Oakley

It is possible to live in Contra Costa County and never go to Oakley or even know that it exists. It is basically “the boonies” as the saying goes. It is way down the Highway 4 corridor. I might probably never have even known where it is if my wife had not worked out here her first year out of college.

Oakley is basically an upper middle class, mostly residential bedroom community. (It would be considered just middle class if it were closer to the rest of San Francisco, but out here $75 K just goes a lot farther.) Schools here are a little bit better than in Antioch, its neighbor to the west. Here schools tend to range from slightly below average to above average, like at Freedom High one of the local high schools.

Despite this being a more affluent city than its somewhat crime ridden neighbor Antioch, homes here sell for only slightly higher than in Antioch. The median selling price for homes here in Oakley is only around $225 K, just $25K or so higher than in Antioch.

The reason for these only slightly higher home prices probably has a lot to do with the terrible commutes for anyone who doesn’t work here. And the commutes are bad indeed. It will take you an hour just to get into the Concord area on most weekdays. You could try BART, but you would probably have to get there pretty early to find a parking space, since so many people from this area also are trying to escape the bumper to bumper traffic.

Overall, if you work out here, then it might be okay to live out here. Although I don’t find it particularly appealing in terms of appearance or exciting in terms of things to do, it is a perfectly serviceable location. But if you work in the rest of Contra Costa County, I would not want to have to face that commute every day.