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My husband and I currently rent on the Peninsula and my husband works in Redwood City. We have 4 small children (2 elementary school aged) and are looking at moving to the more affordable East Bay. We don't want him to have a long commute (30-40 minutes max each way) so we are looking at Fremont, Union City, or Newark. His office is technically in Redwood City, but is East of the 101, so he could cross the Dumbarton Bridge and avoid the 101 altogether.
We know NOTHING about these cities but would love some input from those who do know. We don't really care about having a downtown or shops or restaurants, etc. We just mostly want good schools (they don't have to be the best, but I don't want the worst) and a safe, family oriented neighborhood, along with keeping the commute at a minimum.
We have been looking around Ardenwood and the neighborhoods seem nice enough...any thoughts on the schools?
Also, what about the Centerville District? I keep reading very conflicting reviews about it. Is it safe, or is that the part of town to avoid?
How about Union City or Newark? I'm having a hard time finding much of anything about them.
I'm not a huge expert on Union City, but know Fremont and Newark very well. I'd say that overall UC has a higher crime than both Newark and Fremont. Fremont and Newark have very similar crime rates these days. They are both reasonably safe cities but do have a small amount of sketchiness. "Bad" areas in any of these cities are pretty much isolated though and often times are just limited to one bad apartment complex on a street. I'd have no reservations as far as safety goes in any of these cities, but you do have to be aware of your surroundings in some parts of town.
Centerville is not really the best part of Fremont. I think there are plenty of nicer areas to choose from. Ardenwood is a pretty good area but does have a slightly higher crime rate than many other parts of Fremont. The safest parts of Fremont with the best schools are toward the southern end of town, heading toward Milpitas. These are also some of the most expensive areas and will cause your husband to have a longer commute. Personally, I really like Niles. It has a very strong sense of community and feels like taking a step back in time with its quaint "downtown" strip on Niles Blvd. Another area I highly recommend is Glenmoor in central Fremont, which is roughly centered around Glenmoor Drive.
As far as Newark goes, I live in the Lake Area. In all honesty, the Lake Area and another adjacent neighborhood called Rosemont are really the only parts of Newark that I think of as really nice neighborhoods. Most of the neighbors are very nice and take pride in where they live. I've never lived anywhere in the Bay Area where almost everybody says "hi" when I'm out walking my dog like it happens here. Newark's public areas and infrastructure tends to be better maintained than Fremont's, but it also tends to have a lot of dumpy and poorly maintained neighborhoods. The Lake Area and Rosemont are at the northeastern part of Newark near the Ardenwood area of Fremont. I actually love my neighborhood and from a commuting perspective it would be great for your husband since it's just a few minutes from the entrance to the Dumbarton bridge.
I'd say that as far as schools are concerned, you won't really find anything below average. Fremont does have some of the best schools in the state (mainly Mission San Jose...$$$), but you'll also find good schools in Newark and Union City as well.
Good luck in your search. If you have any other specific questions, feel free to post them.
I'm not a huge expert on Union City, but know Fremont and Newark very well. I'd say that overall UC has a higher crime than both Newark and Fremont. Fremont and Newark have very similar crime rates these days. They are both reasonably safe cities but do have a small amount of sketchiness. "Bad" areas in any of these cities are pretty much isolated though and often times are just limited to one bad apartment complex on a street. I'd have no reservations as far as safety goes in any of these cities, but you do have to be aware of your surroundings in some parts of town.
Centerville is not really the best part of Fremont. I think there are plenty of nicer areas to choose from. Ardenwood is a pretty good area but does have a slightly higher crime rate than many other parts of Fremont. The safest parts of Fremont with the best schools are toward the southern end of town, heading toward Milpitas. These are also some of the most expensive areas and will cause your husband to have a longer commute. Personally, I really like Niles. It has a very strong sense of community and feels like taking a step back in time with its quaint "downtown" strip on Niles Blvd. Another area I highly recommend is Glenmoor in central Fremont, which is roughly centered around Glenmoor Drive.
Overall, Centerville is not so great. Glenmoor would be an exception and also isn't typically an area people think of when using the term "Centerville". What exactly is your point? Do you have anything to contribute here?
"For city planning purposes, Centerville was enlarged to encompass most of the north central residential section of Fremont, from Mowry Ave to Decoto Rd, from I-880 to the BART line. This Centerville community plan area includes the sprawling subdivisions of Glenmoor Gardens developed in the 1950s and 1960s, bounded by Central Avenue, Fremont Boulevard, Mowry Avenue, and the I-880 freeway. It also includes the Cabrillo neighborhood, the Brookvale subdivisions, the Quarry Lakes Regional Park, and part of Parkmont. The area is served by two high schools, American High School and Washington High School. It also has two junior high schools, Centerville Junior High School and Thornton Junior High School."
I live in Centerville. After over 30 years in Fremont, the only part of Fremont in which I ever feel uncomfortable is Central Avenue near Fremont Blvd because of all the apartment buildings that have a reputation for gangs in the area. I have not had experience with that situation; it's just hearsay.
Mission San Jose is a nice area, as is Ardenwood; however, Glen Manor (next to Glenmoor), Brookvale, Quarry Lakes, and neighborhoods off of Peralta, in Centerville, also have some nice neighborhoods of various ages and probably won't be as expensive as MSJ and Ardenwood.
I recommend the OP drive over from the Peninsula and check out the area, after going through craigslist and other rental sources to see what rents are within the family budget.
The family should also check out Central Park, the sports facilities and playgrounds, the water park, the huge new police station, City Hall, the area around the BART station, Pacific Commons down off Auto Mall Parkway, and maybe even drive by the elementary schools.
