relocating to walnut creek from charlotte, nc

[myself]

don't post too much around here but figured this would be a good starting place. i'm looking for a little info from people that live in this area and california in general.

i've accepted a position in walnut creek and will be moving there from charlotte, nc at the end of this month. i know jack about california and have only been there twice. i DO know it's expensive as all get out compared with charlotte so i'm trying to prepare myself for that. so far i'm concerned most about finding somewhere to live that isn't 5 grand a month and also getting our car and my jeep('98 grand cherokee) smogged. the smogging thing is what i'm confused on... is this a california term for emissions testing? or is it more in depth than that? 'cause we've got that in NC already. i've tried to find some info online but have found very little about it.

has anyone got any advice on either of these subjects? or anything else? good areas to live? or avoid? we're looking to rent in the walnut creek area initially just so i'm close to work and so we can get a "feel" for the area and figure out where we would like to maybe buy one day.

i appreciate it...

[Kurtuleas]

Walnut Crack is a great place, but EXPENSIVE as all hell.

You want to stay OUT of the East Bay if you can, (While Walnut Creek is considered east bay, I mean Bizerkly, Oakland, etc.)

Dubin, Pleasanton, San Ramon are cool, still pricey though, and your commute would not be too bad. Try to stay on THAT side of the hill. Brentwood is growing fast and a great place to live.

Discovery Bay is the place to live, (of course becuase I live there) but your commute may suck thru HWY 4. Lotsa houses for rent in my hood from investors lately. You are RIGHT ON the CA delta, so if you are into fishin or watersports you would love it.

For the smog, if your rig is stock, it really should not be a problem.

[Flatty]

If you are working in Walnut creek, check ou tConcord, and Martinez too. How about Pleasant Hill. I am in the process of moving out that way as well.

Dima

[myself]

Walnut Crack is a great place, but EXPENSIVE as all hell.

You want to stay OUT of the East Bay if you can, (While Walnut Creek is considered east bay, I mean Bizerkly, Oakland, etc.)

Dubin, Pleasanton, San Ramon are cool, still pricey though, and your commute would not be too bad. Try to stay on THAT side of the hill. Brentwood is growing fast and a great place to live.

Discovery Bay is the place to live, (of course becuase I live there) but your commute may suck thru HWY 4. Lotsa houses for rent in my hood from investors lately. You are RIGHT ON the CA delta, so if you are into fishin or watersports you would love it.

For the smog, if your rig is stock, it really should not be a problem.

yea i've about had a heart attack looking at houses and apts. in that area. it's insane how much more it is than charlotte, which is an expensive place to live. granted, it's apples and oranges.

i'm worried about commuting too... i have a 5 minute commute now... so that's why i was looking at walnut creek just due to proximity to the job. but i'll for sure check out the places you listed. we'd like to find an "older" neighborhood to live... something with a little character but i don't even know if such a things exists out there. everything seemed so new at least the little that we saw.

my jeep is stock engine wise... all my mods are typical wheeling stuff; lift, tires, bumpers, etc. so is the smog check just another name for emissions tailpipe testing?

where are good wheeling spots? i've tried to read up and find out what's close...

thanks for the response.

[myself]

If you are working in Walnut creek, check ou tConcord, and Martinez too. How about Pleasant Hill. I am in the process of moving out that way as well.

Dima

:cool2: where you going to live?

[myself]

another question i just remembered... anyone have any experience with car/auto haulers?

i need to find someway to get my jeep out there...

[tdavis]

If you have school age children, be sure to check the schools out - there is some really bad ones in the SFBay area.

I live in Pinole, right off the bay. Lovely place, I don't need A/C, it doesn't ever really get cold (low 30's for several nights), and it's still a small town, even though we get overran by the Richmond/San Pablo gangs at times..

The commute to Walnut Creek from here would be tough - when the freeways was built, they was all designed to get you into San Francisco, not between the suburbs.

As for the commute, is your new job near a BART station? If so, that can make your life and commute much easier.

As for SMOGcheck, you'll have no problems if you have the stock smog equipment on the vehicle, except if you have big tires and have not regeared to compensate for them. Start reading HERE (http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/smogfaq.htm); you'll have to do the dyno smog check.

[Kurtuleas]

where are good wheeling spots? i've tried to read up and find out what's close...

thanks for the response.

You DO NOT want an "older" area really. Older means San Leandro, Hayward etc. AKA Ghetto. I know becuase I work there :p

In the newer areas such as Brentwood or Oakley, rent is CHEAPER becuase you are farther east from the Bay (Plus closer to the Wheeling)

I would REALLY suggest Brentwood, Oakley or Disco. Stay away from martinez, richmond, concord or Antioch. Your commute MAY be 1/2 to 45 mins or so on HWY 4 with traffic. If you moved to Dublin. Pleasanton or San Ramon, you would have bout the same commute, but will pay more for rent.

As for wheeling.....I am 2 1/2 hours from the 'con in my rig, which has a hard time breaking 55MPH. We got some of the best wheeling in the country. The 'con, Fordyce, etc., just head up to the Sierras.

[myself]

You DO NOT want an "older" area really. Older means San Leandro, Hayward etc. AKA Ghetto. I know becuase I work there :p

In the newer areas such as Brentwood or Oakley, rent is CHEAPER becuase you are farther east from the Bay (Plus closer to the Wheeling)

I would REALLY suggest Brentwood, Oakley or Disco. Stay away from martinez, richmond, concord or Antioch. Your commute MAY be 1/2 to 45 mins or so on HWY 4 with traffic. If you moved to Dublin. Pleasanton or San Ramon, you would have bout the same commute, but will pay more for rent.

