In California’s San Francisco East Bay there are dozens of cities to choose from if you’re interested in making your home in the area. Two of the most beautiful and enjoyable cities you may consider are Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill. However, before you buy a home in these cities, it’s important to know the pros and cons of living in Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill.
Walnut Creek, California
The city of Walnut Creek is located east of San Francisco in the San Ramon Valley. The city owns more open space per capita than any other California community and has developed an extensive system of trails for pedestrians and bikers to enjoy the local natural beauty.
Walnut Creek is well-known as one of the most expensive cities in California, with an average home sold price of over $1 million. However, it is also a culturally diverse city with a thriving community.
The Pros and Cons of Walnut Creek
Let’s take a deeper look at the pros and cons of Walnut Creek.
The pros of living in Walnut Creek are many
- Amazing downtown area filled with stores, restaurants and activities for the whole family.
- The weather is generally nice and sunny (though, for some people, it may be a little warmer than is comfortable).
- The city is home to great healthcare facilities.
- Biking trails, walking trails, and outdoor spaces abound in Walnut Creek (Parks and trails).
- Access to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) make getting around easy.
- Walnut Creek is very central, not far from San Francisco, Napa Valley, amusement parks, and much more.
- Walnut Creeks weather is very comfortable.
- Walnut Creek has a very low crime rate.
- There are five public school districts and several private schools in Walnut Creek.
- The city is home to several points of interest, including the Bedford Art Gallery, Boundary Oak Golf Course, Tony La Russe’s Animal Rescue Foundation
- Several public parks:
- There are multiple open spaces in and around Walnut Creek
- Regional Parks
- Mount Diablo State Park
- Dog Parks
- The city is diverse with multiple ethnicities making up its population of 70,000+.
- Walnut Creek is the site of multiple popular and comfortable neighborhoods, including:
- Castle Hill
- Carriage Square
- Diablo Shadows
- Lakewood Area
- Larkey Park
- Livorna Estates
- Northgate
- Overlook
- Parkmead
- Rancho Paraiso
- Rossmoor
- Rudgear Estates
- Saranap
- Summit Ridge
- Tice Valley
- Walnut Heights
- Walnut Knolls.
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Overall, you’ll find Walnut Creek to be a pleasant, comfortable city to live in. It’s warm, outdoor-focused, and family-friendly.
The Cons for living in Walnut Creek
There are still cons to living in Walnut Creek, of course. Some of these include:
- Housing is expensive—the average home price is around $1.8 million!
- The commute can be challenging, especially for those living in the West or South.
- In Walnut Creek, gas is expensive and taxes are also super high.
- Walnut Creek has crime.
- There are some homeless people in Walnut Creek, though fewer than in other cities (more information).
- The hot weather is a bit too much for some people—rain is rare and you’ll mostly be stuck in the sun and heat.
- There is a pretty significant fire season around Walnut Creek.
- The area is affluent, which could turn some people off.
- Educational quality is ranked lower than in many other nearby cities, though greatschools.org does rank several of the schools (Las Lamos High, Northgate High, etc.) above average.
So, if you’re not interested in an affluent and expensive community and aren’t willing to put up with hot weather or long commutes, you may want to consider a city other than Walnut Creek.
Pleasant Hill, California
The city of Pleasant Hill, California is located on the border of Walnut Creek. It’s a city of around 34,000 residents with a rich selection of community spaces and events. A wide array of gorgeous parks bring the beauty of California within city limits.
Pleasant Hill is also an expensive place to live, but it is also an extremely family-friendly area with a local community focus. It’s both less expensive and less affluent than Walnut Creek.
The Pros and Cons of Pleasant Hill
Let’s take a deeper look at the pros and cons of Pleasant Hill.
The pros of living in Pleasant Hill are many
You’ll find a lot of pros to living in Pleasant Hill.
- Pleasant Hill hosts multiple events and festivals, including:
- Pleasant Hill is pretty central—it’s close to Walnut Creek and several other cities which offer tons of cultural events and entertainment opportunities.
- Pleasant Hill’s recreation and park district hosts tons of great events, including:
- Camps for all ages
- Aquatic camps
- Adult health and fitness classes
- After-school programs
- Sports
- Swim lessons
- Lifeguard training
- and so much more!
- Multiple parks and hiking spaces offer tons of options for families to explore the outdoors and enjoy fresh air (parks).
- The city boasts lots of quiet, family-friendly neighborhoods, including:
- College Park
- Poet’s Corner
- Ridgeview
- Cresthill
- Camelback North
- And more!
- Pleasant Hill is home to:
- You will find a selection of:
- 6 elementary schools
- 3 middle schools
- 1 high school
- 2 private schools to choose from for your kids
- (Pleasant Hill School)
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Overall, Pleasant Hill is a family-friendly community with lots of options for enjoying the outdoors and celebrating cultural diversity. It’s also got lots of educational opportunities and neighborhoods galore to meet your needs.
The Cons for living in Pleasant Hill
Although Pleasant Hill is a great city, there are certainly some cons to living there as well.
- Pleasant Hill has a bit more crime and homelessness than many of the wealthier cities in the area (Crime Grade).
- Pleasant Hill has very heavy traffic, especially with those who commute from the many suburbs around San Francisco.
- Some of the schools in the city are ranked fairly low with greatschools.org, though some parents are still pleased with the servies offered. Valhalla Elementary and College Park High, for example, do receive pretty good ratings.
- Walkability is not great in Pleasant Hill—you’ll probably want a car, though you might be able to get away with a bike and BART if you’re dedicated to no car.
- Pleasant Hill is more of a family-oriented town and there’s not much of a nightlife. Many businesses close pretty early.
- As a smaller city, there aren’t tons of options for restaurants and entertainment in the downtown area of Pleasant Hill.
- The weather in Pleasant Hill is usually very hot and often gets smoky in the summer.
So, if you’re looking for a livelier city with more opportunities for enjoying night life or want to focus on an entertaining weekend, Pleasant Hill may not be the place for you.
Conclusion
In the end, both Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill are great places to live. Because they’re so close, it’s easy to reap the benefits of one even while settling down in the other. Take a look at the pros and cons of Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill as you consider your move to the San Francisco East Bay area. Reach out to me if you have any more questions so we can pick the perfect spot for you and your family!
Please let me know your thoughts on this.
I hope you enjoyed this article. Please let me know if you have any questions. Warren
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Hello…I work with both buyers and sellers in the Northern California area.
My real estate spans from the East Bay (Tri-Valley) to the Greater Sacramento areas.
If you would like to know more about the Tri-Valley area, please read: “Everything you need to know about the Tri-Valley area”
To better understand what each city has to offer, I have created a Pros and Cons videos and articles for each Tri-Valley Area:
If you are thinking about purchasing or selling a home, please reach out to me by text, phone, or email. If it is convenient, I can schedule a Zoom chat so we can discuss your home goals. Wishing you all the best on your home journey. Cheers!
eXp Realty
(925) 980-4603
DRE # 01861944
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