"Oh, my sweet Lafayette, how I'm going to miss you. / You feel so good, Lafayette, now I've come to greet you / Tell all my friends I've come back again / I couldn't stay away, I was gone only a day / But I'm comin' back to my sweet Lafayette" (-Lucinda Williams, “Lafayette”)
Making up one-third of the Lamorinda (Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda) trifecta, Lafayette is renowned as one of the most pleasant and livable regions in the Bay Area (a feat, given its competition!). Located in the central section Contra Costa County, Lafayette boasts perfect California weather and an overall extremely high quality of life.
Unfortunately, apartment availability is limited, and finding places to rent can be hard
"Oh, my sweet Lafayette, how I'm going to miss you. / You feel so good, Lafayette, now I've come to greet you / Tell all my friends I've come back again / I couldn't stay away, I was gone only a day / But I'm comin' back to my sweet Lafayette" (-Lucinda Williams, “Lafayette”)
Making up one-third of the Lamorinda (Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda) trifecta, Lafayette is renowned as one of the most pleasant and livable regions in the Bay Area (a feat, given its competition!). Located in the central section Contra Costa County, Lafayette boasts perfect California weather and an overall extremely high quality of life.
Finding an Apartment in Lafayette
Unfortunately, apartment availability is limited, and finding places to rent can be hard. However, there are several complexes of luxury apartments in the downtown area.
Lafayette Neighborhoods
Luckily for you, the general consensus amongst locals is that there is no “less desirable” area of Lafayette. Lafayette is typically divided up into four quadrants:
Reliez Valley:Making up the northeastern quadrant, Reliez Valley is close to Briones Regional Park, a popular bicyclist destination.
Happy Valley:Closest to BART and less than a mile away from downtown Lafayette, Happy Valley is one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Lafayette.
Downtown Lafayette:This is where you are most likely to find rental units. It's right smack dab in the center of everything, so you’ll never be bored.
Life in Lafayette
Lafayette is generally considered the most bustling hamlet and retail center of the Lamorinda region. Downtown offers a plethora of fine dining and boutique shopping, with several restaurants rated among the best in the East Bay. Lafayette is also a quick 10-minute drive from Walnut Creek, which offers a broader selection of big-box retailers.
Lafayette is located on the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART line, the award-winning commuter railway connecting San Francisco to the East Bay. Most of the time, BART will get you from Lafayette to Downtown San Francisco in under an hour. Owing to its high quality of life and convenient access, Lafayette attracts many San Francisco commuters.
