Living in Benicia, CA
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Living in Benicia, CA
May 2008
We are considering a move to Benicia with our two
small children. We are looking for any feedback, both positive
and/or negative, in regards to the community, schools,
neighborhoods, and refinery. Any information would be greatly
appreciated!
JL
We lived in Benicia for 10 yrs and we made the big mistake of
moving away from it. It's a fantastic place to raise your
kids! It has wonderful parks, a great community, very good
public schools and the town itself is just a gem. I never
felt the need to join a mom's club, or something, 'cause I
met so many people just by walking downtown, going to the
parks or doing my groceries. People are very interested in
each other and generally extremely friendly. The town puts on
wonderful holiday celebrations and the entire town comes out
to celebrate. Fourth of July is one such day. Everyone
gathers at the green field at the end of 1st Street and
watches the fire works. It is very safe and family oriented.
Another really fun event is the Tree Lighting Ceremony. First
Street is completely blocked off and it is filled with people
in the holiday spirit. See, I can't say enough good things
about it.
I can't really think of anything negative. Don't drive 29
miles/hr in a 25 mile zone, 'cause the cops will ticket you
immediately. The town is very laid back, so the police
officers seem to jump on any violation where they can. But
since there are many children in that town I never minded
that they were agressive.
The refineries are all ''down wind'' and don't really have
any impact on your quality of life. With the new Benicia
Bridge that opened late last year the commute to Contra Costa
County is a breeze.
The town gets two big thumbs up from me!!!
JOJ
We live in Benicia and really like it. It is a family
oriented community with many kid-friendly events (family
movie night in the park once a month in summer, children's
art festival in the park, street fairs, parades, farmer's
market on thursday nights, swimming pool, classes and camps
through the parks and recreation department, good library
events). The schools are well-rated. There is a very active
moms club with about 130 members. Feel free to email me!
Carrie
We moved to Benicia 2 1/2 years ago from Los Angeles. It is a
wonderful small town.Good schools. Great parks. Friendly
people. Low crime. A wonderful place to raise a family! I
don't think I could ever find a more lovely town. Well, maybe
Nevada City!
we love it here!
Benicia is a nice little town, and the Carquinez Strait is
really lovely. We live next to Benicia, but technically are
zip coded as Vallejo. I have friends in Benicia who say the
schools are good, but I have not checked that out as a fact.
There is a nice little downtown area, and a lot of activities
sponsored by the park and recreation (you can check out their
brochure on-line). I take my daughter to a lot of activities
in Benicia. I think it is considered a ''safe'' town, and it
is convenient to the Vallejo Ferry or casual carpool for
commuting into the city. The BART is a little bit of a hike,
but doable. That being said, Benicia has O.K. but not great
in my opinion restaurants, and there are only local stores
such as Raley's or Safeway. You have to drive to Concord or
Fairfield for a Trader Joes, and the closest Whole Foods is
in Napa or Walnut Creek. Costco is close by, and plenty of
Starbucks. There is a local park that the locals are hoping
the state does not close. We looked at a lot of houses in Benicia. I would
crack up when the ''water view'' was looking at the refinery,
but there are plenty of houses that do have a real water
view. If you are checking out out the area, don't skip Glen
Cove, which is next to Benicia. All the advantages of
Benicia at Vallejo housing prices.
Chose Glen Cove over Benicia
May 2007
Re: Safe, family--oriented neighborhood?
Have you ever consider Benicia? It's affortable and close to Easy Bay. It's 20 plus
minutes to the Bay Bridge and 10 mins or so to Walnut Creek so it's not a bad
commute and there is a ferry service into the city. If there is anything else you
like to know please email me at aware1967@yahoo.com. A great and safe community with
a lots of parks.
Amy
October 2006
Re: Kid friendly neighborhoods in the East Bay
Benicia may be a bit too far North for you, but it is an
amazing little treasure. The community is warm and friendly,
the schools are very good, there are many (!) beautiful parks
and the social activities in town are always wonderful. The
downtown area is pretty flat, so it is perfect for strolling
around or bicycling. We lived there for 10 years and I actually
miss it tremendously.
JOJ
July 2001
Re: affordable housing
I highly recommend Benicia. We just moved there from Oakland in February and absolutely love it!
It has excellent schools - all but one are California Distinguished Schools and are actually in the top nationwide. It is very much a small town. If you live downtown, you can walk to everything without a car. There are tons of community events, it is very safe, has that "small-town" feeling
and is still affordable. Benicia is very family oriented with lots of parks and a weekly farmers market that has a petting zoo with pony rides. There is a wonderful library and community pool and lots more. An added bonus is that the town is located right on the water so you can
see the ships go by, etc. Dylyn
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