Living in Crockett
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Living in Crockett
Sept 2008
Re: Cheaper but "safe enough" neighborhoods
How about Crockett? It's safe - my 7 year old walks around by
herself, and you never hear gunshots! There's a great feeling of
community, with lots of community events and meetings. It's a
small town where it's easy to get to know people and become part of
the community.
Advantages: small, friendly, surrounded by parks (so easy access
to hiking and biking), and quite affordable. There is a NICE house
down the block, 3 bedroom/2 baths, for $399,000. Oh, many houses
have fabulous views, too. The area is pretty staunchly Democratic,
too, being an old mill town. Lots of funky, interesting things
like the Sunday jazz performances at the local deli, the tiny
little weekend farmer's market, and the very nice community pool.
Disadvantages: Lack of public transportation. The nearest big
grocery store, as well as the elementary school, are in the next
town over, so I end up driving more than I would like. Not many
restaurants out here, and not a lot of variety. The nearest truly
great pizza is Berkeley (lots on mediocre pizza out here, but it's
a long way to Lanesplitter).
Finally, to live out here, you have to have a tolerance for oddity.
The houses all have quirks, as do many of the residents. But if
you like quirkiness, you might love Crockett.
Happy transplant from San Francisco
Feb. 2003
We consider moving to Crockett. Does anyone of you live there or
knows somebody who lives there? I would like to know something
about the community in Crockett and the commute from there to
Berkeley. Is the commute really bad? Unfortunately I have to drive
at the rush-hours. I have to be at the Gilman exit at 8:45a.m. and
would go back either at 4:00p.m. or at 5:45p.m., which probably
doesn't make a difference. Thanks for any response. Christiane
I live in Crockett, and love it. I used to commute to
downtown Berkeley, and if you get off at the Gilman street
exit, it's not a bad commute at all - the real buildup starts
right around Gilman. Actually, if you can somehow arrange
to start your job just 15 minutes later or so, it really makes a
difference in traffic on that particular commute.
Crockett in general is a really nice place to live. It truly is a
small town, and all the businesses are small,
locally-owned. There is an active playgroup, a small but
nice library, a park with a good playground, and a pool that
is open in the summers. The people are nice, and the
views are amazing. You are very welcome to contact me
with any questions, concerns, etc, or if you just want to meet
someone in town!
Emma
Crockett has a wonderful, strong Catholic community. We are not
Catholic, and felt a *little* like outsiders when we lived
there. They have wonderful, dedicated teachers, but school
scores are not so great right now. The elementary school is in
Rodeo and within sight of an oil refinery. In the event of a
chemical emmision (it happened a while back, I recommend you
research this for yourself) children and residents have been
instructed to shelter in place. The high school mascot is an
Indian despite efforts to change it. The views are excellent,
dynamic and lovely, but the steep hills mean you do a lot of
driving (putting more wear and tear on your car) or you must
have legs like a mountain goat. I don't know how long it takes
to drive to Gilman at rush hour, but it took around 30 minutes
to the Del Norte BART at 5:30 a.m. when we lived there. A new
bridge is being built across the Carquinez Straight, which is
disruptive but fascinating to watch. The people really care
about their community and are nice. There are organizations you
can join, including the humorously-named CIA (Crockett
Improvement Association). Housing prices are relatively
affordable, a boon to first time buyers. As a C&H company town,
most of the older folks used to work there and the history is
quite interesting. Depending on the part of town, you can hear
the C&H whistle at various times of day, the passing trains and
the foghorns. Go and visit, picnic at a park, walk the hills
and see how you like it (this actually goes for anyplace you
may decide to live).
good luck
I just wanted to apologize for my earlier post about Crockett.
Upon reading it a few days later, I noticed it had a rather
negative tone, which was not my intent. (I wanted it to be
balanced). It really is a special place, a small-town gem, a
rarity in the bay area. It will always have a special place in
my heart.
good luck
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