If your family can’t find what they want to do within Dublin, they’ll find it a short drive away. Within the city, entertainment options for all ages are plentiful. Try beating the summer at [**The Wave**](https://thedublinwave.com/), a 31,000 sq. foot aquatic facility complete with pools, water slides, and splash zones. You can even sign the kids up for swim lessons or take a fitness class here. If you need speed, then the state-of-the-art electric go-kart track at [K1 Racing](https://www.k1speed.com/dublin-location.html?utm_campaign=gbl_dublin&utm_source=google&utm_medium=directory)  is where you and the whole family can get an adrenaline fix. And who says you need kids to enjoy this one? We can see an epic corporate team-building event taking shape here. Those two spots are the highlights but other honorable mentions include a [bowling alley](http://www.earlanthonysdublinbowl.com/), Chuck E Cheese, and an [indoor ice skating rink](https://www.dulinice.com). 

If you’re looking for less structured fun for the fam, Dublin hosts several great community events throughout the year. Every Thursday from April to September, you can buy from local farmers and artisans at the [Dublin Farmer's Market](https://dublin.ca.gov/928/Dublin-Farmers-Market). In summer months, choose from a series of outdoor concerts held at [Emerald Glen Amphitheatre](https://dublin.ca.gov/1917/Summer-Concert-Series), or mark the month of March with the city’s blow-out St. Patrick’s Day Celebration complete with a parade, vendors and live entertainment.

One of the country’s fastest-growing cities, the population of Dublin has nearly tripled from 23,000 in 1990 to 72,000 in 2023. The city offers many families the right combination of strong public schools, family-friendly amenities, community events, and convenient location, at a slightly more reasonable price compared to San Francisco and other more expensive parts of the Bay Area (but it’s still pricey). 

The explosion in population over the past few decades has forced developers to build up, not out. Meaning, you’ll find an oddly large number of triple-story homes on smaller lots, especially when it comes to the newer builds. And what’s the price of living on top of your neighbor, you ask? A pretty $1.15 million. At the same time, infrastructure has yet to catch up. Traffic can certainly be an issue almost any day of the week in Dublin. 

That said, if you don’t mind having your kitchen and living room on the second story of your house, you could look at your new tri-level home as saving you some time at the gym. 




Family-Friendly Living

LookyLOO Review of Dublin

If you live in Dublin, you have access. Access to great schools, access to trip-worthy destinations, and access to both the essential and nice-to-have amenities. Like the rest of the Tri-Valley area, residents in Dublin enjoy proximity to big cities like San Francisco (40 minutes away on a good day) and San Jose (35 minutes away on a good day). During lighter traffic times you can also get to the popular Walnut Creek in 20 minutes, or the Oakland Airport in 20 minutes. Driving one hour south you’ll run into Santa Cruz and one hour to the north you’re in the famous wine country of Napa Valley. For weekend getaways, you’ve got Yosemite a short 3 hours away and Lake Tahoe a bit further at 3 hours and 45 minutes. Is your head spinning yet?

In terms of a commute, your central location gives you the freedom to work in a variety of neighboring cities. The BART station and easy access to both the 680 and 580 are attractive draws for prospective residents. 

As we’ve noted, Dublin is a great place to raise a family. Residents applaud their city’s low crime rate and responsive police department. Depending on where you’re moving from, the weather can either be a pro or a con for Dublin. The [Dublin Hills Regional Open Space Preserve](https://www.ebparks.org/parks/dublin-hills), which is a great spot for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, borders the city to the east and blocks much of the weather patterns coming in from the ocean. This means less mild weather, or sometimes below-freezing temps in the winter and above 100 degrees in the summer, in extreme cases. Someone moving from SoCal will be a bit turned off while someone moving from the midwest might be unperturbed. 

If you’re more of a homebody or are just looking for a classic mall with your favorite box stores and essentials, you’ll be happy to hear that you have multiple spots to choose from within city limits. [**Dublin Place**](https://www.dublinplace.com/) in west Dublin offers essentials like Target, PetSmart, and Hobby Lobby with plenty of grocery stores, banks, and gas stations nearby. In the center of town, [Hacienda Crossings Shopping Center](http://www.hacienda-crossings.com/) has a Best Buy, TJ Maxx, Barnes & Noble, and one of the best Regal Imax Theatre in the East Bay. Fallon Gateway located on the east side of town has a Dick’s Sporting Goods, Vitamin Shoppe, Guitar Center, and lots more. 

