Orinda, California

Orinda Village is the main drag or half of the “Downtown” in Orinda. It is actually just about four blocks worth of stores. There are two gas stations, three mechanics, a supermarket, the post office, a Rite Aid, a bookstore, three coffee shops, about five restaurants (including the yummy though overpriced Orinda Pizza for which I delivered pizza back in college; and three Thai places), a couple of haircut places, a dry cleaners, a stationary store, a Tai Kwon Do place, and a tutoring place. Basically its got all of the things you might want in a pleasant little “village.”

Orinda is a fairly small community—circa 17,500--. It’s made up of the very affluent, including CEO’s and white collar professionals with luxury cars and the usual trappings of wealth. This is not to say that it is all mansions here or anything like that, but there is a country club and general feeling that price is not the central concern. For example, when the local schools try to raise money, their goal is usually over $1 million (as opposed to say schools in Walnut Creek where the goal is less than half that amount).

Orinda Village is home to the main park in Orinda, Orinda Community Park. It is a pleasant little park to take your kids. It includes a spot for younger kids, and spot for slightly older kids. You also have tennis and racquet ball courts on the other side of the park. At the back of the park this is a shady amphitheatre where kids can pretend to put on plays for their parents (a favorite with my little ones). There is also a retirement community back there, so you often see older folks coming out for walks.

The Orinda Public library is also in this area. Overall, this is a nice pleasant area where you can get a bite to eat or groceries. Kind of dull, but functional. (Also the farmers market is here as well.)

Orinda is a tiny community (population approximately 17,000) just on the other side of the Berkeley hills in Contra Costa County. It is an affluent community, made up mostly of upper middle class folks who come here mostly to raise families. The public schools are great, as far as public schools go and there are some private alternatives in the surrounding areas.

A retirement community and apartments in the downtown area of Orinda add some much needed economic diversity to the community. The downtown area is quaint in a faux-small town sort of way. There is a historic movie theatre that forms the center of the southern half of the Orinda downtown, while Orinda Village forms the northern half.
Streets are clean and safe, but sidewalks are scarce; this is definitely a car culture. The hilly roads are not conducive to walking though bicyclists dare fate on them every weekend. The excellent high school, Miramonte, has all the attractions of a school in an affluent community. It is well funded and the instructors are very good. There is a variety of clubs and sports teams to choose from for the average teenager. School standards are consistently above national standards.

The downtown area is alive with activity, including a farmers market in the spring and parades on occasions such as the Fourth of July. People are generally friendly and the community is small enough and the population stable enough where people generally know each other by name and a trip to grocery store inevitably lead to chit chat. There are some marks of it elite status—a country club and golf course—but mostly it is a fairly inclusive community.

So, Orinda combines the positives of a small community with the nearby amenities of both the suburbs and a bustling city. It is one of the Bay Area's little secrets. (Even people in nearby cities often don't even know about it.)