by mtbjohn

Last night, as Tracy and I were finishing up dinner, there was an unexpected knock on the door. Our neighbor’s 17-year-old son came over to “borrow” an egg. He was making a cake. I felt like I was living in and episode of Leave it to Beaver. I mean, it’s 2007, people don’t borrow a cup of milk or  an egg from their neighbors any more, right?

I loved it. It was reminder of why I really like living here.

As I mentioned last week, I spent a lot of time over Christmas on my bike. As I was always riding alone, this afforded me a lot of time to reflect. Continually I was reminded that all-in-all, I really like my life and I really like the place that I call home.

San Ramon is your classic suburb. There’s tract homes galore. We live in a development built by Shapell back in the early 1970’s. On the other side of town, there’s a brand new development of close to 10,000 single family homes that’s still under construction. The homes certainly don’t have the diversity of architecture or design that you’d find in more eclectic neighborhoods of Oakland, Berkeley or San Francisco. As our neighborhood is 30+ years old, however, enough homeowners have tweaked things to add some interest.

My neighbor’s are friendly. When we were living in San Jose, there were a lot of renters who came and went in our neighborhood. Along with this there was a good number of pretty rough dudes that I wanted nothing to do with. I really only got to know one neighbor. Here, I’ve become friendly with a number of my neighbors and it’s great to know the people who physically surround you.

by cjaureque

I grew up here. In 1987, my family relocated from Massachusetts to California. I was 12. The house that I lived in until college is just 1/2 a mile away from my new home and my Dad still lives there (for now). I can’t tell you how much fun it is to be back in the place where you lived as a kid. I used to wish that I lived in one of those places you see in the movies. Places where everyone has lived in the same small time for their entire lives and the shared, intertwined experiences created great stories. Now, I kind of have that (though I don’t really know anyone from my childhood). Seeing this town through adult eyes is fun. I imagine taking my kids to the same schools I attended. Also, having history here makes me want to protect the town from excessive growth and inappropriate change.

San Ramon is near the eastern edge of the SF metro area. Some would say it’s in the “boonies” or “way out there”, but that’s all a matter of opinion. What I love about our location is that I can quickly get away on my bike. Ten minutes away from my front doorstep and I am riding amongst cattle. Thirty minutes and I am in Blackhawk, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods around. One hour of riding and I am in the middle of lush vineyards in Livermore. Two hours and I am at the summit of Mt Diablo where on a clear day, I can see across the bay. I can also stay within the safe confines of town with wide bike lanes and dedicated bike paths: I’ll likely do this a lot with kids. Every work day my commute takes me through a winding canyon and I always find this to be peaceful. I really enjoy the convenience of this suburb and the proximity to open space.

by Rongzoni

Friends and family are nearby. As I mentioned, my Dad is right around the corner, so the random drop-by (his place or mine) is frequent. Keeping in touch with F2F visits is much more meaningful that phone calls. My brother and his family live just 30 minutes away in Berkley. We are much closer than in the past and as a result we see each other more frequently. There’s a couple who are great friends from college that live on the other side of town and we see them at least once per week for dinner. A co-worker lives in Walnut Creek, a scant 10 minute drive and is always inviting us over (sorry we pass so much Andrew). Our social interactions are so much more frequent and so much more meaningful living here.

I’ll be the first to admit that there’s not a ton of entertainment in San Ramon. The dining options are minimal, though improving and aside from catching a movie, there’s little else to do. Luckily, the Tri Valley offers many options. We are not far from places that do offer great dining, shopping and entertainment. Danville, Pleasanton, Walnut Creek and even Berkeley are easy to get to most any night. Getting in and out of San Francisco isn’t really all that tough with BART access close by.

I can confidently say that, after two years back in San Ramon, I’ve found my home. Knowing that I want to stay here for a long time gives me the motivation to great even deeper and more meaningful connections to the local community.