Hi -- We live in SF currently, but know we want to move to the suburbs next year for all the typical reasons (good public schools, strong local community, more space, and the slightly warmer weather is a bonus!). We're debating between Piedmont and Palo Alto. We currently have 2 young kids under the age of 3. I really like both Piedmont and Palo Alto, and fortunately commute / budget are not driving the decision, it really comes down to lifestyle.
Are there folks that have lived in both Piedmont and Palo Alto and can share more on your experience (both the positives and negatives) of living in each place?
I would definitely choose Piedmont, especially if you are used to SF. We live on the Oakland/Piedmont border, and there are so many beautiful parks for kids in Piedmont that we go to all the time. Our son is still too young for school, but the Piedmont schools are supposed to be excellent, and they attract students from the surrounding Oakland neighborhoods. The demograhic in Piedmont tends to be older, but there are also younger families around. Plus, you would be so much closer to SF and urban life in Oakland and Berkeley, if you're hoping to retain some of that while still getting the benefits of leaving the city.
I've lived in both. Palo Alto wins by far. Sure, you get less house for your money there but the spaciousness of the town itself and the lifestyle is worth it. Here are the pros of PA over Piedmont, in my opinion: excellent bikability. We biked everywhere, enjoying the hills and bay shore very much. Excellent amenities, children's parks (including donkeys), bike streets, and city cleanliness. Attitudes. Specifically: people there are wealthy. They are the kind of wealthy where there ain't no sweating - everything is nice, easy breezy, and stress is transient (I find the east bay in general to be very stressed out by people getting rich or trying to stay rich; this difference made for a more laid back neighborhood - in my experience only). The school district is amazing. AMAZING. elementary school in PAUSD is incredible. The principals, teachers, special Ed professionals, tech support. Never a delay in helpful responses and services. We left piedmont after kindergarten and I didn't realize how chaotic and frenetic that energy was until I'd left.
However, drawbacks: the older your kids get in the hypercompetitive school system, the more freaked out they'll become. You've got to center the easy-breeziness in order to help them not become overwhelmed with anxiety. Also, if you're not wealthy-wealthy, it's a daunting place to be. I am a non-wealthy, single mom and was in a tiny apartment in Palo alto, but benefitted from everyone else's great wealth. I've since moved from Palo Alto but it was a great place to live with my kids.
Piedmont has a larger population of senior citizens compared to Palo Alto, if you are looking for younger crowd of parents. If you like suburban life, move to Palo Alto, but if you want to enjoy a bit of urban flare (and the headaches it brings), then choose Piedmont (because of its proximity to Oakland). Assuming that you work in SF, commuting from Piedmont may be easier.
I'd choose Piedmont, particularly lower Piedmont, if you don't want to feel like you live in a hyper wealthy suburb. Don't get me wrong, Piedmont is very wealthy, but its small and dwarfed by Oakland, which I find gives it a very different vibe than Palo Alto. Parts of Piedmont are super walkable to schools, stores (in Oakland) and culture (again, Oakland). The community is really nice, the schools are excellent (we've had a great experience with our elementary aged kid who is in special ed), the town is beautiful. There are plenty of families with young kids around us, nice parks, etc. Also can't beat the good food of the East Bay, which Palo Alto is sorely lacking in.
I'm going to put in a vote for Piedmont over Palo Alto, but it really depends on what lifestyle you want and what you are into. I come from a more humble background and so while I love Palo Alto, I feel more at home in Piedmont, though both are very nice places.
Piedmont:
Pros: basically in Oakland and all that has to offer, very easily commutable to SF, public school system great, super safe, really nice community feel -- it really is a community --, lots of young families, amazing views, super responsive public services, warmer than SF but not boiling
Cons: People judge you for living there, since it is a weird island in Oakland. Like, you'll be talking to someone who just bought a $multi-M house in Rockridge and they'll be like, "oohh, Piedmont, lah-dee-dah." Piedmont itself has nothing going on in terms of shops, restaurants, so you have to go to Oakland establishments-- which are great, but very different in feel from Palo Alto establishments because the economic situation of the surrounding area is totally different.
Palo Alto:
Pros: awesome downtown area with really nice restaurants and shops, superb school system, best of the best live there
Cons: School is a total pressure cooker at the upper levels (you can read about it), and it is all tech, all the time, like an episode of Silicon Valley.
[I want to correct the impression that Upper Piedmont has the old wealthy people whereas lower piedmont has the "cool" people. The reality is that the influx of cool young families in lower Piedmont has rendered it more expensive per square foot, so there are plenty of cool young families in Upper Piedmont too because there are now better deals to be had.]