A San Francisco couple is glad they decided not to sell and retire elsewhere. The East Bay awaits.

With relish, I devoured the Wall Street Journal “Retirement Rookies” article by Stephen Kreider Yoder and Karen Kreider Yoder.

The title was “We Considered Leaving the City in Retirement. We’re So Glad We Didn’t.” Mind you, this isn’t the “city” as in New York; some people insist that’s the only city that deserves that moniker.

Bay Area people have a difference place they call The City. That city is San Francisco.

Having lived in various neighborhoods around San Francisco over the years, the challenges of aging in the city are no mystery.

Nob Hill is a great place to live and be fit, if you work in the flats and walk to and from work. The hills are not so great if you are using a walker. The Fillmore District is awesome if you love being near shops and restaurants. (Plus it’s near the Kaiser on Geary!)

The Mission is great for commuting, culture, and croissants. The Castro needs no introduction. The Outer Richmond and Sunset have everything and proximity to the beach.

I could go on about San Francisco.

Most importantly, wonders this inquisitive East Bay real estate agent, did the idea enter their decision-making process of moving to Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, or other vibrant towns by the Bay that offer plenty medical services, charming houses, great food, transportation to San Francisco, and flat streets?

Steve says, “It wouldn’t have to be San Francisco…There are scores of American towns that we think could offer a similar palette of easily accessible amenities for an aging person—places where we could find community over time.” 

I waited for it and waited for it. But the East Bay never came!

Why not sell their place in San Francisco, land in an accessible bungalow or townhouse in the East Bay 10 miles away, have extra money to spare, be near everything they love in San Francisco with everything WE love about the East Bay?

A Few Thoughts on Retiring to the East Bay

Piedmont Ave vs. San Francisco

So many places in the “Inner East Bay,” the towns along the Bay just across from the Bay Bridge, check the boxes of a “15 minute” city, described as a place “in which most daily needs—food, housing, healthcare, culture, jobs—are within 15 minutes by foot, bike or public transit.”

First up: Piedmont Ave in Oakland. This friendly long stretch full of lots of independent shops and restaurants immediately came to mind as a potential San Francisco neighborhood alternative.

Retirees can rest assured that at the end of Piedmont Ave is a major Kaiser Permanente healthcare facility and hospital. At the other end, is the historic Mountain View Cemetery with acres of walking paths. This may be the ultimate in local living…on every plane of existence.

Here’s the challenge of being in the Piedmont Ave. area vs. San Francisco. Karen told how she loved being able to do the following:

• pick up “fresh sourdough bread near home” (La Farine)
• then stroll “to the family-run grocery for fresh herbs” (Piedmont Grocery)
• Down the sidewalk, “I mailed packages for our boys at the pack-and-ship shop” (UPS store!)
• “stopped to photocopy teaching materials” (Great copy store on Piedmont)
• “All of it was a few doors from the hardware store” (OK Piedmont Ave does not have one and what I believe is one of the best hardware stores in the Bay Area is a few blocks away, an Ace on Grand Ave. along with a huge garden center replete with burbling fountains. Half of the store is geographically in the town of Piedmont, I’m told.
• and a Vietnamese restaurant that we like. (Piedmont Ave all the way. Lots of of great Thai restaurants, cafes, and Fenton’s to boot.)

How does Rockridge check those boxes?

The corner of College Ave. and Shafter is home to Rockridge BART (20 minutes to San Francisco!) Breakfast, lunch and dinner at Market Hall Foods, sourdough from Starter Bakery, then stroll to Cole Hardware, downsize by selling your clothes at any number of vintage shops, socialize at one of the many cafes / bakeries, and pop into the Rockridge Library down the road.

What that little Rockridge District stretch doesn’t have is a copy and shipping center. That’s just a few blocks further at the UPS Store on Alcatraz near College.

But wait, there’s also a Trader Joe’s there too!

For more convincing, read my article about why everyone loves living in Rockridge.

How does retiring in Berkeley compare to living in San Francisco?

San Francisco has several universities and fantastic city colleges around the city. Berkeley has not only UC Berkeley but Berkeley City College.

There are endless opportunities for retirees can find community and mind-expanding opportunities all within a small geographic area. There are numerous clubs and OLLI lifelong learning lectures plus ectures at the UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens, the Hillside club, Berkeley City Club, on campus, at bookstores…to name a few.

In just about a two-block area are the Berkeley Symphony, Freight & Salvage which is home to great folk and blues shoes as well as The Moth, The Berkeley Rep for plays, the UC Theater for music from punk bands to any genre you can think of.

Zoom up the hill for epic shows at the wonderful, outdoor Greek Theater. There are even music shows at the redwood grove across from the botanical gardens! Sure it’s no Stern Grove but it’s intimate and easy to get to.

Berkeley Chamber of Commerce lists some off-the-beaten-path events as does Berkeleyside.

There is a reason why the flats of Berkeley are one of the hottest markets in terms of home sales in 2026: many seniors are abandoning their hillside view homes, full of steps, for the flats and the opportunity to keep taking advantage of all that Berkeley offers.

The Hopkins / Gilman Street area has the coveted Monterey Market along with easy access to BART and butcher, baker, and no candlestick maker but a fresh fish market.

Thousand Oaks is the adorable, tree-lined neighborhood near Solano Ave. which is indi shops, cafes and restaurants as well as a great library. For those having lived in the Berkeley Hills, migrating down to Thousand Oaks is a natural.

Ditto for those living in the Oakland Hills, retiring in Rockridge is something we are seeing a lot with downsizers competing for single-level houses with first-time home buyers.

Compare East Bay house prices, above, to San Francisco house prices below.

When it’s “time,” the East Bay also has senior communities in the middle of it all!

For those thinking long term care in an urban setting, a Lyft ride away from everything, consider getting on the wait list of the nonprofit, 65+ Saint Paul Life Plan Community, located near Lake Merritt and across from Equater Coffee.

I had a chance to tour Saint Paul recently and learned this in Oakland is home to numerous CEOs and professors. Lake Merritt is also encircled with some beautiful elevator buildings. Plus there’s a senior center nearby that has a huge array of dance classes including ballroom dancing.

Piedmont Gardens on the aforementioned Piedmont Ave is a time-honored community for elders, right in the middle of this great street which includes an old-time movie theeater.

Seniors with a UC Berkeley affiliation also have The Belmont near Albany Village, adjacent to West Berkeley.

After touring Rossmoor, a sprawling 55+ community located between Lafayette and Walnut Creek, I came to understood why people who may have lived in San Francisco or Berkeley their whole lives (in cooler climes) might consider venturing out to this community that has its own newspaper, a theater, incredible fitness facilities, craft workshops, and much more.

It may not be a 15-minute walk to shops and restaurants but it’s definitely a 15 minute car or shuttle ride to great places in Lafayette and Walnut Creek.

If you also have been Rossmoor-curious but have not explored this retirement community, get in touch to learn more. There are some awesome Rossmoor experts who are happy to educate newcomers.

Challenge me to find your retirement spot!

Read the full article: We Considered Leaving the City in Retirement. We’re So Glad We Didn’t.

Then let’s chat over coffee and discuss all the Bay Area 15-minute neighborhoods!

(Dear Yoders, if you are reading this, I’m truly curious. Oh, I also thought of Goshen, Indiana where I spent a night in an Airbnb on a cross-country trip and also enjoyed the small, college town vibes.)