Living in Pleasant Hill, CA
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Living in Pleasant Hill, CA
August 2008
We are looking to relocate to a cheaper place, and the Venn diagram :)
of our finances, the fact that we want to stay in Contra Costa, and
good elementary schools leaves us with El Cerrito Hills (Madera
School) and Pleasant Hill.
I like El Cerrito a lot, but Pleasant Hill seems to me to be heavily
white and conservative, and we are left-wing, attachment-parenting,
organic pagans (one white, one mixed). I assume there are a scattering
of other like-minds in PH, but are there significant
pockets/neighborhoods filled with folks like us? If my son went to
Strandwood Elementary School, would he find other kids who are not
watching ''Die Hard'' at age 5 and telling non-Christians that they
are going to hell (real-life experience of mine with kids at a PH
school)?
Thanks in advance!!!
Hi,
Yes, there are like-minded families in PH. Some I've met through local
mom's groups & Freecycle, some through volunteering & just some from
chatting. I don't know of any local organized groups or neighborhoods
that would be exactly what you might be looking for, but come join the
PTA, local mom's clubs, volunteer & help change what you don't like.
Also, when you take people one on one, generally it doesn't matter that
your values aren't in exact agreement - don't we all try to do the best
for our children & families in the best way we know how? We're a
Strandwood family & love it, though would like to see changes in terms of
recycling, carpooling, lunches... but how are the changes going to happen
without people leading them?
Katherine
There is a scattering of us out here in Pleasant Hill with kids attending
Strandwood that are conservative when it comes to using natural resources,
but not conservative in thought.
Yes, there are quite a few Christians and honestly I have more trouble
handling extended family members about religious belief than community
members. It's more open than you think. From the outside it looks fairly
white but when you dig a little deeper, you'd be surprised at the
diversity that makes up Pleasant Hill.
And we organic-eating, hydrogenated oil-avoiding, alternative
therapy-prescribing, long-haired boys-having, blasphemous hippies can
always use another heretic amid our surroundings! ;-)
LogicalMama
We live in Pleasant Hill and our soon-to-be kindergartener will attend
Strandwood. We are a mixed-race, progressive, left-wing family,
non-religious. So there you have it. Yes, Pleasant Hill is more
middle-of-the-road than some areas across the tunnel but the pros outweigh
the cons in my opinion. You will find all sorts of people in Pleasant
Hill, conservative, liberal, apolitical, religous, not-religious, etc. You
will be able to find a good community of like-minded people. It just may
take a while longer to find them. Pleasant Hill has great weather, active
and good schools, big backyards, wonderful parks, and great restaurants in
nearby Walnut Creek and Concord. People are too busy with their family
and work lives to be worried about what religion you practice so I really
wouldn't worry about that. Good luck and hopefully we'll run into
eachother in Pleasant Hill!
content 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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