Moraga or Petaluma?
We would love this community’s insights into weighing a move from Moraga to Petaluma!
For many reasons, we have narrowed down our “where we will live, work, and play” options for our family to Moraga and Petaluma. We’ve been in Moraga, where my parents live, for the past three years, so are very familiar with this town, Lamorinda more broadly, and much of the East Bay (I have hybrid work in Berkeley and also grew up the East Bay). Our two kids are 3 and 5.
This is what we love and value:
- Open space and access to nature (the coast, redwoods, hiking trails, mushroom and fruit foraging)
- Sense of community in terms of support-your-neighbor, share ideas and resources, organize and act together mentalities
- Social justice
- Socioeconomic and ethnic/racial diversity
- Sense of safety in terms of low crime rates
- Well-rounded, whole person education for our kids (informed by our parenting and the schools they attend)
- Kindness, friendliness, open mindedness
We would love comparative takes on some of these things for the two towns.
We know that some of what we value (eg diversity) is NOT a defining characteristic of each of the places we’re looking at. But the economic homogeneity of Moraga is something that, in our experience, impacts the culture and vibe significantly, and so we’re curious how Petaluma compares. We have a sense that the overall cost of living (including but not limited to housing) is lower in Petaluma—is this accurate?
Thank you so much for thoughts, perspectives, and experiences!!
Parent Replies
Thanks for sharing your values. It's great that you’re being intentional about where to raise your family. But to be candid, if diversity (racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic) is truly one of your top priorities, it’s hard to understand why Moraga and Petaluma are your final two options. Both towns are majority white, relatively affluent, and not particularly representative of the broader Bay Area's diversity.
Moraga, in particular, is extremely homogenous - over 60% white, very high-income, and with limited racial or economic variation. Petaluma is somewhat more diverse (especially with a larger Hispanic/Latino population and a broader income range), but still not what most would consider a diverse community by Bay Area standards.
If you’re serious about giving your kids exposure to a mix of cultures, perspectives, and lived experiences, you may want to broaden the search. It’s totally valid to want nature, safety, and good schools - but those don’t have to come at the expense of meaningful diversity. There are other communities that strike a better balance.
My opinion is to live closest to family. The extra hands are invaluable. That is if you have involved grandparents.