Hillcrest Knolls

I had a friend who lived up here in Hillcrest Knolls for a while—renting a room out of a house. It is a pretty nice spot that stares out over San Leandro towards the Peninsula. It has some pretty good views. It is just to the south of the Bay-O-Vista neighborhood of San Leandro—which is one of my favorite neighborhoods there.

This is a pretty nice, far more middle class neighborhood, much like the rest of Castro Valley, which is itself a pretty middle class neighborhood. Homes here tend to be on the older side, with the majority of homes dating to the post WWII period.

One of the positives about Castro Valley is the education system, which is above average as compared with many of its western neighbors like much of San Leandro. Canyon Middle School, Creekside Middle School and Castro Valley High are all well above average.

Although this neighborhood is a bit on the older side and not as attractive as you might imagine a hillside neighborhood could be—the smallish houses here do have some good views and could work out for single parents or those with small families.

Also Castro Valley is one of those neighborhoods that is perfectly situated for commuters—whether you are going to the Walnut Creek, San Francisco or San Jose.

There is also a BART station here—adding to its perfect as a great commuter haven.