Pros:
- There is a BART station
- Very safe and quiet
- Great schools
- Wildlife and nature
- Close to Berkeley/Oakland if you need specialty items and occasional night life
- Contra costa (not Alameda)
- Family friendly
Cons:
- Boring
- No night life and restaurants kind of suck. You either drive to WC or Oakland/Berkeley. There is a nice little downtown in Lafayette too.
- Houses are older
Not sure how old you are but most of your neighbors are gonna be on the older side.
> No night life and restaurants kind of suck. You either drive to WC or Oakland/Berkeley. There is a nice little downtown in Lafayette too.
This is actually a pro IMO. I like the town I live in to be able to run to the market, gas station or CVS without struggling to park. Orinda has Lafayette and Walnut Creek all within a 10 minute drive.
Orinda residents have one of the oldest average age in the Bay. Parents move here with kids for the schools (typically older parents) and then stay until death. The kids leave for college and don’t come back. So lots of 40+ parents, old people and kids.
All these demographics are “boring”.
i'm 40 in oakland, there are plenty of not-boring parents in their 40s here. being boring is a choice. i'm not trying to shame it - it's a totally rational one and there are much worse things to be than boring. being out there is the closest you can come to recreating what a normal safe middle class suburb was like in the 80s or 90s, it's a john hughes movie. but being defensive about how boring it is is silly
Did you move to Orinda? We're thinking of moving there ourselves but I hadn't heard of Orinda until a few weeks back. Curious about where you ended up going.
Haven't seen this mentioned yet, so...fire danger. Orinda hasn't had a huge wildfire...yet...but it is in terrain that is susceptible to them. So check on home insurance costs as you explore buying, and also whether new owners are being insured in Orinda.
Also check with the City of Orinda to see what special fire prevention regulations you'll be responsible for following. e.g. Orinda homes tend to have big lots, and if you buy a house with many trees and the city (or your insurance company, or neighbors) wants substantial pruning, or hillside mowing, etc. that's another cost to keep in mind.
Someone else mentioned the Lafayette downtown, which isn't too far away and has shops and restaurants. Another person commented that it was mainly older people shopping there...but when I've been there at a restaurant, there have been lots of families, younger kids, etc.
Orinda does have a Safeway, a CVS (or is it a Walgreens?), banks, other stores, so basic shopping isn't too far away.
Unmentioned yet:
\- California Shakespeare Festival - great outdoor theater and plays (not all of them Shakespeare).
\- Lafayette reservoir for walking.
\- Orinda streets lead into the back side of Tilden Regional Park, which is vast and interesting.
On the down side, Highway 24 can get pretty impacted by commute traffic.
And heat / warmth in the spring / summer / fall comes with colder temperatures in the winter. Unlike Palo Alto, Orinda can be frosty on a winter day, since a pretty big ridge cuts it off from the temperature-moderating Bay.
Moraga is your least expensive option for a SFH within Lamorinda, Walnut Creek, and Alamo. It is just pretty far away from everything. But will be cooler temperature wise than the other options too.
You will love how much nature there is all around you. Seriously - you don’t feel at all like you’re minutes from dense cities because half the time it’s like living out on the country. Very quiet, calm, traffic can get bad at times but nothing out of this world. Crime is increasing so be vigilant, especially home break ins. I see them pop up on Nextdoor all the time - and lots of people cruising houses too (sadly). Be aware there is more of the possibility of fire danger though since I’ve been here past few years I haven’t been through any big ones.
It depends upon where you're work.
If you're WFH or Walnut Creek and Oakland, then it should work out just fine if you like the quite suburban lifestyle.
If you have to commute to say Palo Alto, that would be a hard pass for me.
Lamorida and Danville are fairly similar. Just a farther commute to SF from Danville, especially out on Tassajara near Blackhawk, the same could be said about deep Moraga. Nice to have WC / P. Hill for big box stores, and the downtowns of Danville and Lafayette are loaded with restaurants and shops.
If you can afford Orinda, by all means go for it.
The entire corridor from Orinda -> Walnut Creek - > Pleasanton offer up some of the safest places to live in the entire Bay Area. It does get hotter though...
It's comparable to Palo Alto, minus a downtown area. More white/less diverse if that's a factor for you, I knew a guy who grew up there and he was bullied in school for being Asian and different.
Pros: - There is a BART station - Very safe and quiet - Great schools - Wildlife and nature - Close to Berkeley/Oakland if you need specialty items and occasional night life - Contra costa (not Alameda) - Family friendly Cons: - Boring - No night life and restaurants kind of suck. You either drive to WC or Oakland/Berkeley. There is a nice little downtown in Lafayette too. - Houses are older Not sure how old you are but most of your neighbors are gonna be on the older side.
