Which Neighborhood for Multiracial Family?
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
African-American in Lamorinda?
Feb 2004
My husband and I are considering moving to Lafayette/moraga/orinda for the schools. I am African American, he is white. Can anyone give me any insight as to what it would be like for me and my kids to live in the area? We've spend a lot of time in the area (dinner, movies etc) in an effort to get to know the community more, and I have noticed that there are rarely other people of color, with the exception of some asian- american. He grew up in that area and is still friends with most of his high-school friends, and I am friendly with most of their wives (all white), so I know that there are lots of people from there or who live there who think nothing of a mixed-race family, but I worry about my kids rarely seeing anyone who looks like them (at school, at a restaurant, at a movie) unless we traveled through the tunnel...
My family moved to Orinda from Berkeley last May. We are all white, so I can't comment directly on the experience of people of color here. But I'm sorry to say I can confirm the lack of diversity. When my daughter started at the middle school here, she complained that all the girls were tall and thin and blond. She has since made good friends, and they seem to be really nice girls, but I confess that I sometimes have a hard time telling them apart.
The area has some great qualities, though. From what we have seen with kids in elementary and middle school, the schools are quite good. There is a great small town feel, and you often see middle school kids out on their own at the movies and at restaurants like Nations hamburgers, and at the pool in the summer. I think it is a good place for teens because they can have some early freedom here (like I had when I was growing up) and then, when they are older, can get into Oakland and Berkeley and SF via BART to participate in a more urban scene. One thing that has struck me is how many people I have met here that recently moved from Berkely or Albany or elsewhere on the Bay side of the hills. I assume they don't suddenly become more conservative when the moving van enters the tunnel; instead I like to think that they/we will make this area more like Berkeley and its neighbors. More diverse families would be a welcome part of this transformation. Good luck with your decision! anne
I have mostly grown up in Lafayette, with a few years living in Alameda, and I can tell you, those few years taught me A LOT! I never had any children of any color other than white in my schools until I lived in Alameda, where my high school was very diverse, and I was, in fact, a minority myself. As a result, I feel that I learned a lot about cultural and ethnic diversity and came to appreciate ''differentness'' vs. ''sameness''. That said, Lafayette has changed considerably since I was a child. As you said, there are a good number of people of Asian descent in Lafayette, but in the general Lamorinda area, there continue to be very few African Americans. Our family is good friends with a family in which the husband is African American and the mother white in Lamorinda and I don't think that they are treated any differently than all of the other families at the school. In fact, my friend says that she feels very comfortable in this area and that initially, they were worried that they would be ostracized because of their bi-racial family. This is hard for me to assess as they are good friends of ours, but I do know that the daughter is beginning to question why there are not other children with brown skin at her school. Is this bad in and of itself? I don't think so, as she (like me years before!) in a way has the opportunity to appreciate diversity in some form. Currently, I work at our church with teenagers from all different area schools, and I find that despite their cultural diversity, they are very ''white'' -- they for the most part have not experienced economic diversity, ethnic diversity (in that many are very ''Americanized''). Despite their differences in skin color, they are much ! the same in most ways. We are constantly trying to teach them to be mindful of difference and to appreciate it -- we try to get them together with kids from SF, Oakland, etc ... because these kids are very different from kids in those areas, despite sameness in skin color. I don't know if this makes sense, but I guess what I am trying to say is that I do not think you would be considered that ''different'' in Lamorinda, but yes, your daughter would have trouble finding other kids with her same skin color. That's a big thing when you consider that you want her to learn about her ethnicity, but not such a big thing if you want her to look like or ''fit in'' socially with the other kids around her. Hope this helps! lifetime Lamorindan
I attended a birthday party for an old high school friend in Lafayette, and the three of us from Berkeley were the only people of color at the party. My friend who was the only African American joked that ''Lafayette is French for 'no black people.''' Everyone was very friendly but it definitely was strange. You have to be willing to think of yourself as sort of a suburban pioneer (the Chron had a great article semi-recently with a similar title regarding this very topic). How do you feel about the total absence of African American culture and role models in the schools and community (I mean REAL culture, not just hip-hop clothes and music)? How will you feel if your children are removed from African American culture as adults? And yes, your children will experience some amount of distress at some point as the ''only'' or ''one of the few'' in school. As a teacher in Berkeley, I have never heard a kid of color say it was no big deal or not noticeable that most everyone else in their other/former school was white. Most of them were very relieved to be in Berkeley schools for that reason, but none of them seemed traumatized by their previous experience either. All this is to say that I think the trade-offs are real and are not just a matter of other people being nice, or welcoming or open-minded. It's about you and your kids and what you want or need from the place where they will spend their formative years. -- Also raising biracial kids
I grew up in Moraga, and presently live in Lafayette. Being white, I am not sure I can really answer your question as to how you might feel here, as you are correct in that there are not many African-American families here (I believe there are two families at our elementary school). However, I just wanted to write to say that I sincerely hope you will consider moving here, and that I am sure you would be warmly welcomed in this community. Most of the people I talk to who live around here name the lack of diversity as one of the few drawbacks, so slowly, I hope that will change!
