Quality of Life

The East Bay is one of the most attractive areas in California in terms of quality of life. In addition to the sunny climate, the East Bay features diverse cultures, vibrant communities, world-renowned restaurants, an extensive network of parks and outdoor activities, performance venues, and many other attractions. Our survey of green businesses in 6 regions in California found that those in the East Bay were far more likely to cite "quality of life" as their top reason for locating in the region (see figure 1).

Figure 1. Survey respondents ranking "Quality of Life" as most important factor determining location.

Parks and Open Space

Figure 2 demonstrates that the East Bay has a large amount of open space and parkland per capita.
Figure 2. Prevalence of State Parks, Preserves, and Recreation Areas.

Source: California Department of Finance

Food

East Bay residents have easy access to fine, fresh, local food through local restaurants and farmers' markets.
Figure 3. Farmers' markets per 1000 residents

Source: California Federation of Certified Farmers' Markets

Transportation

The East Bay and San Francisco have a strong public transportation network, including Bay Area Rapit Transit, AC Transit, ferries, shuttle systems, and more. The region is one of the more pedestrian and bicycle friendly regions in California, as shown by its low traffic fatality rate (see figure 4).

Figure 4. Traffic Fatalities, 2007

Source: California Highway Patrol, Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System