Monterey Ter, Orinda

Tucked up in a woody area above Orinda’s main circle, is the Monterey Terrace neighborhood. With an alpine feel, the neighborhood’s lanes are filled homes that give off a Lake Tahoe sort of a vibe. That the residents are affluent is obvious from the newer model mini-vans and luxury cars that park on front drives, even though the homes are often obscured from view by pine curtains.

The majority of the homes here date to the 50’s and 60’s. They are fairly large with backyards often bordered by pine grooves—sometimes looking more like untamed forest. This means the usual problems we associate with hillside living: a certain amount of erosion during the rainy season, and the fear of forest fires during the dry. Both fears, however, are not as strong as north of Highway 24, as this section of Orinda has not come close to be threatened by fire in the way that those other sections have (to my knowledge anyway—there may have been a historical fire that ravaged this area way before my time). Many homes also manage to have swimming pools despite the hilly territory.

Overall, this is good family living except for the lack of sidewalks. This is really a car culture. Kids do not spend a lot of time riding bikes. This is a general drawback of most of Orinda, however.

Located on the southern side of Highway 24 on a relatively steep hill, the Northwood-Tara neighborhood is a typically affluent Orinda neighborhood with a view of the hills of northern Orinda and of the highway winding up towards the Caldecott.

The neighborhood is made up of large squat well-maintained Ranch style homes for the most part. A high proportion of these large residences have swimming pools and solar panels. Most are built along inclines with terraced properties.

I assume that slides and erosion are a concern here as in other hilly areas in Orinda.

Northwood-Tara does not feel quite so woodsy as neighborhoods to the north of Highway 24 do. I think this impression is due to the wideness of the lanes and the fact that they are mostly straight or with gentle curves. It may also be the fact that the hills here have fewer trees, so it simply feels less like a forest.

One of the benefits of living in this area is that you are right at the entrance to Highway 24 heading towards Lafayette and that you are within walking distance of the Village Theater and the stores right in downtown Orinda. Orinda is a bit of a sleepy town, but this is the entertainment area with five good restaurants and some businesses as well. A nice little spot when residents don’t want to head out of town.

Overall, this is a nice neighborhood, though a touch on the boring side.