Welcome Wagon
My wife and I are the same racial make-up as you and your husband. We have lived and raised our two children in Lafayette for the past 11 years. Our children are thriving, have many friends, participate in sports, and other community based activities.
We have debates about whether our biracial children are best served in the Lamorinda community. I do not know what the right answer is, but will give you my thoughts. There are many families that we know that have other racial backgrounds other than European. Most of these families are interracial or asian. Here are some of the families that we know in our community: Chinese-Chinese, African American- European American, European American-Phillipines, Hispanic- Jewish and more. We are here and I hope you join us. The main reason I stay here as many other parents in this community, is for the education. My biracial children deserve the same high level of education and expectations of them as the blond child sitting in the next seat. So far, my children have been doing well academically. I do not look to the Lamorinda community to provide diversity or cultural education. We try to do that in other ways.
As a balance, we also do participate in other activities in Berkeley. We attend the City of Berkeley family camp at Tuolumne. We have other biracial family friends that live in Berkeley. David
Looking for family-friendly multi-racial neighborhood
Jan 2003
We are looking to move to a family friendly, safe and especially multiracial neighborhood somewhere between Alameda and San Leandro. Can anyone recommend such an area? Thanks a lot.
a mom
We live in the Redwood Heights area of Oakland (technically, we're actually Leona Heights). We have a really diverse neighborhood -- not only multiracial but queer-friendly too. Lots of families and kids and a good elementary school. For me, our neighborhood represents the best Oakland has to offer: diversity, good weather, and a family-friendly feeling. You didn't say whether you were looking to rent or buy, but I think there are a few rentals in our neighborhood, although most houses are owner-occupied. Ilana
A few houses on Albany Hill have great bay views and access to the reputable Albany public schools (and on the market right now).
Further north, many, many houses in El Cerrito have amazing views. The public schools are more mixed in reputation, but there are very good private school options with Montessori Family School and Prospect Sierra in El Cerrito. Similarly, Point Richmond has great views.
I think all communities offer the diversity of the Bay Area in general and easy access to the Richmond Bridge/North Bay.
Ah, if only there were such a place. Since the houses with Bay views, in the hills, are very expensive -- usually $1.5M or more in Oak/Berk, and very white neighborhoods. Berkeley is very diverse as a city but the hills are mostly white. For what it's worth, we find the people of Berkeley, including the white wealthy ones, to be very progressive and politically left, nice people. Further north, you get El Cerrito, which is mostly white with Asians (25%) and much fewer Latinx and Black people, and more of a mix politically (still leaning liberal). Further north, there are other towns, such as Vallejo, which is more diverse racially, and also more diverse politically. As you go into those northern suburbs, you're just more suburban, so visiting there you'll see what you like.
To stay on the East Bay, the closer you can get to the 580 stretch that heads straight across the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge, the better. That means to make the commute at all do able, you’ll need to be looking at probably El Cerrito hills to get the view. It’s a totally different vibe than the areas of Oakland you were referring to, but the views are gorgeous, and the commute would be at least theoretically possible. There are reasonably good public schools up in the hills north of Berkeley (elementary schools Madera and Kensington Hilltop) and private schools that are good.
But the area is different in terms of the culture and pace from the areas of Oakland you mentioned. The further up the hill, the less diverse. El Cerrito is not at all urban. Alot of the architecture is post WW II in the flats and partway up the hill, with more variety of arcjitecture evident in the hills.
