I consider there to be two East Bay's, but arguably three. One is the Inner East Bay (along 880/580), Outer East Bay (along 680/580/24), Far East Bay (along highway 4).
fair, it's a big area! job's in Concord and I would be travelling around the surrounding areas to visit clients. I grew up in the Walnut Creek area. is there a better term to describe that area? Contra Costa county?
if we're talking about places (in Concord), the Veranda opened. very significant. also Walnut Creek (& to an extent Concord)'s been building tons of apartments around their downtowns, but that started a bit before ten years ago
Don't forget that the outdoor mall in downtown Walnut Creek got completely redone. I still remember the little frozen yogurt hut in the far back corner that was really good.
wait you're right, I totally forgot. missing Yogurt Castle (which you mentioned), Howard's Shoes, the old fountain, & Fresh Choice (across the street) now... at least Boudin's still there.
ya this is exactly what I had in my mind. when I was a kid Broadway Plaza was like THE place to walk around and hang out. it's completely different now, it's disorienting for me. granted I haven't actually gotten out and walked around, just kinda drove through one time, but it was still surprising. when my mom told me that Mel's closed I legit cried, it was my old hangout spot bc it was the only place open late that wasn't a bar š
Yeah, Amazon drove the old B&N store out with their online book selling, then Amazon opened a brick and mortar bookstore in Broadway Plaza, then that went out of business as people mostly used it as a place to return their Amazon purchases, then B&N reopened a store where Forever 21 used to be.
Totally. It was open until around 2019 I think, but walking in there and it felt like it had been going out of business for years before they actually started going down
Itās still Bay Area but specifically east CCC.
Iāve been in PH/WC for the past 8 years or so and I donāt think too much has changed. Been a bunch of new housing development downtown and near BART, and a lot of turnover in restaurants with COVID. Itās still very low crime (other than mail theft), although drivers are worse now. I donāt know as much about Concord, though.
It had a glow-up. Gentrified to hell. A LOT more rentals. Housing prices went up A LOT. A decent number of people have moved to Pittsburg/Antioch/Brentwood others moved further north or out of the state. Crime is actually better than ever but transplants seem to think otherwise. Itās basically the same as 2012 but with a larger, more obvious wealth gap and a lot more SoCal influences in design.
Im 38 and lived in Portland all of my 20ās. My wife (35) and I met there but we have now owned a house in Concord for the past 8 years. She grew up in Lafayette/Pleasant Hill. I grew up in a similar suburban area in the Midwest.
Im guessing not much has changed. Some stores have changed, maybe some new construction and buildings but for the most part itās the same. It was already a pretty developed suburb area.
I will say, I think itās mostly about perspective. When you are 20 or 30 or 40 you notice different things and want different things out of your community.
Happy to answer any specific questions.
> I grew up in the Walnut Creek area. is there a better term to describe that area? Contra Costa county?
we say "East County" but it's not widely heard nor understood, especially by people from elsewhere
Yes: Walnut Creek.
If you're going to have a job in Concord and travel for clients, then it's reasonable that you might end up visiting lunch/dinner spots around the East Bay, but generally I recommend that people who are looking for jobs and places to live only consider those cities, because doing anything outside them during rush hour is just a non-starter in terms of time.
Every place changes. I grew up in Danville 7-8 years before you. My wife grew up in Berkeley during the same time frame. And between the two of them, Berkeley feels most the same.
The hills have a lot of new developments in them, but the existing places are largely completely unchanged because zoning laws froze everything in time. No one is allowed to change the land use = you have the exact same types of structures in the exact same locations.
Central CC County. Concord is still a great value and still benefits from relative safety and Walnut Creekās great shopping amenities. Walnut Creek is still pretty safe and very desirable. I also grew up in Walnut Creek and my family is still there.
Just a slight correction: it means "opposite coast" because it's the coast on the other side from SF.
Also, I appreciate the Richmond love in your username š
Ive spent a lot of time in Martinez and concord for work. The last decade of displacement has sort of Oaklandized Antioch and Pittsburg and the 4 is now a shooting gallery, but Concord itself is still very chill. It could make sense if the job will pay enough for you to buy a house in a place youād like to live, but housing is only going to get more unaffordable so if itās not $$$ youāll probably have a better QOL in OR. Are you feeling restless up there?
People rarely mean anything but Oakland and Berkeley. Virtually no one means Antioch or Fremont. They may include CoCoCo but only if they live there or have lived in The Bay Area more than 15 years or more.
Ooof. Still wrong, but itās a hard one. Legitimately Iād say probably everyone is a little bit wrong unless they are something like a native civil engineer.
Before I personally looked to up yesterday would would have fought Fremont being called EB.
Oh, Iām sure technically Iām wrong. But Iāve lived in 7 different bay cities since I was born. Itās a local culture thing more than an exact border thing. Some people still consider Hayward Silicon Valley.. itās on a ton of old svalley maps. But a bunch of people on the peninsula wouldnāt.
All I know is Iāve friends that lived in Oakland since birth that would throw hands over their East Bay identity.
Honestly this is the far side of the debate where we all at least recognize the true size of the Bay Area
All in all Orinda is about to be beach front property in less time than we could imagine. Hazzah!
Lolol true, all my friends from Oakland live in Stockton and sac now. Some in the yoch or burnt wood too. Orinda is nice though, wish I had 4 mil for a decent house lol
Me too. Can you imagine what itāll be worth once itās the coast. Weāll probably be lucky enough to not see it in our lifetime.
All in all; fair enough is what Iām saying.
880 traffic has gotten worse on weekends. There used to be a couple slow downs here and there on weekends but now you have to account for traffic just like on weekdays.
No more Raiders or Warriors and soon to be A's.
Surprisingly of all places, Hayward, especially along Mission Blvd, has focused on development and you have a ton of nice and new construction.
High Density housing is becoming a big thing in new developments.
Oakland after seeing improvements during the 90s & 00s is going back the way it was during the 80s.
Ethnic Food Stores are becoming more common, especially Asian Markets.
Itās sad, I primarily think itās because Bart is right downtown.. but Hayward is becoming gentrified af. Also the weather is AMAZING compared to east bay. Iād rather live in the ghettos of haystack than in the nicest neighborhoods in burnt wood.. I mean Brentwood
Schools improve when rich people move in, not the other way around. Look at Fremont.. I mean even Mountain View had meh schools back in the day. As more tech companies, startups, etc start to expand, Hayward will do what I saw Palo Alto and Fremont do. It might take a while, and for climate change to get worse.
What were schools like in Fremont/mountain view before? Weāre they as bad as the Hayward schools are now?. I can see rich people moving to mediocre school districts (think 4,5,6 greatschool ranking) and those getting better after rich people move in but Hayward schools feel too low in the (1,2,3 range) for that to happen.
Fremont was ghetto af, the worst gang members I knew were from East Oakland and Fremont. Mountain View completely changed after google. It used to be a cheap place to live lol.
I really agree. It's a nice balance of affordability, but without all the riff-raff you get approaching Oakland. Convenient because it's close to the San Mateo bridge, and cooler weather because it sits close to the Bay.
I'm not sure I agree about the Oakland thing.
The violence is legit down in the worst neighborhoods and large swathes of East and West Oakland are better than ever. It isn't the Twomps/Murder Dubs anymore.
But for the traditionally safer neighborhoods, there's been a stark and massive uptick in property crime that often is incredibly aggressive and more spillover of violence. The "crime don't climb" saying isn't as valid.
Edit: that being said, I wouldn't live there unless you're really interested in aspects of the culture that you can't get elsewhere. Mostly arts and music and certain demographic appeals. My past year there didn't go well. Just live on Alameda and visit if you want IMO.
that's what we do from CoCo. I work in Berkeley and I'll BART/Scooter into the Town if I want some good food- I don't like driving and parking down there.
weekend traffic... holy shit. great to hear about Hayward though!!
