View Website Walnut Creek is a medium-sized suburban city located about 17 miles east of Oakland in Contra Costa County. It is mostly known for its retail and restaurant offerings. The city also boasts extensive protected open space for hiking and picnicking, as well as a predominantly sunny and warm climate with a briefly cool and wet winter.
Walnut Creek is the business hub of Contra Costa County. Walnut Creek is also the traffic hub of Contra Costa County, with the intersection of Highway 24 and I-680. Although many urban visitors to Walnut Creek may be surprised how few minorities appear on its streets, compared to other towns in the area (such as Danville or Alamo) Walnut Creek is practically a bastion of mutliculturalism and tolerance.
Walnut Creek is well served by Interstate 680 and Highway 24, but the easiest way of getting to Walnut Creek for most who don't want to drive through a suburban wonderland is by BART. For those who figuratively speaking prefer to put the pedal to the metal the old fashioned way (on bicycle), the Iron Horse Trail runs North/South, neatly bisecting Walnut Creek into the west side where most of the stores lie and the east side where most of the suburban homes and strip malls are located. If flying's your thing, Buchanan Field in Concord serves as your gateway to Walnut Creek.