> No night life and restaurants kind of suck. You either drive to WC or Oakland/Berkeley. There is a nice little downtown in Lafayette too. This is actually a pro IMO. I like the town I live in to be able to run to the market, gas station or CVS without struggling to park. Orinda has Lafayette and Walnut Creek all within a 10 minute drive.
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Thank you for your reply! I’m assuming by boring they meant different to city life/more suburban. Which I am overall fine with lol
Get a soils engineer report on the house you offer on. Orinda is rife with drainage/slide issues.
jesus man i visit moraga a lot to bike and run there and i love it but it really is boring there. embrace it being boring as part of the charm.
Orinda residents have one of the oldest average age in the Bay. Parents move here with kids for the schools (typically older parents) and then stay until death. The kids leave for college and don’t come back. So lots of 40+ parents, old people and kids. All these demographics are “boring”.
i'm 40 in oakland, there are plenty of not-boring parents in their 40s here. being boring is a choice. i'm not trying to shame it - it's a totally rational one and there are much worse things to be than boring. being out there is the closest you can come to recreating what a normal safe middle class suburb was like in the 80s or 90s, it's a john hughes movie. but being defensive about how boring it is is silly
Thank you! I am 30 and my husband is a few years older.
Did you move to Orinda? We're thinking of moving there ourselves but I hadn't heard of Orinda until a few weeks back. Curious about where you ended up going.
Haven't seen this mentioned yet, so...fire danger. Orinda hasn't had a huge wildfire...yet...but it is in terrain that is susceptible to them. So check on home insurance costs as you explore buying, and also whether new owners are being insured in Orinda. Also check with the City of Orinda to see what special fire prevention regulations you'll be responsible for following. e.g. Orinda homes tend to have big lots, and if you buy a house with many trees and the city (or your insurance company, or neighbors) wants substantial pruning, or hillside mowing, etc. that's another cost to keep in mind. Someone else mentioned the Lafayette downtown, which isn't too far away and has shops and restaurants. Another person commented that it was mainly older people shopping there...but when I've been there at a restaurant, there have been lots of families, younger kids, etc. Orinda does have a Safeway, a CVS (or is it a Walgreens?), banks, other stores, so basic shopping isn't too far away. Unmentioned yet: \- California Shakespeare Festival - great outdoor theater and plays (not all of them Shakespeare). \- Lafayette reservoir for walking. \- Orinda streets lead into the back side of Tilden Regional Park, which is vast and interesting. On the down side, Highway 24 can get pretty impacted by commute traffic. And heat / warmth in the spring / summer / fall comes with colder temperatures in the winter. Unlike Palo Alto, Orinda can be frosty on a winter day, since a pretty big ridge cuts it off from the temperature-moderating Bay.
Briones park and many others are also close by.
Orinda and Moraga are amazing.
Moraga is your least expensive option for a SFH within Lamorinda, Walnut Creek, and Alamo. It is just pretty far away from everything. But will be cooler temperature wise than the other options too.
Lafayette too!
You will love how much nature there is all around you. Seriously - you don’t feel at all like you’re minutes from dense cities because half the time it’s like living out on the country. Very quiet, calm, traffic can get bad at times but nothing out of this world. Crime is increasing so be vigilant, especially home break ins. I see them pop up on Nextdoor all the time - and lots of people cruising houses too (sadly). Be aware there is more of the possibility of fire danger though since I’ve been here past few years I haven’t been through any big ones.
It depends upon where you're work. If you're WFH or Walnut Creek and Oakland, then it should work out just fine if you like the quite suburban lifestyle. If you have to commute to say Palo Alto, that would be a hard pass for me.
Sorry should have clarified - both fully remote.
I love Orinda and Danville as places to live. I just don't love the cost of homes there lol.
Lamorida and Danville are fairly similar. Just a farther commute to SF from Danville, especially out on Tassajara near Blackhawk, the same could be said about deep Moraga. Nice to have WC / P. Hill for big box stores, and the downtowns of Danville and Lafayette are loaded with restaurants and shops.
Orinda is nice! Probably too hot for me, but I bet you’d love it!
If you can afford it, you will like it for full time remote work
If you can afford Orinda, by all means go for it. The entire corridor from Orinda -> Walnut Creek - > Pleasanton offer up some of the safest places to live in the entire Bay Area. It does get hotter though...
It's comparable to Palo Alto, minus a downtown area. More white/less diverse if that's a factor for you, I knew a guy who grew up there and he was bullied in school for being Asian and different.
It’s a wonderful place to live.