Welcome to Walnut Creek
Sprawling urban community with many things to see and do.
Walnut Creek is a sprawling urban community with more open space per capita than any other Californian city. Located to the east of the San Francisco Bay region in Contra Costa County, Walnut Creek is a convenient travel hub with an enticing variety of amenities and attractions. Its walkable downtown area is lined with century-old buildings and high-quality restaurants and boutique shops. It also has large public parks, botanical gardens, trails, cultural venues, and many events throughout the year. As a result of this abundance of things to see and do, Walnut Creek, is known as the Jewel of the East Bay.
Real estate choices within Walnut Creek are as all-encompassing as the city’s entertainment options. Elegant private compounds and estates rise along the western slopes of Mount Diablo and enjoy captivating mountain views. There are also quiet neighborhoods of single-family homes and contemporary condominium buildings and townhouses on the urban flats.
What to Love
- Varied housing options
- Vibrant urban downtown
- Parks and recreation areas
- Excellent transportation links
People & Lifestyle
Walnut Creek offers the best of the city and the suburbs, combining a close-knit community feels with an abundance of attractions and amenities. There are many art galleries and cultural spaces, along with large parks and diverse dining and shopping. The local schools are outstanding, and there is plenty to keep all ages occupied.
Walnut Creek has great transportation links—residents can reach San Francisco in under 30 minutes and Oakland in less than 20 minutes! There is a BART station in the center of town and Walnut Creek is located at the intersection of the Sacramento to San Jose route along I-680 and the San Francisco and Oakland connecting SR-24.
Dining, Entertainment & Shopping
Walnut Creek’s vibrant downtown is teeming with diverse dining, shopping, and entertainment options.
Fleming’s is a classic upscale steakhouse that pairs hand-cut prime steaks with award-winning wines. Il Fornaio is an elegant white tablecloth Italian eatery with delicious authentic dishes and fresh bread baked on-site. The lively Va De Vi Bistro serves eclectic internationally-influenced small plates in a stylish indoor space and on an outdoor patio.
Va De Vi is Catalan for “it’s all about the wine,” a slogan that is more than done justice to by its extensive selection of wine, glasses, and bottles.
Residual Sugar is another must-visit for wine connoisseurs, offering more than 800 varieties while pairing them with delectable cheese, charcuterie, and paninis.
The sophisticated
Broadway Plaza shopping center has over 80 high-end retailers and restaurants, including Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus department stores. Eco-chic health-forward eatery
True Food Kitchen at Broadway Plaza offers delicious and nutritious seasonal dishes with many vegan-friendly menu items.
Things to Do
Located right across the street from Walnut Creek’s downtown area, the 10-acre
Civic Park is a tree-covered public green space with lawns, a playground, ball fields, and habitat gardens housing 25 butterfly species. Between November and January, the
Walnut Creek on Ice skating rink opens at Civic Park. Civic Park connects to the 32-mile
Iron Horse Regional Trail, which follows the route of the old Pacific Railroad from Concord in the north to the boating lake at
Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area in the south.
Lesher Center for the Arts stages an eclectic lineup of music, ballet, comedy, and theater performances in the heart of downtown. More than 100 artists participate in May’s
Art on the Main festival. The festival gives attendees the chance to purchase many diverse artworks, as well as sample great food and drinks from local vendors while enjoying live music performances.
Art on the Main is one of several events organized throughout the year by the Walnut Festival Association. Their signature celebration is September’s
Walnut Festival, which brings four days of live music and carnival rides to
Heather Farm Park—a sprawling green space that spans more than 100 acres, featuring botanical gardens, a swimming center, equestrian facilities, sports courts and fields, a fishing pond, a skate park, and access to the Iron Horse Trail. Other Walnut Creek events include January’s
Crab Feed, June’s Walnut Creek Art & Wine Festival
, and weekly live music and arts-and-crafts vendors at downtown’s First Wednesdays Street Fest.
Schools
Walnut Creek is served by the Walnut Creek Elementary School District and the Acalanes and Mt. Diablo Unified School Districts for middle and high schools. Highlights include:
- Walnut Heights Elementary, Public, K-5
- Tice Creek, Public, K-8
- Foothill Middle, Public, 6-8
- Las Lomas High, Public, 9-12
- Northgate High, Public, 9-12
