Del Norte

The biggest feature of this hillside neighborhood is the Mira Vista Country Club. I am not much of a golfer but from reading some reviews of the club, it sounds like most people would enjoy taking in a few holes up there while taking in the view. (Why the golf course is not a part of the Mira Vista neighborhood is not altogether clear to me, but I will try not to dwell on it.)

Although there are definitely some higher elevations farther to south along the Kensington and Berkeley hills, Del Norte still gives you a panoramic view of the Bay from its best spots on the eastern end. The streets curve but not in that narrow barely passable way that characterizes the Berkeley Hills. These lanes—for the most part—offer drivers plenty of space to get by to where they are going.

The real attraction of the neighborhood, however, is the pleasant mix of older home styles. El Cerrito was founded by refugees from the 1906 Earthquake and was originally called Rust after the local postmaster before residents changed it to something with fewer negative connotations. You get a fair number of homes up here which date back to the earliest period of El Cerrito.

Del Norte is sort of a history of El Cerrito in terms of the homes here. You will find plenty of Jazz Age bungalows here, for example. As well as some English style manors—some with Tudor accents. There are also newer Ranch style homes from the 1970’s.

Given what I have described you might expect prices close to $1 million. Certainly, if we were over on the Peninsula near Palo Alto, this would indeed be the case, but because we are in El Cerrito, the median price is only around $450 K with prices ranging from $300 K to $700 K at the outer limits. (3 of 4 are in the $400 K to $600 K range.)

One of the big drawbacks of this neighborhood however is the local schools which are below average to poor across the board (as reflected by test scores). That makes it a harder sell for parents.

Crime is also a bit of an issue as there have been a number of break-ins in the last 6 months—though no homicides and only one assault have been reported in the neighborhood in that same period.

Overall a really nice neighborhood—perfect for younger couples and maybe even singles looking for a bit of stability.