More Reviews of Bay Area Neighborhoods

We live on the Berkeley/Emeryville border & love it. We are looking to buy a home and can't afford this area. We could afford Oakland, Richmond or Castro Valley. Our question is, has anyone moved from the Berkeley area (who loved it) and liked Castro Valley? We have one child and one on the way, so schools matter. We're just afraid that we won't like or fit in in Castro Valley. Is it progressive, are there good restaurants, organic food, etc??? We know the schools are better there than Oakland & Richmond. Thanks! looking for our home

The harsh realities of life in Castro Valley: There are very few restaurants (some would say none). There is little cultural life. The whole town is only 14 square miles, and it is a ''town''--it is unincorporated, which means services are county-wide (we are policed by Alameda County Sheriffs and the CA Highway Patrol, for example), not city-run, and therefore are sometimes stretched past local needs. The downtown strip is just a few blocks long, and while there is promise of renovation, very little progress has been made. The empty, dilapidated grocery center down the street from our house has stayed that way since we arrived, despite the apparent appeal of the location for an organic or other small grocery. Yes, you will miss the vibrant diversity of life in a large urban city.

The surprises: There are lots of us here! I have met more Oakland/Berkeley transplants than locals or transplants from any other place. There are progressive politics. The mother's club is wonderful, especially for new arrivals--they set up playgroups, babysitting co-ops, mom's nights out, welcoming events, kids' events, and have guest speakers at monthly meetings, including a recent one on green living. (If you do decide to move here, I highly recommend contacting them, www.castrovalleymothersclub.com.) They are a mini-BPN.

We have a Trader Joe's. We have a locally owned grocery that is not exclusively organic but carries many organic products. We have a local farmer's market in the summer. We walk to Lake Chabot almost every day for a walk or a hike or a bike ride. People fish and barbecue and socialize together. There is a certain gravity to the place.

Before and after we married, my husband and I, between us, lived in the South Bay, the East Bay, the North Bay, and the Peninsula. One thing that we agree on is that Castro Valley has been one of the friendliest places we have ever moved to. Within a month of moving in, we had met our closest neighbors and had a barbecue thrown for us so we could meet some of the other families with young kids who live nearby. No one asked us if we were Democrats or Republicans or Jews or Christians before they accepted us as neighbors. That in itself has gone a long way to making this more of a home than we imagined it would be.

Also love Berkeley, and learning to like Castro Valley

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

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

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.

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.

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