Neighborhood in the east bay with a community feeling

In a word.....Alameda.

This is definitely a reality but it's very specific at a micro-level (a particular block or a group of blocks) and based on factors outside your control (who moves in / who moves out / who lives in the neighborhood.)

We live in Grand Lake/Lakeshore area, and when we first moved in, there were 5 families with similar aged kids within 2 blocks. It was great. Kids just all went out and played. During the pandemic, everyone moved out, and younger, childness people moved in.  Many of them had babies recently, so in 2 - 3 years, this will be a neighborhood with many kids out on the street again. 

Albany, Piedmont, and Alameda are neighborhoods where kids walk to school and play on the street most consistently. 

Welcome to the East Bay!  This depends so much on the specific neighborhood and block, and on the age of your kids. I've raised 3 kids while living in both Berkeley and Oakland. The most kid-friendly play-in-the-street neighborhood I lived in was in North Oakland. But that was mainly because there happened to be four houses in the same block that had boys around the same ages as my boys, plus it was a dead end street. So there was a lot of street hockey and bike riding and hanging out. 

My experience in Berkeley, where I've lived the longest, has been that some neighborhoods have plenty of kids, some don't. The more affluent the neighborhood, it seems, the fewer kids.  Age matters too. A block that has a lot of babies and toddlers, isn't so great if you have a 3rd and a 5th grader.  I've also seen young families leave Berkeley for the suburbs when kindergarten was approaching. Even if there are other kids close to your kids' ages, they often will go to different schools. Private schools are popular in Berkeley, especially as you go up in elevation, and BUSD doesn't have neighborhood schools - you are assigned to any one of several schools within your "zone" which stretches from the bay to the hills. So 3 families on your block with kids in public school might be going to 3 different schools.  Plus, most kids have after-school activities and summer camps, leaving very little time for casual neighborhood socializing. If you don't ever see the other kids in your neighborhood, you don't get to know them. That did change in middle school, which in Berkeley is determined by your neighborhood. My kids would be at the same bus stop in the morning with lots of other kids from blocks around, and there were also kids at middle school they knew from camps and sports. And by high school, most Berkeley kids can navigate public transportation to socialize with kids beyond their own neighborhood. I think the more urban neighborhoods in Berkeley and Oakland have a lot going for them once kids become more independent, compared to the burbs. For younger kids, though, it's hit or miss.

If you have little ones you're more likely to find what you're looking for in a city that has neighborhood schools: Albany, Piedmont, El Cerrito, Oakland. I don't know as much about other East Bay cities, but you can look at the school district's website to find out how kids are assigned to schools. But also think ahead to your kids' adolescent years. My now-grown kids made lifelong friends in Berkeley middle and high schools.  And for me as a parent, all the neighborhoods we've lived in have had some kind of community feeling and I was able to form bonds with neighbors, kids or no kids, and feel like I was part of a community. 

We are in Kensington and it would fit the bill. Neighborhood school, kids walk and ride bikes, small town feel.

I would say certain neighborhoods have less kids than others but I feel like that is more of a byproduct of the difference in real estate prices than to the extent that there is community.  Are you planning to rent or buy?  We have neighbors across the street from us who have kids our kids age and it has been great.  The house we rented before didn't have kids our age on the block but there was definitely a great community feel, we had a google group and would often plan activities together.  I would say if you're walking or biking distance to a park or playground you'll develop community that way.  Hope that helps, feel free to send me a DM if you want to talk offline.

We are in Upper Rockridge (oakland/zoned for Hillcrest K-8) and I will say we have this community.  It has come mostly from the involvement in the school so if your kids are older and/or you don't plan on sending them, I would say this would be hard to find. I have heard the Crocker Highlands district also has this feeling and I have heard how happy parents are who live there.

Alameda, 100% It's such a hidden gem. Kids everywhere, tons of community, particularly when it comes to families with kids. 

Agree with the other post-Alameda. Kids walk to school, kids play outside, amazing Parks and Rec camps for afterschool and summer, great libraries, great traditions, beaches--lovely neighborhoods and a great community.

