Richmond

Situated in the heart of industrial Richmond, City Central is going through a rebirth. Amid warehouses and empty lots, neighbors enjoy local gardens and parks and stop by small businesses in this neighborhood with an accessible price tag and easy connection to the rest of the Bay area. Residential homes, most of them bungalows or split-levels, are rare to come on the market and can remain on sale for anywhere between a week to two months. While the majority of properties were built in the 1980s and 1990s, some houses date back to the 1920s. A condo under 1,000 square feet can cost between $300,000 to $500,000, while a roomier split-level bungalow with 3 bedrooms and a small yard can reach between $600,000 and $700,000. “It’s one of the last affordable areas to be in the Bay Area. That’s the nice thing about Richmond and a lot of people don’t realize that,” says Catherine Krueger, a Realtor with The Agency who has been selling homes in the Bay Area for 24 years. City Central remains industrial, but signs of the neighborhood coming back to life can be seen along previously barren sidewalks that now flourish with flowers and foliage. “City Central used to be super lively. I know people who grew up there and loved it. It’s going through a revitalization right now. People living there are redoing things, and it looks 100 times better than it was 24 years ago when I started in real estate,” Krueger says. Like much of Richmond, City Central is appointed to West Contra Costa Unified Schools. Kids in the area may attend Coronado or Nystrom elementary schools, Dejean Middle School and John F. Kennedy High School, all of which score a C-minus on Niche. The high school is part of the national “Full-Service Community Schools” program and has an on-campus Health Center available to all students needing physical or mental healthcare. Sports enthusiasts have no shortage of nearby places to play. Thrill seekers of all ages can get an adrenaline rush at Dirt World, a free community BMX and skate park just off Ohio Avenue. Down the street, neighbors grow thousands of pounds of fruit in a community garden hosted by gardening group Urban Tilth. For swimmers, Richmond Plunge is a historic swim center offering community events and swim classes six days a week in neighboring Point Richmond, a 2-mile drive from City Central. Local dining focuses on comfort food and dishes that are easy to grab on the go. Lidia’s Restaurant just off Richmond Parkway combines Mexican and Italian fare with breakfast platters in the morning and pasta dishes and burritos in the afternoon and evening. On Ohio Avenue, Snapper’s Seafood Restaurant dishes up a simple menu of red snapper and catfish specials. Residents pick up groceries at local shops like La Tiendona Market and Produce on Ohio Avenue or Joe’s Market and La Raza Market and Taqueria on MacDonald Avenue. La Raza also serves up foil-wrapped tacos and burritos alongside its produce stalls and shelves stocked with groceries. Nearby Interstates 80 and 580 both provide easy access to surrounding areas, including San Francisco, which is 16 miles away, as well as Oakland and Marin County. BART, Amtrak and the AC Transit Local Bus lines all run through the neighborhood and have stops within walking distance of City Central off MacDonald Avenue. City Central itself is also bike-friendly, so residents can use two wheels to run errands or explore their growing community.

While it may look like much has not changed in the neighborhood since the 1950s — its midcentury-era homes, its lack of nearby nationally-known businesses — things are starting to happen in Coronado, a small neighborhood in south Richmond. “There’s a slow change happening there. You’ve got people who’ve lived there for a really long time, but you’ve also got some new people coming in, including investors who are fixing up properties and reselling them,” says Realtor Kelley Lewis of Luxe Real Estate & Property Management. Walk down any of the streets and find houses getting facelifts, or glimpse the two newly renovated elementary schools and see that investments are being made throughout the community that both old-timers and newcomers are sure to enjoy. Much of the community is laid out on a traditional, urban-style street grid with small bungalows and ranch-style homes lining the streets. They were primarily built between 1940 and 1960 and sit close on narrow lots, often encompassed by low, wrought-iron fences. Front yards are often petite and filled with brushy foliage, and small trees and backyards often feature detached garages or ADUs. Sidewalks are plentiful throughout the neighborhood, allowing residents to walk to nearby schools, parks and stores. Prices range from $390,000 for 900 square feet to $700,000 for 1,500 square feet. Those looking for newer builds can find tall single-family homes and townhouse-style condos in the North of Marina (NOMA) community. They are boxy and modern, featuring large windows and balconies, automatic blinds, Ring alarm systems, and EV charging stations for residents. Prices for NOMA homes range from $675,000 for 1,600 square feet to $900,000 for 1,800 square feet. Coronado is bordered by Interstate 