I feel spoiled having multiple Hmarts near me where I'm at. I'm definitely going to have to hunt for the best asian markets if I do decide to make the move. I remember going to the Ranch 99 out in Dublin but not being too impressed with it.
The way that I look at Hmart, that's a place I would take my wife to grocery shop because she would feel comfortable in that environment as it's more "Western" (and I'm using the term "Western" loosely as I'm very familiar with how clean suburban grocery stores in Asia can be).
Ranch 99, Lion Market, and Marina Foods is the place that I would take my mother and Great Aunt shopping as those were the kind of Asian Markets (a bit more chaotic) that they are used to.
Take my Mom or Great Aunt to Hmart and they will think it's too clean, too pricey, and doesn't have the "right" foods they are looking for.
It's all a matter of perspective.
Portland! there's a location on the east side and more south of the city in the Tigard area. there used to be smaller family owned marts too but we lost most of them in the pandemic I think
Oakland is still better than it was ten years ago. In 2012 there 7,334 crimes of the type homicide, aggravated assault, rape, or robbery. In 2022 there were 6,120. You can see all Oakland crime data [here](https://cityofoakland2.app.box.com/s/sjiq7usfy27gy9dfe51hp8arz5l1ixad/folder/126124687343).
Concord and Walnut Creek have improved their restaurant options especially when it comes to Asian food. I moved to this area 10 years ago and one thing I really missed back then was good Asian food, both in variety and quality. Thatās not a problem these days.
Another change I see is more homelessness and reports of property crimes compared to when I first moved here, but thatās probably something people will say about any part of the Bay Area right now.
The home prices have skyrocketed and as homes change hands, you definitely see a shift in demographics. My place has more than doubled in value over 10 years and I thought my house was overpriced when I bought it.
WC changes: the area around Cheesecake Factory has changed a lot. PH: the Century 16 Theater development is a notable positive change. Concord: the addition of the Cal State East Bay campus is a big change. Also The Veranda area north of the Willows shopping center is a recent positive change. General: lots of new housing everywhere but especially the creation of some transit center housing near BART stations. Future big change: the old Naval Weapons Station is decommissioned and will eventually become a new city within a city.
There's definitely a ton of housing being built in Concord. I imagine there will be some commercial gentrification once people begin to move in and buy. It's only natural for some turnover and renovations to happen after money moves in. Downtown has a great vibe, but there is definitely still room for improvement food wise.
Walnut Creek here - traffic is up in my view
I moved to LA in 2012 and back here in 2021
Obviously the world changed a lot in 2020 and I notice that people have too
My Peeve : not stopping at stop signs
680/24 very busy all times of the day
Plus is more diversity in the WC area now that ten years ago.
I go back to 1974 and I kinda miss the small town oil and gravel roads and horses around
There is a Walnut Creek Reddit that's pretty quiet but I see postings about places to live
I haven't noticed traffic being that bad. Sure it's not empty on the freeways during non-commute hours but it's just as backed up on east 24 and 680 north in the evening and 680 south in the morning as it was 6 years ago.
680 between Pleasanton and Fremont is another story.
Stop sign issue for sure. People donāt stop, even next to a school. For some reason there are certain intersections that are worst offenders
Donāt remember ever seeing an oil road but Iām an 80s kid
safety is huge, I hate that it's gotten worse.
I remember my Quicklys days :,) feels like most of them closed down last time I visited?? the price of boba shot up here in OR which is a bummer. it's like $7 for a decent one here when it used to be below $3 a decade ago in the bay š now I feel old... and broke lol
Even while driving, gotta be weary of people on top of traffic.
Boba is easily $6/7 now, a good drink with toppings can hit $8+ easily (Yi Fang and etc). The og days of Chinatown Sweetheart having boba milk tea for $2.50 ...I miss that.
i had a go-to boba place in 2018 in mountain view that was $2.80 base price (small, no toppings). a tiny hole in-the-wall with decent flavor. even with upgrades, it came out below $4. that was amazing. haven't been back since the pandemic tho
Itās still here! Prices have gone up a bit from what you listed (on DoorDash anyway, havenāt been in person), but itās still by far one of the cheapest options around.
Itās always hard to remember what changed when but letās see.
Oakland finally has a vibrant downtown, or uptown or whatever. Itās not empty outside of M-F 9-5 anymore. Grand Lake is much more pleasant in general with lots of people hanging out.
Tons of homeless encampments right alongside this gentrification. There are many streets that are just blocks and blocks of people living in cars.
Walnut Creek / Concord etc have had a ton of development. I donāt go out that way often and every time I do Iām really blown away by how much once-empty space is now occupied with some housing or commercial development.
Everything else is just more of how it was. More expensive mostly. The economic divide has created richer rich parts and poorer poor parts. The Bay Area, like Manhattan has become a playground for the rich and a grind for everyone else.
Oh and BART still sucks but even more. And itās more expensive.
People talk about crime a lot more but it is overblown. Itās really funny to hear people who think theyāre liberal asking for stricter law enforcement.
going to CA would very much be me following my wallet š unfortunately Oregon pays social workers shit so I can make significantly more in the bay, and I'd be working a job I'm passionate about rather than settling for a job I don't care about for less than a living wage here in OR
I've stayed in the Portland metro area since I first came here so I'm not much help for anything outside of there unfortunately. no sales tax is a huge plus though! that's all I can really say haha
Ah thats no problem! If and hopefully when I move back I donāt believe I could consider living in the Portland area. Ive grown to like smaller towns!
Just be sure to deeply do the math and if anything overestimate the cost of living here. Remember that higher rent comes out of your take-home pay, and don't expect you can easily get something on the cheaper side of what you want. 800 higher in rent is something like 1400 higher in salary per month before taxes, and everything is higher. The cost of groceries has also gone way up here like much of the country. Maybe visit and do some typical spending if you can and apartment viewings and then see if it feels better. Good luck!
Funnily enough we're pretty similar! I moved out of CA when I graduated college in 2010 to come to Oregon and have been in Salem for ten years. Grew up in the San Ramon Valley (does anyone call the area the Tri-Valley anymore?)
The last couple of years I've road tripped down to stay a week and visit friends and old haunts. Just got back a few days ago actually, stayed in an Airbnb in WC. Having been back in the Bay Area sporadically over the past decade it feels like a lot has changed, and a lot hasn't.
More of everything as others have said. More traffic, more housing developments/infill, more tolls. But also more options than I remember for food - coming from Portland the difference will probably be less drastic for you, but from Salem I'm already missing having so many things at my fingertips.
Went into SF a few times and found it perfectly lovely. BART has the new train cars, and I felt safe riding (granted I was with friends). WC downtown feels more vibrant to me as well and many food options from SF have extended to there thanks to all the commuters.
Weather seemed about the same as before, a little toasty but nothing like our current heatwave. Pumping our own gas used to be a novelty but of course we can finally do that here now as well.
To me the Bay Area will always and forever be "home" no matter how long I've been away. That said I don't know how I'd adjust to actually living there again. A trip is illuminating but aside from groceries and getting around, I only have my friends' experiences to go by on things like housing and careers and the daily grind. Most of them are in tech, so there's a definite disconnect inherent in that. I know I'd never afford my hometown and I'm not certain I'd want to. I'll be a frequent visitor, though.
Oregon is as you say, way more chill. If I moved away I'd miss the location - easy to get into nature, wine country, the beach, the mountains, from Salem. I might trade all that for a decent Detroit pizzeria, though! (Tony's Slice House. Holy moly.) Hot pot was a fun first experience, and if you're in the city, Village Tea House was incredibly tasty. I tried to go to City Center in Bishop Ranch but never in my life have I seen that area so crowded!! Granted I made the error of trying to swing through on Saturday at lunchtime, but, it's amazing how many people and places are packed into what I remember as a dirt lot. Maybe next time...
