Lafayette, California, from a newcomer's point of view.
Lafayette belongs to Contra Costa County. It lies East of Berkeley Hills, on the hills overlooked by Mount Diablo. The climate in Lafayette is more continental then that of San Francisco: it's 10-20 degrees cooler in winter, 10-20 degrees warmer in summer, and has less overcast days. The last earthquake in Lafayette happened March 1, 2007, 4.2 strong, ten miles under our house. My pans rattled on the stove, and a picture fell from the wall and barely missed my three-year-old son, who kept insisting it wasn't his fault it fell. Lafayette population is about 25.000 people, with median household income of 112K, 84% white, 10% born outside the US. House/condo median price is 1.285K (it has doubled over last seven years); the rent for a house starts at $2150/mo for a three-bedroom half of the duplex near the highway. Houses for rent sometimes include "in-law unit" which is rented separately, essentially turning the house into a duplex.
Public schools in Lafayette belong to Contra Costa school district. They are considered very good by the state standard and are a reason people move beyond the hills from Oakland and Berkeley. There is one high school, one middle school and four elementary. The State of California limits the class size to 20 children per teacher. In Lafayette, extra children are redirected to other schools in Lafayette which still have slots; if no slots available elsewhere, the child attends his school of residency. There is no school transportation for elementary schools, and you will have to drive in traffic two times a day yourself, but all four schools are equal in any objective metrics. Lafayette Art and Science Foundation (LASF) is a private non-profit organization which provides art and science classes and various complements to the school curriculum and has great influence over schools.
Private schools in Lafayette include a Jewish day school, a Montessori school, and a non-denominational Christian school.
Lafayette public library is a part of Contra Costa Public Library; the main brunch is in Pleasant Hill. New Lafayette library building is expected in 2008.
Shopping: Lafayette has Trader Joe's, Safeway and Diablo Market; several cafes, including a drive-through espresso, Radio Shack, several independent clothes stores and an independent book store. Walnut Creek five miles east has the Whole Foods Market, a large shopping mall with the Gap, the Banana Republic, Macy's, Sleep Train and others. There are the World Market and Bombay Company on Mount Diablo Boulevard, as well as H&R Bloch, FedEx/Kinko's and other retail and service chains. Oakland, 10.5 miles west, is a big city and has virtually every shopping chain you might need.
Commuting to San Francisco: 31 minutes from Lafayette Bart to Embarcadero for $4 +$1/day for parking, a train leaves every 5-10 minutes morning and afternoon, every 15 minutes during the day. The last train from San Francisco towards Lafayette leaves about midnight. It takes about the same time to reach the city by car. It can be faster during off-hours; however, the car has to pass the tunnel under the Berkeley Hills and the Bay Bridge. In rush hour it usually takes 45 minutes; the bridge toll is waived for car pulls (3 or more people) that time. The road is breathtakingly beautiful. It goes down towards the narrow slope between the hills, dives under the hills and emerges on the bay side to the view of the bay.