Walnut Creek neighborhoods compared
Zillow publishes home values for only three neighborhoods inside Walnut Creek. Here they are, with the city figure for context (September 2026):
| Area | Zillow typical home value | Change in a year |
|---|---|---|
| Livorna Estates | $1,781,752 | +2.5% |
| Woodlands | $1,402,313 | +2.4% |
| Almond-Shuey | $1,145,309 | -4.8% |
| Walnut Creek (city) | $990,472 | +1.3% |
To cover the rest of the city, we used the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2020-2024) at the census-tract level. Neighborhood names and their street lists come from City-Data's Walnut Creek neighborhood map. For each area we picked a street address and used the Census Geocoder to find the tract that contains it. Tracts do not follow neighborhood lines, so read each row as a sample of the streets around that address. The Census caps rents at $3,500+ and incomes at $250,000+. Census home values are owners' own estimates, so do not compare them with Zillow's figures.
| Area | Census tract | Address checked | Median home value | Median household income | Median gross rent | Median year built | Owner-occupied | Detached houses | Attached (townhomes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown and Almond-Shuey | 3390.03 | 1345 Locust Street and Shuey Avenue | $746,600 | $115,579 | $2,819 | 1981 | 13% | 5% | 0% |
| Walnut Creek BART and Pringle Avenue | 3390.04 | 200 Pringle Avenue | $725,000 | $129,637 | $2,902 | 1986 | 34% | 9% | 17% |
| South Main Street and Las Lomas | 3390.01 | 1460 South Main Street | $731,000 | $96,472 | $2,362 | 1981 | 18% | 0% | 2% |
| Buena Vista and Larkey Park | 3400.01 | San Juan, Buena Vista and Geary roads | $1,124,100 | $142,723 | $2,355 | 1975 | 55% | 44% | 19% |
| Oak Road | 3382.03 | 2757 Oak Road | $740,400 | $144,474 | $2,832 | 1986 | 38% | 11% | 17% |
| Diablo Hills and Marchbanks Drive | 3382.04 | Marchbanks Drive and North San Carlos Drive | $890,500 | $164,107 | $3,017 | 1977 | 56% | 14% | 54% |
| Ygnacio Valley and Treat Boulevard | 3382.01 | 2600 Ygnacio Valley Road and 2000 Treat Boulevard | $1,155,200 | $213,929 | $3,302 | 1971 | 78% | 75% | 3% |
| Woodlands and Shadelands | 3373 | Citrus Avenue and Oak Grove Road | $1,158,800 | $146,784 | $2,867 | 1968 | 83% | 86% | 3% |
| Northgate | 3383.02 | 425 Castle Rock Road | $1,593,100 | $207,105 | $2,725 | 1965 | 88% | 90% | 2% |
| San Miguel and Walnut Avenue | 3383.01 | 1000 Walnut Avenue | $1,490,000 | $218,191 | $3,500+ | 1968 | 94% | 95% | 2% |
| Rudgear and Livorna Estates | 3461.01 | Rudgear Road and Livorna Road | $1,592,700 | $250,000+ | $3,500+ | 1976 | 93% | 76% | 24% |
| Tice Valley | 3342 | 2000 Tice Valley Boulevard | $1,806,400 | $189,153 | $3,500+ | 1967 | 67% | 70% | 4% |
| Rossmoor | 3511.03 | 1001 Golden Rain Road | $849,700 | $97,417 | $2,182 | 1974 | 95% | 5% | 23% |
| Saranap and Boulevard Way | 3410 | 1100 Boulevard Way | $1,525,500 | $157,959 | $2,378 | 1957 | 65% | 66% | 5% |
The pattern is clear. The flat land around downtown and the two BART stations is mostly rented apartments and condos, with Census values in the $700,000s. The hills to the east and south, from Northgate to Tice Valley, are mostly owner-occupied detached houses with values of $1.5 million and up. ZIP-level prices are on our Walnut Creek ZIP codes page.
