nearby. There was no question that it was the Bay Area, out there. I remember hearing much older relatives, talking about how Walnut Creek used to be walnut groves. It was considered kind of a "new" development back then (even though it had existed since the Spanish/Mexico). I can see how people there would feel more isolated. Plus, a lot of Orinda residents were connected to UC-B, so Orinda felt a lot closer in, psychologically in a way.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by milkit

Thanks for your support guys!

Good luck! Keep us posted on developments!

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Yeah, we had this conversation on a thread a few years ago. It was decided that all of it's the Bay Area, of course, but that there was the "Inner Bay Area" and the "Outer Bay". So, for the East Bay, anything between the hills and the Bay front = "Inner Bay". But it's all the Bay Area. Saying Orinda isn't the East Bay is laughable. What would he call that area, then? "The Boonies"? Nope. Not gonna happen.

OP, he can "attempt", but he can't succeed. . It's just ignorance, that's all. Ask him, then, what he would call Orinda/Lafayette/Walnut Creek. And what about Benicia? Here's a good one: what's Pacifica? In or out of the Bay Area? Is it possible to be on the Pacific, but still part of the Bay Area? Are Stinson Beach & Bolinas part of the Bay Area? Should we coin the term, the "Greater Bay Area" for referring to the more far-flung locales?

I defer to those wiser than me. Have at it, folks!

I agree with the census definition (9 counties), although Sonoma, Napa, and Solano (!) are pretty far-flung. Gualala, on the Sonoma County coast, is three hours from San Francisco.

Where you say you live depends on who you are talking to. When I lived in Orinda, I told locals I lived in Orinda, I told other Californians that I lived near Oakland and Berkeley, and I told everyone else that I lived in the San Francisco area.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Larry Siegel

I agree with the census definition (9 counties), although Sonoma, Napa, and Solano (!) are pretty far-flung. Gualala, on the Sonoma County coast, is three hours from San Francisco.

Where you say you live depends on who you are talking to. When I lived in Orinda, I told locals I lived in Orinda, I told other Californians that I lived near Oakland and Berkeley, and I told everyone else that I lived in the San Francisco area.

Definitely true. You use different reference points for different people, depending on how familiar they are or aren't, with the area. RE: Orinda, in college I had a friend who was from there. She said as a teen she used to hike over the hills to Berkeley, to check out the scene around the university on weekends. To her, Berkeley was right next door, not somewhere outside the Bay Area, lol, like some alien place.

I also agree that the northern parts of the north Bay seem a world away. Imagine that Lake County used to be part of the north Bay counties! Gualala is more "Mendocino Coast" than Bay Area, if you ask me.

[PixelatedTherapy]

Solano County, while technically part of the Bay Area in its entirety, feels like it's in 4 different regions all at once. Vallejo and Benicia are undoubtedly part of the Bay Area. Southern Solano County is technically a Peninsula. Vallejo is on San Pablo Bay, the Napa River and the Carquinez Strait. Benicia is on the Suisun Bay and the Carquinez Strait. To put this into perspective, Vallejo is about equal distance from Fairfield as it is from Berkeley. Between Benicia/Vallejo and Fairfield there's 10 miles of open unused space.

Farifield and Suisun City in Central Solano feel like a like a gateway to the Sacramento Valley or a gateway to the San Francisco Bay Area depending on which direction you're driving.

Western Solano feels like an extension of the Napa Valley/Wine Country. Rolling Hills and wineries included.

Vacaville and Dixon in northern Solano are in reality the Sacramento Valley, despite being considered the Bay Area on an extreme technicality. There's also eastern Solano like Rio Vista which is clearly part of California Delta. Solano is a very confusing county.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by PixelatedTherapy

Solano County, while technically part of the Bay Area in its entirety, feels like it's in 4 different regions all at once. Vallejo and Benicia are undoubtedly part of the Bay Area. Southern Solano County is technically a Peninsula. Vallejo is on San Pablo Bay, the Napa River and the Carquinez Strait. Benicia is on the Suisun Bay and the Carquinez Strait. To put this into perspective, Vallejo is about equal distance from Fairfield as it is from Berkeley. Between Benicia/Vallejo and Fairfield there's 10 miles of open unused space.

Farifield and Suisun City in Central Solano feel like a like a gateway to the Sacramento Valley or a gateway to the San Francisco Bay Area depending on which direction you're driving.

Western Solano feels like an extension of the Napa Valley/Wine Country. Rolling Hills and wineries included.

Vacaville and Dixon in northern Solano are in reality the Sacramento Valley, despite being considered the Bay Area on an extreme technicality. There's also eastern Solano like Rio Vista which is clearly part of California Delta. Solano is a very confusing county.

Good points. Similar to Larry Siegel's point about Gualala. Another inclusion into "Bay Area" status by "extreme technicality".