Los Gatos or Santa Rosa Area (San Jose, Oakland: condo, crime rates, job market)

[AndrewSoss]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

Significant social differences in all respects between the I-680 corridor and the inner East Bay. I-680 corridor is more like OC / Eastern Ventura County / etc and the inner East Bay is more like LA proper, if one were to make such an analogy.

That's a great comparison. Danville/San Ramon/WC is about as South OC as it gets.

[Zaney]

Hey,

So to clarify... Danville et al are like Newport Beach, Laguna or more like Costa Mesa, Irvine?

Anyone know anything about Clayton? It looks out of the fray and the crime stats (at least on city data) are great.

[Zaney]

Well from all of this information it sounds like I may be tend more toward 'granola' than I thought.
I don't really care "who's are higher and and face is tighter".
You're more likely to find me at a used bookstore wearing a tee shirt, shorts and flipflops or in my old jeep on my way home from the nursery.

Maybe Santa Rosa would be better? Still dont want that long haul to the office though. Is Santa Rosa very tech anymore?

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by Zaney

Some questions about the East Bay. I have been reading some other threads about the East Bay and many seem to be of the opinion that Walnut Creek, San Ramon, Danville et al are filled with the "wanna be nouveau rich" or what someone else termed as the "credit rich" (have alot but dont own any of it).

I thoroughly disagree.

People at that end of the market are usually very responsible and do not live beyond their means. What you describe is more akin to the Inland Empire.

The 24/680 corridor is pound for pound, probably the most upscale submarket in the entire Bay Area. Now I say that because there is like no visible grit whatsoever. Just lots of trees and hills.

Once you cross the Caldecott Tunnel leaving Oakland, its an apple pie world. Orinda, Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Alamo, Danville, San Ramon, Dublin and Pleasanton(the cities you drive on from 24 to 680 Southbound) are very ideal for raising families in the minds of many.

That's why the area is growing so fast. It certainly isnt because its cheap because its not cheap-its quite expensive.

[Zaney]

Inland Empire of No Cal. I'm not familiar with that as a Northern CA term. That's Danville et al?
In So Cal that's Riverside, San Bernandino I believe.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by Zaney

Hey,

So to clarify... Danville et al are like Newport Beach, Laguna or more like Costa Mesa, Irvine?

More like parts of Irvine, and like Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by Zaney

Inland Empire of No Cal. I'm not familiar with that as a Northern CA term. That's Danville et al?
In So Cal that's Riverside, San Bernandino I believe.

Our IE equivalents (functionally, socioeconomically, demographically, etc) are places like Los Banos, Tracey, Stockton, Fairfield, et al.

[Zaney]

That makes sense- thank you both.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

Our IE equivalents (functionally, socioeconomically, demographically, etc) are places like Los Banos, Tracey, Stockton, Fairfield, et al.

Yes,
No offense to the Inland Empire, but Zaney's description of Walnut Creek and Danville is more fitting of the IE than Contra Costa County. 2 different worlds.

[skywalker400]

IMO Orinda, Moraga, Lafayette have a different vibe from San Ramon, Danville, Pleasanton. San Ramon and Pleasanton have that more suburban cookie cutter South OC look and feel, while Lamorinda is more woodsy, quaint and more comparable to an East Coast suburb in some ways . Easy access to the cultural scene in Berkeley and North Oakland, nice little downtowns and good schools too. I'm personally not a big fan of Santa Rosa versus the other towns in Sonoma County, it has more generic houses and rundown areas than places like Sebastopol, West Petaluma or Sonoma. Once you get some distance from the 101, you get pretty disconnected from the civilization too though.