Walnut Creek neighborhood profiles
Downtown and Almond-Shuey
Downtown runs along North Main Street, Locust Street, Mount Diablo Boulevard and the Broadway Plaza shopping center, which has more than 80 stores. The Almond-Shuey area is the grid of streets around Almond Avenue and Shuey Avenue, next to downtown. Census tract 3390.03 covers both: only 13% of homes are owner-occupied, and just 5% are detached houses, so this is apartment and condo country. Zillow's typical value for Almond-Shuey was $1,145,309 in September 2026, down 4.8% in a year, the only one of the three Zillow neighborhoods to fall. What to check: HOA reserves and special assessments in older condo buildings, parking rights and street noise.
Walnut Creek BART and Pringle Avenue
The area around the Walnut Creek BART station on Pringle Avenue is changing fastest. BART reports a 358-apartment building with about 15,000 square feet of retail under construction on the former station parking lot facing Pringle Avenue. Tract 3390.04 has a median year built of 1986, among the newest in the city, and 17% of homes are townhomes. Values are in the same range as downtown. What to check: construction timing on Pringle and Riviera avenues, which BART expects to take about 30 months, and parking rules for residents.
South Main Street and Las Lomas
South Main Street runs from downtown past Las Lomas High School toward the Parkmead area. The tract around 1460 South Main Street is almost entirely multifamily: no detached houses and 2% townhomes, with 18% of homes owner-occupied. It has the lowest median household income ($96,472) and among the lowest rents ($2,362) of the areas we checked. What to check: road noise on the main streets, and condo building age and insurance.
Buena Vista and Larkey Park
West of North Main Street, the Buena Vista and Larkey Park areas cover San Juan Avenue, Buena Vista Avenue, Geary Road and the numbered avenues. This is a mixed area: 44% detached houses, 19% townhomes and the rest apartments, with 55% of homes owner-occupied and a median year built of 1975. The Census median value was $1,124,100. Rents are lower here ($2,355) than downtown. What to check: lot size and condition on older houses, and which school district serves the address.
Oak Road
Oak Road runs north from downtown toward the Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre BART station. SummerHill Homes' Oak Grove townhome community has its sales office at 2757 Oak Road, and tract 3382.03 has a median year built of 1986. Only 11% of homes are detached and 38% are owner-occupied. North of the city limit is unincorporated Contra Costa Centre, a Census-designated place of 6,893 people built around the BART station. What to check: whether a home is in the city or the county, and HOA dues for newer townhomes. See our new homes guide.
Diablo Hills and Marchbanks Drive
Diablo Hills lies off Ygnacio Valley Road and Marchbanks Drive. In tract 3382.04, 54% of homes are attached townhomes, the highest share of the areas we checked, and only 14% are detached houses. The Census median value was $890,500 and 56% of homes are owner-occupied. This is one of the few parts of Walnut Creek where a buyer can find an attached home with a garage below the city's typical value. What to check: HOA dues, reserve studies and any planned roof or siding projects.
Ygnacio Valley and Treat Boulevard
Further along Ygnacio Valley Road and around Treat Boulevard, the housing is mostly single-family: 75% detached and 78% owner-occupied, with a median year built of 1971. Tract 3382.01 had a Census median value of $1,155,200 and a median household income of $213,929. What to check: traffic noise on the main roads, and the age of roofs, panels and sewer laterals on 1960s and 1970s houses.
Woodlands and Shadelands
The Woodlands lies off Oak Grove Road and Citrus Avenue, with the Shadelands business park nearby. Zillow's typical value for Woodlands was $1,402,313 in September 2026, up 2.4% in a year. The tract is 86% detached houses and 83% owner-occupied, built around 1968. The planned Mitchell Townhomes project, 422 homes on a 22.2-acre business park site at Mitchell Drive and Shadelands Drive, is nearby. What to check: the project's construction schedule and traffic plans, which were the subject of appeals heard by the City Council in April 2026.
Northgate
Northgate is the east side toward Mount Diablo, along Castle Rock Road and North Gate Road, which leads up to Mount Diablo State Park. The tract around 425 Castle Rock Road is 90% detached houses and 88% owner-occupied, with a Census median value of $1,593,100 and a median year built of 1965. Part of the area lies outside the city in the unincorporated North Gate census-designated place. What to check: wildfire hazard zone and insurance cost, and whether a larger lot has its own septic system or well.
