MMortara

Hi Ellen. We moved over here on Oct 18t from the UK. Furniture left UK on the 12th and arrived on 17th Nov. It cleared within 5 days. Hope you get lucky with yours! How are you finding things so far? Michelle x

Sno White

Bev,

There are many good suggestions from people above.

In order to ease your adjustment, I suggest you get a hold of some local maps – in my opinion paper is always better. Study Google maps for the street views of the areas you wish to settle and work place. The street views on Google are quite good here in the States for the overpopulated areas.

As others have alluded to you are moving to an area of the Country that is very diverse. In just a quarter of a mile one can go from a very undesirable community to one that most Americans cannot afford to live in.

Look online at the local newspapers – ignore the crime.

Make the best out of your new (temp?) home and get out and travel the rest of Northern California. California just itself is larger then the UK (three times larger than England) and you have the rest of the States to look at too. No papers needed.

Bev Sloan

Thanks everyone, Michelle that would be great it is now a definite. My husband has his new contract to start in April, they will also pay for us to come over to look at areas and find a house before then. My husband knows a number of people in and around San Ramon and also Walnut Creek, so where we end up will depend on where we can find the best house that allows the dog! Now the real works start! How was the driving Michelle was it an easy test?

MMortara

Hi Bev. That is great news! I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have. I am not working at the moment so have time on my hands! If you come over then maybe you could pop in and see us in Walnut Creek! We also visited in April to check out areas. We did have a relocation guy but in the end we did most of the house hunting ourselves and sorted the school out. It s hard work but I think it is worth it. We are just starting to relax and enjoy it now. Good luck in the coming months. Best wishes, Michelle x

MMortara

My husband takes the BART from Walnut Creek to the city. I takes 37 minutes. You need to add time to get to the station but overall door to door it is just under an hour. It is working well so far.

cheers

How to describe Oakland? If you value your life I would stay away from it. There are social problems there and you I doubt created them so why should you suffer the consequences.
The majority of the population are poor Afro-Americans and there is a lot of homeless people there. I have to say I get depressed being in such envirioment.
As others have said Walnut Creek and the Danville areas are so much better but I couldn't take the social pressures there. They are very materialistic cities. I didn't like the commutes. Traffic, traffic and traffic.
Yes there is a lot to do in the area.
I'm from England and I'm able to say I have spent most of my life in the San Francisco area and wild horses wouldn't get me back there either.
I now live in a small city in the desert that has great schools, very low crime and it is an uplifting place to live in. I live close to Arizona, Nevada and Utah.
Get use to people asking your life history 20 times a day when they hear your accent. They mean well but they don't understand you get tired of the same questions day after day.
Look up on the web Oakland Tribune which is the Oakland newspaper and you get an idea of what society is like there.
So what are the good things you can look forward to? Good weather. Close to the ocean. Being in California along with its diversity. Contra Costa County, (all those cities you've heard about as being good are in that county for the most part), is new and cheerful. Money flows easily here. (I don't know what I mean by that statement) Gas is cheaper. Healthcare is very good. I'm sure your employer will have you covered with health insurance.
Me? I want to come back and live in the UK but my US wife has spoken and it is not to be. I love her!

scrubbedexpat097

Well I am off to Oakland to visit my daughter next week...guess I'd better be packing a gun and wearing a suit of armour



Seriously, there are many many parts of Oakland that are as safe as any other city in the US and there are also parts to avoid. Oakland does have a history of a bad reputation.... but it has changed and is still changing.

My daughter is single, lives in a very nice apartment complex. She walks to the Farmers Market on Sundays. Goes to restaurants and bars, and has friends all over the city and has not once seen anything bad occur! She drives into SF every day to work or takes the BART....she enjoys her life in the Bay Area and actually feels safer than when she was in LA.


I hope some of the comments on here from people that do not currently reside in Oakland or who have never resided there do not put off all the newcomers on this thread.

Good luck to all who are moving.


I'm getting excited about our trip starting next week! Yeah

Steerpike

It's true that Oakland has these problems, and sadly it is worse than average - it's one of the top cities in the US for certain kinds of crime. HOWEVER - it also has some fabulous neighborhoods, and several of my friends live in them and love them. Rockridge is a great area - walk to BART, great restaurant scene, young, lively crowd, etc. Broadway Terrace - beautiful homes with fantastic views. Just don't expect anything of downtown Oakland and you should be fine (I worked there for 2 years, was not pleasant).
I've lived in WC for 15 years or so, still have a house there and visit each month. I never once felt any social pressure ... I feel that WC is very laid back. It IS expensive to live there (though cheaper than many other places in the area!). My g/f drove her 89 Toyota Camry and I my 92 Acura, even though we lived in a big fancy house. You can go to any restaurant in the area in jeans. I'm living in Scottsdale, AZ now - a very materialistic place for sure (but also very beautiful; it's easy to ignore the b/s around you).
The bay area is FULL of foreigners; white, native-born Americans are in the minority and I never felt particularly 'special' or 'unusual' being British. Now, when I was in Peoria, Illinois ...
I think this is a very realistic assessment!

md95065

So basically you will never be really happy (or, at least not as happy as you think that you would be if you returned to the UK) anywhere in the US ...

Giantaxe

I find Oakland a frustrating place in many ways. It ought to be a great city, but the reality is that it isn't. I don't see what's going to turn it around either. It's problems start at the top imo, in that the city has had inept government for way too long. A classic example was Ron Dellums, the previous mayor, who was completely awol in many ways during his term. It has also suffered from nepotism, one example of which was Deborah Edgerley. Ironically she ended up being fired by Dellums.

Otoh, as others have pointed out, it has some great areas. Rockridge is one of my favourite urban areas in the Bay Area. The Oakland Hills are full of multi-million dollar houses with incredible views. Lake Merritt is cool too. It's really a city of great contrasts and well worth spending time in.

cheers

Every day I think of how blessed I am and I'm so happy. That may sound corny.
England=It's greener on the other side and I'm sure I would have no trouble finding areas in England that would compare to Oakland. Tottenham comes to mind.

Poppy girl

Hell Tottenham is not even close to the pitt of most area's in Oakland it's a nasty violent part of CA.

cheers

OK so I haven't visited Tottenham except on the 6 oclock news
My wife was born in Oakland it was a very upscale community at that time. This was before all the Oakies moved in for the thousands of jobs in the ship yards.
I have been thinking since I posted that there are neighborhoods in Oakland that as others have pointed out are OK, thinking College Avenue for example here, but you have to avoid bad areas and that's what gets me.
She mentioned her kiddies. I forget how old they are but I remember friends who decided to move from Oakland when some other children set their daughters hair on fire when they were on the school bus.
My wife's uncle stayed in Oakland in the family house and the neighbor changed so he was the only white person left. He use to comment of how his neighbors who were African American use to watch out for him and protect him and I think they appreciated he did not take part in the 'white flight' out of Oakland.

Poppy girl

Its still is upscale in areas but as you mention above its sure rough for the most part an I for one would not take a family and live there not for all the tea in china!! .......but if you are happy being protected by your neighbours what ever orgin/creed or color they are and have a good hairdresser then go ahead

lj2

Hey all – I'm also looking at living options in the East Bay (along with Atlanta, GA as the two most likely options for my return to the US in August) and am finding Walnut Creek a little too hard to find an affordable 3 bed + house to rent – I am thinking Concord. I stayed in Concord for a few weeks and thought it was great, they also have a BART which I would intend to take to work… anyways, I will no doubt be around asking for advice nearer the time but in the meantime… hello!!