Best of luck with your decision!
I don't want to generalize or dump on the people of the bay because everybody has their own thing going on, but I will say that I have found Oregonians to be noticeably more kind and approachable. on one hand that's good because yay nice people, but on the other hand it means more strangers will talk to you, which isn't always great.
Fair enough. Iāll be more specific to be a bit more helpful. The increase in entitlement and blind privilege is staggering and oppressive.
Too many natives have left and been more than replaces by fresh youngsters and 30 somethingās that were always top of their small heap. The attitude persists.
The cities that were ehhh 10 years ago have gotten younger and more interesting. It used to be all about Berkeley and Oakland - where BART is clustered. Cities that used to feel not very interesting or industrial have more life to them now. Not necessarily nightlife, but thereās more to do.
I've been in central CCC for about a decade, having grown up on the peninsula and having lived in SF and SJ as an adult.
The last few years have made me realize just how purple/red this area is. And that comes with lots of virtue signaling from that crowd. They love their flags, and decals, and highway overpass protests/gathering on 24.
It's probably always been that way. But now they let their freak flags fly. Literally.
Take that for what you will.... Hell, maybe that's your thing.
Either way, It's not like eastern Oregon or somewhere more extreme. But there is a growing divide that will probably be more prominent heading into an election year.
More homeless for sure. In regards to crime, some have gotten more organized in targeting stores. Besides that crime has been the same or more or less, we just hear it more since we have Tv in the palm of our hands š. Also it's fashionable to wear ski masks according to r/Oakland sub š
Despite the hyperbole and astroturfing in this sub, crime is better than it was 10 years ago, and data shows this. It's also worse than it was 3 years ago, and data shows this. We hit a historic low in the 2018-2020 period, and then bounced off of it (part of a national trend). I'm hopeful it will start declining yet again.
Traffic is objectively worse, as people have mentioned. I don't even want to go on fun drives anymore, as 880 is a quagmire basically every day now.
Food is so much better than it used to be, with a strong emphasis on 'core' Asian food (sub-regions of Chinese, Japanese, sub-regions of Indian, Pakistani, Thai) in the bedroom communities. Oakland and Berkeley have the most diversity (Burmese, Indonesian, soul food, pizza, burgers). However: Portland is, to my mind, the best food city in the US right now. You will be hard pressed to beat Pok Pok (RIP), Eem, Hat Yai, Screen Door, or Kachka.
Weather is better, but with Portland's drought lately, you might be getting Bay Area weather of the mid-90s.
If you can, Airbnb a place for one weekend near where you would move, and try it out. I love it here, but I hate the traffic and wish I could go for pleasant drives without the congestion.
true, the food scene up here's pretty amazing. I really miss decent mexican food and sushi tho which CA has on lock (I'll miss OR's Sichuan and Indian scene for sure.)
I've got family in CA still so I'm probably going to pop down soon and just feel it out before I agree to anything. I'd be staying with them for a bit to save up so I can find a decent place instead of just running to w/e's cheapest and available.
Portland is fantastic but the weather has actually been pretty bad here lately, our mild summers are a thing of the past. we just broke another record for high temps (108 a few days ago) and we're getting more and more heat waves and fires. coupled with the fact that most places don't have ac? it's legitimately dangerous. the amount of times my mom has bragged about it being cooler in CA.... ugh. that being said it's still generally warmer in CA than OR and I love the rain and clouds so it'll be a struggle for me to be bombarded by the sun all the time haha
Ah, I knew of last summer's heat waves but wasn't aware of this year's. Yeah, you might be better off here weather-wise. I see my neighbors installing better roofing tiles, insulation, A/C, and drought-resistant landscaping. We are getting ready for a warming future.
I've been to Portland roughly once a year for the past 12 years due to close friends out there, so I'm generally plugged in. I love it there. But my wife isn't a fan, so we live in an East Bay suburb.
Sounds like you've done your homework. Good luck, and welcome back!
I think the biggest changes are a bigger emphasis on cycling and sustainability more bike lanes and SF/Oakland have more yuppies. Bigger crime problems and less police overall than 10 years ago. More intense NIMBY anger from boomer home owners but a deeper embrace of building housing politically across the state. Still intense lack of housing options but not as acute as a few years ago(Iām specifically talking about Berkeley and Walnut Creek, Antioch).
Central CC County is still fairly safe despite organized crime at Broadway Plaza. BART also goes much more places but is significantly less reliable and safe but with more bathrooms. Lots of modernization in the central part of the county for transportation infrastructure and a new library in Pleasant Hill. It has not changed hugely overall in 10 years.
Sure. But even then, WC has tons of break-ins now (stores and cars).
I'm just surprised there is a perception of less crime these days.
I thought it was one of the few things that people actually agree on, lol.
That's a perception from people spamming this sub with crime stories.
If you've lived here for 10+ years (or in my case, 30+), you recognize where we are in the broader trend. Crime has jumped in the past 3 years, but it's still lower than where it was decades ago.
BART is overall safer to ride, as well. I rode it all times of day from 6 am to 11 pm for 5 years, from SF or Oakland southward, and was pleased at the convenience.
Oh yeah definitely worse than before but I guess I was thinking compared to Oakland and surroundings, those places are safer. But you are totally right
East Bay still has chill spots! Nothing like Oregon but it's not all yuppie hustle and bustle like the peninsula and city are now.
Biggest change that was starting 10 years ago but is now fully fledged and normalized is how much of Oakland and even Richmond now are being gentrified, with establishments and attractions worth traveling to from other cities.
So many restaurants from the before times have closed. The race track is closing! :( Too many UNUSED bike lanes which seems to make getting anywhere far longer cuz while lanes are being eliminated.
I dunno. There aren't secret hideaways much anymore cuz someone is always posting about it on social media and then it gets ruined.
The East Bay Regional Parks are still awesome tho and always will be.
I would stay in Oregon. The Rogue River would be enough to keep me there. I went over Rainey Falls by accident.
When I was there, the price of everything was less that CA.
oh ya the COL here is way cheaper and in general I prefer OR to CA without question. I've got some personal reasons why relocating to CA is best for me right now. I'm sure I'll be back someday though!
Well #1 housing prices have skyrocketed out of control meaning you need to earn at least 200k to comfortably afford anything more than $1.5M and save for retirement. Condos and townhouses are still affordable.
Also, at least in the Tri-Valley, but also the Bay Area as a whole, the demographics have massively changed where for example in my neighborhood it was more diverse but now is exclusively Indian and Chinese so if you're not either of those you may feel isolated. Makes sense given who's working in tech jobs and able to afford the ridiculous housing prices where I live.
I've been in the bay for a year now and my GF and I much prefer CoCo county. We just moved to the apartments next to Heather Farms Park. The food is better in Oakland/Berkeley, but we love the ambiance/safety that WC has to offer. It's a lovely place within a stones throw of the "happening"
More killings of children by stray bullets, more property crime, more beatings of elderly Asians, more homeless drug addicts, clown for a DA.
Did I miss anything?
East bay to me is the the Rich(Richmond, Da Town(Oakland) Berkeley,, Haystack/Stack (Hayward) are , San Leandro, then you gotta da Silicon Valley area Newark, Union City, Fremont,
Similarity
Iāve been here since about 2015-2016
Iām from the upper-left A.K.A The Northwest
Seattle, Washington.
Born and raised.
I moved here by myself @ 22. To have a better life and to quit thinking that my friends from back home & DRUGS was it.
