"Sacramento is a scary place." (San Jose, Oakland: rentals, crime rates)

[wburg]

Originally Posted by cityx

MOD CUT
Comparing Oakland to Oakland Hills is like comparing apples to oranges. You probably couldn't afford a one bedroom apartment in Oakland Hills even if you tried.

But Oakland Hills is in...Oakland.

[Yvetta]

Oakland is a glorious city. It's beauty is breathtaking. I smile every day as I drive to work past Lake Merritt and watch the bikers, joggers and the elderly smiling as they enjoy the atmosphere.
If you have never been to Oakland..I say come experience it for yourself.
It is the most diverse city on the west coast, 150 dialects spoken here.
People who complain about the city don't know it.

The crime activity is in the Flatlands of EAST Oakland.
Do Not compare that with the overall class, culture, diversity, arts, education, and community this wonderful city has to offer.
And please do not believe the media. They are all about sensationalism..

As for Sacramento.. My opinion is the same. Good and bad neighborhoods, and I saw some mansions in Sac that were breathtaking!

[wburg]

We are agreed. I am a big fan of Oakland's architecture and culture, it shares a lot of similarities with Sacramento. Both cities also have problems, and not all neighborhoods are equally safe or aesthetically pleasing. cityx seemed to be suggesting that the Oakland Hills were not in the city of Oakland--while Oakland Hills and East Oakland may seem worlds apart, they are still in the same city, just as East Sacramento and Sierra Oaks are in the same city as troubled neighborhoods like Meadowview and Del Paso Heights. The same could be said for many cities--judging them by one neighborhood (rich or poor) produces a skewed picture that often doesn't match the reality.

[cityx]

Originally Posted by wburg

But Oakland Hills is in...Oakland.

Gee really? Who would have thought? Wow, thanks for your insightful clarification.

My point was.....
comparing Oakland to Oakland Hills is like comparing Oak Park to McKinley Park. Two different areas, same city, but worlds apart.

[wburg]

Originally Posted by cityx

My point was.....
comparing Oakland to Oakland Hills is like comparing Oak Park to McKinley Park. Two different areas, same city, but worlds apart.

Thanks for clarifying. The fact that you compared Oakland (the name of an entire city, rather than a specific part) instead of comparing the not-so-good part of Oakland to Oakland Hills was kind of confusing.

Strictly speaking, comparing Oakland to Oakland Hills is like comparing Sacramento to McKinley Park. Thus, the confusion.

[kim racer]

The big difference between Oakland and Sacramento is that Oakland has comparatively no middle class. Oakland has really expensive homes in the hills with views of the bay and various bridges across the bay and large fairly poor flat land area

No area in the City Sacramento has the concentration of wealth that the Oakland Hills have. The closest thing in this region to the Oakland Hills would probably be something like Serrano in El Dorado Hills.

Eldorado Homes- New Homes for Sale Sacramento Foothills, Eldorado, Serrano, and all surrounding areas.

What Sacramento has is a much larger concentration middle class to upper middle class neighborhoods. Land Park is nice, but the homes in Land Park are likely to be owned by a Pharmacist at Longs. Where as the homes in the Oakland Hills are likely to be owned by a partner in a major SF law firm or someone who made a bunch of money on an internet start up.

Neither homeowner is poor, but one has a lot more resources.

[City Boy]

Originally Posted by cityx

MOD CUT
Comparing Oakland to Oakland Hills is like comparing apples to oranges. You probably couldn't afford a one bedroom apartment in Oakland Hills even if you tried.

No it's not it's still Oakland, the Oakland hills is just one of many nice area's, Laurel, Rockridge, Lakeshore, etc etc. Do you really think all of Oaklands population lives in the flatlands? Give me a break.

[wburg]

kim racer: This is true, but Land Park isn't really the region's wealthiest neighborhood, or even the city's. Arden Oaks would probably be the wealthiest housing in the city (lots of horse property and mansions, Mc and otherwise) while regionally there are places like Granite Bay and Rancho Murieta. That's where the region's wealthiest--typically land developers and contractors--live. They moved out to the Sacramento foothills for the same reasons that so many of San Francisco's wealthy moved to the Oakland hills.

Sacramento does have a very middle-class tone: traditionally, when people got rich in Sacramento they moved to San Francisco shortly thereafter. But because running things like railroads, branch offices and the state of California requires a lot of middle management and mid-level professionals, the middle class stayed here. Middle-class folks tend to like suburbs, malls and cars, so we built most of the region to suit those needs.

One side effect has been the relative lack of cultural amenities normally provided by rich benefactors: Leland Stanford made his money here, but he started his university in the Bay Area after he moved--his old home here became an orphanage. The only reason we have the Crocker art collection is because E.B. Crocker died before he could move to San Francisco. That's part of why so many of Sacramento's major civic amenities were built by the city or state; a relative lack of local gentry.

[NorCal Dude]

All of Oakland is not the flat lands but most of it is. The only joke is you (city boy) coming in here and trying to pretend its not. If Oakland was safe and nice it would not be the 10th most dangerous city in the country. Sf is nice, La is nice, SD is nice, New York is nice, these places have lower crime rates and a higher quality of life.

To the question at hand yea, parts of sacramento are shady. But just as many neighborhoods are nice as are shady, but by and large the majority are what people call "hit or miss". One block could be one of 20 year long home owners with well maintained lawns and pride of ownership. The next, rentals that are becoming dilapidated with little thugs walking around.

Not as bad as Oakland but not as safe as san jose.

[Screw Sacramento]

Originally Posted by City Boy

Yes because the entire city of Oakland is Bad. What a joke.

By the way, Boi, I hope when I said Oak Park wasn't the greatest place, you're aware that wasn't any part of Oakland I was talking about, it was the Sacramento ghetto.