580, a prominent Bay Area roadway that travels south to Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco, and northwest into Marin County. Coronado is also just a mile away from the Richmond BART station, which helps residents get around without a car. For casual dining, locals head to Ohio Avenue and order Louisiana-style fried chicken or fish at Snapper's Seafood Restaurant or authentic tacos from the market's taqueria at La Tiendona Market & Produce. While there, they pick up groceries and home essentials. To unwind, many residents head to Armistice Brewing Company just south of Interstate 580, which offers cold craft beer, an outdoor patio and an ever-changing tap line-up. Residents looking for outdoor activities often head to Martin Luther King Jr. Park, a 13-acre community space with amenities including basketball and tennis courts, where friends challenge each other to games, a playground where kids burn off energy on weekends and an outdoor fitness area that was built in 2019 and mimics many pieces of equipment found in a gym. BMX bikers take advantage of Dirt World Bike Park, a terrain park near Ohio Avenue and 20th Street with jumps and obstacles designed for BMX and mountain bikes. Dirt World also serves as an access point for the Richmond Greenway Trail, a pedestrian pathway built in place of an abandoned railway property. That trail leads to Unity Park, a brand-new community plaza with colorful public art, playgrounds, gardens and landscaping. Students living in Coronado often start their education at Nystrom Elementary School, then head to Dejean Middle School and Kennedy High School. All three schools score a C-minus on Niche. Kennedy High serves nearly 900 students and has a student-teacher ratio of 17-to-1. In 2015, it became the first in the district to develop a fabrication laboratory (nicknamed the “Fab Lab”) that includes 3D printers, laser cutters and an electronics workbench. Families interested in private education for their kids can pick from a faith-based and a preparatory school in the area. Coronado residents take advantage of Richmond's city-wide events each year, including the Chinese New Year Celebration in February, the Spring Egg Hunt in March and the Holiday Tree Lighting event in the late fall.

When it comes to Cortez-Stege, a southern section of Richmond, the area offers much more than meets the eye. An array of housing dominates the landscape here. But this neighborhood also offers convenient proximity to the coast and quick access to Interstate 580, making it a viable option for those who may work in nearby San Francisco. That was one of the prime appeals among prospective buyers for a property local realtor Ray Gonzales Jr. sold here in early 2024. “The 17-minute drive across the bridge from there was very attractive,” says Gonzales, owner of Real Estate Heroes. “That was an attractive opportunity right there.” The crime rate in Cortez-Stege, though, ranks higher than the national average. Most homes that fill Cortez-Stege’s grid network of residential streets were built between the 1920s and 1970s. The neighborhood is largely comprised of single-story bungalow-style houses, and the average square footage here is 1,283. However, there is a smattering of modern, multistory homes in the neighborhood that were built in the aughts. Streets in Cortez-Stege are lined with smooth sidewalks, helping to make the area walkable. What jumps off the page here is the price tags. “You can purchase a house for under $600,000,” Gonzales says. It’s something Gonzales, whose company is based in Hayward, was amazed to discover. “That is a humongous opportunity that people don’t see,” Gonzales says. Prices in Cortez-Stege can range from the $400,000s to the low-to-mid $600,000s. One of the aspects of the area that stands out to Gonzales is the retail development that has sprung up nearby. “It has a very enriched lifestyle community, around the corner,” Gonzales says. For instance, the Macdonald 80 Shopping Center was rebuilt in the aughts and now features an expansive Target, just under 2 miles away from Cortez-Stege. Locals can also grab groceries at the Foods Co. that’s just about 2 miles outside the neighborhood in the opposite direction. There’s a Home Depot and a Costco not too far away, too. Residents can grab a bite to eat along the thoroughfare of Cutting Boulevard as well, which cuts through the neighborhood. Options include spots like Taqueria Chavinda, whose burritos are well-liked. Seafood lovers, meanwhile, may enjoy Boulevard Fish, particularly for its prawns. Also, though small, this neighborhood offers multiple churches as well. Cortez-Stege is just over a mile from Marina Bay Park, which unfurls along the shores of the Inner Harbor Basin. The park hosts a variety of programming, including a farmers market on Sundays. There’s also a Fourth of July celebration here with live music, food and fireworks. Kids in Cortez-Stege can attend schools in the West Contra Costa Unified School District, which has a C-plus overall grade on Niche. Students here can start at Coronado Elementary for kindergarten to sixth grade, a school that was rebuilt as part of a $28 million project