Considering a move to Danville or Lafayette

[Anonymous]

Please share your opinions, advice, tips... we don't know anyone who lives in either place but have lots of friends in Oakland and Berkeley. We just want to move to a place where we can send our kids to excellent public schools all the way through high school. Private school not an option. Real estate budget is somewhere around $1.3M

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Where are you commuting to? That makes a huge difference. Lafayette is better if the commute is to Oakland or San Francisco, but Danville wins if it's to Silicon Valley.

What kind of place are you looking to live? Lafayette is a mix of suburbs and a few more rural areas. Danville is mostly suburbs, (a bit) wealthier, and politically more conservative (though you're still in California!) Lafayette tends to be more expensive because of the proximity to BART (and it's closer to job centers in Oakland/Berkeley and Walnut Creek). Schools in both places are generally strong throughout. No idea what $1.3M gets you there these days but certainly more than in the closer-in areas with strong schools (Piedmont, Albany, Fremont, etc.) If you're hoping to see the friends in Oakland and Berkeley regularly, my anecdotal experience is that you'll be far more likely to do so if you choose Lafayette. Alamo/Danville feels incredibly far from the inner East Bay, for some reason.

[Anonymous]

Thanks - most likely commuting to SF or Oakland. Starting out working from home for my current employer. Eventually, I'll look for a job out there.

Helpful to know the "feeling" of being way out in Danville. What I understand is it's foggy in Orinda, which is why we're looking further out to Moraga or Lafayette. If we're looking all the way in Moraga, I figured I'd add Danville, but it sounds like it's just that much farther away, distance-wise and psychologically!

[Anonymous]

It sort of depends on what kind of community you want and what you're willing to put up with in terms of commute and price. $1.3 million is a low budget for all these areas. Be prepared to compromise. Competition for very limited housing stock is fierce.

The good news is that sale-to-list in Lamorinda tends to be within normal ranges so you don't have to game your search like you have to in Berkeley/Oakland. (If looking there, search listings in the $800k and under range with your budget. 50% over list is common.)

Moraga is the most affordable of the Lamorinda options, but the bumper-to-bumper traffic out of town to get to BART, school, or the highway seems pretty miserable in the morning. If commute isn't a major factor tho, you'll get the most house for your money there. Some people who move there from bigger cities describe it as "sleepy" but the people who love it, love it.

Lafayette and Orinda are pricier. I find Orinda to be a bit too spread out - lots of narrow, winding roads. Lafayette's small downtown has a little more to it. The Lafayette Library and the community center have a ton of great recreation options for all ages. Hiking, swimming, and biking seem to be the big activities for locals. The Lafayette Reservoir has this great, paved, 3 mile path around it that's very easy on strollers. Be prepared to drive a lot no matter where you end up. None of these areas are particularly walkable. Few sidewalks.

Can't speak for Danville. Our realtor lives there and loves it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks - most likely commuting to SF or Oakland. Starting out working from home for my current employer. Eventually, I'll look for a job out there.

Helpful to know the "feeling" of being way out in Danville. What I understand is it's foggy in Orinda, which is why we're looking further out to Moraga or Lafayette. If we're looking all the way in Moraga, I figured I'd add Danville, but it sounds like it's just that much farther away, distance-wise and psychologically!

If it's potentially a commute to SF or Oakland--and *especially* if you don't yet know where you're commuting to--I'd look to Lamorinda over Danville. It just gives you more options. Try the time feature on Google Maps to check out commutes during rush hour, and take seriously the ranges it gives you. The outliers aren't just once-in-a-while occurrences, unfortunately. I would also strongly consider renting for a year wherever you land to get a better lay for the land before jumping into California real estate. I like Orinda too; if the fog is the main reason you aren't considering it, I'd definitely give it a second look. It does get more fog than Lafayette/Moraga, but it's still much warmer/sunnier than the Oakland/Berkeley hills in most parts, especially the farther you get from the Alameda/Contra Costa line. Plenty of people move there to escape the fog. I think you'll also find more SF and inner East Bay transplants in Lamorinda than in Danville, which may be a plus if you're working from home and want to connect with others in similar situations. Good luck with the move!

[Anonymous]

Thank you! This is all very helpful advice!!

[Anonymous]

I love Danville. Relatives live out there. The town street is great, nice homes, good schools and gorgeous scenery.

