Thanks for Voting!
Castro Valley, CA is a small city located in the East Bay region of California. It is known as the “Hidden Jewel” of the East Bay and it offers many amenities that residents and visitors can enjoy. Castro Valley has an abundance of outdoor activities, which include hiking trails, biking paths, and other recreational opportunities in nearby Lake Chabot Regional Park. The city also has a vibrant shopping district with plenty of boutiques and restaurants to explore. Additionally, Castro Valley has a thriving arts community with several galleries, theaters, and festivals throughout the year.
The reviews of Castro Valley are overwhelmingly positive due to its small-town charm combined with big city amenities. Residents love the friendly atmosphere that is created by its diverse population and businesses. Visitors appreciate all of the attractions that can be found in this charming town such as its beautiful parks and downtown area. Over all, Castro Valley is an ideal place to live or visit for anyone looking for fun activities or some time away from it all.
based on 7 ReviewsGet to know Castro Valley with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Castro Valley
2015 review of Castro Valley, CA - 11/11/2015
CURMUDGEON - THANK YOU for your post. The most important part of your comment is your second paragraph. "Hodge-Podge" is the correct word for a lot of Castro Valley housing. I'm writing this at the end of 2015 and have lived in Castro Valley for many years. Although the location is wonderful for commuting, the town of Castro Valley is extremely crowded and not pretty at all for a stroll or shopping. Even with the "renovation" of a couple of blocks in the Village Center in 2014, little was done to improve the looks or a way to get around in Castro Valley. Only in Castro Valley would someone drop off a freshly killed black bear on the side of the road closer to San Leandro and get away with it. Castro Valley does have a great park called Lake Chabot and a small neighborhood theater and a good high school. The climate is great but with the drought conditions it's getting to be a great deal hotter in the summer and fall so one MUST have air conditioning now starting in
Read More
Start Your Review of Castro Valley
Castro Valley Needs to Incorporate - 3/10/2013
Castro Valley is the largest unincorporated "city" in the Bay Area. Over the years, several attempts have been made to incorporate, but they have all been defeated at the polls. With no local governance or police force, Castro Valley has become a chaotic backwater. The closest thing to a major is the County Supervisor, who is responsible for an area 10 times the size of Castro Valley. Since we don't have a police force, we rely on the county sheriff and CHP. Again, since these are county and state-wide agency, their interest in Castro Valley is muted.
Also because of lack of local governance, zoning laws--such as they are-are ignored or rubber stamped. This has turned the area into a hodge podge of old chicken farms turned into mini-developments and a main street that has no relevant businesses.
This was all charming 30 years ago when 20,000 people lived here. With 60,000 it is
Read More
Wildlife - 5/22/2009
Lake Chabot is a great place to walk, fish, or bike. There’s a zillion Canada Geese and lots of other birds. In my back yard we have lots of birds including wild turkeys, many of which respond to the names I’ve assigned them. They are emotional, talkative, and they look you in the eye. If you’d like to see close-up HD videos of them, go to Gobbler1943 on
Read More
weather here - 4/19/2008
I love the waather here! Not too hot in the summer time, not too cold in the winter time. Enough of a difference to notice that there are seasons here but no huge
Read More
Castro Valley - Great Schools - 4/17/2008
One of the strengths of Castro Valley, Ca is its fine school system. Castro Valley voters recently passed bond measures which has permitted attractive upgrades to Castro Valley High School facilities (music, drama, sports, and science). A dedicated core of teachers and administrators have done a fine job raising CBHS to a California Distinguished
Read More
Great Location - 11/17/2006
We lived in Castro Valley for 9 years. We always felt that Castro Valley was a hidden gem. The downtown does not offer much, but I think that keeps the prices lower than they should be. The access to freeways is excellent from this central location. My husband was able to easily commute on BART to downtown SF. I worked in Livermore, Dublin and Alameda and was able to keep my commute to under 30 minutes thanks to multiple freeway choices and lots of back roads. There are plenty of surrounding towns to offer everything you could need. Despite being in the middle of so many people, we were always thrilled with the outdoor options. As avid hikers, we probably did hundreds of hikes all within a 2 hour drive of our home (many as close at 15 minutes). Two sets of our friends moved to Castro Valley after seeing what it had to offer.
We got an overseas assignment and decided to cash out our equity...but we may still be
Read More