While there’s a lot to love about Richmond the thing you hear the most from locals is about how convenient it is to live here to everything you’d want to do in the Bay Area. You’re on the BART line so commuting to Oakland or San Francisco is easy. You can also take a ferry from Richmond to San Francisco or Tiburon or a Giants game. If you feel like driving you’re 12 minutes from Berkeley, 15 from Oakland and 20 from San Francisco (assuming a non-traffic drive). Richmond is also home to Wildcat Canyon Park, one of the most beautiful hiking spots in the area and the views from Point Richmond rival those in the Marin Headlands. 

Proximity (with less intensity)

The Best Thing About Richmond?

As with most cities Richmond is hit or miss on the ratings of the public schools. It is part of the West Contra Costa County District and the overall ratings pull the city down to a C rating on [**niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/west-contra-costa-unified-school-district-ca/) . There are higher rated publics amidst the neighborhoods so if you’re moving here with a family keep that in mind. As an alternative many choose the higher rated charters, privates or parochial schools. 

School Struggles

The Worst Thing About Richmond?

Richmond is a quiet city so if you want serious nightlife then you’re driving or taking BART or a Ferry to Berkeley, Oakland or San Francisco, pretty amazing to have all three options within minutes. Much of the lifestyle here is centered around the outdoors. Considering you’re surrounded by water you can expect much of your time here to be spent enjoying some of the most beautiful views on the planet or strolling the area beaches or out on the water on a kayak or paddleboard. As was noted you also have Wildcat Canyon in town for some amazing local hiking and you’re minutes from dozens of regional and state parks when you’re ready for a different view. 

While the city does not have the commercial districts of the larger cities nearby there are a growing number of excellent restaurants, cafes and micro-breweries keeping the locals fed and satisfied when they’re in the mood to stay local. The Point Richmond neighborhood has its own small but fun and groovy commercial district and there are other options scattered throughout the city. 

Check out the [**Berkeley Parent's Network**](https://www.berkeleyparentsnetwork.org/recommend/housing/richmond) for more info about living in Richmond, schools and more. 


Lifestyle of Richmond

Richmond is functionally a peninsula. Jutting out between San Pablo Bay to the north and San Francisco Bay to the south. Living in Richmond means having a constant and personal connection to the Bays and ocean it can feel like you’re on a coastal vacation on a daily basis when you live here.  The water is specials; you’ll travel on it, recreate on it, contemplate on it and overall enjoy it in an easy and integrated way few other cities can offer. 

The Water

Why You Should Move Here Now?

There is perhaps no other place in the Bay Area that offers a water-culture lifestyle with Golden Gate Bridge views that doesn't require generational wealth to afford. Point Richmond is a unicorn neighborhood, with groovy, small-town spirit and a walkable, stand-alone vibe. The opening of the Point Richmond Ferry stop that is direct to the San Francisco Ferry Building also means you have without parallel one of the best commutes in the world. Beautiful sunsets, Bay and ocean breezes and delicious beer and wine make the commute the best part of your day. 

Point Richmond also has The Plunge, a year-round indoor swimming natatorium, with swim lessons and family swim events for when the Bay is too cold. You also have direct access to the Bay Trail that connects the area via hiking and biking trails north to Point Pinole and south to the Bay Bridge and beyond.

Point Richmond has two private marinas and the Bay Area’s premier racing yacht club, the Richmond Yacht Club. Many locals own kayaks or paddle boards for daytime and evening rides.

This quirky neighborhood also has its own social scene via the 100-year-old Hotel Mac, local brewery East Brother, beloved pizza joint Raymond’s Pizzeria and the cafe Kaleidoscope Coffee. It's not a lot but most locals say, it's enough. 



Point Richmond

If you're looking for a sizable home with a view of the Bay for less than a million, check out Marina Bay. Sunset Pointe is an example of your options. It's a gated community in the Marina neighborhood where you can stroll the waterfront to local beaches, or ride your bike to Berkeley or have a sail at the Tradewinds Sailing School. The neighborhood also has several restaurants/bars, like Lara's Fine Dining and Ahn Restaurant and Bar that pull in plenty of locals for nightly refreshments. 

As noted, the homes here are new and quite nice and like Point Richmond, Marina Bay is set apart from the rest of Richmond so you get more piece and quiet than the busier neighborhoods. The schools locals are zoned for are viewed as among the better options, at least until you hit high school. There are a lot of rentals in the area so easy enough to test the neighborhood prior to making the plunge to purchase. 