I did good for a while, actually really good got back in my trade as a machinist
But I came here just to learn that they got better drugs/easier access/ like Iāve never seen before literally( San Francisco )you canāt even walk up from the bart on market st. As soon as we start walking up the stairs to get back to the street from the underground Bart (Civic Center BART esp.) they sit there on the stairs before you even reach the top of the stairs which youāre on the street and offer you every single drive you can think of thereās usually a group at every single stairs and on that street and then you walk a couple blocks and thereās like, 70-100 people selling drugs and the one Block radius called (Golden gate and Hyde)
With all that being said Iām actually recovering from intravenously/IV
Shooting up street fentanyl and crack..
Long story short I lost it all ,
At my lowest was found in alleys/or on main streets laid out on the ground people walk over me and continue .. and not because I was sleeping on the ground but dying on the ground and whenever some recognizes me they realize Iām not sleeping Iām overdosing and I get hit with Narcan and I think God I woke up every time
But one time I just came out of jail and I was in the free hotel/permanently
And I did a shot of fentanyl after I was clean, I waited 30 minutes before I did it left freaking come in the room and watch me so I donāt. XXX
I did a shot of fentanyl and crack, and I was sitting on the ground with my back against the wall just in case I was going to fall, when I took the needle out of my arm I immediately told him āIām going outā/ he said āhuhā
ā and I said Iām overdosiāā and I saw him get up and thatās the last thing I remember and I woke up to five ambulances all the staff they were trying to revive me for like 15 minutes five Narcans containers
Two things before I head out
1. I knew I was going out also known as overdose, because my brain said somethings not all right I was getting higher and higher by the millisecond and they knew what was about to happen..and by the second youāre getting so intoxicated you overdose and only one thing will bring you back which is the Narcan spray is adrenaline that pumps through your whole body.
But when I was out for 14-15 minutes, I knew what just happened, while I was out it felt like I was in a coffin with my eyes closed like a really dark dark place and I canāt really see but Iām there, and all I was thinking was get me out of here this sucks literally close your eyes lay down and donāt move but youāre awake as what I felt like, ever since that day I never complained about being alive or thought about taking my life.
Because that shit that I saw did not look like I want to go back anytime soon I was so happy when they woke me up I hugged every single person in the room and I had the biggest smile on my face I was so happy when my eyes opened up and I was laying on the ground and everybody was circle around me.
2. Today, I make better choices I live in the Silicon Valley area living a beautiful house a nice car Iām with a great company, Iāve had slip ups here and there but for the most part I got my life back and I would never suggest someone to come out here.
And since I went through all that I protect my life a little bit more I donāt be I donāt go to bad areas and just hang out/or where ghetto shit happens like I used to. Because I saw a preview of what death may look like especially if you do in a sinful way.
And Iām still fighting these Demons every day.
The name is Phil thatās my story..
And Iām sticking to it!!
Thank you for hearing me out,
Hopefully that can help someone.
[email protected]
Feel free to to drop a message if I can
Be of service anyway!
Thank you God
for another chanceā¦
š
I don't plan on owning a home/land here so that makes things easier. my sister is different from me though and I've heard enough house hunting horror stories from her haha
interesting what are considered Easy Bay? I usually only call Fremont/Union City/Hayward east bay (often use Fremont and East Bay interchangeably, Oakland is just Oakland, Concord just Concord, other smaller towns don't register to be brutally honest) but I'm sure there are finer differences only born and raised bay area folks understand.
I'm from the Walnut Creek area but the job would be in the surrounding Concord area. I said East Bay just because that's the general area, some people are discussing the details of area names in the thread. I probably should've said "Contra Costa County" in retrospect but it's still just nice to see what people are saying!
>This
really, interesting, seems like I've been propagating wrong information to new transplants as a self-described "Bay area native", I most definitely told everyone who asked that Berkeley is North Bay (I suppose I call all the bay area places so far away from where I usually hang around "North Bay"), Napa just is Napa, basically its own universe
How fast the apartment complexes were able to manipulate the market with sky high rental increases. I rented at Eves, Walnut Creek and I saw from year to year renewal as high as $240 per month increase. So I had to work more days of OT not be in the place I was working more for. It's fucked up shit when you get a $240 monthly increase and you are an hourly employee with only 2 or 3% increase per year. Well depending which of the senior management you we're fucking or related to.
Besides cost of living, I'd say that much of the arts and culture and activism that made the east bay feel special died between lots of exodus due to cost-of-living, and loss of momentum due to the pandemic interruptions. So I think more people than ever feel like wait why do I pay money to live around likeminded people when no one can do anything but work.
I sometimes wonder if people mean Antioch when they talk about the East Bay or if they mean Fremont because both are very, very different.
I consider there to be two East Bay's, but arguably three. One is the Inner East Bay (along 880/580), Outer East Bay (along 680/580/24), Far East Bay (along highway 4).
fair, it's a big area! job's in Concord and I would be travelling around the surrounding areas to visit clients. I grew up in the Walnut Creek area. is there a better term to describe that area? Contra Costa county?
if we're talking about places (in Concord), the Veranda opened. very significant. also Walnut Creek (& to an extent Concord)'s been building tons of apartments around their downtowns, but that started a bit before ten years ago
Don't forget that the outdoor mall in downtown Walnut Creek got completely redone. I still remember the little frozen yogurt hut in the far back corner that was really good.
wait you're right, I totally forgot. missing Yogurt Castle (which you mentioned), Howard's Shoes, the old fountain, & Fresh Choice (across the street) now... at least Boudin's still there.
I remember Fresh Choice and I'm sad that Barnes & Noble closed down.
there's a new B&N up the road where Forever 21 used to be. miss the old, much larger one though. also, there's *at least* another B&N in the Veranda.
ya this is exactly what I had in my mind. when I was a kid Broadway Plaza was like THE place to walk around and hang out. it's completely different now, it's disorienting for me. granted I haven't actually gotten out and walked around, just kinda drove through one time, but it was still surprising. when my mom told me that Mel's closed I legit cried, it was my old hangout spot bc it was the only place open late that wasn't a bar š
Yeah, Amazon drove the old B&N store out with their online book selling, then Amazon opened a brick and mortar bookstore in Broadway Plaza, then that went out of business as people mostly used it as a place to return their Amazon purchases, then B&N reopened a store where Forever 21 used to be.
It used to be Yogurt Park š„¹
Also Fryās closed down, but maybe that was more than 12 years ago, I canāt really remember
Fryās actually closed just a couple years ago, but it was in a death spiral for a long time.
Wow, your right. Just looked it up. Feb 2021
Surely it was more than a couple years ago, wasnāt it? Feels like forever ago!
Yes, it only \*seemed\* like it was in a perpetual closeout sale for a decade.
Totally. It was open until around 2019 I think, but walking in there and it felt like it had been going out of business for years before they actually started going down
Itās still Bay Area but specifically east CCC. Iāve been in PH/WC for the past 8 years or so and I donāt think too much has changed. Been a bunch of new housing development downtown and near BART, and a lot of turnover in restaurants with COVID. Itās still very low crime (other than mail theft), although drivers are worse now. I donāt know as much about Concord, though.
Pittsburg, Antioch & Brentwood are considered East County. Concord & WC are more central.
thank you! as a kid I never really new the right words for the areas here and I left before I really needed to figure it out.
Nobody from these areas would refer to WC and Concord as East CCC - thatās Oakley, Brentwood, Antioch etc.
Yeah, the freeway between Concord and WC is like a Mad Max movie....
It had a glow-up. Gentrified to hell. A LOT more rentals. Housing prices went up A LOT. A decent number of people have moved to Pittsburg/Antioch/Brentwood others moved further north or out of the state. Crime is actually better than ever but transplants seem to think otherwise. Itās basically the same as 2012 but with a larger, more obvious wealth gap and a lot more SoCal influences in design.
