tell me about the East Bay, CA

I live in Berkeley. Running trails along the East Shore state parks and the SF Bay Trail are pretty convenient and scenic, although probably not on par with the trails in a place like Eugene or Mammoth or one of the other running meccas. If you're looking for hillier running, Tilden Park and the trails above UC Berkeley are also great and very scenic (redwoods, streams, etc.).

A lot of people run and cycle, so there's definitely a "scene," although I run almost exclusively by myself, so I'm not sure. There are also a lot of cheap 5ks, 10ks, etc. sponsored by the Dolphin South End runners in SF.

Look out for negligent, rude dog owners when you're out running, though. They seem to think off-leash areas are "I'm no longer responsible for my dog" areas. I've been bitten once and attacked (not quite bitten) a couple other times so far, and I've only lived here six months. There are also the owners who seem to think any park area is an off-leash area regardless of whether it actually is or not.

That aside, life in the East Bay is great. Lots of cool dive-ish bars in Berkeley, music clubs, record stores, dispensaries (if you're into that), random hippies, students, nice shopping areas, etc. Richmond is a little scary, though -- wouldn't live there. Maybe there are nice parts I don't know about, but my experience of Richmond has been "stay away." Above Richmond, you get into more rural/suburban areas I'm not too familiar with, and which I assume are boring. But I could be wrong.

Richmond is scary, you probably don't want to live right there. The east bay and the rest of the bay area has everything. Best running near Richmond is in the hills, obviously Wildcat Canyon Park. Adjacent to that park are a number of other parks, Wildcat Tilden Sibley Redwood Joaquin Miller, you can't tell where one begins and hte others end, and they run all the way along the Oakland hills. Marin is gorgeous too. I'm sure there's plenty of running around Crockett and Martinez, but I don't know much about it. I think "Carquinez Scenic Drive" is one option, it's shut off to cars for most of it, we bike there sometimes and call it the Planet of the Apes ride because of the gorgeous views and decaying road. Mt Diablo is another nice option for a weekend trip. For that matter, Walnut Creek and Danville are nice towns but longer commutes to Richmond.

Check out where the BART stations are, if you want to go to SF a lot it might be nice to live near one.

Oil Refineries blow up and the fumes are cancerous. Chevron and Tesoro have destroyed the East Bay.

The Ku Klux Klan is very active in the East Bay. Johannes Meserle is from an caustic Ku Klux Klan area.

Obviously ignore Sooks and Grand Cyclops.

Much of where you want to live is going to be based on how much you can afford and exactly where you will be working.

There isn't a whole lot going on in Pinole, Hercules and Martinez. Martinez has a downtown, but the town isn't much.

Not great running in those areas as there are not any large trail systems, but great running trails are not too far away in The Oakland hills and across the Richmond/San Rafael bridge in Marin. In fact, if you think commuting from Oakland won't be too far, you might consider commuting from Marin. Not a great social scene for a younger person, but great trail running.

Best to come take an good look before you decide weather to move to the area and where specifically to live if you do.

Whites and Asians ONLY

Berkeley-Oakland is a strong choice and then commuting north to Richmond. Everything north of Richmond (Hercules, Pinole, El Sobrante) does not have much to interest a runner. There is no running community up north. Just south of Richmond the cities are Kensington (nice houses, rich neighborhoods but no real pulse), El Cerrito (close to Richmond, a little lively around Fairmont Ave., but not good for singles and again, no runners to connect with.

Berkeley has very good options, living in the east hills, or north of campus (UC-Berkeley) is great and not far from Richmond. South of campus has nice areas too down to around Ashby. You may not want to live west of MLK Drive down to San Pablo Ave. anywhere in Berkeley. You also would be further from trails. Also it's not ideal to live too close to the Cal frathouses in South Berkeley or the homeless areas near Telegraph in the range of People's Park.

Also (shameless plug) in Berkeley is the Strawberry Canyon Track Club. It's a really cool group of strong runners

www.strawberrycanyontc.org

but I'm biased. ;)

North Oakland is great, Rockridge down to the north end of Lake merritt, Montclair, Piedmont especially. Transports store is there and they have a clost to national-elite team that is scattered all over the Bay Area. The rest of Oakland is sketchy. So is Richmond, you do NOT want to live in Richmond, it is 60% ghetto or industrial, enough to make it unnerving.

That's it for the East Bay. I'd go for Berkeley-Oakland and commute to Richmond. San francisco is too far and Marin, although beautiful, is isolated (plus frowns on public transportation options, i.e. no BART) and doesn't have much going on.

Place hasn't been the same without Jerry Brown as mayor of Oakland.

thanks for the info everyone.

I don't have to live in Richmond, it's just one work location I will have to hit. I was told that it was a ghetto nightmare previously.

I am an early 30s father of two, so not too worried anymore about the club and party scene.

I can run a 5k in 1530-1600, it would be fun to join a group. thanks for the SCTC link, any other running or cycling clubs?

Anyone have any experience living in Albany, Hercules, or Piedmont?

thanks everyone!

Violence. Great poverty. Racial strife. Racist police occupation. Stay out of the East Bay.

I live in Oakland -- and love it!

