Lafayette for sure has grown to high end place, but you gotta remember... my growing up, experience years, were from 10 years old to let’s say 21....That’s a period from 1969-1980.

Lafayette had its big money areas and then the rest of it was more or less like Walnut Creek...MIDDLE. CLASS INCOME EARNERS... back then... the rough areas were through the tunnel Richmond/Oakland and over the hill to Pittsburg.

I would never call Lafayette tough...and I would never say I had a tough upbringing.. and that had nothing to do with money... it had everything to do with being part of a great family, and living in a neighborhood filled with catholics and mormons that valued and lived with christian values.

De La Salle was expensive...$ 1,200 plus book my senior year.... that’s why my parents couldn’t afford to send all my siblings there...

but....

I have no doubt I learned a lot more about the difference between income earning class differences at DLS then any of my siblings experienced at Acalanes HS...

DLS had many students on “scholarship”.... meaning they were awarded free tuition as long as they worked one block (class hour in the library, cafeteria or office).

DLS was filled with all income level families...I would say that’s one of the schools biggest values... And you know what you learn... more or less people of all income levels are alike... they want to be treated well, respected and given an opportunity to strive for their goals. The main difference is the cars they drive, houses they live in and vacations they take...

in other words earthly goods stuff that doesn’t matter or make a person and in a christian world are of no value.

DLS had another thing going for it.... if you were trouble or didn’t want to be there they released you or expelled you... our class started with 175 boys as freshman and graduated with around 115 students learning to be men. There were NO intimidation bully’s at DLS... they were kicked to the curb

Finally... you are off on your lafayette stats...

You can’t buy a walk in and livable house in lafayette for 1.5M...it’s more like 1.8M and....you average income includes all the retirees mostly living off passive income and the apartment renters down town

If you could do the stats the actual home owning, working income earners would average over a half mil per year...maybe even push $700,000 on average/mean