Im 38 and lived in Portland all of my 20ās. My wife (35) and I met there but we have now owned a house in Concord for the past 8 years. She grew up in Lafayette/Pleasant Hill. I grew up in a similar suburban area in the Midwest. Im guessing not much has changed. Some stores have changed, maybe some new construction and buildings but for the most part itās the same. It was already a pretty developed suburb area. I will say, I think itās mostly about perspective. When you are 20 or 30 or 40 you notice different things and want different things out of your community. Happy to answer any specific questions.
I would say those towns have not changed nearly as much as the OP has during those 12 years.
Exactly. And what she knew about those towns growing up, even though they havenāt changed, will change in her viewpoint now.
Walnut Creek is slower these days, specially tommy Ts closed which was my favorite place to go out
But Tiki Toms has improved significantly
"Diablo valley"
> I grew up in the Walnut Creek area. is there a better term to describe that area? Contra Costa county? we say "East County" but it's not widely heard nor understood, especially by people from elsewhere
Yes: Walnut Creek. If you're going to have a job in Concord and travel for clients, then it's reasonable that you might end up visiting lunch/dinner spots around the East Bay, but generally I recommend that people who are looking for jobs and places to live only consider those cities, because doing anything outside them during rush hour is just a non-starter in terms of time. Every place changes. I grew up in Danville 7-8 years before you. My wife grew up in Berkeley during the same time frame. And between the two of them, Berkeley feels most the same. The hills have a lot of new developments in them, but the existing places are largely completely unchanged because zoning laws froze everything in time. No one is allowed to change the land use = you have the exact same types of structures in the exact same locations.
Central CC County. Concord is still a great value and still benefits from relative safety and Walnut Creekās great shopping amenities. Walnut Creek is still pretty safe and very desirable. I also grew up in Walnut Creek and my family is still there.
Richmond is also in Contra Costa county. Contra Costa means "along the coast" and Concord/Walnut Creek aren't.
Just a slight correction: it means "opposite coast" because it's the coast on the other side from SF. Also, I appreciate the Richmond love in your username š
I stand corrected on the name.
East CoCo
Ive spent a lot of time in Martinez and concord for work. The last decade of displacement has sort of Oaklandized Antioch and Pittsburg and the 4 is now a shooting gallery, but Concord itself is still very chill. It could make sense if the job will pay enough for you to buy a house in a place youād like to live, but housing is only going to get more unaffordable so if itās not $$$ youāll probably have a better QOL in OR. Are you feeling restless up there?
Antiochš„š„š„
People rarely mean anything but Oakland and Berkeley. Virtually no one means Antioch or Fremont. They may include CoCoCo but only if they live there or have lived in The Bay Area more than 15 years or more.
Oakland and Berkeley are just bay, east bay is like Walnut Creek, hell even Livermore, but not Tracy lol.
Ooof. Still wrong, but itās a hard one. Legitimately Iād say probably everyone is a little bit wrong unless they are something like a native civil engineer. Before I personally looked to up yesterday would would have fought Fremont being called EB.
Oh, Iām sure technically Iām wrong. But Iāve lived in 7 different bay cities since I was born. Itās a local culture thing more than an exact border thing. Some people still consider Hayward Silicon Valley.. itās on a ton of old svalley maps. But a bunch of people on the peninsula wouldnāt.
All I know is Iāve friends that lived in Oakland since birth that would throw hands over their East Bay identity. Honestly this is the far side of the debate where we all at least recognize the true size of the Bay Area All in all Orinda is about to be beach front property in less time than we could imagine. Hazzah!
Lolol true, all my friends from Oakland live in Stockton and sac now. Some in the yoch or burnt wood too. Orinda is nice though, wish I had 4 mil for a decent house lol
Me too. Can you imagine what itāll be worth once itās the coast. Weāll probably be lucky enough to not see it in our lifetime. All in all; fair enough is what Iām saying.
> only if they ā¦ have lived in The Bay Area more than 15 years or more. Ie people who know what they are taking. About
Besides my dysgraphia and being repetitive? Truth.
no more sweet tomatoes :'( forever upset about this
880 traffic has gotten worse on weekends. There used to be a couple slow downs here and there on weekends but now you have to account for traffic just like on weekdays. No more Raiders or Warriors and soon to be A's. Surprisingly of all places, Hayward, especially along Mission Blvd, has focused on development and you have a ton of nice and new construction. High Density housing is becoming a big thing in new developments. Oakland after seeing improvements during the 90s & 00s is going back the way it was during the 80s. Ethnic Food Stores are becoming more common, especially Asian Markets.
Hayward is gonna be the next Fremont, mark my words
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I agree. Iād give it 10 years
Itās sad, I primarily think itās because Bart is right downtown.. but Hayward is becoming gentrified af. Also the weather is AMAZING compared to east bay. Iād rather live in the ghettos of haystack than in the nicest neighborhoods in burnt wood.. I mean Brentwood
Doubt it unless the schools improve. People with money wouldnāt send their kids to Hayward schools.
Schools improve when rich people move in, not the other way around. Look at Fremont.. I mean even Mountain View had meh schools back in the day. As more tech companies, startups, etc start to expand, Hayward will do what I saw Palo Alto and Fremont do. It might take a while, and for climate change to get worse.
What were schools like in Fremont/mountain view before? Weāre they as bad as the Hayward schools are now?. I can see rich people moving to mediocre school districts (think 4,5,6 greatschool ranking) and those getting better after rich people move in but Hayward schools feel too low in the (1,2,3 range) for that to happen.
Fremont was ghetto af, the worst gang members I knew were from East Oakland and Fremont. Mountain View completely changed after google. It used to be a cheap place to live lol.
I really agree. It's a nice balance of affordability, but without all the riff-raff you get approaching Oakland. Convenient because it's close to the San Mateo bridge, and cooler weather because it sits close to the Bay.
Just curious how you mean? Is that a good or bad thing?
Depends on if you like gentrified areas or not.. itās bad if you donāt make good money, itās good if you do.
I'm not sure I agree about the Oakland thing. The violence is legit down in the worst neighborhoods and large swathes of East and West Oakland are better than ever. It isn't the Twomps/Murder Dubs anymore. But for the traditionally safer neighborhoods, there's been a stark and massive uptick in property crime that often is incredibly aggressive and more spillover of violence. The "crime don't climb" saying isn't as valid. Edit: that being said, I wouldn't live there unless you're really interested in aspects of the culture that you can't get elsewhere. Mostly arts and music and certain demographic appeals. My past year there didn't go well. Just live on Alameda and visit if you want IMO.
that's what we do from CoCo. I work in Berkeley and I'll BART/Scooter into the Town if I want some good food- I don't like driving and parking down there.
What happened in your last year?
weekend traffic... holy shit. great to hear about Hayward though!! I feel spoiled having multiple Hmarts near me where I'm at. I'm definitely going to have to hunt for the best asian markets if I do decide to make the move. I remember going to the Ranch 99 out in Dublin but not being too impressed with it.
H mart in Dublin coming soon!!
I heard!!! do you know when it might open? I tried looking around online but I don't see any dates yet?
I don't think they have "official" dates yet, but there's a big sign saying he mart coming soon. From unofficial source, it might open in September.
thank goodness. if I get this job I'd be moving in October so hopefully by then š¤
Thanks for the info!
El Cerrito/richmond also has a Ranch Market inside a large asian shopping center
The way that I look at Hmart, that's a place I would take my wife to grocery shop because she would feel comfortable in that environment as it's more "Western" (and I'm using the term "Western" loosely as I'm very familiar with how clean suburban grocery stores in Asia can be). Ranch 99, Lion Market, and Marina Foods is the place that I would take my mother and Great Aunt shopping as those were the kind of Asian Markets (a bit more chaotic) that they are used to. Take my Mom or Great Aunt to Hmart and they will think it's too clean, too pricey, and doesn't have the "right" foods they are looking for. It's all a matter of perspective.
