Where to Live Car-Free
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Parent Q&A
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Questions
- Bay area spot w/ great biking/schools/lots of kids
- Oakland or Berkeley For Schools and Walkability?
- Moving back from Europe, want to live car-free
- Neighborhoods for car-free life with a toddler?
Bay area spot for walking to school/lots of kids
April 2013
We are looking for a great place to land with a 5 and 8 year old. We want to bike or walk to school, have lots of kids around us, friendly neighbors, quiet area, big yard, neighborhood pool and great schools (reasonable class sizes, great parent community, solid principals). We can not afford Lamorinda. We love the areas near Parkmead school but prices are soaring. We are wondering what folks who are in the good Mt Diablo Elementary schools (Strandwood, Valle Vista...) are planning for middle and high? Private? And what about the area with Walnut Acres/Foothill/Northgate? I hear terrible things about the district but the bike paths and neighborhoods seem great. What about areas that feed Strandwood? We need to be within reasonable commuting distance to the Oakland airport. We will consider Marin - and have even talked about going as far as Davis or even the foothills near Sacramento but its far. We are considering parts of west San Ramon as well. Neighbors keeping chickens and bees, lots of community spirit....your thoughts? Are we crazy to hope for it all and spend less than $800? $700? Moving on
Read the responses to the above question on Alameda and the BPN archives. Your list of things you want in a community so perfectly describes this town it's almost comical. Our only weak spot on your list is that a large yard may be hard to find -- they're out there, but you might not be able to find one right away. In every other way you're describing Alameda to a T. Schools are solid all the way through, great sense of community, walkable and bikeable, swimming pools at Lincoln and Franklin park (membership costs $380/year), and lots and lots and lots of kids. We even have an annual back yard chicken coop bicycling tour! And we're closer to the Oakland airport than most of Oakland. Depending how much house/yard you want, it should be in your price range. lovin' it
You just described Alameda and the reasons we just bought a house there. Great school district along with a good choice of charters and parochial schools. VERY family friendly. The streets are flat and you can bike from one end of the island to the other. Beach! Safe. Neighborhood pools (free swim classes during the school year to any kindergartener). Close to east bay and SF. We are very excited to be moving in a few weeks. Not cheap but less competition than Albany. East end and and Gold Coast areas are nice. New alamedans
Since you mentioned rather outlying areas, why not think of something closer but has all you need? We moved to San Leandro last year and absolutely love it here. Neighbor kids stop by to say hi, we know all of our friendly, down to earth neighbors, and all of the parents I have talked to who have kids at the neighborhood school really like it. Schools arent earning stellar 10s, but some score pretty well and there's a lot of cultural diversity in the schools and town. I would feel very comfortable sending my children to school here (we are not yet parents but considered good schools an important thing to research before choosing a town). One family on our street has kids at the local Catholic school and they love it. Since cost of housing here is really good (homes are in high demand now, however), to us private school might be worth it especially in middle school and high school, if needed.
It's what we were looking for: people smiling and saying hi when you walk by and sometimes striking up a friendly conversation. It is easy to get our errands done in town (we spend far less time running errands than we did when we lived in Berkeley), good commute to work, affordable homes, beautiful neighborhoods, and more. Median home prices are now $335,500. It might be a bit harder to find larger homes in San Leandro, though.
It's a town that is thinking ahead to the future and working hard to attract tech jobs thanks to Lit San Leandro (http://litsanleandro.com/) a fiber optic loop throughout the city for service providers to get ultra high speed internet connections. And the city really works to make this a great place to live. We just attended the Seismic Retrofit class the city offers and it was excellent.
