Michelle

Wherever you go, at least one of you will be challenged by a commute. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you can telecommute a few days during the week?

Castro Valley and Fremont are good considerations in terms of commuting distance and school rankings.

And here's a link to Alameda County's Academic Performance Index for your reference.
http://api.cde.ca.gov/AcntRpt2009/2008Base_Co.aspx?cSelect=01…

Good luck!

Hello Michelle,
I have lived ion Alameda all my life and sell Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Alameda is probably to much of a commute for you and your husband. Be careful of Fremont. There is really in my opinion only one good area that has great schools. San Leandro is not a good choice for schools. Pleasanton, San Ramon and Livermore are great choices but again may be a bit of a commute for you. If you want ot purchase a home this is a good time, Pleasanton prices are much higher than Livermore or San Ramon. The prices across the bay are much higer too. Maybe rent before you purchase so you can then explore and figure out what cities may be best for you and your family. You can go to my website and check out school statistics too,

Michelle:

I’d recommend Fremont or Castro Valley.

The commute to Livermore from the Fremont Tri-Cities area (Fremont, Newark, Union City) and The Central County (Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, San Leandro, Hayward) to Livermore will be counter-commute, and the commute to the Redwood Shores will be bearable.

If you locate over the hill into the Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore area, your husband will have little or no commute, while you will have one of the worst commutes in the Bay Area in ADDITION to the commute you will face once you get over the hills and into the East Bay proper. In other words, you will have TWO commutes going each way. I don’t recommend that at all.

Fremont schools are the best in the Bay Area and Castro Valley’s schools are good as well.
.

Check out the schools on Greatschools.net. You can even compare between different districts. For places between Livermore and Redwood Shores, other options besides those below are Pleasanton (slightly older homes, but great schools) Dublin (newer homes, and the high school is not as highly rated as Pleasanton) and even San Ramon (a mix of old and new, great schools). There probably won't be an "easy commute" for either of you, but halfway is a pretty good option, which would put you in Castro Valley (schools so so) Dublin, Pleasanton. I've lived in Hayward, San Leandro, my church and a lot of friends lived in Castro Valley, I live in Dublin now, and sell a lot in Livermore, San Ramon and Pleasanton. Each communtiy has its pluses and minuses, and I usually recommend taking you on the "Grand Tour" to drive through the neighborhoods with homes in your price range to see which areas you like, and which you don't . Good luck! It's a big decision, but I'll be happy to help you out with it. Barb

I would suggest looking in the following towns, Alameda, Castro Valley and San Leandro. Another thing to consider is to rent for a few months to get a better feel for your commutes. If you have any questions about the Bay Area give me a shout. Also here is neat website for Bay Area info http://citylab.news21.com/

Thanks

Troy

Hi Ecfamily,

Three cities come to mind that would meet all your criteria:

Castro Valley - Very good schools, close to 92 (San Mateo Bridge, easy access to Redwood Shores), 880 and 580 freeways. There are some good developments depending on your price range in Five Canyons, Palomares Hills, Jensen and around Columbia.

Pleasanton - Close to Livermore, excellent schools, great community to live in, wonderful for kids, close to 580, 680 and 84 freeways.

Fremont- great schools, close to 680, 880 and Dumbarton Bridge (easy access to Redwood Shores).

You could also look at the Peninsula. There are good schools in most of San Mateo County, but you can get a lot more for your money in the East Bay than in the Peninsula. I used to live in the Peninsula but I moved to the East Bay to get the best of all worlds... good schools, better weather and better homes for the price I could afford.

I hope that helps. If I can answer any other questions about any of these cities or more in the East Bay, you can reach me at 510-279-9580 r go to my website at http://www.helpusellachievers.com

Meena Gujral
510-279-9580