Berkeley Parents Network: Living in Benicia, CA

Berkeley Parents Network

Living in Benicia, CA

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Housing, Neighborhoods, & Moving > Living in Benicia, CA

May 2012

Re: considering a move to Sacramento
Have you ever consider Benicia??? I grew up in Sacramento actaully Elk Grove before all those houses were built. Antioch reminds me of Elk Grove now. I am sure things have changes since I left permanently in 1996 but Sacramento has so many suburbs so there maybe a neighborhood that is similar to Berkeley? I love the East Bay especially Berkeley. We actaully have a daughter who goes to a school in North Berkeley so I drive down everyday. Benicia is a very sleepy town with a little bid of Santa Cruz feel to it. If I need Berkeley or SF fix, we just drive down and can be on the Bay Bridge in 20mins with no traffic. We are also less than 20mins away from Napa. You may want to check it out. If you have any question, you can email me as well. Happy in Benicia

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

this page was last updated: Jul 17, 2012

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