Danville vs. Lafayette vs. San Ramon (San Francisco, Oakland: house, safe neighborhoods, school districts)

[kramacha1979]

Hi,

We are a family of four with 2 young kids. I am Indian and my wife is American. We are moving from Portland, OR to East Bay. We are looking for neighborhoods with amazing school districts (not a pressure cooker though), safe, diverse with a strong Indian community.

I'd love to hear your perspectives on these 3 cities and please provide recommendations on neighborhoods, gated communities for us to explore. Looking at 5BR, 3BA around 2-4M.

Karthik

[aslowdodge]

All three have what you are looking for although me personally San Ramon is my least favorite. Proximities to work could be the big decider.

[Ruth4Truth]

The better schools will be in Lafayette, but Lafayette will be more expensive than the other two. It will also be less diverse, but still has some diversity. "Asian" makes up 1/10 of the population, and there's a small percentage of South Asian within that. Stanley Middle School and Acalanes High School are highly recommended, and aren't pressure cookers.

There are a few properties currently listed within your budget. I don't know to what extent properties get bid up beyond the selling price, though.In many other parts of the Bay Area, it's common to bid over the selling price. The RE market is very competitive

[ccm123]

These are all generally very nice, safe neighborhoods. San Ramon probably is the most diverse and has highly ranked schools.

As mentioned by a previous poster, you should take into account any commutes you may have. Commuting to say, the Santa Clara Valley for example, is very exhausting with a lot of traffic congestion during rush hour traffic periods.

[Dave Coe]

All areas are fairly affluent with high performing schools. San Ramon has newer housing stock and a more Asian/Indian tech oriented demographic. Lafayette and Danville have older housing stock and a more Waspy Old Money vibe.

[Dave Coe]

Demographic Map:





Source: https://bestneighborhood.org/racial-...ution-by-city/

[General I80]

Of those three, Eastern San Ramon will probably be the best choice, but I’d recommend Fremont. It’s one of the most Indian American places around, and the school district is exactly how you’d like.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

The better schools will be in Lafayette, but Lafayette will be more expensive than the other two. It will also be less diverse, but still has some diversity. "Asian" makes up 1/10 of the population, and there's a small percentage of South Asian within that. Stanley Middle School and Acalanes High School are highly recommended, and aren't pressure cookers.

There are a few properties currently listed within your budget. I don't know to what extent properties get bid up beyond the selling price, though. In many other parts of the Bay Area, it's common to bid over the selling price. The RE market is very competitive

I went to Lafayette Elementary and Stanley, and I turned out OK!

My parents bought their 1939 house in Lafayette in 1960 for $32,000, sold it in 1985 for $140,000, and it's now valued at $2.2 million. Lafayette is well worth it if you can afford it but the other 2 cities are also really good. Lafayette has the better commute to Oakland or even San Francisco, with a BART station, but San Ramon (and Danville) is better to commute to Silicone Valley.

[roadwarrior101]

All of the areas are safe and have great schools.

If you're looking for a lot of diversity, your best bet would be San Ramon on the Eastern Side (Gale Ranch area). You could also consider the eastern part of Danville around Camino Tassajara. Essentially, the areas with newer housing stock (2000 or newer) are going to have a higher percentage of Indian/Asians vs the other neighborhoods.

If you're looking at areas around downtown Danville or Lafayette, they're going to be predominately white. On the other hand, those areas have great downtowns with good shops/restaurants and are much more walkable.

[Dave Coe]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

All of the areas are safe and have great schools.

If you're looking for a lot of diversity, your best bet would be San Ramon on the Eastern Side (Gale Ranch area). You could also consider the eastern part of Danville around Camino Tassajara. Essentially, the areas with newer housing stock (2000 or newer) are going to have a higher percentage of Indian/Asians vs the other neighborhoods.

If you're looking at areas around downtown Danville or Lafayette, they're going to be predominately white. On the other hand, those areas have great downtowns with good shops/restaurants and are much more walkable.

It is possible that remote work, especially a hybrid model, could shift the demographics.