Living in Martinez
Anyone out there who's living, or has lived, in Martinez? Or have friends there? We are thinking about moving there with our two kids, and our daughter will be in kindergarten next year. We'd love to hear from parents with recent experience at John Muir, Morello, and John Swett elementary schools. Beyond their ratings, what are the characters of the schools? How much testing is done, and how much is creativity and learning for learning's sake encouraged? What kinds of extracurriculars are offered? And more basically: what's it like living in the town? We love the all-around diversity and progressiveness of Oakland. We know the vibe is very different in Martinez, but are hoping it might be a place where we'd meet like-minded friends. Thanks for any and all thoughts!
Parent Replies
My husband and I moved from Oakland to Martinez 10 months ago. And while we do miss Oakland, we love Martinez. We have an infant and a 2 year old so I do not have any first hand experience with the schools. Ours will attend John Muir when the time comes.
I did, however, join a mom's group when I got to town and have made lots of friends for playdates, moms night out, etc. There are a lot of young families and that is a big plus. We chose Martinez primarily because we could not afford to be in a desirable area of Oakland (we lived near Piedmont Avenue and Grand Lake for 5 years) and it had more affordable housing, really good schools and lots of open space. We bought a home within walking distance of downtown and love the area. Farmers Market every Sunday, Kite, BBQ, Beer, Jazz etc. Festivals in the Marina. I love that it has a small town feel to it. Really the single negative thing we have found so far in Martinez is the lack of a BART station. It is about 15 minute drive to one.
Feel free to email me with any questions.