Pittsburg

Welcome to Old Town, a Pittsburg neighborhood that rests between Marina Boulevard and Highway 4. Locals will tell you a big part of the neighborhood’s appeal is its convenient location and older housing stock. “Some of these homes are 100 years old,” says Realtor Lindsay Mandjek with The Mandjek Group. “There’s a lot of charm in these older homes with their original hardwood floors and stucco siding.” <br><br>You can get into the neighborhood for about $525,000 with a three-bedroom bungalow that offers 1,300 square feet of living space and a 5,000-square-foot lot. Most lawns are tidy, and vegetation is minimal, but you will see an occasional shade tree. Closer to the $660,000 price point, you’ll find three-bedroom traditional-style homes with Craftsman accents. “This part of the neighborhood has wider streets, larger lots and more trees and plant life,” Mandjek says. <br><br>Students in Old Town are served by the Pittsburg Unified School District, which has a student-teacher ratio of 21-to-1 and a B Niche rating. Students can begin their education at Marina Vista Elementary School, home of the Ospreys, which scores a C-plus from Niche. Here, students can participate in a free after-school enrichment program where they can work on academic skills, explore hands-on science and play sports. Rancho Medanos Junior High School also earns a C-plus Niche rating and has a student-teacher ratio of 20-to-1. Students can go on to earn their diplomas from Pittsburg High School where class options include Advanced Placement and career and technical education courses. Pittsburg High School earns a B from Niche and has a student-teacher ratio of 23-to-1. <br><br>Another perk of buying in Old Town is access to City Park, a 28-acre facility with a playground, athletic fields and space for dogs to play. The park is often used for youth tournaments, festivals and classic car shows. “It has recently been revitalized,” Mandjek says. “It’s a really nice space.” You can also relax for a bit and enjoy the fresh air at Central Park or stroll the pathway that circles nearby Americana Park. If you’re looking for a rainy-day adventure, you can check out the Pittsburg Historical Museum, which offers free tours for all visitors. Here you can view some of Old Town’s relics, including an 1800s carriage and a 1920s fire truck. You can also head about 5 miles down Highway 4 to catch a movie at Maya Pittsburg Cinemas or knock over a few pins at Delta Bowl. <br><br>Old Town’s dining scene includes several Mexican eateries, such as La Hacienda Restaurant, which locals describe as having a family atmosphere. When you need to pick up a few essentials, you can stop by one of the markets along W. 10th Street. Golden Star Market offers a variety of fresh meat and produce and is well-stocked with dry goods. You can head just a few blocks north for even more dining and shopping options, including diners, cafes and breweries. When you have a longer shopping list, big box stores, such as Costco and Target, are within a 4-mile drive. <br><br>Residents of Old Town can easily access Highway 4, which connects the neighborhood to the rest of the Bay area. When you need a ride, train access is available via the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) at nearby Pittsburg Center Station. If you value convenience and are looking for a modest, three-bedroom home, Old Town might be the ideal community for you.

Rivers certainly do run in this Pittsburg neighborhood. In fact, the area is sometimes referred to as “The Gateway to the Delta” because it’s located near the convergence of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers. And while the waterfront views are certainly one of the neighborhood’s strong features, River Run also has places to grab comfort food, parks for every kind of activity and a funky mix of architecture across its homes. Jason Dominguez, a Pittsburg native and Realtor with Blue Line Real Estate, speaks warmly of the community surrounding the neighborhood and beyond. "It's very multicultural and tight-knit. When I grew up, everybody looked out for everybody and it still feels like that. You go to the store and you’re bound to run into somebody you know." Corteva Wetlands Preserve’s 400-plus acres include freshwater and tidewater marshes and a beaver pond. At City Park, residents can always find something going on, whether it’s a baseball game or a musical performance at the gazebo. Buchanan Park is popular for its swimming pool and lush green lawns, and it also doubles as a venue for weddings and other special events. People can rest by the moored boats at the Pittsburg Marina and enjoy the relaxing breezes coming in from the river. Casual restaurants are prominent on the dining scene in River Run. Taco & Co is a family-owned modern taqueria that takes a beloved tradition seriously, pricing their tacos at $2.50 each on every Tuesday. For comfort food, Five Star Burgers or Angelo’s Pizza & Wings serve up good ol’ greasy food. On more indulgent nights, they can head to the award-winning Smith’s Landing Seafood Grill, where diners can enjoy waterside views along with their meals. Safeway, Costco Wholesale and WinCo Foods make convenient stops for grocery runs. At the Pittsburg Branch of the Contra Costa County Public Library, residents can try lots of activities like children’s programs, ESL conversation groups and crafting events. Around the larger vicinity of Pittsburg, there are even more events, like the Pittsburg Police Department Annual Classic Car Show. According to Dominguez, watching the local high school football team is always something residents look forward to attending. "We all support the Pirates and wear the orange and the black. You can dislike your neighbors and you're still going to cheer alongside them at a Pirates game," he says. When it comes to home designs, River Run tends to range all over. Condos, ranch-styles and Mediterranean architecture can all be found around the neighborhood. Many properties are equipped with wide driveways and garages suitable for multiple cars. The wide residential streets are lined with lots of trees, including towering palms. Costs typically range between $330,000 and $470,000. On average, homes tend to sell after 12 days on the market. The Pittsburg Unified School District serves the community and has been counted among the top ten school districts in Contra Costa County. Parkside Elementary School and Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School were both given C-plus ratings from Niche. The B-rated Pittsburg Senior High School's marching band, the Pittsburg High School Marching Show Band, has played at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and London's New Year's Day Parade. Public transportation is available at Pittsburg Center Station via the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). Drivers can travel along State Route 4, also known as California Delta Highway. A major East/West carrier in the neighborhood, it also runs through some naturally beautiful areas, like the Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway. River Run is also 34 miles from Oakland and 41 miles from San Francisco. Driving out further, the neighborhood is about 70 miles from Santa Rosa and 75 miles from Sacramento, California’s state capital.

