Living in Piedmont Pines
- See also: Montclair ... More Oakland Neighborhoods
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Moving to Piedmont Pines with a newborn, need community
March 2013
Hi Parents! We just saw a house in Piedmont Pines (near Montclair) and are interested in moving there from SF, I'm due in July. I tried to find some parks where we could meet other moms, community centers and such but to no avail. I would love to connect to other Mom's who live in this area and to find out ways in which we can build a community. The house is on a slope with no accessible walking areas or backyard so it's vital for me to meet other Moms in the area somehow. Thanks so much for your time and attention. Sincerely, Devon
I have older children so can't give you specific groups to join but there are a ton of families with babies and young kids in the area. Montclair Park at the bottom of the hill, in the village, is huge with lots of people with babies, the rec center attached to the park has all kinds of classes/groups for people with babies, Montclair Community Play Center on Thornhill is a co-op play based pre-school and probably has resources, as well as searching for or connecting with area mom's groups through BPN... welcome to the neighborhood! Maggie
We live in a 'rural' area of Oakland; the general neighborhood is called Piedmont Pines. We have turkeys, deer, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, vultures, falcons, hawks, and even a bobcat that occasionally come through; most houses have spacious lots, and some of our neighbors have chickens. There are homes that come up for sale or rent that literally back onto Redwood Regional Park, so your outdoor area (and even house, imo) can feel significantly larger than the stated footage. We live east of Skyline, and there are other neighborhoods beyond Piedmont Pines either direction along Skyline that are adjacent to the regional parks. We now know the streets and traffic patterns well, and are just 7 minutes away from Montclair Village, 12 minutes away from Piedmont or College Ave; downtown Oakland is about 20 or less minutes away. I adore our house and friendly, nature-connected neighborhood within the interesting city of Oakland, but the downside is fire risk - I hope that fire prevention measures increase, as they are slated to do. I appreciate that on our quiet street we have more pedestrians than cars - people love walking around the neighborhood and park.