Safety in El Cerrito

We live off of Potrero and feel plenty safe! We have a 7 month old!

Jessica

We've lived in Richmond (gasp) west of  Del Norte BART for 12 years and have never once had an issue with safety. Richmond has such a bad rap, most people don't understand there are many wonderful neighborhoods in Richmond, it's not all like the Iron Triangle. We've left cars accidentally unlocked overnight numerous times(once with my purse on the seat), left bikes & toys outside, UPS packages on our porch all day and never a problem.  When my son was younger the neighborhood kids would play outside and ride bikes unsupervised. We know most of our neighbors and we all keep an eye out for each other. That being said I don't go walking alone at night and don't let my teen son walk home from BART alone at night either. There have been muggings in the past near the Ohlone Greenway,Safeway & BART. We installed a security screen door which I highly recommend if you like having your front door open without worrying about getting robbed;)  Get to know your neighbors! , Join Nextdoor, the EC community is very active and I'm sure you'll find many members living in your neighborhood. Parks: Arlington Park is my favorite , has swings, toddler area, large grassy field, duck pond  and location is beautiful. Canyon Trail Park is nice too. Huntington Park is small but has a toddler area w/swings. Cameron School has a great tot lot for younger toddlers that's open to the public 3-6pm and weekends. A short drive away is Albany Memorial Park, always full of kids & probably the best place for mom's to socialize. Also check out EC library storytime and don't forget swimming at the EC Pool! Welcome to the hood, this is a great place to live.

I've lived in EC for 22 years. Our first house was on Mira Vista Dr east of the Del Norte station. Walking distance to the Prospect Sierra elementary school. I always felt safe in that neighborhood. We use to walk the kids to the school playground and to Canyon Trail Park. I'm no longer in that house but still in El Cerrito. There are many nice parks in EC. It's been years since I've had a 9 month old child, so I can't remember where all the small swings are. Plus, EC redid most of the parks after my kids grew up. I've been to most of them and always find them safe. The one on Barrett below the Arlington is nice too. I believe Arlington Park has swings for toddlers. Check them all out.

The only baby swings in the whole of El Cerrito are at Arlington & Huber Parks. I would guess Arlington will be your new home away from home. Go buy that restroom key now! :)

Re. safety, I live on the other end of town from you but have always found the PD very responsive. Luckily I have never needed them for anything serious (never had to dial 911, knock on wood) in my 6 years living here.

We have lived in the area for 6 years. Oldest was 2 when we moved in and had another since. Crimes against people are fortunately pretty rare. Never, ever leave car or home unlocked as theft is pretty common universally. There was a serious rash of home break ins in El Cerrito 2or 3 years ago, but the police department changed their day patrols and the problem seems to be resolved. It's a kid friendly area, with lots of neighborhood parks. More or less walkable depending on how many hills you have. I have always felt safe at night walkng the hills well above and north of the Del Norte BART station. Ohlone greenway walking after dark I would steer clear.El Cerrito police are responsive, and by and large, I would consider safety on par with Albany. Is it Mayberry? No. Join Nextdoor and keep an eye on the posts. Yes, cars get broken into and packages do get stolen from time to time. With basic common sense, though, we have felt completely safe and quickly formed ties with a really nice community of people. Welcome to the neighborhood!