We highly recommend visiting Dublin and staying in the community in a [VRBO](https://vrbo.com/affiliate/p4JS4ZC) rather than a hotel to get a feel for living among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our [partnership with Expedia](https://expedia.com/affiliate/9NZ8LBQ) as well.

 Access, Access, Access

Lifestyle 

The [**Dublin Unified School District**]( https://www.dublinusd.org/) serves 13,000 students via its seven elementary schools, one K-8 school, two middle schools, two high schools (one comprehensive and one alternative) and one alternative learning center. Soon, construction on Emerald High School will be complete.

Niche.com awards [Dublin School District](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/dublin-unified-school-district-ca/) an “A+” rating with particularly high scores in the “Academics” and “College Prep” areas. Student-teacher ratios are 21 to 1 and according to state test scores, 73% of students are at least proficient in math and 78% in reading. Dublin High School stands out with an overall 9/10 rating on [Greatschools.org](https://www.greatschools.org/california/dublin/dublin-unified-school-district/) , and scores 10/10 for College Readiness and 10/10 for Test Scores. 

For private options, parents will not be disappointed. The [Quarry Lane School](https://www.quarrylane.org/) (PK-12), [Valley Christian Schools](https://www.vcs.net/) (PK-12), [St. Raymond School](https://www.straymondschool.org/) (K-8) and the [Stratford School](https://www.stratfordschools.com/schools/northern-california/east-bay/dublin/) (PK-5) are located in Dublin and have an “A+” rating from Niche.com. 


Top of Their Class

Schools 

According to Redfin, the Dublin housing market scores a 93/100 in terms of competitiveness. Most homes receive multiple offers, often with waived contingencies. Often they’ll sell above asking price within a week to ten days of going on the market. So, why are we boring you with all these details? Well, an argument can be made for taking the leap before you feel ready. Even if you do jump into the frenzy of this housing market now, it might take awhile to find the right house and have your offer accepted. With all Dublin has going for it, unless you need a huge nightlife scene or work super far away, you can trust that moving here is likely a good investment for you and your family. After all, nothing says rising property values like a highly rated school district.


Take the Leap

Why You Should Move Here Now

**Miklovinn**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉

I love living in Dublin. I live in a nice, newer building with modern amenities and have way more space than I did in Oakland. I’m steps from bart. The area is super safe and clean. I can walk to a lot of areas and everything I need is within a 10 minute drive. The parks, schools, community events and amenities are all great. 10 min drive to downtown Pleasanton, 10 min to city center mall, and SJ, Oakland, and SF are all easily accessible. Overall, the quality of life is much better in my opinion compared to many other Bay Area cities

For more reviews of what living in Dublin is like from locals, check out [The Reviews](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/dublin/reviews).



Reviews of Dublin from Locals

The Emerald Park area offers condos and townhomes galore. Centrally located within Dublin, the neighborhood encompasses the 50-acre [**Emerald Glen Park**](https://www.dublin.ca.gov/Facilities/Facility/Details/Emerald-Glen-Park-13) , making it ideal for nature enthusiasts. If you like to lead an active lifestyle, you’ll love living here. You can participate in sports like baseball, soccer, cricket and skating. There’s also a community pool and playgrounds in the park. 

Townhomes here are typically 2- or 3-bedrooms and can range roughly $1.2 - $1.8 million. Nearby amenities include the Dublin Wave Waterpark and Hacienda Crossings Shopping Center. James Dougherty Elementary School resides within this neighborhood and Dublin High School isn’t too far away. The Quarry Lane School west campus is also right down the road as well as your Whole Foods and BART station.


SINKS/DINKS/Families

Emerald Park

Homes in the western part of Dublin, where Dublin Hills Estates sits, are slightly more reasonable ranging from $700-900,000 typically. This subdivision was built 1986-1988 and homes range in size from 1,600 to 2,300 square feet on an average lot size of 8,500 square feet. Some home owners enjoy sweeping views of the valley or the hills. As the name implies, one of your nearby greenspaces will be the [**Dublin Hills Regional Open Space Preserve**](https://www.ebparks.org/parks/dublin-hills). 

