A Guide to Walnut Creek, CA

Walnut Creek At-a-Glance

The Broadway Plaza shopping center in Walnut Creek has anchor tenants including Nordstrom, Macy’s, and Neiman Marcus, and is part of the downtown retail and restaurant district. Walnut Creek also has bicycle and pedestrian-friendly roads, so local residents can travel from place to place on foot. The pedestrian walkways are filled with trees situated 10 feet apart.

Walnut Creek hosts two BART stations, the Walnut Creek station and the Pleasant Hill station (in the unincorporated area known as Contra Costa Centre Transit Village and the census-designated area called Waldon), just north of the city limits, named for the neighboring city). BART provides direct service from Walnut Creek to San Francisco heading west and Pittsburg heading east. Other major cities such as Berkeley and Fremont can be accessed via transfers.

Points of Interest in Walnut Creek include:  Heather Farm Park – Ward Garden, Castle Rock Park, Mount Diablo, Lesher Center for the Arts, Ruth Bancroft Garden, Shadelands Ranch Museum, Old Borges Ranch, Howe Homestead Park, Boundary Oak Golf Course, Broadway Plaza shopping center, Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society, Lindsay Wildlife Museum, Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF), Fossil Hill Trail at Shell Ridge Open Space and the Carpenter Gothic chapel of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

People and Demographics

As of 2021, the population of Walnut Creek is 84,745 with a population density of 3,584 people per square mile. The median age is 47.8 years.

Climate

Walnut Creek’s warm summer Mediterranean climate is typical of California’s interior valleys. Walnut Creek gets around 21 inches of rain per year and no snowfall. The number of days with any measurable precipitation is 55. On average, there are 260 sunny days per year with July highs around 83 degrees and January lows is around 38 degrees.

Walnut Creek CA Homes for Sale

Walnut Creek CA Real Estate

As of January 2021, the median list price of homes for sale in Walnut Creek CA is $699K, trending down -11.2% year-over-year. The median listing price per square foot is $515, and the median sale price for homes for sale in Walnut Creek CA is $685K. Partner with Walnut Creek REALTOR® - Glenn Allen for unmatched expertise in Walnut Creek CA real estate.

Along with his professional team, Glenn will put his years of experience and local knowledge to work for you! Whether you are looking to buy a home in Walnut Creek or sell your existing property, Glenn offers the kind of personalized service you need and deserve. Feel free to contact Glenn directly at (925) 709-1000 or you can get in touch here.

Public Schools

School districts serving Walnut Creek include:

• Walnut Creek School District  (925-944-6850)
• Acalanes Union High School District  (925-935-2800)
• Mt. Diablo Unified School District  (925-682-8000)

Colleges & Universities Nearest to Walnut Creek

• California State University East Bay
• Brandman University
• Contra Costa College
• Contra Costa Community College District
• Diablo Valley College
• John F. Kennedy University
• Golden Gate University
• Heald College
• Saint Mary’s College 
• University of Phoenix

Economy

As of 2021, the median household income in Walnut Creek is $96,851, with a poverty rate is 6.9%. Sales tax is 8.50% and income tax is 6.00%. Walnut Creek is home to a number of companies such as Carollo Engineers, Central Garden & Pet (makers of AvoDerm, Amdro, Kaytee, among others), American Reprographics Company, and the PMI Group. Walnut Creek is also the headquarters of the Pac-12 Conference.

Top employers include:

• John Muir Health
• Kaiser Permanente
• Safeway
• Nordstrom
• IHC 500
• United States Postal Service
• Aetna 400
• Macy’s 400
• City of Walnut Creek
• HCR Manor Care

Hospitals, Medical Centers & Clinics in or near Walnut Creek

• Kindred Transitional Care & Rehabilitation
• Children’s Specialty Care Walnut Creek
• Contra Costa Health Services
• Heartscan Walnut Creek
• John Muir Women’s Health Center
• John Muir Health
• Kaiser Permanente
• ManorCare Health Services
• Muir Orthopedic Specialists

Local Utilities & Community Services

• Gas and Electric
• Water Department
• Cable Companies
• Phone Services
• Cellular Phone Stores
• Post Office locations
• Police
• Fire Department
• Government Services
• Chambers of Commerce
• Libraries
• Banks
• Day Care

Area Transportation

• Amtrak runs its San Joaquins line to Southern California and Capitol Corridor line to Sacramento and San José through stations in Richmond, Martinez, and Antioch-Pittsburg.
• BART High-speed commuter rail system, which functions as the Bay Area’s metro system.
• AC Transit provides local service in West County and in Orinda, in addition to western Alameda County, Transbay commuter services to San Francisco, bus rapid transit lines, and the bulk of All Nighter service for the East Bay.
• County Connection provides fixed-route and paratransit bus service throughout the communities of Concord, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Walnut Creek, Clayton, Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, Danville, San Ramon, as well as unincorporated communities in Central Contra Costa County. A County Connection bus dressed up like a trolley-car is a free shuttle provided by the city to bring BART travelers to the downtown area.
• Golden Gate Transit provides connecting Transbay service between San Rafael and Richmond and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations via the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.
• Tri-Delta Transit provides local bus service in East County and connecting regional services to Martinez, Livermore, and Stockton.
• WestCAT provides local bus service in northern West County with connecting service to BART and Transbay service to the city (San Francisco).

The nearest major airport serving Walnut Creek is Oakland International Airport (OAK / KOAK), with international and domestic flights from Oakland. Another major airport is San Francisco International Airport (SFO / KSFO), with international and domestic flights from San Francisco.