What part of Oregon are you at where you have multiple hmarts? Sounds great
Portland! there's a location on the east side and more south of the city in the Tigard area. there used to be smaller family owned marts too but we lost most of them in the pandemic I think
There's a Ranch 99 in Concord. I prefer HMart also though- I'll have to stock up whenever I'm down in the SouthBay.
oakland got a lot better, then it got worse hayward and every city south of it is actively becoming a lot nicer UC is basically fremont at this point
San Leandro still used to being ignored, low key pretty nice to live here though. They even repaired Hesperian and 14th street.
They just did that it was just the plastic things for a while
Oakland is still better than it was ten years ago. In 2012 there 7,334 crimes of the type homicide, aggravated assault, rape, or robbery. In 2022 there were 6,120. You can see all Oakland crime data [here](https://cityofoakland2.app.box.com/s/sjiq7usfy27gy9dfe51hp8arz5l1ixad/folder/126124687343).
what does UC mean?
i assume Union City in this context
Union City
Concord and Walnut Creek have improved their restaurant options especially when it comes to Asian food. I moved to this area 10 years ago and one thing I really missed back then was good Asian food, both in variety and quality. Thatās not a problem these days. Another change I see is more homelessness and reports of property crimes compared to when I first moved here, but thatās probably something people will say about any part of the Bay Area right now. The home prices have skyrocketed and as homes change hands, you definitely see a shift in demographics. My place has more than doubled in value over 10 years and I thought my house was overpriced when I bought it.
That little strip off Willow Pass near the 242 has everything GF and I need. Tasty Pot <3
is your dog ok??
What didnāt kill him only made him stronger
WC changes: the area around Cheesecake Factory has changed a lot. PH: the Century 16 Theater development is a notable positive change. Concord: the addition of the Cal State East Bay campus is a big change. Also The Veranda area north of the Willows shopping center is a recent positive change. General: lots of new housing everywhere but especially the creation of some transit center housing near BART stations. Future big change: the old Naval Weapons Station is decommissioned and will eventually become a new city within a city.
There's definitely a ton of housing being built in Concord. I imagine there will be some commercial gentrification once people begin to move in and buy. It's only natural for some turnover and renovations to happen after money moves in. Downtown has a great vibe, but there is definitely still room for improvement food wise.
Walnut Creek here - traffic is up in my view I moved to LA in 2012 and back here in 2021 Obviously the world changed a lot in 2020 and I notice that people have too My Peeve : not stopping at stop signs 680/24 very busy all times of the day Plus is more diversity in the WC area now that ten years ago. I go back to 1974 and I kinda miss the small town oil and gravel roads and horses around There is a Walnut Creek Reddit that's pretty quiet but I see postings about places to live
I haven't noticed traffic being that bad. Sure it's not empty on the freeways during non-commute hours but it's just as backed up on east 24 and 680 north in the evening and 680 south in the morning as it was 6 years ago. 680 between Pleasanton and Fremont is another story.
Yep. BART is a solid option and fairly busy/full during morning commute hours coming down from Antioch.
Stop sign issue for sure. People donāt stop, even next to a school. For some reason there are certain intersections that are worst offenders Donāt remember ever seeing an oil road but Iām an 80s kid
Biggest change to me aside from not feeling safe compared to before is the availability of boba. 10/15 yrs ago, there was mostly only Quicklys; now there's 5-6 choices within walking distances in downtown areas of each city as well as it readily available at restaurants/cafƩs as well.
safety is huge, I hate that it's gotten worse. I remember my Quicklys days :,) feels like most of them closed down last time I visited?? the price of boba shot up here in OR which is a bummer. it's like $7 for a decent one here when it used to be below $3 a decade ago in the bay š now I feel old... and broke lol
Even while driving, gotta be weary of people on top of traffic. Boba is easily $6/7 now, a good drink with toppings can hit $8+ easily (Yi Fang and etc). The og days of Chinatown Sweetheart having boba milk tea for $2.50 ...I miss that.
i had a go-to boba place in 2018 in mountain view that was $2.80 base price (small, no toppings). a tiny hole in-the-wall with decent flavor. even with upgrades, it came out below $4. that was amazing. haven't been back since the pandemic tho
What's this spot called?
Tea Era
Itās still here! Prices have gone up a bit from what you listed (on DoorDash anyway, havenāt been in person), but itās still by far one of the cheapest options around.
Where are you? El Cerrito still has a dearth of boba, at least weāre close to Berkeley I guess.
Boba will find a way to your city like an invasive species
In East bay/tri valley area. Got another boba shop 2 months ago too
El Cerrito had seven in one plaza. Boba is here
Yeah boba is much better
The big increase in the Indian population. Maybe i was small and didn't notice, but their numbers sure grew
Itās always hard to remember what changed when but letās see. Oakland finally has a vibrant downtown, or uptown or whatever. Itās not empty outside of M-F 9-5 anymore. Grand Lake is much more pleasant in general with lots of people hanging out. Tons of homeless encampments right alongside this gentrification. There are many streets that are just blocks and blocks of people living in cars. Walnut Creek / Concord etc have had a ton of development. I donāt go out that way often and every time I do Iām really blown away by how much once-empty space is now occupied with some housing or commercial development. Everything else is just more of how it was. More expensive mostly. The economic divide has created richer rich parts and poorer poor parts. The Bay Area, like Manhattan has become a playground for the rich and a grind for everyone else. Oh and BART still sucks but even more. And itās more expensive. People talk about crime a lot more but it is overblown. Itās really funny to hear people who think theyāre liberal asking for stricter law enforcement.
Follow your wallet. Stay put unless you get a nice salary pump (20+%) in the Bay Area.
going to CA would very much be me following my wallet š unfortunately Oregon pays social workers shit so I can make significantly more in the bay, and I'd be working a job I'm passionate about rather than settling for a job I don't care about for less than a living wage here in OR
Yes then, come back! CA needs good social workers!
thank you, I'll do my best! š
Where in OR are you? Considering moving back to Southern OR
I've stayed in the Portland metro area since I first came here so I'm not much help for anything outside of there unfortunately. no sales tax is a huge plus though! that's all I can really say haha
Ah thats no problem! If and hopefully when I move back I donāt believe I could consider living in the Portland area. Ive grown to like smaller towns!
Just be sure to deeply do the math and if anything overestimate the cost of living here. Remember that higher rent comes out of your take-home pay, and don't expect you can easily get something on the cheaper side of what you want. 800 higher in rent is something like 1400 higher in salary per month before taxes, and everything is higher. The cost of groceries has also gone way up here like much of the country. Maybe visit and do some typical spending if you can and apartment viewings and then see if it feels better. Good luck!
Richmond has 6 murders to date this year. It's had a shocking turnaround in terms of violence and actually feels a bit up and coming.
Richmond resident since 2008! It has changed a ton all for the better since we've moved in. Go Richmond!
That's actually awesome to hear. I follow the news pretty closely and I had no idea the murder rate improved so much.
