Welcome to Orinda
With a population of around 16,500, Moraga is a quaint, livable and relaxed town. However, it\’s near a lot, including Orinda, Walnut Creek, Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco and Concord. At an elevation of 499 feet, it enjoys a warm winter and comfortable summer. Since it\’s in a valley, it\’s surrounded by rolling green hills and grazing cows. Residents and visitors alike enjoy the many trails for both hiking and biking. Given its proximity to downtown San Francisco and many East Bay cities, it\’s easy to see why it\’s a popular place to live.
Lay of the Land
As mentioned, Moraga is a relaxed place with rolling green hills and plenty of outdoor activities. With a Mediterranean climate, residents enjoy long and dry summers, along with short and comfortable winters. It gets enough green in the winter and spring to give it some green, though it is still California. There is a lot more money in Moraga as one may expect, and in fact, the town, according to the 2000 census, is the 79 wealthiest place in the United States with a population of more than 10,000. When driving around and seeing the landscape and houses, it’s obvious as to why. But, one must not worry; it’s a town full of humble and welcoming residents.
Transportation
Now, when living in Moraga, one will want a car. While it’s possible to go to the Orinda and Lafayette BART stations, it’s still not that convenient. However, plenty of people commute to the university or go to downtown Oakland and San Francisco via the BART. And, luckily, both Orinda and Lafayette have nice and safe parking lots. But, as mentioned, most people drive, and it’s easy to get around the area with a car. One can hop on highway 24 and get to Berkeley quickly. Also, by taking the highway, one can get to the 580 and 80, which gives a commuter access to so much more. In reality, it’s in a great place whether one wants to hit up San Francisco, Napa Valley or the university in Berkeley.
Local Highlights
Moraga is a great place to raise a family. People from Martinez, Berkeley and even Oakland try and send their kids to the schools in Moraga. Greatschools.com ranked Moraga as a top city to live and learn in, and even people without kids should get excited as it helps property values and overall morale when schools are great. On top of that, the weather is near-perfect, and it’s much better than most of the Bay area as it\’s warmer and doesn’t receive as much fog.
Because of the great weather, many love to bike on the streets, mountain bike, hike and even ride horses. With miles of rolling hills and not many people, it’s obvious why Moraga is a place that people love. With the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail, people of all ages and fitness levels can enjoy the green rolling hills, great vistas and sparsely-populated trails. Furthermore, just a short BART hop away, one can enjoy more trails in Orinda, or one can hop in their car and check out Tilden.
The draw of Moraga is that it’s close to all, and it offers a resident respite from big cities. San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley are all easy accessible by car, and with a short drive, one can even get to the BART station that will take them to the surrounding cities. All in all, when looking for the combination of a rural town near big cities that have it all, Moraga is hard to beat. And, with great schools and plenty of recreation opportunities, it’s an easy sell.
