Albany

Albany is a small community nestled between the San Francisco Bay and Berkeley Hills.  With a population of about 18,000 residents, Albany strives to maintain a small town character, while welcoming diversity, safety, and sustainability.  Residents are comprised of all ages, although the city has primarily single-family homes.  Small business plays a key role in Albany, and the community in large part is defined by Solano Avenue, the main street housing many local shops.

Albany schools are highly ranked and result in a kid friendly community with family focused events.  One event, involving the entire community is September, is the Solano Stroll.  Over 100,000 visitors venture to Albany to be part of this annual open air parade and fair.  A very walkable community, many nearby parks, including East Shore State Park, Golden Gate Fields race Track, and the San Francisco Bay Trail offer amusement for residents.  More information can be found here.