I feel comfortable walking and biking in town - streets have sidewalks, there are good bike paths, and generally flat roads and easy and pretty neighborhoods to ride through to get downtown. Lots of trees here (I noticed San Leandro because we were driving through on 580 and I saw so many trees). Oakland airport is close by and easy to get to without freeways. The library is excellent (I'm graduating with my Master in Library and Information Science), and is open great hours, has a big parking lot, and is well loved in town. You don't have to go so far as Davis or Marin County, there are some great towns much closer by. We also considered Pinole, Crockett, and El Sobrante. We read a lot of reviews on bpn and did a ton of research to find the town that suited us. Good luck on your search. K M
We were in the same dilemma 10 years ago and looked throughout Walnut Creek and Lafayette. My realtor insisted we look at a Concord neighborhood, and we ended up here! Our neighborhood attends Foothill Middle School and Northgate High School, and the homes are a fraction of the cost of those other areas. We live on a cul-de-sac, have a green belt with walking paths, pools, swim team, tennis courts, preschool, dog park, and playgrounds. We live at the base of Mt. Diablo, so hiking trails are minutes away. Our neighborhood is diverse, there are a ton of kids, and we really couldn't be happier. The homes were built in the 70's, the yards are mostly on the small side, but my kids ride their bikes in the front and in the green belt instead. You can check out the neighborhood at www.walnutcountry.com. Happy mama
Oakland or Berkeley For Schools and Walkability?
Feb 2012
I can't seem to unwind my way through this dilemma: i love both Oakland and berkeley my son starts K next year (pretty typical child with no apparent learning needs). We rent in montclair so he can attend Montclair elementary school which seems really great. However I quite dislike living in the hills. I yearn for vibrant areas with flat streets and sidewalks and people out in the open. I know we could move elsewhere in Oakland but then my son would be less a part of the neighborhood. Moving to Peraltas zone for example just opens up huge doubt about the local middle school which unfortunately hasnt improved much yet OUSD middle and high school choices get iffy. We would probably have to live in these darn hills to get into montera and when i envision a life of play dates up windy roads i cringe! (sorry Hills lovers! I wish I was one). It seems like BUSD is pretty consistent K-12 although the elementary schools might not be as amazing as a highly supported school like Montclair. PLEASE advise: Should We move to Berkeley or stay in Oakland, move down the hill, and just not worry about post elementary school (which is almost impossible not to do!) Thank you so much!! Losing sleep about OUSD vs BUSD
We're in 'downtown' Montclair and we love it. We walk to Montclair Elementary School. We never get in the car to go to the grocery store, drug store. Restaurants nearby. We walk to the park. There's a walking trail behind our house. Love it. Best of both worlds. happy Montclairian
If the main thing you are looking for is your child being able to walk to school, don't move to Berkeley. Berkeley doesn't have neighborhood elementary schools. You might move to a nice walkable neighborhood in the Berkeley flats, only to find that your child has been assigned to a school in the hills that you need to drive to every day. Even if he does luck out and get assigned to the school in your neighborhood, most of his friends at school will not live in the neighborhood. so you'll be driving him around for playdates. Maybe move someplace closer to Montclair Village? There are lots of other nice walkable neighborhoods in Oakland too! Check out the neighborhood reviews on BPN. Berkeley mom
I am surprised no one has mentioned Albany for a lovely, walkable neighborhood with great schools. Nearly everyone I know walks to school, and because all three elementary schools are so great people simply choose the closest one. Solano offers many things in walking distance, including restaurants, doctors, dentists and banks. We only have one car and hardly use it, and we know many others who also walk or bike everywhere. Big fan of Albany
Moving back from Europe, want to live car-free
Feb 2008
My family and I (two adults, one 16-month-old) are moving back to the Bay Area after a few years in a bike-friendly European city. Believe it or not, we don't own a car. Sure, there are some logistical issues to work out, but it works! The questions: Are there car-free families in the Bay Area? Is there a ''good'' city for living car-free? Are there particularly ''bike-friendly'' cities? Many thanks! Otto
I can recommend Albany (where I live), El Cerrito, and Berkeley as relatively bike-friendly cities with the possibility of living car-free. There is one principal bike path that runs underneath the BART tracks from El Cerrito del Norte to North Berkeley BART, and then there are streets dedicated to bike use (better in Berkeley than the other towns). A number of people I know augment their biking with membership in one of the car-sharing organizations such as City CarShare or Zip Cars, because there are some trips that are difficult to make on public transportation. But if you choose your neighborhood carefully (within walking or biking distance of shopping and schools, etc.), you can get away without a car by using the extensive public transport or biking.