We've had this in the Upper Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland with a couple caveats: It's not so much that the kids run around on their own outside (while that happens occasionally, the neighborhood is pretty hilly with limited sidewalks), but there's a major sense of community grounded by our neighborhood school, Hillcrest. As a tiny school that relies a lot on parent involvement, it fosters a real sense of togetherness. You will quickly get to know the other families at the school (and, in turn, around the neighborhood) and adults really look out for one another's kids. We rely on a network of parents for carpooling to/from sports practices/games, birthday parties, and more -- I can confidently say that in a pinch, there are literally dozens of parents I could call upon to pick up my kids (and with whom they'd feel comfortable, given the years we've all been together). The "neighborhood school" concept doesn't really exist in Berkeley (BUSD assigns schools by zone) or in all parts of Oakland (where despite neighborhood catchments, families opt for other schools) but is certainly the norm here.

We live in El Cerrito and this place definitely has a community feel (maybe not so much if you live in the hillier parts where walking around isn't as easy). Many of the neighborhood kids play with one another and walk home from school together.  

Albany is amazing! You can live on any street in our 1 square mile and find young families, high school families, and elders. Scouts, community center, and when the kids are older they can be free-range, all schools are within walking or biking distance. 

Rockridge in North Oakland. Most kids here attend the local public elementary school but beyond that there's a strong neighborhood feeling. All kinds of people living here--one neighbor has lived here her entire life in 3 different houses on the same street. At the same time, new families come in with children making for a nice generational feel. Lawton Ave between College and Broadway is a "Halloween street" particularly for little ones. I have 2 kids, 17 and 12, and both of them have friends within easy walking distance along with kids they know in between. Close to BART and bus lines and nice mix of restaurants and shops along College Avenue make it a great place to live.

I agree with the others, it is often just luck. I doubt that generally the East Bay is any better than the South Bay.

For example when we lived in Alameda, we happened to live on a block that had a lot of very old people and neighbors with kids who were older than ours. The one house with kids our kids' ages weren't particularly friendly. 

Some of the things you can control are living on a street that:

• isn't a major traffic through fare or even better is a dead end
• has sidewalks
• is close to a park/school
• has a lot of housing density 
• is not near a lot of crime
• has good public schools - so people are less likely to leave/go private when their children get older

Some random neighborhoods I've heard to have good community are:

Alameda: the area around Otis Elementary, the neighborhood North and East of Central Avenue across from Encinal High

Berkeley: the Thousand Oaks neighborhood

Piedmont: Lower Piedmont around Wildwood Elementary

Albany: the areas East of San Pablo

I don't recommend living in Oakland, even the "nice" areas i.e. above hwy 580. Many of your neighbors will either leave when their children become school age or send their children to private schools. Definitely do not live below hwy 580, there are more gun deaths there than the rest of the bay area combined.

Strong vote for Albany. Similar to Berkeley in lots of ways, but has a built-in small town feel. You're constantly running into people you know walking around the Albany end of Solano and the various playgrounds and parks; just three elementary schools and then one middle school and high school; and adorable local touches like "fall into haiku," when the city puts up signs everywhere with haikus submitted by residents (mostly kids).

Alameda. 

You can find this all over Alameda. My older kids babysit in the neighborhood and bike to school and sports. My younger child walks to school and the park and plays with friends. We have block parties. The kids have lots of freedom, walk to the corner grocery store, schools are good. Kids have after school jobs. It’s worth a look.

Albany, the "urban village by the (East) bay"! Everything is extremely walkable (a little over 1.5 square miles) with tons of mostly independent restaurants, shops, etc. along Solano Ave. which ends in Berkeley to the east. Three public K-5 schools all funnel into one middle school, then on to one high school ... all very highly ranked. Kids and families walk, scoot and bike everywhere. Houses and property lots are on the small side, especially compared to South Bay real estate, but imho this "downside" really gives Albany that community feeling. Good luck w/ your move.