Berkeley Parents Network: Living in Pleasanton

Berkeley Parents Network

Living in Pleasanton

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

October 2006

Re: Kid friendly neighborhoods in the East Bay As I was reading your post asking for a recommendation for a kid-friendly neighborhood in the East Bay, I could not wait to reply!! My husband and I have a 9 month old as well and we LOVE our neighborhood. We live in Pleasanton, which I believe is about 40 min. away from you. I can't tell you enough good things about it. The neighborhood is filled with families with children, there are tons of great parks and green areas and the schools are top notch. I love living in Pleasanton because you have easy access to the freeway, and traffic is not a problem. There is a beautiful downtown that is great for a Sunday walk, cute stores and great little restaurants and cafes; it has its own farmer's market every Saturday with lots of goodies. You always see families with their strollers and kids. The only thing is housing costs are higher than other areas, but since you mentioned that thankfully your income allows for flexibility, I really encourage you to check out the neighborhood. http://www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/ Feel free to email me directly for more info or if you have questions. maria.esther

May 2006

My husband's new job is in San Jose which is a haul from where we are in Richmond. It is easily 1.5 hours each way. I am a SAHM but thinking about returning to work in SF after a 7 year mom-hood. Mine is not a sure thing. We are thinking about Pleasanton because we have heard great things about their public schools (we do private now) and it is a reasonable commute to San Jose or even SF if I end up working. I would love to hear from families who live there or moved there from the East Bay about life, better elementary schools, neighborhood feels, family friendly areas, social environment, etc. In case you are wonding why not move to the south bay - it is because the good school districts have outrageous housing prices. For the same type of home we would need to spend double in the south bay. In pleasanton houseing would be 25% more for the same type of house. If you think we are missing a hidden gem, please let us know. Many thanks

I've lived in Pleasanton for 18 years and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. We have two children ages 9 and 6 who attend public schools and we have been very impressed by the education they are receiving. Pleasanton school district is one of a few which provides access to a Dual Immersion program in Spanish.... both my children are in this program. My 3rd grader now speaks Spanish fluently. The community if very family friendly...lots and lots of parks, a huge sports park, many SAHM to help share childcare with. Main Street in downtown has lots of yummy restaurants and fun shops and it is so quaint. In the summer they have ''Concerts in the Park'' which are free concerts every Friday night...lots of families come out for these spread out a picnic blankets, food, drinks, wine, and enjoy music. After saying all these wonderful things about Pleasanton I do have two things I don't like: 1) how hot it can get in the summertime (I grew up near S.F. on the coast), 2) When the Alameda County Fair is in town (for two weeks in June/July) our crime rate increases
Lovin' my town

We live in Pleasanton and love it. I'm not sure you'll find anyone who can tell you about moving to Pleasanton from the East Bay, though, since Pleasanton IS in the East Bay.

As you mentioned, the schools are great, the downtown and its restaurants are second to none. There is a great Mom's Club with almost 500 families (www.pleasantonmothersclub.org). There are wonderful parks and the Pleasanton Ridge is a great place to go hiking in the hills, open only to Pleasanton residents.

It's just a wonderful place; we love being here. I would never trade being here for being in the South Bay; you're making a smart move
Still living in the East Bay

Dec 2004

We are thinking about moving to Pleasanton from Berkeley. We are quite nervous about doing this since it means leaving beautiful weather, culture, diversity, and interesting shops and places to visit with our one year old son. At the same time, we desperately want a bigger house, yard, good school, etc. We would love some insights from people who have made similar moves about lifestyle, preschools, and things to do with a toddler in Pleasanton. Thank you very much in advance for the suggestions! Mary

I live in Pleasanton, after going to graduate school in Berkeley. Yes, it is fairly conservative and the restaurants/shops can not be compared to more urban areas. However, people in my neighborhood are very nice. We've also discovered a few excellent restaurants--eg. Lindo's has interesting Japanese food that you can't get in Berkeley, and there's a great Chinese restaurant right near the JC Penny furniture store near Stoneridge mall. There's a substantial Indian population that supports several grocery stores and restaurants in Dublin/Pleasanton. Blue Agave has very good Mexican food (albeit a bit pricey). As far as toddler activities, we usually hit the parks. There's many great playground facilities in Pleasanton. We also like to goto the farmer's market in town. anonymous

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