Cautionary notes -- cars can be merciless to bikes, and significant caution has to be exercised on roads busy with cars. I have been honked at, nudged to the side, and nearly hit by a car that didn't stop at a four-way stop. Because almost everyone around you has a car, assumptions will be made about your ability to get places (sport practices, afterschool care, etc.) in a car-travel length of time. I have been in situations where I had to drive because a ball practice was scheduled way up in the Berkeley hills a half-hour after my work hours. People are not all that understanding of a decision to go carless in my experience, so you have to work at it. Finally, if you do decide to go carless, could I make a polite plea that you not lean too much on people with cars? I have some ''green'' friends who go carless and then want me to cart their kids around, which is not a fair ecological position to my mind. I just had to say that, though I'm in basic sympathy with your project. bikes when able
Yes, you can be car-free in the Bay Area! San Francisco would be the obvious choice for car-free living - if you like living in the city - because it has the best public transit system in the area. Nothing compared to Europe, I'm afraid, but still very useful. However, I think the East Bay, especially Berkeley and Albany, are more bike-friendly. If you're comfortable biking around with your toddler, and with groceries, the flatter parts of Berkeley and Albany would be great choices. Having lived car-free in both Europe and the Bay Area, though, I would like to mention that there is one big difference between the two. In Europe you can literally get everywhere by public transit - you can take a train or bus to other cities and to trailheads, for instance. Here, however, while you can get around without a car within the city, you'll need a car to get out, and to enjoy the many parks around here. Of course, you can do that by occasionally renting or joining a carshare organization. Welcome back to the Bay Area!
I know plenty of car-free people in the Bay area, but I don't think I know any car-free families with kids. Seems like it wouldn't be too hard though. You could check out CityCarShare (or Zipcar)--car sharing might be an ideal solution for you guys for the occasional times you need a car. Also, Berkeley is really bike-friendly (and walk-friendly). Before my company moved to Hayward my husband and I hardly ever drove. We're in S. Berkeley, right by Ashby BART & Berkeley Bowl grocery store & a park & tool-lending library & farmer's market...and walking distance to downtown Berkeley & Rockridge. It's great. Good luck with your move! Jenny
Alameda is a small island with bike lanes on many streets and cars are only allowed to go 25mph. We generally only ride our bikes or drive an electric plugin car (GemCar) on the island. Lots of stuff for kids to do and no reason to cross the bridge over to the mainland unless you have to work off the island or make a costco run. I use to live in Denmark where most of us road bikes. Very comparable in nature. Island Living
Neighborhoods for car-free life with a toddler?
January 2007
We're thinking of moving to Berkeley (from SF Mission district), but our knowledge of Berkeley neighborhoods is somewhat dated. We would really like to be in a neighborhood where we can do all our daily stuff without a car. We have one car, but we don't use it, and think we will get rid of it soon.
We do enjoy living in an environment with urban density, activity, and diversity... but neighborhood safety is also a concern for us, now that we have a little one. We need good access to public transportation (probably need walking distance to BART) and we'd also like to have walkable grocery shopping, playgrounds and parks, rainy-day play places, library, bookstores, schools, and just generally nice neighborhood walks.