San Miguel and Walnut Avenue
The San Miguel area, around Walnut Avenue, San Carlos Drive and San Antonio Drive, has the highest owner-occupied share of the areas we checked: 94%, with 95% detached houses. The Census median value was $1,490,000 and median household income $218,191. Many homes date from the late 1960s. Note that the separate San Miguel census-designated place, in ZIP 94596, is an unincorporated area outside the city limit, so check which one a listing means. What to check: city or county jurisdiction, and remodel permits on older houses.
Rudgear and Livorna Estates
The hills along Rudgear Road and Livorna Road are the most expensive part of Walnut Creek on Zillow's figures: Livorna Estates had a typical value of $1,781,752 in September 2026, up 2.5%. The tract is 76% detached houses and 24% townhomes, 93% owner-occupied, with household income above the Census cap of $250,000. Some streets in this tract carry Alamo mailing addresses, so check the city and ZIP for any listing. What to check: wildfire zone, hillside drainage and insurance.
Tice Valley
Tice Valley lies along Tice Valley Boulevard, next to Rossmoor and the unincorporated Castle Hill area. Tract 3342, which includes 2000 Tice Valley Boulevard, had the highest Census median value of any area we checked, $1,806,400, with 70% detached houses and rents above the $3,500 Census cap. Castle Hill, a census-designated place of 1,026 people, reports a median value above the $2,000,000 Census cap. What to check: fire zone and insurance on hillside lots, and whether the address is in the city.
Rossmoor
Rossmoor is a gated 55+ community in the Tice Valley, with its main address at 1001 Golden Rain Road. The community describes 9,500+ residents on about 1,800 acres, with 2 golf courses, 5 pools, a fitness center and more than 180 clubs. Homes are co-ops, where you buy shares and the monthly fee includes property taxes, plus condominiums and some detached houses. In the tract containing Golden Rain Road, 95% of homes are owner-occupied and only 5% are detached. Rossmoor covers several tracts, so treat these figures as a sample. What to check: the age rules, the monthly fee and what it covers, and co-op financing. See our 55+ communities guide.
Saranap and Boulevard Way
Saranap is an unincorporated area with Walnut Creek addresses, along Boulevard Way and Olympic Boulevard. The Saranap census-designated place had 5,662 residents, a median value of $1,453,300 and a median household income of $157,347. The tract around 1100 Boulevard Way has the oldest housing of the areas we checked, with a median year built of 1957, and 66% detached houses. What to check: county rather than city rules for permits and services, and the condition of 1950s houses.
Walnut Creek neighborhoods by what you are looking for
Walking distance to BART and shops
Downtown, Almond-Shuey and the Pringle Avenue area are close to the Walnut Creek BART station and Broadway Plaza. Oak Road and Contra Costa Centre are near the Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre station. Most homes here are condos and apartments.
Newer homes
The BART area and Oak Road tracts have a median year built of 1986, the newest we found. For brand-new homes, look at Oak Grove on Oak Road, Abigail Place in 94598 and Enclave at Walnut Boulevard; see the Walnut Creek new homes guide.
Lower entry prices
Condos downtown and along South Main Street, townhomes in Diablo Hills, and Rossmoor co-ops for buyers who meet its age rules are the least expensive options. Redfin's condo medians ranged from $432,487 in 94596 to $601,232 in 94597 over the three months to September 2026. See the Walnut Creek condos guide.
Townhomes with a garage
Diablo Hills has the highest townhome share, 54% of homes in its tract. The BART area and Oak Road tracts are 17% townhomes, and the new Oak Grove community is all townhomes.
Larger lots and hillside views
Northgate, San Miguel, Rudgear and Livorna Estates, and Tice Valley are mostly detached houses on larger lots in the hills. These areas carry the highest values and the most wildfire and insurance checks; see our wildfire zones guide.
Age-restricted housing
Rossmoor is Walnut Creek's large 55+ community, with co-ops, condos and detached homes behind a gate.
How to compare Walnut Creek neighborhoods before you offer
- Confirm whether the address is in the city or unincorporated county, using the county's parcel tools.
- Ask for comparable sales of the same home type in the same tract or subdivision, not the ZIP median.
- Check the school district for the address with the district itself; see our Walnut Creek schools guide.
- Check fire, flood and earthquake zones by address, and get an insurance quote early.
- Look up the official crime data for the right agency on our Walnut Creek crime data page.
- For HOA homes, read the budget, reserve study and minutes.