Berkeley Parents Network: Living in Castro Valley

Berkeley Parents Network

Living in Castro Valley

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Housing, Neighborhoods, & Moving > Living in Castro Valley

May 2003

Hi. I am looking ito relocating from Berkeley to Castro Valley and hopingto connect with some people who ar familiar with the neighborhoods and schools. My son will be entering middle school this fall. Anyone out there familiar with the middle and high school? I have read the other information on line, this is a re- post. Thanks, Carol

I live in Castro Valley and have two boys currently enrolled at Proctor Elementary. My oldest will be attending Creekside Middle School next year. In Castro Valley you can choose between two middle schools, Creekside or Canyon. We choose Creekside because it is the smaller school. I went to both orientations and was very impressed by Creekside. My boys have been in CVUSD since K, I think CV does a great job of running their schools. kmilo

April 2003

Re: East Bay neighborhood that's commutable, progressive & kid-friendly
We live in and really like Castro Valley. It's family friendly, there are community groups, I hear (my child is only 2 1/2) that the schools are good, it's small-ish but with all the essentials, well situated for either a BART or car commute to SF, also well situated for access to other cities such as Hayward/Union City, Oakland and Dublin/Pleasanton (I work in Oakland and my husband works in Dublin). Lake Chabot, which has hiking, biking, horseback riding, picnicing and fishing, is just minutes from downtown. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions I might be able to answer. We're also relocating this coming June, but it has nothing to do with Castro Valley! Jennifer

I second the recommendation that Castro Valley is a nice place to live. I've lived in the Bay Area all my life, and as an adult bought my 1st and 2nd house in Castro Valley. CV is a smaller community and has a small town feel which is something I like. I understand public schools here are excellent. (Our CV renter tells us the CV public schools aren't affected by the budget cuts as much as other schools because CV is considered a Distinguished school. Someone correct me if this is wrong). Also, I've been told there is afterschool daycare/activities at the CV schools. There is a BART station in CV, and also close by in San Leandro where parking isn't a problem until about 9am (?). There are many hiking + bike trails and parks, such as at Lake Chabot. Horse stables are nearby too, and campsites at Lake Chabot. CV is centrally located to the freeways. If you are considering buying a house, you get more for your money in CV than say Albany or Berkeley. Same with renting. Feel free to email me if you have questions. hana

Jan 2003

My family is considering moving from Oakland to Castro Valley. We would like as much information as we can about quality of life there, the public school system, recreational activities, and the Bart commute to San Francisco. Thank you for whatever information you can provide.

I use www.greatschools.net to research test scores and class size of public schools. Good luck. Anon

We love Castro Valley. Have been living here for 3 1/2 years now.

My daughter is only 2 1/2 so I can't comment on the public schools personally, although I have heard good things about them (including talking to another mom who was wanting a way for her son to attend CV High even though they live in Hayward).

For outdoor recreation there are many parks in the area (Hayward Area Recreation District - HARD) and Lake Chabot is just minutes from the Boulevard (Castro Valley Blvd is the main drag through town). Lake Chabot has fishing, hicking, biking horseback riding and picnic areas.

Castro Valley has a little of almost everything IN TOWN, and then more stuff like shopping, dining and entertainment are just minutes away either up and down 880 or out in Dublin and Pleasanton. My husband works in Dublin so we personally prefer to go that direction.

Local Stuff includes:
FAST FOOD - McDonalds, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box,
Burger King, Togos, Subway, Chipotle, Carree Outee Chinese Food
(actually really good), Rigatoni's, KFC and others.
GROCERIES - Albertsons, Safeway, PW, Trader Joe's.
SHOPPING - Castro Village has a Ross Dress for Less, Hallmark
store a Walreens and many other shops.  Next to Safeway is a
Clothestime and Payless Shoe Source.  Across Redwood Rd from
there is a Radio Shack.  Castro Valley also has a Longs and Rite
Aide.
DINING - there's family style such as Carrows, Bakers Square, El
Rancho Steak House, Dino's Italian and Fong's Dang How.  There
are pizza places, delis and taquerias.  There are also a few
nice restaurants that I can't remember the names of except for
The Crow's Tavern at the east end of the Boulevard.  Have eaten
there and it was good.
MOVIES - There's Blockbuster and Hollywood and a 1 screen
theater.

The BART station is very nice with lots of parking. I don't personally commute to/from SF, but have gone to SF on BART and I'd say it's fine. Getting on the train in CV will probably let you have a seat!

Other things to note: Castro Valley is really ideally located with other cities and their stuff just a short distance away. I think CV is safer than other Bay Area cities, definitely safer than Oakland. And I think it's actually pretty and even a little quant. There is also Eden Medical Center here which is Alameda County's trauma center, and we've found good doctors for all of us here. I don't drive and live at the west end of the Boulevard, yet everything I really need is within a mile to a mile and a half. That may not be the case for everyone, but most other people drive.

Honestly, I wish I could transplant Castro Valley to a location outside the Bay Area! Jennifer

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