Welcome to Moraga
The Town of Moraga, a community of approximately 16,000, is situated in a small valley bordered by the Oakland-Berkeley hills. Encompassing an area of nine and one-half miles, the town is 11 miles southeast of Oakland and 18 miles southeast of San Francisco. A semi-rural community, with only four two lane roads leading into town, Moraga is relatively isolated. In 1988, the California Department of Justice rated it the safest city in the Bay Area. The town is also noted for its quiet, family oriented lifestyle and excellent schools.
Two neighborhood shopping centers comprise the business community, which is surrounded by residential areas and open
hillsides where cattle graze and horses are pastured. Eighty-four percent of all residences are single family. The hillsides offer some of the most scenic landscape in Contra Costa County. There is no industry. The major employer is St. Mary’s College of California (pictured above). Ninety percent of the town’s residents commute to major business centers of the Bay Area. Public transit connects Moraga with the Lafayette and Orinda BART stations, while freeway travel times to Oakland and Berkeley are approximately 20 minutes and San Francisco is roughly 35 minutes away.
There are 40 acres of parks within the town, with 3 major parks offering a variety of activities and open space, plus a smaller creative playground. A quarterly brochure mailed to all residents contains information on classes ranging from cooking and crafts to physical fitness and special programs for people of all ages. Horseback riding, hiking and bicycling are popular activities on the several miles of public trails maintained by the East Bay Municipal Utilities District. The Moraga Country Club includes an 18 hole golf course and there are private and public swim and tennis facilities.
The Le Fevre Theatre on the campus of St. Mary’s College, and the outdoor summertime concerts at the Moraga Commons provide a variety of amateur and professional productions. The Hearst Art Gallery at St. Mary’s College rounds out the cultural aspects of Moraga. The Moraga Historical Archives are housed in the Moraga Public Library.