As for wheeling.....I am 2 1/2 hours from the 'con in my rig, which has a hard time breaking 55MPH. We got some of the best wheeling in the country. The 'con, Fordyce, etc., just head up to the Sierras.

well cool, thanks for the advice. we live in an older area of town here in a craftsman style house. it used to be a textile mile area and all the houses were built for the workers. our house was built in 1914 and just has a ton of "character" which is something we were looking to get out there too. from what we saw in SF, places like this were a TON of money.

a couple people told me to look at alameda... that it was a similar area but it seems like its too far away from where i'd be working. i think 30 minutes, maybe 45 is going to be my max on a commute without me freaking out. i think this is going to be my biggest adjustment to deal with.

any suggestions of places to look in brentwood or the other areas you said? we're working with a relocation person but so far she's not doing so hot at suggesting places.

i appreciate it...

[myself]

If you have school age children, be sure to check the schools out - there is some really bad ones in the SFBay area.

I live in Pinole, right off the bay. Lovely place, I don't need A/C, it doesn't ever really get cold (low 30's for several nights), and it's still a small town, even though we get overran by the Richmond/San Pablo gangs at times..

The commute to Walnut Creek from here would be tough - when the freeways was built, they was all designed to get you into San Francisco, not between the suburbs.

As for the commute, is your new job near a BART station? If so, that can make your life and commute much easier.

As for SMOGcheck, you'll have no problems if you have the stock smog equipment on the vehicle, except if you have big tires and have not regeared to compensate for them. Start reading HERE (http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/smogfaq.htm); you'll have to do the dyno smog check.

no kids, so that's not a concern for us.

i think there's a bart station within a few miles of where i'll be working so that might be a consideration...

i've regeared and am only running 33's so hopefully this won't be an issue for me.

thanks.

[Kurtuleas]

a couple people told me to look at alameda... that it was a similar area but it seems like its too far away from where i'd be working. i think 30 minutes, maybe 45 is going to be my max on a commute without me freaking out. i think this is going to be my biggest adjustment to deal with.

any suggestions of places to look in brentwood or the other areas you said? we're working with a relocation person but so far she's not doing so hot at suggesting places.

i appreciate it...

Personally I think Alameda sucks, again, try to stay away from the immediate Bay Area. Some people love it though...

Your biggest adjustment is going to be the culture shock, not the commute.(and the lack of GREEN. There are not as many trees out here)

Anywhere in Brentwood is cool, I will double check the commute time with a buddy of mine who works in Walnut Crack tonight, but I THINK it would be about 45 mins..

Are you looking for a house or an apartment?

[IV WHLN]

If you can afford it stay in WC or look in Lafayette. My wife was from Alameda. I didn't like it (too close to the worst parts of Oakland), but your commute would be opposite the flow of traffic. Pleasent Hill is nice. Concord and Martinez are patchy. Stay away from Antioch (just my opinion).
As for smog. If your ZJ is (or was originally) all wheel drive, you do not have to dyno it. My last ZJ was orignally a AWD before I swapped the axles and t-case. I never had to dyno it for smog. All they care about is what the vin says in that regard.

[myself]

Personally I think Alameda sucks, again, try to stay away from the immediate Bay Area. Some people love it though...

Your biggest adjustment is going to be the culture shock, not the commute.(and the lack of GREEN. There are not as many trees out here)

Anywhere in Brentwood is cool, I will double check the commute time with a buddy of mine who works in Walnut Crack tonight, but I THINK it would be about 45 mins..

Are you looking for a house or an apartment?

culture shock huh? just at the amount of people? or all the different people?

and yea, i noticed when we were out there that there aren't a lot of trees. the mountains looked kind of odd without trees all over them. i distinctly remember that...

house for sure.

[myself]

If you can afford it stay in WC or look in Lafayette. My wife was from Alameda. I didn't like it (too close to the worst parts of Oakland), but your commute would be opposite the flow of traffic. Pleasent Hill is nice. Concord and Martinez are patchy. Stay away from Antioch (just my opinion).
As for smog. If your ZJ is (or was originally) all wheel drive, you do not have to dyno it. My last ZJ was orignally a AWD before I swapped the axles and t-case. I never had to dyno it for smog. All they care about is what the vin says in that regard.

several people from where i'll be working said antioch was nice and that i should look there... what's wrong with it? just curious, i honestly don't know having never been there.

my zj is 4wd...

[Kurtuleas]

Antioch is GHETTO. I THINK there are some parts of antioch that are ok, and a few decent bars, but basically it sucks.

Brentwood is way better. Also check out my hood, Discovery Bay. I will still have to follow up on the commute time for you though. The closer you get to the Bay, the more expensive the rent and the less you get for the amount of money you pay.

BTW, those are not MOUNTAINS, those are hills. :D What we called a mountain back east is a hill here. The Sierras are the mountains.

[myself]

Antioch is GHETTO. I THINK there are some parts of antioch that are ok, and a few decent bars, but basically it sucks.

Brentwood is way better. Also check out my hood, Discovery Bay. I will still have to follow up on the commute time for you though. The closer you get to the Bay, the more expensive the rent and the less you get for the amount of money you pay.

BTW, those are not MOUNTAINS, those are hills. :D What we called a mountain back east is a hill here. The Sierras are the mountains.

damn that's crazy... that's supposedly where my soon to be boss lives and she raved about it.

i'm going to check out brentwood and i'll throw your place in too... i just searched on brentwood and it looks like there are some nice places there.

hills... i'll have to remember that. :laughing:

[Kurtuleas]

Found this from areaconnect:

for some reason I could not space out the stats.....

