Piedmont hills neighbourhood

We've lived in Montclair for 3+ years now, have 3 kids (ages 4,9,12) and it's a great place for families. There are so many parks with playgrounds in Piedmont and Montclair and nearby Rockridge- you should visit Lake Temescal, Montclair Park, Dracena Park, Frog Park, Jordan Park, etc. -parking is easy at all those. In Montclair there's the "village" with shops and restaurants. We can walk from our house. Within less than 10 minutes I can be in Piedmont, Rockridge, Temescal, Berkeley - all with restaurants and shopping areas. You'll have plenty of options to get around with your kids. My kids go to 3 different schools - co-op preschool just down the street (there are many preschools within a few miles), Montclair Elementary (OUSD and this plus neighboring schools in Montclair and Piedmont are some of the best public in N.CA) and a private middle school. Whatever your prfeference in schools you will have many from which to choose. You should come to the farmers market in Montclair village on Sunday's (free parking in the garage) to get a feel. I can't speak to Piedmont Hills specifically but can highly recommend Montclair - I'm surrounded by neighbors with babies, toddlers, preschoolers and grade school kids. If your kids are 18 months+ you should check out Montclair Community Play Center's toddler playtime program (my daughter loved that and now attends preschool there). Good luck :)

We moved to Montclair (Piedmont side) a few years ago while pregnant with our second child. It is a great area for young families! There is lots to do in the area, including Montclair Park (there is a Rec Center there that offers classes when your kids get bigger), farmers market on Sunday mornings, a cute library a short walk from the Village that offers Baby Bounce and also Storytime for kids, as well as Montclair Village which has nice shops and places for coffee or tea as well as a toy store and multiple book stores. Great places to meet other moms and kids are the local Montclair Park, Music Together classes which are not too far from Thornhill Elementary (teacher Ryk is great with kids!), as well as a bunch of places not too far away around Lake Merritt like Gymboree. When the kids are older, Chabot Space and Science Museum is very close, as is the Lawrence Hall of Science. We do playdates at the Oakland Zoo and Fairyland at least once a month. There are a couple parks in Piedmont that are also great for little kids, we particularly love Dracena Park and it is a great place to meet new friends in the area as lots of moms and kids from Montclair hang out there. As far as preschools, Smiles Preschool and a couple co-ops, MPCC and Sequoia are very close to the Village. There are a couple more in Montclair, tons more in Piedmont, farther up the Oakland Hills and around Lake Merritt. Also, Berkeley preschools might be an option, there are quite a few just a short drive off highway 13. For elementary schools, we have 3 very good ones. Some people move to other areas or go private once their kids are junior high age, but with the number of young families that are moving into the area, I'm willing to bet the junior and high schools in the areas will benefit and improve by the time our kids are ready. I'd say the only major drawback is the lack of sidewalks in the residential areas, so strolling might be a bit hairy depending on how narrow your local streets are. Otherwise, we love the area!

Based on your desire for walkability *and* family-friendliness, I strongly recommend you look in the part of Piedmont that is walkable to the shops/cafes of Piedmont Ave and Grand Ave. (also walkable to several parks and playgrounds). The neighborhood is known affectionately as "Baja Piedmont." It's rare and lovely in the Bay Area to be able to walk a few blocks to tons of amenities, but also have access to super-responsive fire/police and great K-12 public schools.