Children who live in Dublin Hills attend [**Frederikson Elementary**](https://fes.dublinusd.org/), [**Wells Middle School**](https://wms.dublinusd.org/) and [**Dublin High School**](https://dhs.dublinusd.org/). Residents also enjoy excellent commute access to the 680, 580 and BART, and the Dublin Place Shopping Mall is just down the road. 


Families/SINKs/DINKs

Dublin Hills Estates

The Positano is a master planned community in the prestigious eastern section of Dublin off of Fallon Road. A newer neighborhood, homes here were built as recently as 2008 and are spacious with large property values. Perfect for someone looking for newer homes, houses in this area began as recently as 2008. They are spacious (ranging from 1,500 - 4,000+ square feet), typically 3-5 bedrooms sitting on everything from smaller lots to lots as large as 10,000 square feet. Home styles are contemporary with modern amenities. According to Redfin, the median sale price of homes in this area is $2.2 million.

Nearby green spaces include [**Positano Hills**](https://dublin.ca.gov/facilities/facility/details/positano-hills-park-24) and [**Sean Diamond**](https://dublin.ca.gov/facilities/facility/details/seandiamondpark-33) community parks. Families enjoy these parks for their basketball courts and picnic areas. 

Schools are quite accessible from this neighborhood, like the [**Jose Maria Amador Elementary School**](https://aes.dublinusd.org/), [**Fallon Middle School**](https://fms.dublinusd.org/) and [**Dublin High School**](https://dhs.dublinusd.org/). Also nearby are some fun eateries like Ramen 101 and Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar. For groceries and shopping you’ll likely head less than 10 minutes south to the Fallon Gateway shopping mall area. If you commute for work, you’ll enjoy easy access to the I-580. 


DINKS/Families

Positano 

Dublin

**Miklovinn**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉

I love living in Dublin. I live in a nice, newer building with modern amenities and have way more space than I did in Oakland. I’m steps from bart. The area is super safe and clean. I can walk to a lot of areas and everything I need is within a 10 minute drive. The parks, schools, community events and amenities are all great. 10 min drive to downtown Pleasanton, 10 min to city center mall, and SJ, Oakland, and SF are all easily accessible. Overall, the quality of life is much better in my opinion compared to many other Bay Area cities

**NorCalJason75**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉

Lived in Dublin for 10 years. Moved to San Ramon a few years ago. Married, with a (now) HS Freshman. Raised my son to middle school in Dublin.

Pros;

Good schools. Safe. Fun family-friend vibe. City hosts some fun events (Splatter, St Patricks Day Festival). Centrally located. BART access.

Cons;

Overcrowded schools. Too much traffic. No real downtown. Cultural divide between East/West Dublin. Petty crime in shopping areas close to freeways. Declining shopping areas (Hacienda Crossing / Old Downtown Dublin).

Great place for raising an active family. Not great for single people.

**PDUSIA**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉

The high user ratings come from what the expectation versus reality is. No one is pretending that Dublin is as exciting and a culinary destination like SF. If you're looking for a vibrant bar scene, I don't think anyone is disillusioned to think that it's here... there are glimpses of this around, but its not the main selling point. For new residents, Dublin is primarily targeting young couples who would like more space with a public transportation option to get into the city. Dublin is the fastest growing city in California and largely driven by South and East Asian multi-generational families who work in the city (or remote) and want to house their kids and possibly their parents. Drive around any of the new developments and you'll see exactly this.

Where expectations exceed expectations for residents who have bought into the vision is bringing stores and spaces that cater to this demographic. The first things that come to mind are parks and Asian stores / restaurants. The only benefit as a resident is that I don't necessarily miss having a downtown because a "downtown" like area is just as close by in Pleasanton and San Ramon. I don't really care that it's not within city limits.

Invest in LookyLoo for as little as $100

Dublin, California

If We Build It, They Will Come

Looklyloo Score: 89

Reviews

What's it like to live in Dublin?