Actual Reported Population and Crimes:

Antioch, CA Brentwood, CA
Population: 101,593 40,091
Murder: 10 0
Forcible Rape: 28 14
Robbery: 232 24
Aggravated Assault: 283 62
Burglary: 733 186
Larceny Theft: 1269 679
Vehicle Theft: 918 120

[Hawk570]

Ok I live in Concord...nothing wrong with concord and its about 20% cheaper to live there then walnut creek or lafayette. I also work in Moraga so I commute. A commute in the bay area is relative to what time you start work. I start at 7 am and I can generally get from the middle of concord to the middle of Moraga in about 30 minutes. thats not a bad commute since a good portion of it is using main streets and not freeways...I would try and avoid Hwy 4 if possible at least as far as pittsburgh and antioch are concerned. Concord has some very nice "older" neighborhoods. Rent is average..but a lot less then the Walnut Creek area is. Also we have some nice wheelin around here...not really close by but not more than 3 or less hours away. Welcome to northern cali....it beats the hell out of southern cal any day!!

[IV WHLN]

Antioch has the same problem as Alamada but worse. There are some nice developments but you are way to damn close to the ghetto. Hell, my old college roomate was from Antioch and he called it the "meth capital of the world". That might be a bit extreme, but its bad. Just look at the stats Kurtuleas posted.

[welndmn]

Personally I think Alameda sucks, again, try to stay away from the immediate Bay Area. Some people love it though...

Your biggest adjustment is going to be the culture shock, not the commute.(and the lack of GREEN. There are not as many trees out here)

Anywhere in Brentwood is cool, I will double check the commute time with a buddy of mine who works in Walnut Crack tonight, but I THINK it would be about 45 mins..

Are you looking for a house or an apartment?


I agree, Brentwood, is nice, Oakley is great as well, you also have Knightsen (Knightson?) right next to Brentwood.
Parts of Antioch are stil very nice, but ask a local to be sure.
Pitsburg and Bay point are ok areas, but ask a local.
For the smog, don't sweat it, most of the horror stories are so one off its not worth thinking about.
If you want to speak to a good Realtor that works mainly in these East Bay area
http://ryantaylor.topseller.net/
Ryan Taylor is great, he is also a wheeler and on this board.

[dyogim]

The further east you go on hwy 4 the worst the traffic gets. Pittsburg and Bay Point have increased in housing development. There's back roads you can take but sometimes those can get backed up.

Any city you go to will have it's bad areas. Brentwood as I remembered was always a farming city. However, the ratio of suburbia to rural seems to be increasing.

If you find any prospects definitely ask. I live in Pittsburg and live in a nice quite area up along the hills between Pittsburg and Concord.

[Kurtuleas]

5 bedroom, 4 bath
3500 square feet
3 car garage
community pool
GATED COMMUNITY!

All in Disco for $2,150 a month.

It's not on the water, but I know that neighborhood..that house is only bout 3 years old.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/244340868.html

there's a ton of them in disco on craigslist.

Also, you could take Marshcreek road from Disco and/or Brentwood into Walnut Crack instead of HWY 4

Compared to Walnut Crack:

Bout same rent, just 1400 square feet with no backyard
3 bedrooms 2 bath

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/244512262.html

[dyogim]

Pleasant Hill and Pacheco are a couple of other places to consider.

[welndmn]

5 bedroom, 4 bath
3500 square feet
3 car garage
community pool
GATED COMMUNITY!

All in Disco for $2,150 a month.

]
If you move to Disco Bay, I hear you get a free license plate frame "live where you play, Disco bay" :LOL!

[Kurtuleas]

If you move to Disco Bay, I hear you get a free license plate frame "live where you play, Disco bay" :LOL!

AND you get a T-shirt that says "A small drinking community with a boating problem"

I am sick of those damn licence plate frames. EVERYONE seems to have one.

[OkieKid]

Don't worry about the smog "stories". They are pretty much "stories". You may end up dealing with an idiot when you go to the DMV, but you shouldn't have a problem with passing smog. I have moved in and out of this state more than I care to admit. Each time I have brought out-of-state vehicles. Even without all the CA emissions junk, they still pass with VERY low numbers.

From my take on watching the Bay Area "evolve" over the past 15 years, the "ghetto" has moved out to the "country". I think the lower interest rates in the most recent past allowed some of these low lifes to buy homes out in the outskirts (Antioch Area, Livermore Area, etc).

Here's a link to the DMV site with info about registering out-of-state vehicles.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/newtoca/newtoca.htm

[onepersonriot]

I would recomend Brentwood too. I used to live there and it was nice. There are some definite shady parts in Antioch. There are other routes to get to Walnut Creek from brentwood other than HWY 4 such as Marsh Creek. Also right now in Brentwood there is a slow in the housing market (my parents are still trying to sell there house).

[Old Scout]

The Sierras are the mountains.
Your an idiot! It's one mountain range called the Sierra Nevada, no way to make it plural!

[mike]

Don't worry about the smog "stories". They are pretty much "stories". You may end up dealing with an idiot when you go to the DMV, but you shouldn't have a problem with passing smog. I have moved in and out of this state more than I care to admit. Each time I have brought out-of-state vehicles. Even without all the CA emissions junk, they still pass with VERY low numbers.

From my take on watching the Bay Area "evolve" over the past 15 years, the "ghetto" has moved out to the "country". I think the lower interest rates in the most recent past allowed some of these low lifes to buy homes out in the outskirts (Antioch Area, Livermore Area, etc).

Here's a link to the DMV site with info about registering out-of-state vehicles.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/newtoca/newtoca.htm
Livermore is an "outskirt"? :laughing: :laughing: Tracy wasn't even much of an outskirting area when I left in 2003.

[JeepingEaglesChick]

Your an idiot! It's one mountain range called the Sierra Nevada, no way to make it plural!

You beat me to it :)

[OkieKid]

Livermore is an "outskirt"? :laughing: :laughing: Tracy wasn't even much of an outskirting area when I left in 2003.

Does sound kinda funny TODAY. When I first came to the Bay Area in the late '80s, Livermore was pretty much the "outskirts" compared to everywhere else. Today, several of the cattle ranchers that I knew back then are long gone and it's turned into another Napa / wine country with all the "artsie, fartsie" crap. They still have a rodeo every year.

Just my 2 cents as an old country boy.

