| Here are links to communities in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area in which I have lived and worked for over 20 years. It can help you narrow down your search before we go on the Grand Tour......
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Communities |
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Alamo
Click on Alamo 94507 for the broadest information. Just south of Walnut Creek and highway 24, tucked in the hills with both old and new homes. |
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Castro Valley
be sure to open another window before clicking on this link, because it is the kind that takes over your browser!!! |
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Danville
Spreading from just west of Highway 680 (the older side of town, with cute shops, restaurants, cafes and weekly farmer's market) east to Blackhawk with newer (and brand new) homes, Danville still retains some of the "midwest" home-town feel. |
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Dublin
A town in a great commuter location - not far from the Silicon Valley, access to SF via BART, a retail mecca. New homes for every budget are in the east side of town in the hills, and older, often ranch-style homes are in the west. Lots of parks, community activities, a town on the move. |
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Lafayette
Used to be a mostly bedroom community of homes built on large lots, and still retains much of the semi-rural feeling with even the new homes being required to be on large plots. But now the downtown features great shops, cafes, and restaurants. Parks, biking and hiking opportunites abound in the hills. |
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Livermore
Also try the official site - www.ci.livermore.ca.us. They are developing a walker-friendly downtown with a mix of businesses and restaurants. It has homes to offer from the 1950's on, and many communities of new homes have sprung up in the past 10 years, and continue to be built. The wine country, including Wente, is growing and offer tours and tasting (www.livermorewine.com). |
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Montclair district
A charming community in the city of Oakland in the hills. The village bustles with locals enjoying the cafes, shops, restaurants and park. The homes are known to be an eclectic mix - there are seldom two homes alike! Some were built in the early part of the 1900's, and many were built after the 1989 Oakland Hills fire that devestated over 3000 homes. Many have fabulous views of the Bay or SF, most are in the hills on curving streets. |
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Moraga
Nestled in the valley just over the hill from Oakland, and south of Orinda, this town is often sunny and warm when the surrounding hills are still covered with fog. |
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Oakland
A diverse city with lots to offer - many neighborhoods have charming shops and restaurants, and offer a feel of "small town". I am most familiar with the areas bounded by Highways 580, 24, and 13 up to the top of the hills, including Trestle Glen, Redwood Heights, Lake Merritt, Piedmont/Grand/College Avenues, and all of Montclair. |
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Orinda
You can also go to orindachamber.org. A lovely town with homes predominantly on very large lots in the hills. Just through the tunnel from Oakland/Berkeley, it offers a great commute location and a bit warmer temperature in the summer (and a bit colder in the winter) than Oakland. It has a cute downtown south of the freeway with an old refurbished movie theater (used to be managed by my husband's grandfather), and another on the north with a great community park. Again, it is hard to find two homes alike here, and old oaks abound. |
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Piedmont
Piedmont is an official city, completely surrounded by Oakland. It is in the hills, has a great central park, and is bordered by the restaurants and shops of Grand Avenue, Piedmont Avenue, Park Blvd, and the Montclair district. Homes here are known for their charm, each being unique from the next, and well maintained. The streets are lined with sidewalks and huge trees that change color in the fall, and many community parks are located amid the different neighborhoods. |
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Pleasanton
Another city with that "old hometown" feel. There is a farmer's market here on the weekends, restaurants and shops are busy in Main Street, and there is a mall here too. A mix of very old (early 1900's) and very new (still under construction) homes exists, from the western hills to the Livermore wine country (Ruby Hills) |
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San Ramon
Predominantly comprised of subdivisions with lots of parks and sidewalks, San Ramon is becoming a city where people live and work in the same area, with the major employers located in Bishop Ranch. There are many new homes still being built (in the Bridges and Windemere) but there are also older homes on larger lots in established neighborhoods. |
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Walnut Creek
Located at the crossroads of highways 13 and 680, it is convenient to Concord and points north, to San Ramon and points south, and San Francisco and Oakland to the west. A bustling downtown with shops, restaurants and theaters is just one of the attractions people have to Walnut Creek. |
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Hoax or True? |
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Hoaxbusters
If it sounds too good, or too sad to be true, check it out here. From lost children to the millions you can get from the Nigerian Bank, it's all here. |
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Internet Myths and Truths
Another website to separate out the true stories from the false. |
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Perpetual Calendar |
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Perpetual Calendar
Want to know a day and date next month? next year? In 5 years? Come and see! |
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Real Estate Information |
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Broker Price Opinions
a place for agents and banks to link for establishing broker price opinions for REO sales |
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Current Topics
Information and articles about real estate - ownership and investing. |
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Recipes and Health |
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I love to cook - here are great recipes!
Recipes, search by ingredient, old favorites and new tastes, slow cook weekend meals and 30 minutes or less! |
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Web MD
Health information and topics |
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Retirement Planning |
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Retirement
Planning, information for people nearing or at retirement time. |