Lost Valley Dr, Orinda

Del Rey is the neighborhood that encircles Del Rey Elementary on the southwestern end of Orinda.

One fact that many people don’t know about this neighborhood who don’t live in it, is that there is a power plant on the hill here. It is fairly well tucked away in an area with few homes just off Lost Valley Rd., but if you follow the high power lines that drop down into Orinda Village, you can make out that they disappear behind a high hedge of evergreens here.

Del Rey, however, is a slightly older residential neighborhood on the edge of the valley that embraces Orinda and Moraga. The views are not spectacular due to tree cover and hills opposite, but the street does give you a cozy, semi-rural feel.

The usual hillside problems apply here, though not as intensely as in other neighborhoods of Orinda. One big problem, however, are the lack of sidewalks and wide lanes in part of this neighborhood. Whenever residents have more than two or three cars, you start to get spillover onto the winding hill lanes. This can cause some real problems as residents speed their way around hairpin turns. In addition, pedestrians and bicyclists really have no place in this neighborhood for the most part. Although here and there you do find long straight aways that they might enjoy.

Finally, Del Rey Elementary upholds the usual high standards of Orinda. How high? Well, Del Rey is ranked a 10 out of 10 on the Great Schools website. Its API scores are in the 900’s (1000 being the highest possible). And its students rank in the high 80th and 90th percentiles on virtually all standardized tests. Put simply, it is as good as it gets and one of the main reasons families move to Orinda.

Overall, this is a great quiet neighborhood for families. Well worth the expensive property prices if you can afford them.