[mike]

Does sound kinda funny TODAY. When I first came to the Bay Area in the late '80s, Livermore was pretty much the "outskirts" compared to everywhere else. Today, several of the cattle ranchers that I knew back then are long gone and it's turned into another Napa / wine country with all the "artsie, fartsie" crap. They still have a rodeo every year.

Just my 2 cents as an old country boy.
That and some of the pasture land north of 580 are about all that's left. :( I liked living in Livermore, but the costs to live there were outrageous in 2000-2002 ish.

[Kurtuleas]

Damn Scout.....you are always there to point out my mistakes, from beer in Canada to the Sierra Nevada range. :D

You were right about the % of alcohol in beer in Canada, so I guess i'll trust you on this one.

So let me get this straight, I cannot say "The Sierras", becuase it's one mountain range? Ok that make sense. My mistake. I stand corrected.

BTW, its "You're an idiot." Not "Your an idiot." LOL :flipoff2:

[mike]

Sierra is spanish for mountain :laughing: More than one mountain in a range

[Old Scout]

Sierra is spanish for mountain :laughing: More than one mountain in a range:flipoff2:
We speak english here. :flipoff2:

[mike]

:flipoff2:
We speak english here. :flipoff2:
Que? :laughing:

[myself]

5 bedroom, 4 bath
3500 square feet
3 car garage
community pool
GATED COMMUNITY!

All in Disco for $2,150 a month.

It's not on the water, but I know that neighborhood..that house is only bout 3 years old.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/244340868.html

there's a ton of them in disco on craigslist.

Also, you could take Marshcreek road from Disco and/or Brentwood into Walnut Crack instead of HWY 4

Compared to Walnut Crack:

Bout same rent, just 1400 square feet with no backyard
3 bedrooms 2 bath

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/244512262.html

damn, this is some perspective.... :eek:

thanks for the links.

[myself]

thanks for all the info and links so far... you guys have told me a helluva lot more in these few posts than i've found out in a week of looking online. :cool2:

[bjb]

Walnut Creek is one of the nicest places in the bay area. Great food and shopping (if you're a girl). There are some great older neighborhoods (out sacanap or san miguel). But don't expect to find much under a million. My old house (1100 sq. ft., 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 1 car garage, on the side of a hill) just sold for $750,000. Anyone telling you that marsh creek is good commute is crazy. 1 out of ten days there is a wreak that closes the road or at least makes it one lane (its a narrow winding 2 lane) for a while then you’ll still have to make it down ygnacio valley (one of the busiest roads around) into town. I would say try and stay in the “creak” if ya can. It is alittle cheaper north pleasant hill would be my next choice, even benica is good except the bridge tolls. Martinez has the oil refinery and smells. Concord is getting pretty trashy. Go south (alamo, danville, san ramon) and west (lafayette, orinda, moraga) and the prices go up. Going east will be cheaper (the farther ya go the cheaper). Just matters how long you want to sit in traffic. While discovery bay is kinda nice, anyone that says they can get from discovery bay to walnut creek during rush hour in less than an hour is crazy (it might be 20 minutes without traffic or cops (marsh creek is posted 35mph most the way)). I say give up the big house and yard and find a little place in walnut creek/pleasant hill. It really is a great place to live. :smokin:

[myself]

Walnut Creek is one of the nicest places in the bay area. Great food and shopping (if you're a girl). There are some great older neighborhoods (out sacanap or san miguel). But don't expect to find much under a million. My old house (1100 sq. ft., 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 1 car garage, on the side of a hill) just sold for $750,000. Anyone telling you that marsh creek is good commute is crazy. 1 out of ten days there is a wreak that closes the road or at least makes it one lane (its a narrow winding 2 lane) for a while then you’ll still have to make it down ygnacio valley (one of the busiest roads around) into town. I would say try and stay in the “creak” if ya can. It is alittle cheaper north pleasant hill would be my next choice, even benica is good except the bridge tolls. Martinez has the oil refinery and smells. Concord is getting pretty trashy. Go south (alamo, danville, san ramon) and west (lafayette, orinda, moraga) and the prices go up. Going east will be cheaper (the farther ya go the cheaper). Just matters how long you want to sit in traffic. While discovery bay is kinda nice, anyone that says they can get from discovery bay to walnut creek during rush hour in less than an hour is crazy (it might be 20 minutes without traffic or cops (marsh creek is posted 35mph most the way)). I say give up the big house and yard and find a little place in walnut creek/pleasant hill. It really is a great place to live. :smokin:

i'm taking everyone's suggestions into consideration but i really think that at least initially we're going to try and stay in walnut creek. i'm worried about going from my current commute(under 10 minutes) to sitting in traffic for 2 hours. i just hope we can find a house in walnut creek that we can afford to rent and i really, really don't want an apartment.

we're coming out the 16th to look around and find somewhere so hopefully we'll get lucky and not have to drive all over hell and creation looking for somewhere. i'm going to drive from some of these places(brentwood, concord, etc.) and see what the commute is and then i can make a better decision.

[Bebe]

Sorry to hear your Relo person is not working out for you.

I'm in relo too. Let me offer some help.

Walnut Creek is fine for temp living, but we usually put people in San Ramon. Pinnacle at Crow Canyon is a nice place for temp and it's resonable as apartments go. The schools are great too.

If you are looking to buy, wait. Stay in temp if you can for at least 90 days. There are some new Condo communities going in in the Dublin area. Pleasanton has some as well. Nice sizes decent prices.

Culture shock boils down to what your hard earned equity can get you in this area. Not much. Once you get past that, options will open up. The hardest part is the first year, then things will get easier.

I've had so many clients go close to insane until they got it. It just takes time.

It is a great place to live, there are some bad areas, but for the most part, San Ramon, Dublin and Pleasanton are as close as you will get to work and still have your family happy and safe.

Disco, Brentwood and the like as far as I am concerned have only one drawback....commute. That's it.