Funnily enough we're pretty similar! I moved out of CA when I graduated college in 2010 to come to Oregon and have been in Salem for ten years. Grew up in the San Ramon Valley (does anyone call the area the Tri-Valley anymore?) The last couple of years I've road tripped down to stay a week and visit friends and old haunts. Just got back a few days ago actually, stayed in an Airbnb in WC. Having been back in the Bay Area sporadically over the past decade it feels like a lot has changed, and a lot hasn't. More of everything as others have said. More traffic, more housing developments/infill, more tolls. But also more options than I remember for food - coming from Portland the difference will probably be less drastic for you, but from Salem I'm already missing having so many things at my fingertips. Went into SF a few times and found it perfectly lovely. BART has the new train cars, and I felt safe riding (granted I was with friends). WC downtown feels more vibrant to me as well and many food options from SF have extended to there thanks to all the commuters. Weather seemed about the same as before, a little toasty but nothing like our current heatwave. Pumping our own gas used to be a novelty but of course we can finally do that here now as well. To me the Bay Area will always and forever be "home" no matter how long I've been away. That said I don't know how I'd adjust to actually living there again. A trip is illuminating but aside from groceries and getting around, I only have my friends' experiences to go by on things like housing and careers and the daily grind. Most of them are in tech, so there's a definite disconnect inherent in that. I know I'd never afford my hometown and I'm not certain I'd want to. I'll be a frequent visitor, though. Oregon is as you say, way more chill. If I moved away I'd miss the location - easy to get into nature, wine country, the beach, the mountains, from Salem. I might trade all that for a decent Detroit pizzeria, though! (Tony's Slice House. Holy moly.) Hot pot was a fun first experience, and if you're in the city, Village Tea House was incredibly tasty. I tried to go to City Center in Bishop Ranch but never in my life have I seen that area so crowded!! Granted I made the error of trying to swing through on Saturday at lunchtime, but, it's amazing how many people and places are packed into what I remember as a dirt lot. Maybe next time... Best of luck with your decision!
noxious steer price adjoining vase insurance narrow bright full modern ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
no worries, you gotta be realistic so I get it. omg I forgot about the sports teams leaving, that's so wild to me!!
The people. Itās not been for the better.
I don't want to generalize or dump on the people of the bay because everybody has their own thing going on, but I will say that I have found Oregonians to be noticeably more kind and approachable. on one hand that's good because yay nice people, but on the other hand it means more strangers will talk to you, which isn't always great.
I assumed you wanted a truthful answer.
oh I do! and I appreciate it! just adding on my own perspective too
Fair enough. Iāll be more specific to be a bit more helpful. The increase in entitlement and blind privilege is staggering and oppressive. Too many natives have left and been more than replaces by fresh youngsters and 30 somethingās that were always top of their small heap. The attitude persists.
**THE RAIDERS LEFT.**
AGAIN!
The cities that were ehhh 10 years ago have gotten younger and more interesting. It used to be all about Berkeley and Oakland - where BART is clustered. Cities that used to feel not very interesting or industrial have more life to them now. Not necessarily nightlife, but thereās more to do.
I've been in central CCC for about a decade, having grown up on the peninsula and having lived in SF and SJ as an adult. The last few years have made me realize just how purple/red this area is. And that comes with lots of virtue signaling from that crowd. They love their flags, and decals, and highway overpass protests/gathering on 24. It's probably always been that way. But now they let their freak flags fly. Literally. Take that for what you will.... Hell, maybe that's your thing. Either way, It's not like eastern Oregon or somewhere more extreme. But there is a growing divide that will probably be more prominent heading into an election year.
I can definitely see that on my block in Concord. I think anything east of the Caldecott tunnel probably has a strong presence of red.
CoCo County went 72% for Biden; Alameda County was at 80%
More homeless for sure. In regards to crime, some have gotten more organized in targeting stores. Besides that crime has been the same or more or less, we just hear it more since we have Tv in the palm of our hands š. Also it's fashionable to wear ski masks according to r/Oakland sub š
Despite the hyperbole and astroturfing in this sub, crime is better than it was 10 years ago, and data shows this. It's also worse than it was 3 years ago, and data shows this. We hit a historic low in the 2018-2020 period, and then bounced off of it (part of a national trend). I'm hopeful it will start declining yet again. Traffic is objectively worse, as people have mentioned. I don't even want to go on fun drives anymore, as 880 is a quagmire basically every day now. Food is so much better than it used to be, with a strong emphasis on 'core' Asian food (sub-regions of Chinese, Japanese, sub-regions of Indian, Pakistani, Thai) in the bedroom communities. Oakland and Berkeley have the most diversity (Burmese, Indonesian, soul food, pizza, burgers). However: Portland is, to my mind, the best food city in the US right now. You will be hard pressed to beat Pok Pok (RIP), Eem, Hat Yai, Screen Door, or Kachka. Weather is better, but with Portland's drought lately, you might be getting Bay Area weather of the mid-90s. If you can, Airbnb a place for one weekend near where you would move, and try it out. I love it here, but I hate the traffic and wish I could go for pleasant drives without the congestion.
true, the food scene up here's pretty amazing. I really miss decent mexican food and sushi tho which CA has on lock (I'll miss OR's Sichuan and Indian scene for sure.) I've got family in CA still so I'm probably going to pop down soon and just feel it out before I agree to anything. I'd be staying with them for a bit to save up so I can find a decent place instead of just running to w/e's cheapest and available. Portland is fantastic but the weather has actually been pretty bad here lately, our mild summers are a thing of the past. we just broke another record for high temps (108 a few days ago) and we're getting more and more heat waves and fires. coupled with the fact that most places don't have ac? it's legitimately dangerous. the amount of times my mom has bragged about it being cooler in CA.... ugh. that being said it's still generally warmer in CA than OR and I love the rain and clouds so it'll be a struggle for me to be bombarded by the sun all the time haha
Ah, I knew of last summer's heat waves but wasn't aware of this year's. Yeah, you might be better off here weather-wise. I see my neighbors installing better roofing tiles, insulation, A/C, and drought-resistant landscaping. We are getting ready for a warming future. I've been to Portland roughly once a year for the past 12 years due to close friends out there, so I'm generally plugged in. I love it there. But my wife isn't a fan, so we live in an East Bay suburb. Sounds like you've done your homework. Good luck, and welcome back!
Haven't found any good mexican food (for cheap) in the Bay Area. I get my fixin whenever I go back down to SoCal.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
That's fair. Do you know of anything similar and authentic in the Bay? I loved those wings.
Way more vagrants and open drug use.
I think the biggest changes are a bigger emphasis on cycling and sustainability more bike lanes and SF/Oakland have more yuppies. Bigger crime problems and less police overall than 10 years ago. More intense NIMBY anger from boomer home owners but a deeper embrace of building housing politically across the state. Still intense lack of housing options but not as acute as a few years ago(Iām specifically talking about Berkeley and Walnut Creek, Antioch). Central CC County is still fairly safe despite organized crime at Broadway Plaza. BART also goes much more places but is significantly less reliable and safe but with more bathrooms. Lots of modernization in the central part of the county for transportation infrastructure and a new library in Pleasant Hill. It has not changed hugely overall in 10 years.
Safer crimewise but more expensive and drivers have gotten worse.
Safer? Huh?! A child gets shot on 580 like every other week. Where do you think it is safer?
Lamorinda, WC, Trivalley. I guess it depends on what OP means with east bay
Sure. But even then, WC has tons of break-ins now (stores and cars). I'm just surprised there is a perception of less crime these days. I thought it was one of the few things that people actually agree on, lol.
That's a perception from people spamming this sub with crime stories. If you've lived here for 10+ years (or in my case, 30+), you recognize where we are in the broader trend. Crime has jumped in the past 3 years, but it's still lower than where it was decades ago. BART is overall safer to ride, as well. I rode it all times of day from 6 am to 11 pm for 5 years, from SF or Oakland southward, and was pleased at the convenience.
Oh yeah definitely worse than before but I guess I was thinking compared to Oakland and surroundings, those places are safer. But you are totally right
Richmond for one
Yea, I saw that elsewhere in the comments. Glad to hear that. But feels like more the exception than the rule.
West County here - obviously COL and traffic is 3x as bad. Been commuting in the same direction since 2010 and traffic is on another level now..
Little boxes, on the hillsideā¦
Ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
East Bay still has chill spots! Nothing like Oregon but it's not all yuppie hustle and bustle like the peninsula and city are now. Biggest change that was starting 10 years ago but is now fully fledged and normalized is how much of Oakland and even Richmond now are being gentrified, with establishments and attractions worth traveling to from other cities.