Finally, we can only consider lower budget areas like Ashby area, central Berkeley, or cheaper areas of north Berkeley... Are we asking for too much? Any advice? Pedestrian Mama
It's not as easy to get around as SF but I'd say anywhere in Berkeley besides the hills is do-able without a car. I live in N. berkeley off Gilman and was thrilled to discover the number 9 bus runs along Gilman right into downtown berkeley. I'm also 10 mins from BART. I can walk to do all my grocery shopping (Monterey Market) and to our local library. About the only time I ''need'' the car is to get up to Tilden. Even then there is a bus, but I haven't figured it out yet. When I lived in south berkeley near the Berkeley Bowl it was not quite so easy (not so many parks to walk to, felt less safe walking around alone) but still very do-able. If you manage to find somewhere in Central Berkeley, the Ohlone Park/Totland area seems ideal to me; completely walkable, tons of families and very safe. If you ride a bike and have a seat/trailer for your little one I think you will find berkeley without a car very manageable.
walking in berkeley
Well, this isn't Berkeley but I would like to make a plug for the Richmond District in San Francisco. We're car free with a toddler and we love it here. There are tons of toddlers and it is very safe. The 38 Geary Limited can get you to a BART station in 20 minutes. This neighborhood has everything you are looking for except for being in Berkeley. bikermom
Check out Central Berkeley slightly east or west of MLK Ave, perhaps between Rose and Allston. Also check out Albany and El Cerrito, the area along Key Route/Ashbury/Central. Both of these areas have reasonablly priced rentals and you can walk to BART, shopping, parks, libraries.
-- Berkeley native living in El Cerrito for cleaner streets and lower rent
I think as long as you are north of Dwight, you are OK. I live near the Sacramento St./University Ave. intersection and we can walk to Andronico's, the stores all along University down to San Pablo (post office, library, Mexican market, etc.) and up to Cal, downtown (with post office, restaurants, shops, YMCA, etc.), several parks (Ohlone, Charlie Dorr, totland, etc.), the north Berkeley BART station, etc. I really like it here. I know people who live south of Dwight and it's more dangerous (drive-by shootings, etc.).
My two cents
We used to live in Central Berkeley (nr. Allston and McGee) and found it very walkable and toddler-friendly. Downtown is 10 minutes away, also Andronico's, and the Berkeley Bowl perhaps 20 mins. There is a nice little tot-lot on Roosevelt, one in the UC Development at Allston & California, Ohlone park on Hearst, and of course, Totland on McGee. We found the neighborhood safe, although there are high school students traveling Allston and the occasional homeless. Good luck, Anne
I recommend you concentrate on the neighborhoods around the North Berkeley BART station and the El Cerrito Plaza BART station. Going completely carless is relatively unusual but you CAN definitely walk to all the basics (groceries, playgrounds) in either location, and readily take BART or bus for longer distance trips. These areas are less expensive than, say, Rockridge or ''upper'' Albany, but are just as pleasant and safe, and offer the same kind of family-friendly semi-urban density.
The Ashby area I would say is somewhat less pedestrian-friendly, although you might find it would work okay for you. And you could consider the Central Berkeley area just west of downtown. I know families who live in both places and like it, but the ''feel'' is different -- more students and non-traditional- family households, and more economic diversity -- which has its pros and cons
Likes Walking Too in Albany
I have a three year old and live in Berkeley close to Ashby and Telegraph. It's a great neighborhood for living a car-free existence with a kid. While we own a car, it is completely unnecessary that we use it. We are four blocks to Ashby BART, one block to Whole Foods, four blocks to Bateman Park (great for toddlers), and also close to Willard Park and the playground at LeConte Elementary School. A short walk east is Elmwood, with a great range of restaurants, shops, cafes, and a theater and bank. I would highly recommend the area bordered by Telegraph and Shattuck, and by Alcatraz to a several blocks north of Ashby for a totally walkable, accessible, toddler-in-tow life. Avoid the Alcatraz/Shattuck corner of the area I described.