I can not imagine commuting into SV from Danville. I'm sure some people are crazy enough to do this but they've got to have a 2 hour commute both ways in traffic. I've also found that traffic from SV to East Bay can get really bad even in off hours/times. We would live in Danville if we worked in East Bay but not SF or SV.

If you are working in SF we know people who live in Orinda but I think looking on the peninsula south of SF like Millbrae would be a better commute.

[Anonymous]

If you are working in SF we know people who live in Orinda but I think looking on the peninsula south of SF like Millbrae would be a better commute.

Commute from Orinda/Lafayette to SF is extremely easy via BART.

[Anonymous]

I'd say look in both and see where you find what you want. Lafayette/Orinda is a MUCH better commute to the city because you are right on bart (although parking is a challenge after 7:30 am or so).

Danville and Lafayette both have decent downtowns with good restaurants. Both have good schools. I think either would be a good option. I live in Lamorinda (Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga). It's very convenient, but I don't love the suburban vibe, but it's ok. We moved here for the schools.

[Anonymous]

I *love* Danville, and would add Pleasanton, San Ramon, and the wine country part of Livermore to your list -- these cities are MUCH more affordable, really wonderful communities, and are all on the BART line so a commute to SF/Oakland are easy (NOT SV).

[Anonymous]

We use to live in Alamo, next to Danville. We loved the area - the weather and physical beauty are amazing. But we were disappointed in the public school funding although the teachers did their best. The people were very nice but too CA-centric. We eventually had the opportunity to move back east and we are very happy we did. We had a great five years out there but the weather and physical beauty just wasn't enough.

[Anonymous]

OP Here --

Just went out to the area and it was really helpful to see the place. It's beautiful! Our budget has increased to $1.7 now that we have talked with Loan officers, etc.

Will definitely work from home for the first few years and DH will be doing the same. It's possible I will stop working and DH will continue the job for as long as he wants, so that means the commute issue will likely not be a problem. DH will have to travel once a month to the East Coast but can fly on weekends/ off hours to avoid traffic.

So these are my questions - anything you can share will be helpful --

1.) Danville downtown is so great - lots of variety, bars and restaurants were (surprisingly) hopping on Saturday night. LOVED it. It seems like even in our budget, we won't get something walkable to downtown. (We need an extra room for an office at home, so we're looking for a 5-bedroom.) So we will have to drive into downtown (but not too far - like 10 min) to eat out, etc. Lots of parks/open space and it reminded me of Orange County with the wide streets and parks everywhere. But - it seems so far away from the Bay Area. We have lots of friends in Oakland and Berkeley - will people visit us? The drive on 680 to Walnut Creek seems long and I can't imagine it with traffic!

2.) Orinda had really eccentric homes, with uneven floors (because homes are built on hills, or additions settled more than the original house, etc). Houses were way more charming but smaller and hard to imagine three children running around in the small yards. Schools seemed older and it also seems like everyone has to drive everywhere, even to drop off kids at school. And, there is not a lot of variety of places to eat and only one grocery store! But - the distance to Oakland/Berkeley was attractive for dinners out or inviting friends over.

So - this is my take away, if we lived in Danville, life would be *easy* - drive to many grocery stores, lots of parks, eat in town, etc. But we wouldn't be close to many of the things that attract us to the Bay Area - our friends, San Francisco, Berkeley, etc.

If we lived in Orinda or Moraga, we'd be driving all the time to another town to grocery shop, eat out, but we are closer in to the Bay Area. Maybe the small house isn't an issue because we would be out all the time?

Finally, are schools in Danville equal to schools in Orinda? They both get good ratings, but what's the word on the street?

If you're still reading this, thank you! Any thoughts, reactions?

[Anonymous]

Long time East Bay resident here. Your impressions of the different areas sound right on. I'm surprised you didn't mention Lafayette. It's downtown is equal to or better than Danville's plus it's an easy drive to Oakland/Berkeley. Homes will be more normal than Orinda's.

Orinda's schools are considered to be better than Danville's.

As long as you avoid commute hours, the drive to/from Danville and SF/Oak/Berkeley will not be a big concern.

Don't think you can go wrong with any of those areas. It just comes down to where you feel most at home.

[Anonymous]

Op here - thanks! I think we are priced out of Lafayette but will take another look. Glad to know about schools in Orinda vs Danville.

[Anonymous]

The parts of Lafayette that are adjacent to Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek should be more affordable. But I use the term affordable very loosely.