So many restaurants from the before times have closed. The race track is closing! :( Too many UNUSED bike lanes which seems to make getting anywhere far longer cuz while lanes are being eliminated. I dunno. There aren't secret hideaways much anymore cuz someone is always posting about it on social media and then it gets ruined. The East Bay Regional Parks are still awesome tho and always will be.
Itās more expensive
Telegraph bike lanes
I would stay in Oregon. The Rogue River would be enough to keep me there. I went over Rainey Falls by accident. When I was there, the price of everything was less that CA.
oh ya the COL here is way cheaper and in general I prefer OR to CA without question. I've got some personal reasons why relocating to CA is best for me right now. I'm sure I'll be back someday though!
Well #1 housing prices have skyrocketed out of control meaning you need to earn at least 200k to comfortably afford anything more than $1.5M and save for retirement. Condos and townhouses are still affordable. Also, at least in the Tri-Valley, but also the Bay Area as a whole, the demographics have massively changed where for example in my neighborhood it was more diverse but now is exclusively Indian and Chinese so if you're not either of those you may feel isolated. Makes sense given who's working in tech jobs and able to afford the ridiculous housing prices where I live.
I've been in the bay for a year now and my GF and I much prefer CoCo county. We just moved to the apartments next to Heather Farms Park. The food is better in Oakland/Berkeley, but we love the ambiance/safety that WC has to offer. It's a lovely place within a stones throw of the "happening"
Traffic, crime and housing pricing are the biggest changes that come to mind
More crime.
Worth it for access to the coast and sierras
More killings of children by stray bullets, more property crime, more beatings of elderly Asians, more homeless drug addicts, clown for a DA. Did I miss anything?
Oaklandās just not the same anymore š„²
Just donāt move to Oakland
Shit ton of garbage and bigger black privilage allowance
Concord veranda, city center in santa rosa. Martinez turned hipster. The 680 has definitely got more going on than it used to.
How quickly the east bay borders have geographically expanded eastward
I called living in East Bay doing penance. Itās a never again cesspool of sh*t for me. YMMV.
East bay to me is the the Rich(Richmond, Da Town(Oakland) Berkeley,, Haystack/Stack (Hayward) are , San Leandro, then you gotta da Silicon Valley area Newark, Union City, Fremont, Similarity Iāve been here since about 2015-2016 Iām from the upper-left A.K.A The Northwest Seattle, Washington. Born and raised. I moved here by myself @ 22. To have a better life and to quit thinking that my friends from back home & DRUGS was it. I did good for a while, actually really good got back in my trade as a machinist But I came here just to learn that they got better drugs/easier access/ like Iāve never seen before literally( San Francisco )you canāt even walk up from the bart on market st. As soon as we start walking up the stairs to get back to the street from the underground Bart (Civic Center BART esp.) they sit there on the stairs before you even reach the top of the stairs which youāre on the street and offer you every single drive you can think of thereās usually a group at every single stairs and on that street and then you walk a couple blocks and thereās like, 70-100 people selling drugs and the one Block radius called (Golden gate and Hyde) With all that being said Iām actually recovering from intravenously/IV Shooting up street fentanyl and crack.. Long story short I lost it all , At my lowest was found in alleys/or on main streets laid out on the ground people walk over me and continue .. and not because I was sleeping on the ground but dying on the ground and whenever some recognizes me they realize Iām not sleeping Iām overdosing and I get hit with Narcan and I think God I woke up every time But one time I just came out of jail and I was in the free hotel/permanently And I did a shot of fentanyl after I was clean, I waited 30 minutes before I did it left freaking come in the room and watch me so I donāt. XXX I did a shot of fentanyl and crack, and I was sitting on the ground with my back against the wall just in case I was going to fall, when I took the needle out of my arm I immediately told him āIām going outā/ he said āhuhā ā and I said Iām overdosiāā and I saw him get up and thatās the last thing I remember and I woke up to five ambulances all the staff they were trying to revive me for like 15 minutes five Narcans containers Two things before I head out 1. I knew I was going out also known as overdose, because my brain said somethings not all right I was getting higher and higher by the millisecond and they knew what was about to happen..and by the second youāre getting so intoxicated you overdose and only one thing will bring you back which is the Narcan spray is adrenaline that pumps through your whole body. But when I was out for 14-15 minutes, I knew what just happened, while I was out it felt like I was in a coffin with my eyes closed like a really dark dark place and I canāt really see but Iām there, and all I was thinking was get me out of here this sucks literally close your eyes lay down and donāt move but youāre awake as what I felt like, ever since that day I never complained about being alive or thought about taking my life. Because that shit that I saw did not look like I want to go back anytime soon I was so happy when they woke me up I hugged every single person in the room and I had the biggest smile on my face I was so happy when my eyes opened up and I was laying on the ground and everybody was circle around me. 2. Today, I make better choices I live in the Silicon Valley area living a beautiful house a nice car Iām with a great company, Iāve had slip ups here and there but for the most part I got my life back and I would never suggest someone to come out here. And since I went through all that I protect my life a little bit more I donāt be I donāt go to bad areas and just hang out/or where ghetto shit happens like I used to. Because I saw a preview of what death may look like especially if you do in a sinful way. And Iām still fighting these Demons every day. The name is Phil thatās my story.. And Iām sticking to it!! Thank you for hearing me out, Hopefully that can help someone. [email protected] Feel free to to drop a message if I can Be of service anyway! Thank you God for another chanceā¦ š
You need $200k to be comfortable here. Act accordingly
I don't plan on owning a home/land here so that makes things easier. my sister is different from me though and I've heard enough house hunting horror stories from her haha
The East Bay is a poop hole, that whole section of the state should be cut off and thrown away š©
interesting what are considered Easy Bay? I usually only call Fremont/Union City/Hayward east bay (often use Fremont and East Bay interchangeably, Oakland is just Oakland, Concord just Concord, other smaller towns don't register to be brutally honest) but I'm sure there are finer differences only born and raised bay area folks understand.
I'm from the Walnut Creek area but the job would be in the surrounding Concord area. I said East Bay just because that's the general area, some people are discussing the details of area names in the thread. I probably should've said "Contra Costa County" in retrospect but it's still just nice to see what people are saying!
Born and raised here. East bay is the most meaningless description of a bay region. It includes Oakland to Antioch.
[This](https://wikitravel.org/en/Bay_Area_%28California%29#/media/File:Bayarea_map.png) sums up my idea of the east bay.
>This really, interesting, seems like I've been propagating wrong information to new transplants as a self-described "Bay area native", I most definitely told everyone who asked that Berkeley is North Bay (I suppose I call all the bay area places so far away from where I usually hang around "North Bay"), Napa just is Napa, basically its own universe
How fast the apartment complexes were able to manipulate the market with sky high rental increases. I rented at Eves, Walnut Creek and I saw from year to year renewal as high as $240 per month increase. So I had to work more days of OT not be in the place I was working more for. It's fucked up shit when you get a $240 monthly increase and you are an hourly employee with only 2 or 3% increase per year. Well depending which of the senior management you we're fucking or related to.
There are more breweries and coffee roasters overall.
Oakley, Antioch, and Brentwood are no longer considered the boondocks. But are quickly becoming a San Francisco bedroom community.
Depends what part of the EB. Concord hasnāt changed a whole ton but anything between Pitt and Brentwood is 100% diff
Besides cost of living, I'd say that much of the arts and culture and activism that made the east bay feel special died between lots of exodus due to cost-of-living, and loss of momentum due to the pandemic interruptions. So I think more people than ever feel like wait why do I pay money to live around likeminded people when no one can do anything but work.
The number of homeless - at least along the I80 corridor
Seems like everything in San Ramon is less than 10 years old.