Amy
i would highly recommend our neighborhood...north berkeley flats. we live on cedar st. (a little too busy for me, but we are buying our home :)) just by the park on the corner of chestnut and cedar. i can walk to several different shopping places (berkeley natural grocery, monterey market, gourmet ghetto and fourth st) we can also walk to over 6 different parks, two different libraries and the ohlone bike path runs through the park by our house. in addition, the bart station is only about three blocks away. we love living here, and using our car minimally. my husband even walks to work, on university which is about 7 blocks away. good luck with your search!!! anon
We moved from the Mission to Albany last year -- it's not strictly Berkeley but it's right ''next door'' and so far it's working out great for us. My husband BARTs to work (El Cerrito Plaza station is a couple blocks away). I don't even have a driver's license so I walk to everything. Great schools are just blocks away, and most everything you need is also close by -- either on Solano Ave, which is crammed with cafes, two movies theaters, shops, restaurants, bookstores, bakeries, etc., or at El Cerrito Plaza, a new-ish mall with a Barnes n' Noble, Trader Joe's, Pier One, Petco, Albertsons, more restaurants, video rentals, etc. Other nearby stuff: Starbucks and Pete's coffee, parks, tons of afterschool programs for kids at the rec center (everything from karate to carpentry to dance, music and more), a nice library, and the new El Cerrito Speakeasy -- a pizza n' movies theater opened by the same folks who own the Parkway. I'm not sure how ''low budget'' the housing is -- we bought a major fixer at a great price and have been noodling away on it ever since and we know other families here who are *far* from wealthy. It's a really swell place to be -- quiet, super friendly, diverse. Might be worth checking out!
Pedestrian Mom
Though not as urban as Berkeley, you may want to consider Alameda - it's a really great place to live with a toddler. I have an almost 3 year old, and rarely drive anywhere. We walk to several grocery stores, downtown cafes / restaurants, a great bookstore, the library, parks, preschool, tumbling, music, etc. The neighborhoods are quite safe, and public schools are good. The parks & recreation department runs ''Wee Play'' two mornings a week for the 0-3 set, and good preschools (2, 3 or 5 days / week) in almost every park for ages 3-5. Both are very affordable. Housing costs seem comparable to Berkeley. We can't easily walk to BART, but my kid loves buses (including Trans-Bay), and the ferry. BART is only a few miles away.
Good luck! - a former Berkeley resident
You didn't mention whether you were renting or owning. For safety though, if you wish to stay in the city there's some good places to be found in the Russian Hill/Pacific Heights/Marina neighborhoods. The child density depends on the neighborhood/building. We're few blocks west of Van Ness, which is safe but not outrageously priced and importantly, we never use our car. We bus/BART to work in the East Bay, walk to get groceries, there's tons of parks around, libraries, Post Offices, anything you need. The East Bay is great too. Regardless of your choice, I would walk around the neighborhood of the place you're considering at various times of day, afternoon, and night before deciding, to see how it feels for you. Different streets can feel different, depending on high school traffic, proximity to shelters etc., as you know, moreover different people have a differing sense of what's safe. Good luck! anon
It won't be as easy to live with one, or zero, cars in Berkeley as in the Mission, but it can reasonably be done. My family of two working adults and an elementary school child have had one car for 10 years in Berkeley, near North Berkeley BART station.
San Francisco's transit system and widespread retail districts allow you to live almost anywhere in San Francisco with few or no cars. In Berkeley, you need to pick your spots more. I certainly wouldn't want to do it in the Hills or over west of 7th St. The areas around the 3 BART stations Ashby, Downtown Berkeley, North Berkeley are best. Within a 1/2 mile (about 10 minutes' walk) radius of each station there is at least one supermarket, drug store, library, post office, park, cafes and restaurants. Some of these facilities are a little further away from North Berkeley BART, they're over by San Pablo & University (a junction of two relatively frequent bus lines) about 2/3 of a mile away. The BART stations are also all served by a number of bus lines, especially Downtown Berkeley. Away from the BART stations, the only real good areas for low car living in terms of stores and transit are along University Ave. and along Shattuck Avenue.
I think moving your child(ren) around is likely to be the tough part, especially if you have no car. I'm able to walk my daughter to school in the morning about 1/3 of a mile but in the Berkeley public schools children don't necessarily attend their neighborhood school. Although we have a couple of different arrangements for different days of the week, the most frequent is that we pick her up by car at her after school care site in the North Shattuck area. I have walked home with her from there, but it's a bit of a stretch, about a mile and a quarter. Sometimes we've been able to do this by bus, but east-west bus service for a trip like that is much more limited than north-south bus service, the only frequent east-west lines are on University and Solano.