The type of home you have now is beyond difficult to find in the areas you are considering. Burligame has the greatest Arts and Crafts style homes, and the prices are ridiculous. 2 mil and up.

I'll agree on the areas to stay away from:
Antioch, Alameda, Oakland, Berkely, Emeryville, Concord, Pleasant hill, Martinez, Benicia, Vallejo, Clayton.

Nice but pricy:
Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Danville, Alamo.

Good Luck!

[Kurtuleas]

I completely agree with Bebe, and I can vouch for her becuase I have met her personally and she knows her stuff.

I drive from Disco to Hayward everyday, thru the Valley of Death AKA Vasco road. The drive in the AM takes 1 hour as long as I leave before 5 or after 8. I am a high school teacher, so I get out of work at 3:30 and make it home anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. Fridays can be bad.

I guess for me, I would rather live in a big-ass house with a big-ass yard and commute. Commuting actually RELAXES me if you can believe that, after dealing with loud gang-bangers all day long. :D

The biggest reason I moved out here is Disco-Bay has it's own little lifestyle. While it was supposed to orginally be a retirement neighborhood, (I think) most of the people that live there live a very active lifestyle. In almost every garage you see Boats, Dirt-bikes, ATV's, fishing rods, sandrails and rigs. I know EVERYONE on my street, we all hang out and drink together, and it's safe for the kids to play in the street.

The postives outweigh the negatives for me.....

My second choice would be to move to Pleasanton. I used to live there, and still have family there, and we have a Business on Main Street, but it seems PACKED with people now compared to Disco.

[Bebe]

. Commuting actually RELAXES me if you can believe that


Tis true for me too. I like driving....:D

[mike]

I see neither of you two commute on Vasco :laughing:

No wait, one does. That's fawking funny :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

[Bebe]

No, I commute on I-80 from Rocklin to Cupertino once a week.

Used to do it 4 times per week, but only for about 9 months.:flipoff2:

[Hawk570]

Why would you stay away from pleasant hill, concord, or martinez???? I mean if your a snob then yeah it might be a little hard to deal, but there is some really nice area's there, as well as Clayton which is really nice area. If you got the cash then move wherever you want obviously. If you are looking to get more bang for your buck then I would stay away from the high price area's such as San Ramon, Danville, Pleasanton...and Lafayette....

[Bebe]

Martinez and Concord, in my recollection, tend to have stay indoors when there are issues at the refineries. Pleasant Hill is nice, but parts of it are getting old and some of the schools are not so good.
Clayton is adorable, but too windy and barren looking for me.

And I've been called a snob, but not by people who know me.

[Bebe]

Oh, and he's coming from Charlotte, (my mom was born there), he's gonna need trees.:flipoff2:

[Hawk570]

Wow..well lets see been through San Ramon, Danville, Pleasanton,.....hmmm not a whole hell of a lot of tree there.... I would say just as many in concord. If he needs tree's then better to move towards Auburn and the likes...:flipoff2: Also didnt call you a snob just said if someone has a problem with those three area's they MIGHT be a snob....its kinda like being a redneck:rolleyes:

[Hawk570]

Oh and the refinery problems??? kind like the earth quakes....they dont happen often enough to give two shits about....

[Kevie Ray]

The biggest reason I moved out here is Disco-Bay has it's own little lifestyle. While it was supposed to orginally be a retirement neighborhood, (I think) most of the people that live there live a very active lifestyle. In almost every garage you see Boats, Dirt-bikes, ATV's, fishing rods, sandrails and rigs. I know EVERYONE on my street, we all hang out and drink together, and it's safe for the kids to play in the street.

SSSSHHHHHHHH.

Quite telling everybody about our dirty little secret! :mad3:

Don't move here........it SUCKS bigtime :flipoff2:

[Tinker]

I commute from the 680/80 junction daily (Cordelia/Green Valley) to Pittsburg and everyone I work with lives in Brentwood and they say I'm leaving my house at the same time they do and we get to work at the same time.
I leave at 6:15/6:20am and pull into work at 6:50/6:55am and it's about 35 miles each way.
I leave Pittsburg at 3:30pm and with the exception of Friday's I'm pulling off the Susuin Valley exit just past the 680/80 interchange at 4:10 to 4:20pm. Friday's sometimes as late as 4:45. To Walnut Creek would be maybe 5 to 10 minutes less.
Every 5 minutes later you leave after that time in the morning makes a huge difference in commute time anywhere in the bay area, even on the streets.
I leave at 5:30/5:35 to get there before 6am.
And when I'm dropping down the hill into Pittsburg on Hwy 4 in the morning, the side coming from Brentwood is bumper to bumper and almost every day there's an announcement on the radio about an accident on that side of the road.

In the evening it looks even worse.
The guy's I work with bitch about the traffic daily.
There's no way I'd ever want to deal with that.
I use a fastrak for the bridge and I'm doing 75 from the bridge to the 680/80 junction, and people are flying past me every day like the old man I am.
Just throwing some #'s and observations out there for you.
I used to commute to Fremont. :eek:
Green Valley (http://www.city-data.com/city/Green-Valley-California.html)

Oh yeah, closer to the rocks.

