Livermore is a great suburban city with a decent downtown to give families a sense of action and community that classic suburbs are missing. It’s special sauce though may be that it sits on the outer edge of the cities that are commutable by train - short drive to BART (or car) to Oakland/SF/Berkeley, it also has a strong science/engineering business community that is more like the tech hubs to the west than the agricultural cities to the east. While it sits on the edge of the western Bay Area, it also offers incredibly easy access to the outdoors to the east. You’re two hours from Yosemite and three to Lake Tahoe. You’re also living on the border of Henry Coe State Park to the south and Mt Diablo to the north. You’re surrounded by some of the most stunning outdoor experiences in the country at the same time you’re part of an economic engine driving modern industry. 


The Edge of Both Worlds

The Best Thing About Livermore

Since you are on the outer edge of the Bay Area tech hubs if you have to drive to work and you aren’t working in Livermore then you’re going to suffer. The freeways here are packed and even though many are working from home that does not seemed to have reduced the traffic volume much. Your best solution is to work and live along the BART train line (Livermore is just a few miles from the Dublin/Pleasanton stop), work from home or make sure your job is in Livermore. 

Commuting

The Worst Thing About Livermore? 

While Livermore is largely a family-centric town it does have some younger residents who work at Livermore Labs and frequent the local pubs and restaurants. It’s not a big scene and most locals recommend living in Oakland if you’re looking to party a bit and you can take the train to work. 

For families Livermore is a great place to raise the kiddos. There are a wide variety of neighborhoods, from luxury to more modest home options. The schools are excellent and there are year round community activities, downtown and in the many parks around the town. As was noted, you are surrounded by State Parks, mountains and short drives to National Parks and some of the best skiing in the country. While many of your days will be filled with school activities, little league, soccer clubs, swimming in the many community pools, and enjoying the restaurants and pubs downtown, much of life here happens on weekends exploring the great wide world in the countryside of California. 



Lifestyle of Livermore 

Livermore is one of the great science and technology hubs in the country as a result of being the home of Lawrence Livermore National Lab - a national power in nuclear deterrence, climate and energy security and general national defense technology. Livermore has historically been a “company town” with plenty of locals working at the Lab. Sandia National Laboratory is also here, supplementing Lawrence Livermore with more government research and development jobs. Many other locals do commute to tech jobs to the west or work in the healthcare or education systems of the city and county. 


Worklife of Livermore

If you want to live near the science and tech hubs of the Bay Area but also be right on the edge of some of the most outstanding outdoor experiences in California then put Livermore on your short list. It’s less expensive than plenty of the cities to the west as an added bonus. 


Why You Should Move Here Now? 

The Historic District of Downtown is interesting because it has beautiful large homes from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s mixed in with condos/townhomes and cozy bungalows. You get immediate access to the social scene of Downtown but walk-friendly blocks and massive shade-trees. You also get easy walks and bike-rides to excellent public schools. For young professionals or retirees who want to live amidst the action this is the place. For families who want a lifestyle that includes both suburban amenities and downtown play this is where you should start your search. 


Young Professionals/Families/Retirees

Downtown Historic District

Vinsanto is one of the nicest luxury neighborhoods in Livermore. It has beautiful newer Craftsmen and Cottage style homes, many with pools, and a median price of +2mm. It has the added benefit of being walking distance to great public schools, wineries and downtown. It’s also adjacent to Robertson Park, where many of the kids sports teams play and right next to the rodeo which provides year round recreation. 

Families 

Vinsanto

If you’re craving a bit more rural a vibe, near and amidst the vineyards, then check out the Ponderosa Legacy / Vineyard Gate neighborhood. The area is filled with mostly vast single-family homes, with 4, 5 and 6-bedroom house common. The neighborhood is on the southern edge of the city alongside the vineyards that make up the rural countryside. The homes have large yards, the streets are wide and ideal for bike riding, hiking and play. 

Families

Ponderosa Legacy / Vineyard Gate

Livermore

**How's life in Livermore? :)**

Livermore is a relatively safe city that has lots to do and close to plenty of other things to do. It's not super quiet anymore, but still much less than other places in the Bay Area. Downtown has transformed into an awesome place to go.

The downside to living in Livermore is commuting, but you may not have that problem. Also, it gets pretty hot during the summer, but that may be a pro depending on tolerance and age. Additionally, you probably know this, but very expensive.

Flooding is almost non-existent here and fires tend to be outside this area, but we are affected by the smoke from other fires.

