Walnut Creek

Welcome to Walnut Creek

Walnut Creek is a city located about 16 miles east of the city of Oakland. It serves as a hub for neighboring cities because of its location at the junction of the highways from Sacramento and San Jose (I-680) and San Francisco/Oakland (24) and its accessibility by BART.

Once named "The Corners," Walnut Creek has an active downtown neighborhood that features hundred-year-old buildings and extensive high-end retail establishments, restaurants and entertainment venues. "Broadway Plaza" with over 80 retailers, is a popular destination for shoppers from all over the Bay Area.

There are numerous restaurant options in Walnut Creek, some of the more notable include the Walnut Creek Yacht Club, Montecatini Ristorante, the Hideout Kitchen, Va de Vi Bistro, and Fleming's Steakhouse, however there are simply too many to list.

Thanks to a bond measure back in the 1970's, the city purchased 1,800 acres of undeveloped hillsides and park sites, lending to the sprawling open spaces. As a matter of fact, Walnut Creek owns more open space per capita than any other community in the state of California. You'll find open spaces, ridge lines and regional parks as well as community centers and pools located here.

Known for its warmer climate, temperatures can reach up over 100 degrees in the summer. It's not surprising to find more homes with pools, and air conditioning is the norm this east of San Francisco.

There are five public school districts that serve Walnut Creek. Neighborhoods range from single family homes to areas with a higher density of condos and apartments. About 2/3 of properties are owner-occupied, with another 1/3 consisting of renters.

In addition to the shopping plaza, Walnut Creek also offers a variety of entertainment options and activities. The Lesher Center for the Arts is a premier destination for performances and musical theatre. There is also the Diablo Ballet, Bedford Gallery, Festival Opera, Center REPertory Company and California Symphony among others. No need to go all the way to San Francisco to enjoy a performance filled with talent!

The Lindsay Wildlife Museum is a much-loved wildlife hospital and family museum where local injured or orphaned wildlife come for rehabilitation. Many animals that come to the center are unable to return to the wild and end up finding a permanent home there. At any given time you might see a mountain lion, coyote or a porcupine being cared for, and their collection of birds is one of the most impressive. Be sure to go at feeding time to see the bald eagles, hawks, falcons and large selection of owls close up, not to mention the many reptiles and smaller mammals that live there.