The flats are everyday: groceries, the plaza around BART, and the long commercial avenue. The hills get views, narrower roads, and a quieter night. El Cerrito shares Solano Avenue’s orbit with Albany, so dinner can be a walk across a city line.
It is less famous than Berkeley and less industrial than parts of Richmond, which is exactly why people land here. You get a train, a hill, and a city small enough to learn.
Known for
- El Cerrito Plaza BART
- Del Norte BART
- Hill views
- San Pablo Avenue
Getting around
Two BART stations. San Pablo Avenue carries the bus spine. The hills are a car or a steep walk back from the train.
Nearby
Berkeley & the north hills
Albany
A small city with Solano Avenue as its living room.
OpenWest Contra Costa
Richmond
A working waterfront with a village hiding at Point Richmond.
OpenBerkeley & the north hills
Kensington
A hillside community between Berkeley and El Cerrito.
OpenBerkeley & the north hills
Berkeley
Campus, canyons, and a food culture that predates the trend.
Open