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

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

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