It's a fantastic place to live for a runner. I'd recommend Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, Piedmont and Alameda as the best communities to live in.

Running:

Oakland Fourth Sunday Runs are great:

http://www.lmjs.org/

SF DSE Run Club has races most weekends:

http://www.dserunners.com/

The Oakland Half / Full in March also is a great event

I used to live in San Leandro when I was going to grad school. From my apartment it was a few minutes' run up to Lake Chabot in the Oakland hills where you can access as many trails as you could want, some paved, some fire road, some single-track. Going the other way it was just a few minutes' drive to the Bay and the flat running path along the waterfront. It was great. Quiet town, too, with some good restaurants. Porky's Pizza Palace is highly recommended if it's still there.

I second the recommendation to live within near a BART station. (Okay, you can also drive to BART, I suppose.)

Piedmont is an upscale white enclave within Oakland. That's not good or bad - just a fact.

Oakland also has some decent and livable neighborhoods, but you'll need to check them out very carefully.

Albany is nice enough - like a lesser version of Berkeley. As with Berkeley and El Cerrito, you can find quieter neighborhoods or neighborhoods within walking distance of cafe, shopping and a downtown drag. You can also find sketchier neighborhoods.

Hercules has a much more suburban Americana feel - newer, with much bigger and "nicer" houses, but altogether missing character of a city.

Definitely check out DSE runners.

With two kids, you'll want to check out the school district. District, and individual schools, vary HUGELY. California public schools are underfunded and in trouble. You can find the occasional good or excellent school, but you may have to consider private schools. My guess is Hercules has the best schools on average of the cities you mention ... but it's boooring.

Albany is not far from UC Berkeley.

Also consider the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland.

Oakland hills and Berkeley hills are gorgeous, but then you are totally car dependent for everything.

Check out sfgate.com, sfist.com, weekendsherpa.com.

Welcome to the Bay Area! It's awesome.

The whole East Bay is a trainwreck. The foo foo liberal White parents don't want the cops to enforce meth, marijuana, and alcohol laws so high schools are dope dens with sexual and homosexual activity in the bathrooms. Blacks and Mexicans gangs have spread out from Oakland and Hayward to Pinole, Martinez, Vallejo, etc. Prison gangs use cell phones to manage their illicit trade. Meth is everywhere on Concord, Walnut Creek, Moraga, and as far as Livermore and Pleasanton. The State, Alameda and Contra Costa counties are bankrupt and laying off thousands of cops, parole officers, and they are releasing thousands of violent criminals back onto the streets. This is the worst time in 100 years for the East Bay. I would not move here at all, period. Anyplace else in the U.S. is better that this hell hole. God Bless...

These postings are at ridiculous hours for the East Bay, they're very likely from people living elsewhere who are either jealous or misunderstoood. In fact they come across like the stereotypical histrionics of a Zenophone racist. It has its societal potholes but these guys have never lived there and are giving you bad information. There is too much brainpower and culture for it to be as bad as they say...nowhere near that. You can find out how highly or poorly schools are rated too. The East Bay is a wonderful place and I visit my parents then whenever I can. Definitely be selective with locations and schools and you will be fine.

Jaycee Lee Dugard, White, 11 years old was kidnapped, and held as a sex slave for 18 years, giving birth to two White Slave babies.

She was kidnapped by ex-con Phillip Garrido, White, 58 years old.

The police interviewed him several times before he was caught. Parole officers had visited his home many times.

The City of Antioch, Calfornia let him get away with 18 years of sexual activities with Jaycee Lee Dugard before he was finally caught.

Are you sure you want that for your little White girl ? If yes, then move to the East Bay.

The East Bay sucks. No other way to put it. The other side of the bay (from Marin on down through SF down the Peninsula to the South Bay) is much, much better.

Take a look at Benicia. Quaint little town and the original capitol of California. Much nicer than Martinez, Pinole or Hercules. Biggest drawback is paying the toll to cross the bridge from Contra Costa. Decent running locally ie Benicia State Park and quick access to other areas.

Crow With Knife wrote:

The East Bay sucks. No other way to put it. The other side of the bay (from Marin on down through SF down the Peninsula to the South Bay) is much, much better.

The East Bay is wonderful in N. Oakland and Berkeley. My friends told me today is 65 degrees out and sunny. I preferred living here to most parts of San Francisco or the peninsula. San Francisco is politically as dysfunctional as they come. No need for examples they would take up a textbook.

Brisbane? Millbrae? Daly City? San Jose? Santa Clara? BOooorring! The bad neighborhoods in San Francisco? Have you ever tried parking there in SF? Best of luck. It's 15-20 degrees cooler there and clammy all summer long too. Please. It's one of the most inconvenient places to live, especially for someone commuting way out to Richmond.

the other guy is also right, Marin is like being marooned. Gorgeous place to live, VERY expensive (you need to be filthy rich), but no social pulse.

As for Antioch, it is a world apart from the Inner East Bay, that is the Delta. You also failed to note that this molester was discovered by two UC-Berkeley policewomen who noted he was a suspicious character with this child and detained him for questioning. That's how he was found out.

Come out here, look around for a few weeks, do your research, see what feels right, and form your own opinions.