[bjb]

The choice to stay close to walnut creek is a good one IMHO. It is and always has been (at least after rail/highways water for transportation) as the "big town" in the area. The idea of "older neighborhood" is alittle different than in the east since the area wasn't settled til after 1850 and was very rural until after WW II. Going to oakland in the 30s (before the caldacot) was a two day trip. Many of the few early homes (40s back) have been torn down so there aren’t many left. Still lots of 50s, 60s homes that are now considered “older neighborhoods”. I forgot to mention my favorite area on the hill west of downtown (take oakvale over the freeway). Very quite and great views. As far a trees go, most of walnut creek, alamo, danville, san ramon were walnut orchards before WW II (there used to be a creek (now mostly underground) that ran from plesanton to the bay in martinez hence the name walnut creek) and the nut packing plant was in walnut creek (mary rose had a smaller huller in san ramon). Suburbia has taken over the valley but there are still trees around but nothing like on the east coast. We don’t get the rain they do. Ok, I know all meaningless history but maybe interesting to someone moving across country. It will indeed be “culture/economic shock” moving to the bay from about anywhere but I still love the san ramon valley area (even with all the “new”people) and walnut creek is the center and best of it all. :smokin:

[bjb]

How much do I like walnut creek? I commuted to stockton for thee years and sacramento for thee years from walnut creek until I finally couldn't take the driving and moved up here to the valley. Sacramento does have great junk yards but nowhere to eat and the summers suck.:smokin:

[myself]

damn guys, and girls :D, thanks for all the info and insight. i really appreciate it.

and bjb, thanks for the history... i'm huge history buff. :cool2:

me and the wife are coming out the 16th to find somewhere to live... i'll post back here when we get back and let you all know what we end up getting.

now i just need to find someway to get my jeep shipped out there that won't cost me 2 grand. :eek:

[welndmn]

I see neither of you two commute on Vasco :laughing:

No wait, one does. That's fawking funny :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
I flick pennies.
I have road rage. :flipoff2:

[dyogim]

now i just need to find someway to get my jeep shipped out there that won't cost me 2 grand. :eek:

My old neighbor had his truck shipped from Pittsburg to Georgia for $700. Damn it, I wish I remembered the name of the trucking business. If I remember I'll let you know. In anycase, keep looking and you might find it before I remember.

[bjb]

You can sometimes do a standby thing with a trucking company where if they have a patrial load going you get get a cut rate. Somthing to check out. :smokin:

[bjb]

<and bjb, thanks for the history... i'm huge history buff. >

I acutally taught history for a while and my family was one of the early danville settlers.

[tdavis]

If your going to commute - look at the possibility of a motorcycle. Lane splitting rocks, along with riding year round! On a bad day, I-80 from bridge to bridge can be total grid lock.. on a motorcycle, I'm at work in under 20minutes.

As the Caldecott tunnel, it's really pronounced "cold-2-hot". It's wild sight to see the fog coming in over the hills, in 90 degree weather, and then hit the 70's on the other side.

Remember, the farther east you live, the more extreme the temperatures. If you don't mind 110 degrees in the summer, then the tri-valleys are fine, Tracy/Modesto/Mountain House could be good too.

Like I previously posted, where I live I have NO A/C (no need for it), and very little need for heat. It's an older area (built in the 50's), the kids play on the street, there is no major traffic on my street, there is bus stop less than a block away, and 3 bed, 1.5bath, 2 car garage houses rent for $1500.

If your going to buy, the MLS is online in a demo site: http://www.idxre.com/idx/search.cfm?ll=1&cid=27&CFID=30622&CFTOKEN=78238037

[Richard]

Cordelia means always windy:D , nice community , centrally located and only 20 minutes from Walnut Creek

[Jeep95023]

hope its not too late to reconsider before you are fooooked.


The bay area sucks. Weather is great here in cali but thats about all.

[Kurtuleas]

The bay area sucks. Weather is great here in cali but thats about all.

Dude, what are you talking about? :shaking:

Aside from all the freakin liberals, fawked up gun laws and dumb-ass politicians we got in this state, CA is a great state compared to most.

From the Bay Area, it's a short drive to the ocean, In 2 1/2 hours I can be in the mountains to camp, hunt and wheel, I got the entire Delta to fish, wake board and drink on in my boat, if I drive south I got the desert to play in....

EVERYTHING is in CA. Mountains, the ocean, farmland, forest, desert, lakes, the redwoods etc. I cannot think of another state where you can drive to all of that in less than 9 hours. We got so much to do and see, from Yosemite to Disneyland. Oh yeah, we got the 'Con and Fordyce too.....:flipoff2:

Housing my be way more expensive here, but there are a ton more JOBS here than anywhere else. My hometown back in Upstate NY has only 3 major companies (and Kodak is laying people off like crazy) compared to hundreds if not THOUSANDS of major companies in the Bay Area.

Oh yeah, and there are no Clamper Chapters on the east-coast....:flipoff2:

The ONLY negative for me is the fawked-up tree-hugging, wack-case, 2nd amendment-hating, trail-closing liberals that live here.

[myself]

If your going to commute - look at the possibility of a motorcycle. Lane splitting rocks, along with riding year round! On a bad day, I-80 from bridge to bridge can be total grid lock.. on a motorcycle, I'm at work in under 20minutes.

As the Caldecott tunnel, it's really pronounced "cold-2-hot". It's wild sight to see the fog coming in over the hills, in 90 degree weather, and then hit the 70's on the other side.

Remember, the farther east you live, the more extreme the temperatures. If you don't mind 110 degrees in the summer, then the tri-valleys are fine, Tracy/Modesto/Mountain House could be good too.

Like I previously posted, where I live I have NO A/C (no need for it), and very little need for heat. It's an older area (built in the 50's), the kids play on the street, there is no major traffic on my street, there is bus stop less than a block away, and 3 bed, 1.5bath, 2 car garage houses rent for $1500.

If your going to buy, the MLS is online in a demo site: http://www.idxre.com/idx/search.cfm?ll=1&cid=27&CFID=30622&CFTOKEN=78238037

it's funny you mention lane splitting... when we were out there i saw no less than ten bikes doing exactly that at various times. :eek:

we're looking to rent initially... i tried to search for houses in pinole but didn't have any luck finding any. i'd love to find a 3bed, 1.5 bath 2 car for 1500... point me in the direction. :D

[myself]

hope its not too late to reconsider before you are fooooked.


The bay area sucks. Weather is great here in cali but thats about all.

thanks for the help. :flipoff2:

[myself]

Dude, what are you talking about? :shaking:

Aside from all the freakin liberals, fawked up gun laws and dumb-ass politicians we got in this state, CA is a great state compared to most.

