Living in Brentwood

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  • Living in Brentwood? What's it like?

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    Jul 24, 2018

    My sister is considering a move to the Bay Area with her family, and they want to live in a (relatively) affordable area, where there are lots of black families, and where her transgender son will be accepted.  They have 4 children, ages 3-18. They need to live within 30 minutes of Tracy (15 min past Livermore).  Livermore and Dublin are fairly pricey, and only 2% African-American and seem somewhat conservative.  She's considering Brentwood, but I know nothing about it.  From what we read online it sounds like it could be a good place for them- good schools, about 10% black (which is not great but better than 2%!), nice homes, more affordable than Livermore, democratic leaning- but I'd love to hear experiences of families actually living there to give me the real picture to pass along to her. Thanks in advance!

    Jul 24, 2018

    I work in the area, and know African-American colleagues who live in Brentwood and Discovery Bay with their families. (D Bay goes to the Brentwood high school.) They seem happy with the schools. I don’t know how doable the commute to Tracy is though, those are country roads heading east.

    Jul 25, 2018

    I don’t live in Brentwood, but have worked in the area there for over a decade. My sense is that your friends would indeed find other strong black families and community there. On the other hand, I would not expect it to be a friendly place in general for her trans son - I know several people who have been overtly harassed there for being gay.  Best of luck to your friend and her family as they try to find the best place to land. 

    Aug 1, 2018

    I would worry about a transgender kid there. It doesn't seem to be as open as other Bay Area communities. 

    Aug 11, 2018

Archived Q&A and Reviews

Moving to the Bay Area - Brentwood?

Nov 2014

My family is moving from Las Vegas to the bay area. We have been looking at renting a home for around $2200 that is a decent size and is in a good area. We have had trouble finding anything close to that in the bay area however we have found some homes that fit our criteria in the Brentwood area. Does anyone have any knowledge about this area? Is it a good area to raise a family? Any other areas in the bay that have moderate rental prices?

I would not call Brentwood part of the 'Bay Area,' since it is about an hour drive to the Bay from there. I'm not sure what it is about the Bay Area that you are looking for, but you might want to do some more research to see if Brentwood meets your needs (it is a ridiculous commute to SF, for example). Unfortunately, if affordability is on your list, there is very little of that in the actual Bay Area. --Counting blessings in the real East Bay
 

Move to Brentwood or Oakley?

July 2014

Hello, We are a lesbian interracial couple (black and asian) with a 5 year old and currently reside in Berkeley. The college students keeping me up at night, and the soaring rent prices are compelling us to leave. However, when I look at home rental fees, the prospects are dismal. Brentwood/Oakley seems to be the only area where we could truly afford to live the lifestyle we desire (home, backyard, good schools, safe community). Has anyone ever lived in Brentwood or Oakley? How does it stack up to Berkeley? Or should we consider leaving the bay area all together?
Best,
Pondering Quality of Life

I haven't lived in Brentwood or Oakley, but I have worked in that area for a number of years, and I know lots of people who live there. It's very different from Berkeley. In general, the area seems conservative (although I usually don't talk about politics with people at work, so I'm not positive about their views). Church involvement seems very high; when I'm eating lunch at a restaurant, there often have been bible study groups around me. It has much more of a small town feeling in that people who have lived there for a long time often know each other. The area has grown a lot recently, though. People tend to be pretty friendly. I don't know where you work, but the commute west on highway 4 is really terrible. Personally, I wouldn't choose to live there; I think somewhere else in northern CA would be more similar to Berkeley (maybe Sonoma County?). Or maybe a smaller place in San Leandro/El Cerrito/Richmond. That said, you should spend time there and see what you think; the people I know who live there really like it. anon