I'm not a big cyclist, but Berkeley certainly looks like a good town for cycling in the flatlands, lots of people do it, there are defined Bike Boulevards which cross the city but are away from the major streets. One could presumably handle a lot of the running around town for errands trips, that I tend to drive for, on a bike.
Welcome to Berkeley - the more people here who aren't car-oriented, the better.
How luck to be able to say no issue with budget :) I envy you!
If money were no object, the following neighborhoods are lovely in my opinion.
* Alameda - Park St. [All of Alamdea is bike friendly. Park St. is very cute with many restaurants and shops. Alameda has a beach where you can actually swim and not freeze.]
* Close to College Ave. (Rockridge in Oakland / Elmwood in Berkeley) -- It's busy and crime exists. But it's pedestrian friendly and public transit is easy, too. The area close to Claremont Hotel in Berkeley is very nice, too.
* Near North Berkeley Bart / Groumet Ghetto area in Berkeley
* Piedmont Ave. -- especially on the side closer to PIedmont is nicer and feels safer than the side that's closer to Broadway. If you're doing private school, paying premium for a house in Piedmont doesn't make sense. You can go 2 blocks away from Piedmont and pay less just because you're in Oakland, although not cheap by any means because it's close to Piedmont. This is my dream neighborhood (2 - 4 blocks away from Piedmont Ave.) so that you can walk there.
* Very hard to find but if you snag a house that is on a flat part of Montclair village and walkable to the village, I think it's a cute area.
* Lakeshore/Grand Lake area is walkable and nice, but a bit grittier / more urban than the abovementioned areas.
* Glenview area -- not as cool and the shopping option is more limited. But, it's flat mostly and has nice houses and is a very cute and friendly area.
As long as you aren’t in the hills, Berkeley, Albany, and several neighborhoods in Oakland are walkable and reasonably safe. We lived in Oakland a while back and currently live in Berkeley. Schools are an issue for us, but setting aside that, I actually prefer Oakland - near Lake Merritt / Lakeshore Ave, near Piedmont Ave, in Temescal, or in lower Rockridge near College Ave. All of those areas are reasonably safe, but there’s definitely property crime. Car break ins are common and home break ins are less common but definitely happen. Teenagers in these cities can be pretty independent walking, biking or taking transit to school and to meet up with friends. None of the teens we know in Berkeley or Oakland drives - but that might just reflect the circles that we’re in.
I don’t know much about Crocker Highlands, but Lafayette, Orinda and the City of Piedmont are very different places. They are all far more suburban. Homes are larger, lots are much bigger, and crime is far lower in these cities. They are all pretty car dependent and while you might find a place that is walkable to a cafe or a few shops, the vast majority of people drive. I don’t know anyone with teenagers in Piedmont, but in Lafayette and Orinda many of the teens drive because there’s no way for them to get around to all the places they want to go without a car.
If you’re looking for something in between — safer than Berkeley / Oakland, but less suburban than Lafayette / Orinda — take a look at Alameda. It’s an island off of Oakland. They have cute shopping areas along Park Street and many people on the island walk and bike to local destinations. The big disadvantage to living there is commuting off the island, but if that’s not an issue for you, it might be a good option.
Alameda! Flat and bike friendly, safe, with a few cute neighborhood shopping areas and also a Target and Trader Joe's. Everyone knows each other on the island and there is a great sense of community - much more so that Berkeley or Oakland. Schools are great. And the commute to the city on the ferry cannot be beat!
Lafayette has a cute “downtown” that has many grocery stores, restaurants, salons etc. And a centrally located BART station. If you can find a place walkable to those things that may fit the bill as not only do you have walkability, but with BART you can get to many other places in the Bay without a car. That being said, to be truly walkable to these things in Lafayette it is mostly condos. The truly walkable to downtown single family homes that occasionally come up get snapped up quickly. But, if your budget is really no object maybe you can make that work. That being said, it is more suburban and less diverse. Also, most of your kid’s friends and your friends will likely not live within a walkable distance to you so some level of driving will be needed to be social, although I would argue that is likely true to some extent for Berkeley and Oakland too.