Livermore is pretty ideal as far as a Bay Area city/town is concerned (it feels more like a town than a city). Tons of hiking and biking, not just in and around Livermore, but the entire Bay Area. Entertainment is endless and with a little driving, you can pretty much find whatever you want. Want to go to the beach? Driving 1–2 hours. Want to ski, drive 3–5 hours. Want to check out the night-life in the city? Drive 1 hour. Like various kinds of culture and foods? Pretty much everywhere. Want to river raft? Drive 2 hours. You get the idea, tons of day trip places to check out. Want to get out of the Bay Area? Drive to Central and Southern California. Oh! The music scene is probably pretty good still, it was when I was younger, but I am out of the loop as an old family man now :)

As someone who has lived here for the past 30 years, my biggest complaint is the traffic and that tempers have gotten a lot shorter over the past decade. But I love the diversity of the Bay Area, and people are just generally pretty awesome.

One other thing I thought of, lots of car break-ins in Oakland and SF, so be careful. Also, catalytic converter thefts are on the rise.

**How's life in Livermore? :)**

People have said their upsides to Livermore so here’s some downsides.

Summer is awful and basically goes from May and it doesn’t cool down until around Halloween. Air conditioning is a must have and expensive. 🫠

For some weird reason, whenever I want to find something that should be relatively easy to buy… I can almost never find it in the whole Tri Valley area 😭 But that might just be me having bad luck idk

BART doesn’t run to Livermore. Someone mentioned taking the bus to BART. Honestly? The bus system sucks unless you’re not on a schedule. (I can’t drive so I’ve used it a lot.) Most of the fun stuff in the Bay Area is in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose.

There’s a lot of cool people in Livermore but there is also enough really uncool people here that I’ve been harassed/been verbally assaulted by men when I’ve been just walking around and minding my own business. There isn’t a lot of violent crime, but there’s still assholes looking to scream at women for no reason…

Oh, and every time I’ve ever experienced racism, in all my 35 years in the Bay Area, it’s been here. In Livermore. Including the guy who attacked my then-sixteen year old brother with a billy club yelling racial slurs at him (I’m Mexican American) 🗿

**How's life in Livermore? :)**

I’ve lived all over California and I really love livermore. We do have a small regional theater which has some shows and concerts. Pleasanton nearby also has one. San Francisco and San Jose are larger cities nearby with more theater, clubs, comedy clubs etc.. you can take a bus to BART than BART to San Francisco, or drive to BART. Or you can drive into the city. Against traffic it isn’t that bad, but commuter traffic is bad. To go to San Jose, you can also take BART, but it’s easier to drive and park in San Jose compared to San Francisco.

Tahoe is a couple hours away if you snow-ski. Sacramento is often overlooked as a destination but it also has theater and museums as well. Santa Cruz and Monterey are a couple hours away so those are day trips but also nice weekend trips. Bodega Bay is a little farther but super charming

Livermore itself has practically no “bad” neighborhoods. It’s small enough that you can bike everywhere in town. That’s a little harder if you live north of the freeway as the infrastructure for bikes and pedestrians is weak for crossing the freeways.

I live near the lab and many lab workers bike. We have a couple really nice restaurants like Range Life, and a lot of good places to eat. Downtown has a farmer’s market weekly and there are multiple events throughout the year that turn downtown into a street fair. We have a rodeo parade and a Christmas parade and an annual rodeo.

I quite like it here.

**How's life in Livermore? :)**

I have bounced around the bay area for the 25 years i have lived here; Pleasanton>Oakland>Livermore>SF>back to Livermore where i intend to run out the clock. I say that to say this: Livermore is a great place to live and the rest of the bay is great to visit.

Hiking (maybe also biking?) - you will never run out of incredible places, around Livermore or just a short drive away.

Music - there are always local musicians playing at breweries, wineries, any of the many (many!) downtown events. Of course for bigger artists, you do have to go to Oakland, SF, sometimes San Jose. To answer your question about how doable that is: if you have a car it is exceedingly doable. For shows and parties you are usually driving after the worst of the commuter traffic. BART is often not a great option for nightlife (doesn't run late enough, needing to transfer trains coming back from Oakland can really add time to your journey). In my younger days i regularly drove into the city for clubs or shows any night of the week without a second thought. Now i only have second thoughts because i am an old man with an old man bedtime. But i did go to SF to see Iggy Pop (an even older man!) last week :)

But daytime events, museums and the like - the bay has a TON of them and for all sorts of things, and do use BART for that. 580 on beautiful weekend days can be just as crowded as midweek commutes.

Favorite Livermore things? Small footprint. I can walk or ride my bike to just about anything i want to do. As another redditor commented, this is not as true if you are north of the freeway, i have lived over there and it is not the same vibe at all. And it's a pretty friendly place once people are out of their cars. Fairly common to end up chatting with just about anybody nearby when you are grabbing a bite or a beer, and i am not even extroverted.

Least Favorite Livermore things? Summer is too damn hot. And that weird intersection at 7th and East.

Livermore, California

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Looklyloo Score: 87

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