Walnut Creek, with its close proximity to Oakland and Mount Diablo, provides access to a vibrant downtown full of chic shops, quality schools, and good job opportunities at East Bay high-tech companies. Homes feature sprawling lots, more than three bedrooms, and are built in Mediterranean, traditional, and contemporary styles. 
Shopping abounds in Walnut Creek's Broadway Plaza, an open-air regional shopping mall in the heart of downtown. This popular commercial district combines small boutiques with upscale shopping experiences at Coach and Nordstrom. Dining at Bradley Ogden's famed Lark Creek and the Walnut Creek Yacht Club or enjoying the Walnut Creek Wine Walk is part of the downtown experience.
The Lesher Center for the Arts is the cultural center of Walnut Creek and presents hundreds of events each year — including musicals by local theater groups, and concerts by Diablo Symphony Orchestra and the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra.
Walnut Creek’s 15 parks feature picnic areas, dog parks, and soccer fields. A skate park serves the city’s skateboarders, and the Butterfly Habitat Gardens in Civic Park is home to bring 25 species of butterflies and more than 100 species of California plants.