My comments above pretty much exactly apply to Orinda as well, although I don’t find Orinda’s downtown quite as robust as Lafayette’s, and it seems to me there are fewer housing options truly walkable to downtown Orinda.
Honestly for crime, different people have different tolerances for what they are willing to put up with for the trade off of living in a more urban environment and it sounds like you are on the low end of tolerance for that. For some of the Oakland and Berkeley areas that are mentioned, there should be public information/maps that will show recent crimes (when, generally what happened, etc.). For each neighborhood you are recommended and looking at, I would check those out in detail. Only you can decide if it’s a level you are comfortable with or makes it worth it to you to be somewhere more urban etc.
I have lived in Berkeley/El Cerrito for over 20 years and crime seems to be increasing, although I have not confirmed the statistics. Albany is very walkable, in fact is a walking culture, and seems safer than Berkeley, Oakland, El Cerrito, which according to the weekly police notices have muggings, car and house break ins. For Berkeley and Oakland, Elmwood, Rockridge, Solano, Montclair Village, as well as central El Cerrito are so walkable and seem good for teens and coffee drinkers.
I live in Piedmont and feel quite comfortable walking around at night. I also feel comfortable letting my tween girl walk to school, the park, etc. But Piedmont is boring, and you have a much longer walk (depending on where you are in Piedmont), to shops, restaurants. But the nice thing is that you are very close to all that Oakland has to offer. Piedmont has a non-zero amount of car break-ins, and some house break-ins, but crime overall is very low and it has its own very good PD. Crocker also seems safe but is closer to where car break-ins become more common. And Oakland PD has a lot on its plate so may not be as responsive for property crime.
Orinda is super safe and has a small downtown. Same with Lafayette, but it has a larger downtown (which is quite nice). Orinda and Lafayette have much more of the classic "suburb" feel, and are obviously farther from SF, if you are commuting.
I'm from TX and lived in the Rosedale section of Austin for many years while doing my graduate work at UT. Now my family and I live in North Berkeley (Thousand Oaks) near Solano Ave. I love it. We have really great neighbors and we can walk to coffee, ice cream, terrific restaurants and a great park for the kids. Our kids walk unsupervised down to Solano for ice cream or burritos and they take them to Thousand Oaks park to eat. They also like to take walks to the various rock parks in the neighborhood to practice rock-climbing or play hide and seek with other neighborhood kids. We are also within walking distance of Kensington, (just over the Contra Costa county line), where there are a couple of restaurants, a café, a small food market and a really fun Sunday farmers' market w/ live music. You might also consider Albany, which is a few blocks down the hill. Lower Solano Ave. on the Albany side is really thriving and definitely has a lot to offer in terms of restaurants, cafés and and an old movie theater. We often walk down to Albany for dinner. In terms of crime, we do have car break-ins but not much more than that in our neighborhood.
I'd guess Albany or Piedmont would offer the closest feeling of safety you're describing. I've lived in several neighborhoods in Oakland near Piedmont (off Piedmont Ave, which is technically Oakland) and most recently, two places in Berkeley (Central Berkeley and currently West Berkeley) where I feel like I'm constantly watching my back even though they're really nice neighborhoods. I love where I live and don't want to leave but crime has definitely increased here this year. Feels like the crime can show up in really random places/random times of the day, so perhaps that's why I'm on edge. Have you tried looking at the site Crime Mapping? That might give you more specifics neighborhood to neighborhood here.
