The Bay Area

Welcome to one of the prettiest places in California…

To begin with, I think I should take care of a little housekeeping matter:  Locals refer to San Francisco as “The City,” not Frisco. 

Here’s a little bay area trivia for you: What county in California has only one city in it?

Give up?

The answer is San Francisco.  The only city in the county of San Francisco is San Francisco.  Ironically, San Francisco International Airport is in San Mateo County. Now you can go stump your friends.

If you are new to the San Francisco Bay Area or here for just a short time, the links on this site will help you enjoy the bay area more. Just click the images or links.

The most famous bridge we have is “The Golden Gate Bridge.”  Bridges not only connect the bay area they add to our distinct charm and beauty.

The San Francisco Bay neatly divides the communities in the bay area into distinct sections: The City, The Peninsula, The East Bay, Marin County aka The North Bay , The Delta, The South Bay, The Wine Country, and the world famous Silicon Valley, which as you can see on the map below encompases most of the bay area as it has expanded beyond its original beginnings in the Santa Clara Valley. 

In addition to these districts there is another

popular area called the Outer East Bay, which consists of the eastern portions of Alameda and Contra Costa counties and is divided into 5 distinct areas: Lamorinda, Central Contra Costa County, East Contra Costa County, the San Ramon Valley, and the Livermore-Amador Valley.  The word Lamorinda was coined by combining the names of the cities it includes: Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda. Walnut Creek is situated

BART – Bay Area Rapid Transit train

east of Lamorinda and north of the San Ramon Valley and, together with Concord, Martinez, and Pleasant Hill comprises Central Contra Costa County.  The cities of Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley and the unincorporated areas surrounding them comprise East Contra Costa County. The cities of Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore, comprise the Livermore-Amador Valley (sometimes joined with the San Ramon Valley and called the Tri-Valley), or more popularly referred to as the Livermore Valley because Livermore is the largest city in the valley. The San Ramon Valley consists of Alamo, Danville, Diablo and its namesake, San Ramon to the south. The outer East Bay is connected to the inner East Bay by BART, Interstates 80, 580, and 680, and State Route 24 via the Caldecott Tunnel. The outer East Bay is particularly rural in Livermore, while being part suburban in Pleasanton-Dublin, and its infrastructure was mostly built up after World War II. This area remains largely white demographically, although the Hispanic and Filipino populations have grown significantly over the past 2-3 decades, particularly in the Concord area. 

The term “Silicon Valley” originally referred to the region’s large number of silicon chip innovators and manufacturers, but eventually came to refer to all the high-tech businesses in the area; it is now generally used as a metonym for the high-tech sector.  Despite the development of other high-tech economic centers throughout the United States, Silicon Valley continues to be the leading high-tech hub because of its large number of engineers and venture capitalists. Geographically, Silicon Valley encompasses the northern part of Santa Clara Valley and adjacent communities.

If you would like assistance with buying or selling real esate or manufactured homes in the San Francisco Bay Area, please send me a note on the Contact Joanne form or call me on my cell phone 510-589-4794.

Joanne
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Joanne L. Gardiner, Broker, e-PRO Realtor®
California Department of Real Estate Brokers License Number: 00822285
California Department of Housing and Community Development Occupational License Number:  SP1178511