that was completed in 2015. Every classroom at Coronado comes complete with an interactive project,or and the campus also includes outdoor learning spaces such as a student vegetable garden. From Coronado, students can move on to DeJean Middle School, where afterschool activities range from soccer to math and history tutoring. Kennedy High is next up, where students can take advantage of the “Fab Lab,” the first such space in a public high school on the West Coast. The lab offers a range of tools, from a CNC router to a laser cutter. All three schools carry a C-minus rating on Niche. Among the neighborhood’s assets is the 3-acre Boorman Park, which is within walking distance for many. Boorman Park features a playground set and is the subject of an upcoming $4.1 revitalization project that’s set to include a new athletic field, skate park, fitness stations and more. Locals are also a quick away from Marina Bay Park, an idyllic spot to enjoy a walk or picnic by the Inner Harbor Basin water. Marina Bay Park also includes a portion of the San Francisco Bay Trail, which stretches hundreds of miles in total. Gonzales has heard from residents who take full advantage of Marina Bay Park. “They would walk to that very often on the weekends or when they had time off,” Gonzales says. “Their go-to for exercise and outdoor activity.” Cortez-Stege includes several stops on the AC Transit bus system, many situated along Cutting Boulevard. The AC Transit network features a total of more than 100 routes. Commuters in the neighborhood can also take advantage of I-580 here to get to San Francisco in a trip of just about 17 miles.

East Richmond Heights is so named for its scenic highland location. This residential borough offers comparatively accessible housing prices and sweeping views of far-off mountain ranges, forested canyons and the San Francisco Bay. Minutes outside of central Richmond, this suburban community is at the precipice of the sprawling Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. “You really feel surrounded by nature, but you’re still close to everything,” says Realtor Negar Souza of Red Oak Realty and a top East Richmond Heights seller. “It’s a really nice sense of community, and you get views of either the bay or the canyon.” East Richmond’s architecture dates to the 1960s and 70s in a hodge podge of split-levels, shed-style styles and ranch homes flanked by brushy plants and fruit-bearing trees. Many feature large living room windows showcasing stunning views of the bay and surrounding hillside. Deeper in the neighborhood, streets climb into the bucolic bluffs of Wildcat Canyon, where homes perch on winding streets in dense woods. Compared to the surrounding areas, home prices are relatively accessible, ranging from around $700,000 for a modest ranch to around $1.5 million for a spacious spot with stylish updates. “Because it’s an unincorporated area in Richmond, there's no city transfer tax, and you still have some of the benefits of nearby cities. In general, you can get a lot more for your money here,” Souza says. One of this east-side neighborhood’s major perks is its proximity to Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, a sprawling 2,800-acre nature preserve where hikers take on winding trails, traipsing through meadowy ridges and valleys. The park is known for its wide variety of local flora, including coast live oak, California bay laurel and eucalyptus forests. Small community natural pockets also scatter across town, including the tiny Mira Vista Park, beside the neighborhood school, or the playground at Tassajara Park. Arlington Market is convenient for weekly grocery shops, a local favorite that’s been serving the neighborhood since 1955. For everything else, East Richmond Heights locals drive down the hill to the bustling shopping plazas on San Pablo Avenue. There, residents can grab a quick bite at restaurants like the popular El Mono, specializing in Peruvian comfort food, or Gangnam Tofu, known for its brothy bowls of Korean tofu soup. Elementary and middle school students living in East Richmond Heights attend the West Contra Costa County Unified School District. Many start at Mira Vista Elementary, a hilltop school overlooking the rolling expanse of the Bay Area, rated C-plus on Niche. Next is Fred T. Korematsu Middle, which carries a B-minus. The district’s designated high school is El Cerrito, a standout Bay Area high school with a B-plus rating from Niche. El Cerrito is known for its powerhouse athletics and won the North Coast Section Division 2 football championship title for the 2023 school year. Buyers interested in exploring alternative education options will also find several private schools within walking distance. Downtown Richmond is less than 3 miles away from East Richmond Heights homeowners. Commuters can head to the nearby El Cerrito Del Norte BART station on San Pablo Avenue to quickly get around the Bay Area or hop on Interstate 80, a major north-to-south connector. From there, it’s about 7 miles to Berkeley, 13 miles to Oakland and 19 miles to San Francisco. Crime in East Richmond Heights is notably low, scoring a two out of ten according to CAP Index data.