Marina Bay

North & East is much loved for its safety and extremely friendly, tight-knit community. In recent years there has been a lot of remodeling of the smaller homes from all the young families moving in. The El Cerrito del Norte BART station is very close for those with a train commute (take the train if you can, the driving sucks!) One of the perks of living here is the newly rebuilt Michelle Obama elementary school. It's a shiny new example of a good school in a city craving more like it. 

While there aren't much in the way of walkable commercial spaces save a single good coffee joint but you do get two great parks, Burg and Solano, right in the neighborhood, so that's a plus. The cute, "affordable" homes, in the $500-$600k range, and the culture of locals banding together to make it all work means it's an excellent choice for young couples and families

North & East (N&E)

Richmond, CA

**What's it like living in Richmond, CA?**

Thinking of buying a house in El Cerrito, as well as Richmond, specifically the North and East neighborhood. (Renting in Berkeley but house prices are absurd.) Without doing any other research besides viewing a crime map, looks like N&E is still challenged in that respect.

Answer:
I grew up in Richmond and own a house here. I would consider N&E a nice part of Richmond and would not mind living in those areas. Richmond gets a bad rep but crime is no where near what it was before. Yes there is crime but it is no worse than any other place in the bay. During the 90's and 2000's we used to have a lot of gangs. I rarely see gang members anymore. You should still be street smart though.



Don't start shit with people, don't go hang out at parks at night, don't be an asshole and you will be fine. Of course sometimes you may run into an asshole/s but that can happen anywhere. People of all cultures and backgrounds live here and we all get along for the most part. Like anywhere there will always be groups of people causing trouble. You should know when to spot them.

It is not the prettiest city but there is a lot of cool history here and it is still affordable and close to San Francisco.

Diverse? Yes.

Booming? lots of businesses are moving here due to lower rent. We even have an Amazon warehouse here now.

Getting expensive? Yes, people are starting to find out it is not that bad here.

Gentrifying? I would say yes but not as fast as San Francisco. Most gentrified right now would probably be Point Richmond and the Richmond Marina.

Activities: Hiking at Miller Knox, Alvarado Park or Wildcat Canyon. Kayaking from Point Richmond or Richmond Marina. Wind surfing, Sailing, fishing, shooting at the Richmond Gun and Rod Club, Bowling at Albany Bowl, bbqing, dog walking at Pt Isabel Dog Park, you can bike a trail from Richmond Marina all the way to Treasure Island, you can bike from Alvarado park to Oakland through Wild Cat Canyon. A lot of outdoors stuff but if you want night life you need to go to Berkeley, Oakland or SF which are not far.

Food: Taco trucks on every corner. Thai, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Soul Food, etc. everything can be found here.

Schools: Not the greatest but there are many charter and private options. I think they have been improving. You can search school ratings easily.
Hope any of this helps.

**Living in Richmond?**
Currently live in a different part of the East Bay and thinking about moving to Richmond. We'd like to own a home/condo, and there seem to be some affordable areas in Richmond where we can own a nice place at a reasonable (for the Bay) price. We've looked at the Marina Bay community and the area near Point Pinole park. Been able to find a lot of info about living in the Marina area, but having trouble finding any info or opinions about the area near Point Pinole. Newer subdivisions, close the distribution centers and country club. Anyone lived there or know the area well?

Answer:

I know you mentioned that you are more looking for info about Point Pinole, but my wife and I bought a condo in the Marina Bay area of Richmond a year ago and love it. Very quaint, feels safe with lots of families. The prices in our area are a lot more reasonable than SF, the Peninsula, or Oakland. My commute to the city is great. For me, it’s a 15ish minute walk (or 5 minute bike) to the Richmond ferry. From there, the ferry takes you to the Ferry Building in SF in about 35 minutes. There’s always plenty of seats, everyone is a working professional, and there’s obviously no traffic in the Bay. Cons of living here: school district is really poorly rated, lots of traffic driving toward Oakland/SF during rush hour, and there’s not a ton of restaurants or super markets nearby. We often go to El Cerrito, Albany, and Berkeley for groceries or dinners out. Happy to answer any other questions you may have. Best of luck!

**Living in Richmond?**

Check out the 94805 zipcode area. It's the Richmond hills, and is a short drive to del Norte Bart. We came here cuz we could get a standalone house for the price of a condo in Oakland. Area feels safe and neighbors we've met are pretty chill, but it's definitely a little bit of an older crowd. Historically home values have had a pretty stable rose here if you look at zillow or redfin trends. We walk our dog around the neighborhood and see a good amount of families around. School districts are okay if you plan on having kids. This area is also really close to wildcat canyon, so hiking is pretty accessible.

Richmond, CA, California

Richtown

Looklyloo Score: 81

We're on it!