Fairview

When you are driving around in Fairview, you feel pretty much as if you are in Castro Valley. You are up in a hilly area with the same kind of Contra Costa style hills you get in Fairview’s northern neighbor. The houses are pretty big here and most of them are on the older side just like in Castro Valley.

Fairview, however, has a reputation as being a high crime area, with rates closer to Hayward than relatively pacific Castro Valley. When you are looking around it is hard to believe. Houses seem nice and relatively well kept, and there are nice views of the East Bay from here.

When you look up the crime stats though, you see the difference. First, of all, there are more than a dozen sex offenders living in Fairview--a little disturbing if you are a parent. Second, though there haven’t been any murders here in the last six months, there have been at least 2 dozen assaults and about the same number of robberies and break-ins, which though not much for an urban area is high for this kind of a hilly residential community.

So, I guess what you would say is that relative to Castro Valley, this is a dangerous neighborhood. And since most people buy rather than rent in neighborhoods like this, it is definitely a big downside for this area.

Overall, I would say that this area has potential but until the crime situation gets under control that’s all that it will be: potential.