From the Bay Area, it's a short drive to the ocean, In 2 1/2 hours I can be in the mountains to camp, hunt and wheel, I got the entire Delta to fish, wake board and drink on in my boat, if I drive south I got the desert to play in....

EVERYTHING is in CA. Mountains, the ocean, farmland, forest, desert, lakes, the redwoods etc. I cannot think of another state where you can drive to all of that in less than 9 hours. We got so much to do and see, from Yosemite to Disneyland. Oh yeah, we got the 'Con and Fordyce too.....:flipoff2:

Housing my be way more expensive here, but there are a ton more JOBS here than anywhere else. My hometown back in Upstate NY has only 3 major companies (and Kodak is laying people off like crazy) compared to hundreds if not THOUSANDS of major companies in the Bay Area.

Oh yeah, and there are no Clamper Chapters on the east-coast....:flipoff2:

The ONLY negative for me is the fawked-up tree-hugging, wack-case, 2nd amendment-hating, trail-closing liberals that live here.

i agree with this post. :cool2:

[tdavis]

it's funny you mention lane splitting... when we were out there i saw no less than ten bikes doing exactly that at various times. :eek:

we're looking to rent initially... i tried to search for houses in pinole but didn't have any luck finding any. i'd love to find a 3bed, 1.5 bath 2 car for 1500... point me in the direction. :D

Look on http://sfbay.craigslist.org.

Whoops, I lied.. Here's a decent house, but it's near the refineries (but the wind usually blows away from this location)..

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/244195523.html

There's one for $1600 now.. They posted an street intersection, which right where I live.. :confused: Everything in this area is 3 bed, minimum of 1 bath, and 2 car garage..

[myself]

Look on http://sfbay.craigslist.org.

Whoops, I lied.. Here's a decent house, but it's near the refineries (but the wind usually blows away from this location)..

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/244195523.html

There's one for $1600 now.. They posted an street intersection, which right where I live.. :confused: Everything in this area is 3 bed, minimum of 1 bath, and 2 car garage..

i've been looking on craigslist just haven't had much luck getting to places before they're gone.

this place looks nice but doesn't allow cats. my wife won't let me get rid of our two and i'm being forced to haul them to california. :shaking: :laughing:

[tdavis]

this place looks nice but doesn't allow cats. my wife won't let me get rid of our two and i'm being forced to haul them to california. :shaking: :laughing:

The cats will kill alot of places. Finding a place that allows pets in SFBay area seems to be almost impossible..

[Kevie Ray]

now i just need to find someway to get my jeep shipped out there that won't cost me 2 grand. :eek:

Try this
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=70

You might also try ABF Freight. They will drop a trailer in front of your house and you load it yourself. I know a few people who have used them and they were happy with pricing and service.

http://www.upack.com/default.asp?refnum=abffront&NLO=upmq

[MochaMike]

I'll agree on the areas to stay away from:
Antioch, Alameda, Oakland, Berkely, Emeryville, Concord, Pleasant hill, Martinez, Benicia, Vallejo, Clayton.

Nice but pricy:
Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Danville, Alamo.

No offense, but what do you, or a few others who live in Sac really have against Concord, Pleasant Hill & Clayton?

Several people have bashed Concord, and I don't get it. True there it does have a couple of not so great neighborhoods, but the city is very sprawling.

Both Concord & Pleasant Hill have both improved 10 fold in the last 5 years.
Major renovations in the business & residential areas. Houses run $500k-$1.5mil.

Clayton is good, has a nice 1 block old style downtown but thats it.
Houses have gotten way pricey there. +$700k.

All 3 cities pretty much border W.C..
Commute could be 5-10 minutes depending on where he's working & where he would live.

Houses in Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Danville, Alamo all start at about $1mil (many are fixers).

we're looking to rent initially... i tried to search for houses in pinole but didn't have any luck finding any. i'd love to find a 3bed, 1.5 bath 2 car for 1500... point me in the direction. :D

If you want to shoot me a PM, I could show you around WC, PH, Concord, & Clayton (Alamo, Danville, Laffayette too) Sunday or Monday (12/17-18).

I grew up in WC (20+) , lived in Moraga for 6 (4 & 2 actually), and Concord for 7.

[Steve N]

The type of home you have now is beyond difficult to find in the areas you are considering. Burligame has the greatest Arts and Crafts style homes, and the prices are ridiculous. 2 mil and up.

I'll agree on the areas to stay away from:
Antioch, Alameda, Oakland, Berkely, Emeryville, Concord, Pleasant hill, Martinez, Benicia, Vallejo, Clayton.

Nice but pricy:
Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Danville, Alamo.

Good Luck!


Huh?

Pleasant Hill has the lowest crime rate in Contra Costa County. :shaking:
There are inexpensive craftsman style houses in Concord and Martinez. The vibe, the feeling of safety/not wanting to live near or in a ghetto are all reasons you will wind up eventually living in central county. I know that it might be hard for some to believe but the less meth freaks the better.

OK here's a reality check.........

You work in Walnut Creek....... You are looking for a house in Concord, older decent parts of Pleasant Hill (there really are no "bad" parts), Pacheco, and the downtown area of Martinez. The latter is what you will like from your description. Anywhere else is not so nice, too far, or too expensive.

You want to stay somewhere in central county if you don't want an ugly commute. I would especially stay away from Brentwood, Disco, etc for commute reasons. If you are used to a 5 minute commute, you will go crazy living outside of central county.

[Bebe]

Well,

In my history in the Greater bay area, I have lived in San Mateo, Belmont and Menlo Park.

Now I live in Rocklin. Which to me is very different from Sac. I relocate people for a living, and while I will not deny that I have placed people (temporarily) in Pleasant Hill, Concord, Martinez, but not one of them has purchased there.