I'd recommend the mid-Berkeley flats/North Berkeley. Very walkable, and two BART stations. Given that your kids will be in high school, access to transportation could be important. (Ours took classes in SF, and on the UC Campus.) That also gives you the option of sending them to Berkeley High. The College Avenue area is also walkable though the transit isn't quite as good. If you know you are going to send them to private school, then Piedmont Avenue, or Rockridge could be good choices. (High school choices in Oakland are more complex, though there are some good options.) Moving to the hills or Lamorinda isn't ideal with teens because you would have to drive them everywhere, and there are less interesting options for activities other than sports.
Piedmont is very safe, and some areas are walkable - especially near Piedmont Avenue. I also recommend checking out Montclair and Rockridge areas of Oakland. Lafayette is very safe, and does have a small but lovely downtown.
Solano Ave. in Albany is cute. Cool enough for teens and easy to walk, run, bike around. I really like Alameda near Park St. and often wish that we had bought a house there. The commute into SF would have been too difficult for us with a little one and our crazy work hours, but if that's not an issue, Alameda is a sweet little gem with many parks, the beach, shops, and restaurants. Trestle Glen / Crocker Highlands area has very nice houses and being able to walk to Lakeshore/Grand shops, Lake Merritt, and the Rose Garden is nice. We recently moved to this area, and I think this is a very Oakland place -- the historic Grand Lake theater, Walden Pond Bookstore, really awesome unique whiskey/spirits shop, an amazing farmer's market at the lake, etc. Lakeshore shopping district feels more urban and less cute because the road is so wide. We have seen increase in property crimes around here lately, but I think crimes are up across the bay area due to the pandemic. I think proximity to the freeway is a pro and a con. Piedmont Ave. and College Ave. are both nice walkable areas with cute shops. The small tree lined roads make this area feel more neighborhoody than urban. Lamorinda is suburban and not as diverse, but I think there's less crime. Piedmont is not diverse either and isn't immune to crimes because it's basically in Oakland. But Piedmont police is more responsive than OPD. Both areas are mostly white with a fair number of Asian but very little Latinx and African American population. In terms of diversity, Lakeshore / Grand area wins. Temescal is another popular area but it's too young, hip, and urban for my own liking and to me, it still feels like an up and coming neighborhood as opposed to an established one.
If you're looking for a nice, safe area, Piedmont, Orinda and Lafayette Orinda would be safer than Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda. Orinda and Lafayette definitely have a more suburban feel. Orinda has a downtown area where I've seen kids as young as 10 walking in groups to the downtown area by themselves. But compared to Berkeley and Oakland, the downtown area is not as extensive. Albany might also be something to consider. If I were you, I'd personally make a visit and check out the different places. You'll definitely get a certain vibe that is different from each location and you can go with your gut. Good luck!
You are looking for Alameda - the island city! You can walk/bike to everything, great schools, super safe and an awesome place to live. Happy moving!
You say you are doing private school so don't need to worry about schools--but where that private school is located relative to where you live is actually a HUGE factor in your quality of life! If you're moving this summer, I assume your kids are already enrolled in a school (and if not, that should be first on your list since there is very limited space at most private schools for next year). Where is their new school located? Alameda, for instance, is great--but not if your kids are going to school in Lafayette or Danville. If the school is in Oakland, some of the suggested Oakland neighborhoods should bump up your list. Where the school is located will also reflect where other families are likely to live, so will influence where your kids will need to go to meet up with friends. I would only consider Alameda if the school is in Oakland or Alameda. If it's in Berkeley or Oakland, look in either of those two cities. (Families criss-cross back and forth for schools from both.) If it's in Berkeley, you could consider Albany or parts of El Cerrito near Solano Avenue as well. The majority of high-school aged kids in Piedmont go to Piedmont High, so that may not be ideal, especially given that you'll pay a premium for schools you don't need. The walkable/bikeable part of Piedmont is also very near Oakland neighborhoods that look and feel much the same but cost much less. I'd also be sure you have benchmarked your budget against Bay Area prices (using sold prices, not list prices). Good luck with the move!
Hi! I moved two months ago with my family, from London where you walk everywhere so we wanted something close.
we are in the border between Albany and North Berkeley and it is fantastic! Parks, restaurants, coffee shops etc are easily accessible.