Renting a house in Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda etc...

[sharpmama]

Interesting... I think you really, really fist decide whether you want to live in an older more urban place or are more of a suburbanite. If you REALLY want to live in Oakland/Berkely/Alameda, you'll find a solution for your kid's education that is appropriate for their needs. It might be more complicated, but you are likely to be closer to work and happier, as well.

But if the suburbs are your American dream, then live there.

I was born in Oakland and mostly raised in Lafayette. After HS, i went to CSU East Bay, and lived in Hayward, Oakland and Alameda (my favorite).

Lafayette does have very good schools, but EXTREMELY pricey real estate; if you want to buy a house and have lots of money, you'll find something you like. But I was shocked to see that the house I mostly grew up in was sold last year for 900,000+, down only a bit from $1.1 million. My folks paid about $18,000 for it in the late 50s.

Living in a nice, but very LA suburb for 20+ years, I yearn to move back to the bay, but not to Lafayette. I'd go to Alameda, Berkeley, Oakland or the Peninsula... I keep a photo of me w/my parents in front of our bungalow on Vista St (w/Dimond park adjacent to the back yard) on my wall.

Good luck.

[OakAve2OakLand]

Why resurrect such an ancient thread?

The OP's children are likely out of school, in the workforce and have kids of their own by now.