I can only speak from my experiences. It is not meant to offend those who have lived in those communities and have established "roots" if you will.

What you have to keep in mind, is if you live in a place for 10-15 years, you build a community around you. For someone who is relocating, it's a completely different scenario.

I always recommend that new comers use the temp housing allowances that their companies give them.

Once they establish a few friendships through work/school, it becomes easier to make a decision. It gives them time to become more familiar with the areas.

Mostly the 90 days of temp living will give time for the initial shock to wear off a bit. Some people handle it better than others. I have handled those that do well and accept change easily, and those that don't. That is probably the toughest part of my job, but the most rewarding.

Over the years I have had to become aware, in a general way, what people relocating for different parts of the country, and the world, have in the way of expectations.

It's a giant puzzle. Traditions, emotions, practicality, affordability, perception, schools, communities. It's had to find the perfect fit.

[Granite Babe]

Try out towards Clayton. It's just over the pass and will take you about 10 minutes to get to work. I used to teach school at Murwood Elementary in Walnut Creek. Great area and nice people....I had a condo in Clayton and it was a good area.

I haven't lived out that way since 1995. It's cheaper on the other side of the Benicia Bridge. :D

[Granite Babe]

I'll agree on the areas to stay away from:
Antioch, Alameda, Oakland, Berkely, Emeryville, Concord, Pleasant hill, Martinez, Benicia, Vallejo, Clayton.

Benicia is a great town, just too expensive. You've have to sit in bridge traffic every day and that stinks. Then again, my boyfriend commutes from Vacaville to Martinez daily and I go from Vacaville to Napa daily....it seems to have an affordable place you have to commutte.

Vallejo is nasty.......we called it "valley of the ho" growing up. Too many guns and too much crime.

Good luck!

[glaZe76]

I have Lived in this area for quite a long time and would not move anywhere but around here. I grew up in Danville, went to college in Chico, then moved back to Walnut Creek. I have lived in Walnut Creek now for about 6 years and I love it.
Anyways if you do plan on staying in Walnut Creek, Its a great area. It's Central to EVERYTHING! Might be a little pricey but if you can rent out for a little while you will begin to realize that its worth it. ( I rented for 2 years, then Purchased a condo and have been there for 4) Like people have said before, the shopping, the restaurants, night life, etc make it all worth while. The location is the best. People call it "The city before the city" Its where people come if they don't want to go all the way to SF. Mind you, it does tend to get a little crowded.(Especially around this time) Its really the only frustrating thing about the area.
I know quite a few people that live in the surrounding areas (Livermore to concord) All great places, But if I had to choose one I would pick Walnut Creek.

So how did your trip go? You probably saw the worst of the traffic you will see all year....Cars and Foot traffic. Its a busy time of year so dont take it to heart.

Nick

[mike]

Well,

In my history in the Greater bay area, I have lived in San Mateo, Belmont and Menlo Park.

So NEVER in the East Bay I see... The OP might want to know that you're talking about places you've never lived, it may be important ;)


Now I live in Rocklin. Which to me is very different from Sac. I


Funny, isn't that the same as Menlo Park == Contra Costa Co.

[Bebe]

I do this for a living.....:flipoff2: I have been in the business for over 8 years now. :D

If any of you would like me to add you to my DB as a reference/expert, I'd be glad to.

[Bebe]

Funny, isn't that the same as Menlo Park == Contra Costa Co.

Pretty much :grinpimp:

[myself]

been a while since i've been able to make it back here.

here's what i found out after four HELLISH days looking for somewhere to live out there...

1 - it's expensive. whatever you think is expensive you need to add 7 and multiply by 3.

2 -there's nothing to rent but ranch houses. if, and that's a big if, you get "lucky" you may be able to find a newer tract house for less than 3k a month that's an hour or so away from your work.

3 - lots out there are based on sq. feet not acreage. not a big deal but kind of screwy to hear people talk about a 12,000 sq. foot lot.

4 - see number 1.

seriously though... it was really not fun at all looking for somewhere. we knew we'd need to make concessions on certain things but had no idea that we'd have such little to choose from. we finally ended up settling on a place in concord right at the walnut creek/concord line. it's a cape cod style 4br. 2 bath place that's been redone. not our first choice but i think it'll work at least for now. one super good thing about is that i'm 3.2 miles from work. that should rock... i don't even need to hit the highway to get there either. :flipoff2:

i want to thank everyone for tons of suggestions and help. i'd especially like to thank adam for all the help in putting together places for us to look at and carting us around. we owe you a beer or three. :p

once we're finally out there and settled down we'll want to get up with some of you all and go wheeling. :cool2:

[Bebe]

Glad to hear you found something. :D

we finally ended up settling on a place in concord right at the walnut creek/concord line. it's a cape cod style 4br. 2 bath place that's been redone.

Sounds nice! Congratulations :D

[glaZe76]

once we're finally out there and settled down we'll want to get up with some of you all and go wheeling. :cool2:

Sounds good...glad you found something. And I hear ya about the expensive part:grinpimp:

[MochaMike]

we finally ended up settling on a place in concord right at the walnut creek/concord line. it's a cape cod style 4br. 2 bath place that's been redone.

Lol.
I live on Cape Cod.
Yellow house with a Scout in the driveway.

Welcome to my Neighborhood (literally).

[RandyatBBY]

Sounds like you are close to me I live off of Oak Grove between treat and Yginacio. I have been reading this thread but have not been able to post untill today. Just got a 74 Bronco and all my experance is RC:eek:

[RealJeepMan]

Glad you found a place. Im not far from there either. Just down Clayton Rd about 1.5 miles.
Welcome to Concord!


Ryan

[Hawk570]

Hey 74 bronco brother I have a 70...got some good freinds around that always get together if you want to know more shoot me a line....and congrats Mike...I live over off of Concord Ave and Bishop lane...good neighborhood right around here....welcome to Northern Cali...