Anfa and Californie: villas and space
Anfa is the address people name when they picture comfortable Casablanca. Villas behind gates, mature gardens, wide quiet streets, and prices to match. Californie, a little further out, offers the same in a slightly newer register.
The trade-off is that you are committed to driving. These are not districts you walk out of for bread. And on moving day the gates and private driveways that make them pleasant are exactly what a full-size truck cannot always get through, so access has to be checked rather than assumed.
Gauthier and Maarif: the walkable centre
If you want to live in Casablanca rather than commute through it, this is where to look. Cafés, restaurants, shops and offices are all within walking distance, and the apartment stock is generous by European standards.
The buildings, though, mostly date from the 1940s to the 1970s. That means charm, high ceilings, and lifts that were sized for people rather than for a three-seat sofa. It is the single most reliable surprise of a Casablanca move: the apartment is beautiful, and your wardrobe will not go up in the lift.
Ain Diab and the corniche: the sea, with a catch
Living on the corniche means the Atlantic at the end of your street, a run of beach clubs and restaurants, and light that makes the rest of the city look grey.
It also means salt in the air permanently. Electronics, screens and solid wood furniture suffer in a way that inland districts do not experience, and anything you bring should be wrapped for it. Residents learn quickly which of their possessions the sea air is quietly working on.
CIL and Bourgogne: the practical middle
Between the villas and the old centre sits the ground most families actually end up on. Solid apartment blocks, decent schools within reach, real shops rather than boutiques, and rents that make sense.
These buildings run to syndic rules, and the rules bite on moving day: many require written authorisation before the lift or stairwell can be used, and some restrict moves to particular weekdays. It is administratively trivial and completely blocking if nobody asked.
Sidi Maarouf, Bouskoura and Dar Bouazza: the new edge
The southern and western fringe is where new Casablanca has been built: gated compounds, modern flats, international schools, and space that the centre cannot offer at the price.
It suits people whose work is in the business district and whose priority is a garden. It suits less well anyone who wants to be able to walk somewhere in the evening. Compound security is strict, which is worth knowing before a removal van turns up unannounced at the barrier.
Choosing between them
The honest summary: Anfa and Californie for space, Gauthier and Maarif for life on foot, the corniche for the sea, CIL and Bourgogne for the balance, and the southern compounds for families who need room and schools.
Whichever you pick, look at the access before you sign. Floor level, lift dimensions, whether a truck can stop outside, and whether the building has rules about moves. Those four questions determine what your move day looks like far more than the distance involved.