Thank you for all of the information! You're the first person I've come across that has said Newark has nice parts, so that's good to hear. We've seen a few houses on the north end of Newark and I've wondered about the area. It would be AWESOME to be there or Ardenwood for commute. Do you have kids or have any experience about the elementary schools in that area?
We need to stay at or below $2500/month for a 4/2 house, so I'm sure Mission San Jose is way out of our price range. It's also farther than we'd like to be commute-wise.
So, do either of you know of a map that has all of these neighborhoods outlined? I'm looking on Google Maps and see some of them like Ardenwood, Centerville, and Glenmoor, but it doesn't have all of them. I'd love to find a more detailed map.
Thank you for all of the information! You're the first person I've come across that has said Newark has nice parts, so that's good to hear. We've seen a few houses on the north end of Newark and I've wondered about the area. It would be AWESOME to be there or Ardenwood for commute. Do you have kids or have any experience about the elementary schools in that area?
We need to stay at or below $2500/month for a 4/2 house, so I'm sure Mission San Jose is way out of our price range. It's also farther than we'd like to be commute-wise.
So, do either of you know of a map that has all of these neighborhoods outlined? I'm looking on Google Maps and see some of them like Ardenwood, Centerville, and Glenmoor, but it doesn't have all of them. I'd love to find a more detailed map.
Thank you again (both of you!) for your input.
I live in Glenmoor, which is in the Centerville District (as others have mentioned). The neighborhood is fantastic, and the schools are good (though I wouldn't say they were outstanding). The elementary schools in Glenmoor are Mattos, Glenmoor, and Maloney. The Jr. High is Centerville Middle, and the high school is Washington HS. We have a strong community spirit here, and there are quite a few stay at home moms which doesn't seem that common in the Bay Area anymore.
I live in Glenmoor, which is in the Centerville District (as others have mentioned). The neighborhood is fantastic, and the schools are good (though I wouldn't say they were outstanding). The elementary schools in Glenmoor are Mattos, Glenmoor, and Maloney. The Jr. High is Centerville Middle, and the high school is Washington HS. We have a strong community spirit here, and there are quite a few stay at home moms which doesn't seem that common in the Bay Area anymore.
This sounds about like where we live now. I love it and would love to find that in whatever home we end up in. I'll have to start looking more in Glennmore. I think my husband and I are going to drive around some of the neighborhoods this next weekend. , now that we've got a better idea of what areas are worth looking at.
Thank you for all of the information! You're the first person I've come across that has said Newark has nice parts, so that's good to hear. We've seen a few houses on the north end of Newark and I've wondered about the area. It would be AWESOME to be there or Ardenwood for commute. Do you have kids or have any experience about the elementary schools in that area?
We need to stay at or below $2500/month for a 4/2 house, so I'm sure Mission San Jose is way out of our price range. It's also farther than we'd like to be commute-wise.
So, do either of you know of a map that has all of these neighborhoods outlined? I'm looking on Google Maps and see some of them like Ardenwood, Centerville, and Glenmoor, but it doesn't have all of them. I'd love to find a more detailed map.
Thank you again (both of you!) for your input.
I have a 2 1/2 year old son, so schools are not yet an issue. All of the neighbors with kids directly around my house send their kids to the local public schools and from what they say they, the schools are pretty decent. I don't have any personal experience with them though.
You're right in that $2500/month for a house in MSJ would probably be out of the question. When I was looking for a rental house four years ago before the market got really hot, I looked at a complete dump in MSJ that they were asking over $2k/month for. Prices have since gone up higher.
The 4/2 house I rent in Newark is $2050/month, which is well below market rate. Our landlord has owned the home for a long time and appreciates how well we take care of the house so he hasn't raised our rent. In our neighborhood, the average monthly rental rate is about $2200, so a bargain compared to many parts of the Bay Area. As I mentioned previously, Newark does have many dumpy neighborhoods. The Lake Area and Rosemont are very nice though and my wife and I have been very happy here. Lakeshore Park (the focal point of the Lake Area) is currently undergoing a complete renovation too so it's going to be very nice when it's finished. If you're using google maps, just type in "Lake Blvd., Newark, CA" to get a general idea of the Lake Area and type in "Blackburn Dr., Newark, CA" to get a general idea of the Rosemont area. Both neighborhoods are directly adjacent to each other.
I have a 2 1/2 year old son, so schools are not yet an issue. All of the neighbors with kids directly around my house send their kids to the local public schools and from what they say they, the schools are pretty decent. I don't have any personal experience with them though.
You're right in that $2500/month for a house in MSJ would probably be out of the question. When I was looking for a rental house four years ago before the market got really hot, I looked at a complete dump in MSJ that they were asking over $2k/month for. Prices have since gone up higher.
The 4/2 house I rent in Newark is $2050/month, which is well below market rate. Our landlord has owned the home for a long time and appreciates how well we take care of the house so he hasn't raised our rent. In our neighborhood, the average monthly rental rate is about $2200, so a bargain compared to many parts of the Bay Area. As I mentioned previously, Newark does have many dumpy neighborhoods. The Lake Area and Rosemont are very nice though and my wife and I have been very happy here. Lakeshore Park (the focal point of the Lake Area) is currently undergoing a complete renovation too so it's going to be very nice when it's finished. If you're using google maps, just type in "Lake Blvd., Newark, CA" to get a general idea of the Lake Area and type in "Blackburn Dr., Newark, CA" to get a general idea of the Rosemont area. Both neighborhoods are directly adjacent to each other.
Very helpful...thank you!
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