Chester Manor is a smaller suburb in Contra Costa County, just off East Bay’s main Highway 4. It is conveniently close to downtown Pittsburg and the Pittsburg Marina, which sits along the San Joaquin/Sacramento River. “It’s close to a lot of great restaurants where you can sit outside and look at boats,” says Joanne Hodge, a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty and a longtime Pittsburg resident. “Plus, we have the BART, which connects us to San Francisco.” Along with location perks, residents are drawn to family-friendly Chester Manor for its commuter convenience and lower price points for homes in the East Bay. Chester Manor’s streetscapes feature narrow paved sidewalks lined with trees from Coastal live oaks to California bay laurels. The neighborhood is made up of tightly packed rows of bungalows, ranch-style homes and cottage-style properties built between the 1950s and 1980s. Most homes are modest, one-level properties with one-car garages and small front yards. However, the newest subdivision, Waterside, was built in the late 21st century and has two-story contemporary homes with Mediterranean influences. These newer homes typically have at least four or five bedrooms. Home prices for Chester Manor range from $350,000 to $700,000. The neighborhood’s CAP score is 6, which is higher than the national average of 4. Students may attend the C-plus-rated Highlands Elementary School, followed by the C-plus-rated Martin Luther King Jr. Junior High School. The B-rated Pittsburg Senior High School offers numerous AP classes and career and technical education classes, such as engineering, auto technology and graphic design. Highway 4, which conveniently borders the neighborhood, is the main thoroughfare for traveling around Pittsburg. It directly connects drivers to East Bay hubs from Brentwood to the east and Concord to the west. The Pittsburg Center BART station is less than a mile west for easy light rail traveling and commuting around the entire Bay Area. Oakland International Airport is the closest airport for domestic and international flights, located about 42 miles south. The small El Pueblo Park is located within the neighborhood, with a playground and basketball courts. Nearby Central Park, located directly north, is an even bigger space with athletic fields for basketball, baseball and soccer, plus shaded seating and open green spaces. Central Addition Park is attached to it, offering an outdoor exercise section with a circuit training-style course that runs vertically from one end of the site to the other. Chester Manor is only three miles south of the bay for waterside recreation. The Pittsburg Marina features light walking trails along the water and a public fishing pier, while a few miles further east along the bay is the Corteva Wetlands Preserve. This 472-acre tidal wetlands area offers more extensive trails highlighted by wooden walkways, beaver ponds and wildlife sightings. There are a few fast and casual restaurants in the neighborhood, including Starbucks and Taqueria Los Gallos, an authentic Mexican eatery known for its authentic tacos and burritos. The North Park Plaza Shopping Center has WinCo Foods for discount groceries and specialty food stores like Island Pacific Supermarket and Seafood. A mile away are big box stores like Walmart and Costo and local dineries along Railroad Avenue, including Wah Sing Chinese and Lady J’s Soul Food. Chester Manor is less than three miles north for dockside dining at places like Waterfront Grill and Café and Fisherman’s Catch Market and Restaurant, serving seafood specialties around the Pittsburg Marina. Around 3 miles west along the bay is the highly popular Smith’s Landing Seafood Grill, an even larger dockside restaurant with ample deck seating on the pier. Old Town Pittsburg, located less than three miles away, is where the area comes together for community events, including the popular Pittsburg Car Show each July. Other favorites include Art Trax, a community art walk that occurs monthly in the summer. Locals can walk along Old Town’s historic streets to check out artwork showcases from local artists and pop-up galleries.