Napa for Families? (Oakland, Santa Rosa, Berkeley: house, movie theaters, private schools)

[dg8trs]

We are relocating from Chicagoland with our two kids to the bay area this summer with my wife's wine industry job. While we love Napa and the wine country as frequent visitors, I have some concern about it as a family area.

The schools are not that great from what I can tell (relative to the east bay around Walnut Creek, which is our alternative) and the travel/tourism focus is clearly on adults.

Any comments on Napa as a family place / place to raise kids?
Kid-focused activities/programs/pools/parks/etc?

Thanks.

[bellalunatic]

I think you are right on about Napa. It's not that there aren't families there, but the city is really truly geared towards the wine industry tourists.
Aim for Walnut Creek if you want to go East Bay.
Or Petaluma in Sonoma County North Bay.
There about the same commute times 45 minutes or so.

[jenninnapa]

I live in Napa and can say that we do not have the amenities that the East Bay has. (Consider Danville over Walnut Creek) Our public schools are not good and there are limited private schools. I don't agree that it's tailored to the tourists nor do I prefer Sonoma County, but overall the East Bay is just superior for family life. I used to live in Chicago myself and can tell you that Napa could be a real culture shock. It's certainly got many, many wonderful qualities, but if I could easily move to Danville, I'd be out of here.

[Arminius 09]

I grew up in Napa and think it's a great place to live/raise a family. It's main tourist attraction may be the wineries, but that shouldn't have any affect on your kids. Napa still has all the other things a normal town would have, parks, pools, movie theaters, etc. Napa feels like it's separated from the rest of the bay area, yet it's still only a short drive away from many world famous destinations. It's a town that you can drive off in several different directions and end up in the woods, not some other town. It's clean, safe, beautiful and I'm happy to have grown up there. I don't research public schools and how they perform compared to other public schools, but I always attended public schools there and ended up going to UC Berkeley. It's definitely a town worth considering IMO.

[nmnita]

I think I would lean toward Petaluma, Santa Rosa or Sanoma. Raising kids in a tourist town is never the same as raising them if a family oriented one.

Nita

[majoun]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I think I would lean toward Petaluma, Santa Rosa or Sanoma. Raising kids in a tourist town is never the same as raising them if a family oriented one.

Nita

What's wrong with raising kids in a tourist town?

[Mr. Fantastic]

Napa is an awesome city. Safe, professional, and naturally beautiful.

That being said, why not try Danville?

[Oakland Uptown]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I think I would lean toward Petaluma, Santa Rosa or Sanoma. Raising kids in a tourist town is never the same as raising them if a family oriented one.

Nita

LOL Your posts are getting more ridiculous by the day.

[Mr. Fantastic]

Does anyone see Oakland Uptown contributing anything to this thread or any other thread? I feel like 90% of this guys post are about him short selling his house or complaining about what other people are talking about.

[Oakland Uptown]

99.9% of your post are bashing Oakland so go F*** yourself.