See also: More Advice about Richmond, CA
Point Richmond Restaurants
June 2011
I am looking for a quick, inexpensive, good restaurant in
Point Richmond for lunch during the week. I found this
list: http://www.pointrichmond.com/dine.htm Does anyone
have any recommendations please? Thank you Anonymous
I have eaten at HOTEL MAC, not cheap, but very good. Salute
- food, nothing special, but on the water. Boiler House -
average $$, food ok, killer location...Old Ford Bld, on
water. Hidden City Cafe - great breakfast, average $, don't
know about lunch. Up and Under - Good food, depending what
you get, average $$ Koa Sarn- Good food and service. Fair $
only had dinner. Baltic- have only had dinner, and it was
wonderful, but, I hear new owners. dana
Moving to Point Richmond
Jan 2007
We are set to move out of our apartment in San Francisco at the end of the
month, and are looking to move to a lower rent area within an easy commute of
San Rafael.
I would like to know if moving to Point Richmond is a good or bad idea, and
hear what others think about it.
I like the small town atmosphere, the low rents, and the fact that San Rafael
(where my husband works) is right over the Richmond Bridge.
I worry that the oil refineries could be problematic for my childs health (she
is 11 months old) and that crime could be an issue.
What do you all think? We are trying to make a decision in a very little
amount of time.
Anne
Point Richmond is a great town! We have lived here for 7 yrs. We have a 5 and 3 yr
old. We were concerned about the refinery as well when we first moved here. There
are so many 80-90 yr olds that have lived here since the 40's we figured it can't be
that bad, and the wind is almost always blowing away from the refinery. The town is
very community oriented, and there is a great parents group (PRAM) to get involved
with for even more great connections and activities! Everything is within walking
distances (park, beach, market, restaurants, school). I wouldn't want to live any where
else in the bay area!
Love it in the Point
Looking at Marina Bay in Richmond
Feb 2004
We are house hunting in the bay area, and experiencing all the
joys (ha ha) and frustrations of what our money can get us in a
variety of neighborhoods. We have recently looked at a few
townhomes in the Marina Bay area of Richmond. The Richmond
address frightens us (with a new baby, and watching the news),
but the townhomes were very nice, big, clean, newer, and in our
price range (vs. a fixer-upper ''cottage'' aka ''box'' in Berkeley).
I would love to hear anyones opinions, good and bad, re: this
area and home buying.
Thanks!
hopeful homebuyer
We rented there for about a year, 1997-1998, before buying
elsewhere. It was pleasant enough and we did look at the
houses there & found them very impressive & well-priced. The
main concern was that most of the land is landfill, which may
not be the most stable in an earthquake and who knows what sort
of stuff is in it, as part of this area was industrial. The
land beside it, the old Zeneca property & UC Berkeley property
is full of toxic material such as arsenic and mercury and is
being cleaned.
anon
Against my better judgement, my husband covinced me to look
at ''New Homes'' in Marina Bay, Richmond. I thought he was nuts
but the homes were in our price range. 10 years and 2 babies
later we are still here, enjoying our little secret...that
Marina bay is a little bit of paradise. We walk our dogs and
kids along the bay path enjoying the sun as we watch fog move
over Berkeley and El Cerrito. We are in a little sun belt. It
can be a bit breezy but by inlarge we love it here. I have
never had any problems with crime although a bike was stolen
from down the street last summer. We were as were a few of our
neighbors, able to transfer our children the the Kensington
Hilltop school so that wasn't an issue.
If you have questions about Marina Bay I'd be happy to answer
them.
Susan
We lived in Marina Bay when our son was 1-3 years old and it was
a very happy time for all of us. We would walk along the bay to
a wonderful playground. The entire bay trail there is safe, low
traffic, and offers some of the BEST views or the area. Some of
the communities had pools but the weather there can be a bit
chilly yearround due to the wind whipping off the bay. The
commute is non-existant until you get to the Berkley exits off
80. There was a nice restaurant and small market in the
community, either walking/biking distance from any of the
subdivisions. The homes are newer and in need of very little
TLC!!!!! Last but not least, PRAM -- Point Richmond Association
of Moms. It is a great volunteer run organization based in Pt.
Richmond and I would highly suggest contacting them for
information on schools, playgroups and support!!! www.pram.net
Courtney who misses Marina Bay !
As frustrating as Bay Area housing prices are, I would still
caution you against buying in Richmond, primarily due to the
Chevron Refinery. It was not so long ago that this refinery
dusted the whole community with a toxic catalyst waste. I think
if you can afford to live elsewhere, you should. I suspect that
babies are at higher risk of developing asthma and other
ailments due to the chronic air emissions from the refinery.
anon
I've lived in Marina Bay now for 14 years (yikes!!)and don't
plan on moving until I retire. The crime level is minimal, the
apartments get the brunt of it. (Richmond is a very big city and
what get's on the news typically comes from very specific areas.)
Many people use the Bay Trail and both Marina Bay and Vincent
Park. There are many families with children living here.
My family has made many friends through our time spent at
Vincent Park.
The downside is the school district, although the local school
is in Pt. Richmond and has a terrific parent community growing
into the school (your baby may be the perfect age to benefit)and
a new principal who has been very responsive to the community.
The moms group PRAM is based in Pt.Richmond and is very active
in the community and is becoming active in the school. Another
downside is that home prices have climbed hugely in the last two
years so there's a chance you'd be buying at a highpoint. On
the other hand, where else are there affordable waterfront
communities?
Good luck to you.
Lori
We have lived in Marina Bay for 7 years. The first 4 in what is
now Archstone and the last 3 or so in one of the housing
developments. We are a young couple with a toddler. When we
decided to buy in the area, the reasons on the plus side were:
the neighborhood is quiet and beautiful with the great bay trail
(we do a lot of running and biking), the houses were new and
much more affordable, that is, we felt like we were able to get
more for our money. We are not handy folks and we didn't have
enough money to invest to fix up a place, so getting a new home
is a big plus for us. The downside for us was the school
district. We decided that we were likely to sell within 5 years
before our child will go to school. The landfill was also a
concern. We did a little research to determine our particular
house is on a 'less landfilled' portion of the complex we are in.
The problems with the refineries have been minimal, in my
opinion. We have not noticed any health effects or ongoing
problems with air quality. We have loved living there. There
are a lot of families with small children around us and it is
just a very peaceful, pleasant and beautiful place to live. Day
to day live is great, but you must be realistic about the
downsides and figure out your priorities and how to deal with
them. Good luck!
Happy Marina Bay Resident
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