Marina Bay is actually on 580 and has houses right on the water, Point Richmond has homes with views,and is one of the last exits before the bridge. Point Richmond is a cute small town with a Spanish immersion elementary. Marina Bay has the water front aspect, but is a bedroom community and the public schools are not rated well at all. That area has some limited offerings,no high end restaurants,no full size grocery stores- it’s a bit off the beaten parh.
I would suggest you rent a house for a year to get a better grasp of the neighborhoods, of the commute and what your priorities are. Marin is not as diverse as the East Bay but you may end up considering it given challenges with commuting.
Best of luck and welcome to the Bay Area!
Congrats on the job & move. Truthfully, Oakland to Sausalito is 38 miles and likely to be a brutal commute if he's driving conventional commute hours. If you are set on that area of Oakland, start looking at carpools.
The unhappy reality of real estate in the Bay Area means that little tiny homes in quaint neighborhoods have become phenomenally expensive, and those neighborhoods are dominated by hip, well-educated people who all consider themselves open-minded and un-prejudiced. Income dictates location, which means generally the "nicer" areas are whiter, better educated, and quite pricey. Don't know if you are looking to rent or buy but either way, be prepared for sticker shock.
Of course there are exceptions. The northwestern section of SF (not far from Sausalito) is mostly Asian, but there are Russians, Irish, etc. I don't know about price, but it's a lot closer to Sausalito than Oakland is.
People who could not afford to be close to SF or Berkeley in times past moved to satellite regions that were less expensive, and small neighborhood enclaves developed over time that might be more ethnically diverse. But the pressure for housing is starting to change that. Anyway, consider that "ethnically diverse" might mean Phillipino, southern Indian, Portuguese, Venezuelan--something less easily defined than the simple black/Latino/Asian categories we tend to talk about.
There are neighborhoods in El Cerrito, Pinole, El Sobrante, Hercules, a few parts of Richmond, etc., that are closer and more racially diverse but they are nowhere near as hip and chic as the areas you mention and may lack other amenities. But you might get a bay view. You could also look at some of the less costly parts of Marin like San Rafael and Novato; the blue-collar roots of these areas can mean more diversity than in the affluent areas. Our cousins are fine raising their bi-racial children in the Terra Linda neighborhood of San Rafael. You might have a better idea of the actual racial make-up of areas if you look at the populations for neighborhood schools.
You might want to come out before the whole family moves here to scout out options, finding a place that suits can be challenging.
If you are looking to buy, you need an agent who REALLY knows the area; we worked with 2 to cover both the East Bay and North Bay. You can contact me off-line if you want a referral.
I think you're probably looking for the El Cerrito hills or perhaps Point Richmond--but the Black and Latino communities in those areas aren't going to be anywhere near what you'll find in parts of Oakland. (Notably, though, you won't find a huge amount of racial diversity in the Oakland neighborhoods you especially liked either; they are still predominantly white, although that's slowly changing.) For schools, the public elementary schools serving the El Cerrito hills and Point Richmond are generally well regarded, although overcrowded, so may not have space if you're moving this summer. Prospect-Sierra is a great private option in that area. Good luck, and welcome to the Bay Area!
I did the commute from Sausalito to Berkeley for two years. It is brutal. Going to work is tolerable but returning home can be as bad as an hour and a half. My suggestion is to look in San Rafael or elsewhere in Marin County before your husband hates his life.
Thank you all for your very thoughtful responses. If it helps, I am Black (Louisiana Creole) and my husband is half Eastern European/half Argentinian. We want to bring our "flavor" to the party and be welcomed. We very much enjoy meeting and socializing with everyone, as long as they are genuinely kind/friendly people. Easy access to culture (art/food/music) is VERY important to us, given the strong cultures that we come from. We have spent our entire adult lives in the suburbs raising our older kids and want a different experience raising the little one, for certain. We have 4 college students and a toddler, so that makes life super interesting, too. Our budget is $1.5Mish but we will need space (4/3?) for the two older kids when they are on break from school/holidays. The oldest two have their own apartments here on the East coast and will only visit twice a year or so. We do have a short term corporate rental so we can take our time to find the right place where we fit well.
This is all very helpful, so thank you again!