Berkeley Parents Network: Living in Pleasant Hill

Berkeley Parents Network

Living in Pleasant Hill

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Housing, Neighborhoods, & Moving > Living in Pleasant Hill

June 2005

In an effort to find a larger house for a smaller mortgage in the Bay Area, we are trying to figure out where to relocate from Berkeley. I haven't seen Pleasant Hill mentioned too much, so that makes me want to ask about it. We need to live near BART (walking/biking distance) and good schools (our kids will be going into elementary school soon). So what is Pleasant Hill like? Are the schools good? Is there anything to do without getting in the car and driving? What should I look for? Thanks for any and all comments, positive or negative!
Sad to leave Berkeley, need to live cheaper!

I live in Pleasant Hill and formerly lived in Berkeley. Pleasant Hill is a fairly generic place to live. There just isn't anything special or interesting about it. It's very safe and the public schools are highly rated. It's largely white and conservative. It's boring, and pretty much devoid of culture and good restaurants. Given the choice, I would try to stay on the west side of the tunnel. Good luck. anon

I live in Walnut Creek which is near Pleasant Hill. We moved from Berkeley to get a great house and schools. Pleasant Hill has some beautiful areas adjoining Lafayette and Martinez. But, you really need to check the schools. As I understand it, there may be a small area of Pleasant Hill where you get Lafayette schools. (That would be ideal.) Otherwise, from what I hear the public schools are not so good. They have a very good magnet academic elementary but you have to be on the waitlist years in advance. I strongly recommend that you consider Walnut Creek. It is more expensive than Pleasant Hill (but still less than Orinda or Lafayette). Most of the schools are excellent. (Of course, you have to check the three you would get.) Lots of parent involvement. Plus, I didn't know this when I lived in Berkeley but Walnut Creek is a great place to live. It is a well run city, with great activities. Many theaters, arts programs for all ages, great recreational classes, open space and Mount Diablo for hiking and biking. Also, we have BART.
Berkeley Refugee in Walnut Creek

I recieved this information from my friend, who is a realtor in Pleasant Hill:

1. There is a BART station at Treat Blvd. off 680. Walking/Biking distance is relative, but you can generally expect homes close to BART to be a little more in demand, thus a bit more expensive.

2. As for schools, Pleasant Hill has some top-rated schools in the state according to GreatSchools.Net. Here's a link to some data on them: http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_district/51/ca/

3. I live in Pleasant Hill and I love it. I live across the street from the downtown area and Pleasant Hill Park. Pleasant Hill is a family community. It doesn't offer the diversity of Berkeley (but what does?). The downtown area has revived the city as it offers more shopping and dining options. The second half of the downtown area is under construction.

4. The average detached home price in April 2005 was $711,683 while the average attached (condo/townhome) price in April 2005 was $463,454. As of today (05/25/05), there are only two detached homes listed for under $600,000: 1) $535,000 for a 3bd/2ba 1,000+ sqft home and 2) $550,000 for a 3bd/2ba 1,300+ sqft home.

Hope that helps.
Brian Mertens
Prudential California Realty
925-330-1029
brian.mertens[at]prurealty.com

Erin

I did not read the original post so not sure exactly know what you are asking for. My son and I moved from Oakland to Pleasant Hill last year and absolutely love it. There are lots of kid friendly places & parks - lots of things to do especially if you appreciate the beautiful weather. I work in the city, and just love coming home where it is still warm enough to swim after dinner. We are switching from a private school to a small parent co-up charter school in Concord. I heard there is a waiting list to enter in kindergarden, but no so in the higher grades - 4/5 combined classroom. We got a great feeling from the principal and have talked to several parents and are excited to start this fall. The nice part about Plesant Hill is that it is still close to Oakland & the city. I commute into the city everyday, sometimes I ride BART but mostly I take the casual carpool/bus from Oakland - total commute is never more than an hour in the worst case scenario. Pleasant Hill has many transplants from Berkeley/Oakland and because of the family friendly atmosphere and down to earth kind of values.
glad I moved!

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