Castro Valley - safe? (Oakland, Hayward: crime, how much, school district) - San Francisco - Oakland - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

ohhwanderlust · 10-07-2014, 01:03 PM

We're thinking of moving from Berkeley to Castro Valley or Walnut Creek soon.

Does CV have a lot of crime? It seems surrounded by crime ridden cities like Hayward and San Leandro. And we need to live walking distance from BART, since we both work in SF.

Would Castro Valley or Walnut Creek be better, in the areas near BART stations? And which one is generally nicer, with more things to do, and better weather?

We're a young married couple (23 and 29) with no kids, and only staying in CA for a few years, so I'm not worried about school quality. And don't care about traffic, since we are car-free.

Thanks!

sav858 · 10-07-2014, 01:40 PM

I don't think CV has a lot of crime, a little higher than WC but still relatively low and safe. Walnut Creek is nicer with more to do imo. Weather is more mild in Castro Valley and probably more like Berekely than WC. Walnut Creek's summers are warm to hot, sunny, and pretty long.

I personally wouldn't want to live in either place without a car but Walnut Creek I guess would be the better option if you had to as its downtown is larger and more walkable compared to what CV offers.

mrazyattic · 10-07-2014, 02:21 PM

Only a person on CD would ask this kind of absurd question

ohhwanderlust · 10-07-2014, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrazyattic

Only a person on CD would ask this kind of absurd question

No kidding! Who'd ever imagine that someone would use City Data to ask about a city? No one asks about Castro Valley on bodybuilding.com or on rareferretbreeding.com! Why here?

ccm123 · 10-07-2014, 03:05 PM

Castro Valley and WC are both pretty safe, but WC has a better downtown. WC is also much hotter in the summer.

ServoMiff · 10-07-2014, 03:06 PM

I live in Walnut Creek - and depending on your income, it can be much pricier by BART than what I presume would be available in Castro Valley. It is also SIGNIFICANTLY hotter here than on the other side of the ridge. It's much more of a desert climate out here.

BART on the Pittsburg-Bay Point line is also presumably much more crowded than the Dublin-Pleasanton line, especially in the evening commute from the city.

zdg · 10-07-2014, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrazyattic

Only a person on CD would ask this kind of absurd question

Bet that felt good. Good thing the innerwebs are here to provide you with the ability to dump all over people for no good reason just to feel superior.

(To everyone else...yes, I'm aware of the irony here.)

Hemlock140 · 10-07-2014, 03:13 PM

We lived in Castro Valley for 15 years, first on Rizzo then Clemans near Vannoy School when our oldest was starting Kindergarten. The Baywood Area below the BART station is in the Hayward School District, therefore much less expensive and more crime but still very safe. Generally the higher up you get toward the hills the more peaceful and also more expensive. We visit friends and relatives there 1-2 times a year and have noticed the deterioration of Hayward so I would suggest staying above Castro Valley Boulevard. My sister is in Walnut Creek, and if you can afford it there and like hotter weather it's definitely more upscale with less crime. We liked the milder CV climate but had cars as I drove to work in Oakland, we left just before BART came and it took juust as long to drive to the Bayfair (SL) station as to work.

mrazyattic · 10-07-2014, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zdg

Bet that felt good. Good thing the innerwebs are here to provide you with the ability to dump all over people for no good reason just to feel superior.

(To everyone else...yes, I'm aware of the irony here.)

It's common sense. You can easily look up CV and CD is nice enough to show you everything you need to know. Everyone in the Bay Area is usually aware of the crime "hot spots" same question different day. How much crime could there possibly be in a tiny town with a majority white population, that you've never heard of in the news. The OP lives within 20 minutes of CV and doesn't know if it is the new East Palo Alto or not? Why don't you hop on the bar for a few minutes and check out the little sleepy town. Come on, starting to get a little redundant around here.

And yes, after being up for 30 hours straight.... It felt realllllly good.

ohhwanderlust · 10-07-2014, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrazyattic

It's common sense. You can easily look up CV and CD is nice enough to show you everything you need to know. Everyone in the Bay Area is usually aware of the crime "hot spots" same question different day. How much crime could there possibly be in a tiny town with a majority white population, that you've never heard of in the news. The OP lives within 20 minutes of CV and doesn't know if it is the new East Palo Alto or not? Why don't you hop on the bar for a few minutes and check out the little sleepy town. Come on, starting to get a little redundant around here.

And yes, after being up for 30 hours straight.... It felt realllllly good.

Of course! Obviously if there are no minorities, I'm safe, right?

And you really think I didn't check out the stats already? Of course I did. And obviously I plan to see it for myself. Just wanted to get others' thoughts on the area, in addition. Can't hurt, could help. And everyone else's input did help.

Otherwise, why have discussion boards on specific metros at all? Quantitative data doesn't always give the full picture. And there are lies, damned lies, and....