Welcome to Walnut Creek
Vibrant city with diverse housing and a lively downtown.
Walnut Creek is an urban Contra Costa County city with a bustling downtown and many parks and amenities. The community’s convenient location at the intersection of Interstate 680 and State Route 24 and BART railway access make it a transportation hub with easy access to other areas. Along with its lively downtown, Walnut Creek boasts more publicly-owned land than any other community in California. Surrounded by undeveloped hillsides and open space preserves, as well as an active arts and culture scene, Walnut Creek is a community with something for everyone.
Walnut Creek’s diverse housing options include downtown condominiums and apartments, quiet neighborhoods of spacious single-family homes, and lavish hillside estates with sweeping views over Mount Diablo.
What to Love
- Diverse housing options.
- Vibrant downtown.
- Parks and open space.
- Arts and cultural events.
People & Lifestyle
Walnut Creek is a dynamic community whose population represents all demographics. Downtown condos and apartments are perfect for young professionals looking to remain close to the city’s many restaurants and nightlife spots, while the city’s quieter neighborhoods are popular with young families. There’s also a large community for over-55s located in the Rossmoor district, with state-of-the-art recreational facilities, golfing, and easy access to surrounding open space preserves.
Dining, Entertainment & Shopping
Walnut Creek’s Main Street is lined with boutique shops, international restaurants, and hip nightlife spots. The chic Californian-style bistro Main Street Kitchen is a popular spot for brunch, lunch, and dinner dishes prepared using fresh local ingredients. Lively Lokanta Mediterranean Grill & Bar fuses the flavors of Greece and Turkey and has a great selection of wines and cocktails. Other standout dining options include Walnut Creek Yacht Club’s ocean-fresh seafood, wine-focused Catalonian bistro Va de Vi, innovative Thai spot Kacha Thai Bistro, and delicious Italian dishes at elegant Il Fornaio. Nightlife options include sports bars, craft beer breweries, Irish pubs, and nightclubs. Broadway Plaza is an upscale outdoor mall anchored by Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Macy’s. Other businesses at Broadway Plaza include dozens of fashion stores and restaurants, such as health-conscious True Food Kitchen. Lesher Center for the Arts has three theaters that stage a varied program of ballet and other dance performances, comedy shows, lectures, and literary events.
Things to Do
102-acre Heather Farm Park is a sprawling recreation hotspot with amenities such as swimming and equestrian centers, tennis and volleyball courts, a skate park, fishing pond, all-ability playground, six athletic fields, and an off-leash dog park. Heather Farm connects to the 32-mile Iron Horse Trail, which provides a scenic path for cycling, horseback riding, and walking along the route of the historic Southern Pacific Railroad. Since 1936, the annual harvest of the local walnuts that give the community its name is celebrated during September’s Walnut Festival at Heather Farm Park. Over the years the festival has expanded into a four-day extravaganza, with two stages of live music, a carnival with more than 30 rides, and vendors selling food, drink, and arts-and-crafts. In June, Heather Farm Park hosts Walnut Creek Art & Wine Festival, showcasing wineries from Napa and Sonoma counties, along with regional craft beer breweries, artisans, and live music. There’s also live music and arts-and-crafts downtown on the first Wednesday of each month from May to September during the First Wednesdays Street Fest. Broadway Plaza stages frequent events throughout the year, including a Summer Concert Series with live music on Thursday evenings in August.
Schools
Public schools within Walnut Creek belong to the Walnut Creek Elementary, Mt. Diablo Unified, and Acalanes Union High school districts.
- 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.
