So I've lived in San Ramon for the past three years now, so I think I've got a fair grasp of what…read moreit's like living here. These are just my opinions on what it's been like.
I'll start with the Pro's:
-It's safe. Really one of the few cities left in the Bay Area where it feels like you can walk around in public and not be scared of being a victim of a crime, or worry that your car will be broken into for zero reason.
-It's a clean city. You won't find streets or really any areas that have been taken over by trash or encampments here.
-Public services are really good. The libraries are really nice. Lots of parks and sports things to take advantage of (skateparks, tennis courts, soccer fields, etc). Plenty of trails through the hills as well. Post office is really efficient.
As for the Con's:
-Driving through San Ramon is actually a nightmare for no other reason than the traffic lights and terrible drivers. It's like their city planner decided on pure chaos when they engineered the traffic lights here. They somehow managed to make it so that you will hit every red light possible. You'll have a main road with a 50 mph speed limit, and it'll take you 20 minutes to drive 3 miles, because you'll spend 15 of those minutes stopped at a red light. The problem is that their lights both have zero communication with one another, and the side streets take priority over the main roads. Stopped at a red light at one intersection? Be prepared to stop at a red light 100 yards down the street. What's the point of a 50mph speed limit if you're just stop and go every block (looking at you here Bollinger Canyon Rd). Single car just pulled up from a side road? Boom, instant red light for the main road. The lights linger as red's for so long as well. It's super common to get stopped at a red light, notice that zero cars have moved for the last 15 seconds, think to yourself "why is this even a red light", wait 10 more seconds, and then finally one of the lights will turn green and a direction of traffic will move, but usually not yours.
-For some reason San Ramon has these walking trails that cut through main roads of the city, so you'll have a main road with 50+ cars stopped for one pedestrian that has suddenly decided to cross the road. Like, your city is rich enough, just build a bridge for the pedestrians. For example, there's one of these a few blocks away from The Lot. Massive and busy downtown shopping area, and you're going to have a pedestrian trail stopping all traffic for one person walking. It's absolutely dumb, especially when there's both crosswalks for normal pedestrians to use at regular traffic lights just a few yards away, and there's already 3 regular traffic lights just between Alcosta Rd to The Lot. You don't need that extra one just for a trail.
-The drivers here are bad. I've lived in the Bay Area nearly every year of my 34, and San Ramon has the worst of any city I've ever been in. A very solid portion of drivers here are afraid of the speed limit, and will drive 10 to 15 mph below it. Others are just actually bad, like lane changes without any care for who's next to them, stopping in the middle of the road, or they're glued to their phones. Here in San Ramon, you will definitely have a Tesla cut you off, brake check you, and drive 10 below the speed limit. In other cities, you'll maybe encounter someone like this on the road somewhat commonly, but here in San Ramon it's about 25% of the drivers.
-So expensive. I get it, cause it's a very safe spot in the Bay Area, but housing and rentals should not be this much for what you get. Food and groceries run pricier than the norm too.
-If you've got any sort of color to your skin, you're more than likely to run into some sort of racism at some point in this city. It's a very rich city with people who like to act rich, and it leans conservative. So be prepared for the microaggressions.
And the Mid's
-Restaurants are so middle of the road. Most of the restaurants are just okay, not good and not bad. There's Marugame Udon and a Philz. Hooray? Orient Express and MJ Sushi are some of the more hidden gems in terms of food here. A lot of the restaurants here are designed for people who think Chipotle is ethnic food, so take that for what you will.
-Somewhat central Bay Area location is fine. San Jose is half an hour away. Oakland is 45 minutes. The City is about an hour away. Could be better, and could be lots worse.
-Weather is fine. Way hotter than the rest of the Bay. But, it's the Bay Area and it's better than 90% of the rest of the country anyways so I can't complain much.
In all, it's a decent spot in the Bay Area to live. Haven't minded it too much the last 3 years.
