Richmond's rep & neighborhood (Oakland, Berkeley: city hall, rentals, crime rate)

[borntofly11]

Hello,

I'm moving to Oakland & came across a rental in Richmond. Is Richmond a neighborhood in Oakland, or separate?

The address is 4th St Richmond 94801

Any input on this area would be appreciated!

[sonarrat]

Different city, even different county than Oakland. It's about 20 minutes on the train between them.

I would avoid 4th St and anything else in the Iron Triangle (see the railroad tracks on the map), or in North Richmond.

[borntofly11]

Awesome thanks Sonarrat. I will avoid that rental!

[comingbacktocali]

fwiw, i have a friend who moved out of Richmond about a year ago. she said her neighborhood had become *very* crime ridden in the few years she lived there. both violent and non violent crimes. i believe she lived on Sonoma St but I could be wrong.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Richmond has always had a reputation for dangerous crimes. I've never lived there, but am telling you the perception we had growing up in the East Bay. My mom and dad grew up in Oakland, my grandmothers lived there. And we all thought of Richmond as way more dangerous than Oakland.

But, like I said, I don't think I've ever been there, based just on this reputation. So, I don't know from first hand experience. But, I can tell you the reputation is bad.

It's really a shame because it's right on the water. The views must be wonderful. For all I know, there are great, safe neighborhoods with great views of the city.

[smashystyle]

I wouldn't live where that address is, and yes, Richmond has relatively high crime. But by almost any measure it's not getting more dangerous. Crime is way down since the 1990s: Richmond reports lowest homicide total in 33 years, credits multipronged efforts - ContraCostaTimes.com

Per this website's own statistics, Oakland has a significantly higher crime rate than Richmond. But there are many fewer reasons to go to Richmond and no trendy neighborhoods so it doesn't surprise me you haven't visited. It will probably take decades, but one day I bet Richmond will be gentrified. The weather, location, and access to public transit are all very good.

[davdaven]

I find myself in Richmond on a fairly regular basis. Neighborhood quality varies substantially, as it is not a small city but rather somewhat spread out. You would not want to live in the Iron Triangle area at all, but the main streets in that area are "relatively safe" during the day. I can handle getting a donut at Cutting & 23rd or stopping at the 7-Eleven across the street from City Hall (off of Macdonald), but I do not linger because I will be hassled if I do.

I used to catch the bus from Cutting & Harbour on occasion and never had problems in the morning, but always got aggressively panhandled in the afternoon. I eventually started commuting to/from work at a different bus stop (Tewksbury & Castro) because that nearby area (Pt. Richmond) is so much better and nicer. Pt. Richmond, Brickyard Cove, and Marina Bay area all pretty nice, quiet areas isolated from the crime of the Iron Triangle thanks to the freeway, railroad tracks, and other obstacles that limit street connectivity.

There are several neighborhoods adjacent to El Cerrito, such as the Northeast and Richmond Annex, and those neighborhoods are pretty tolerable overall and even cute in places. The shopping area on the city border at Cutting & San Pablo is kinda ghetto, but the Target shopping center nearby on Macdonald is not bad. Further north, the area around Hilltop Mall is very suburban and somewhat dumpy, but it doesn't feel unsafe. The shopping center itself, however, is pretty pathetic.

FYI, North Richmond is not in Richmond proper but rather is an unincorporated area within Contra Costa County. You absolutely positively do not want to be there at any time of day or night. It's so dangerous that AC Transit has had sheriffs escort buses through the neighborhood on and off to prevent the bus from being shot at. You can read archives of the Contra Costa Times for more details.

[18Montclair]

Although that particular section of Richmond might be problematic, there are lots of better areas too.

The closer to I-80 the better and east of 80 is actually nice for the most part.

[Ruth4Truth]

This seems like a good place to post a question I've had for awhile. As I scout the Berkeley/El Cerrito/Albany area to get an idea of rental prices, I keep running into "El Cerrito" listings that are on the north end of the town, close to Richmond. Occasionally, a rental that's actually a Richmond location gets listed as "El Cerrito". Is north El Cerrito ok? Would there be any concern with crime spillover from Richmond? I have no clue. Thanks.

[davdaven]

Most if not all of El Cerrito is a nice, family-friendly town. There is only one part of El Cerrito that give me pause, and even then it's nothing I would sweat during the day. Specifically it's the collection of strip malls running from Walgreens to Carrows, on the west side of San Pablo Avenue near El Cerrito del Norte BART Station, and the small residential neighborhood behind there next to the freeway.

A general rule of thumb is that El Cerrito gets nicer the further south (towards El Cerrito Plaza) and east (of San Pablo Avenue) that you get. But really, San Pablo Avenue is not bad and people who are used to SF, Oakland, or Berkeley city life won't even think twice about it.

Rentals in the Richmond Annex often get listed as being in El Cerrito. Welcome to the wonderful world of Craigslist! The Annex feels very similar to El Cerrito, as it is just on the other side of San Pablo Avenue, so it's fair to consider rentals there. The Annex is cheaper because of the Richmond address; El Cerrito has a more functional local government than Richmond does. Case in point: Richmond councilwoman perseveres through hate speech - SFGate

The north side of El Cerrito is fine. It blends seamlessly into Richmond around Barrett Avenue. It's all well kept middle class suburbs up there. I would avoid the strip of San Pablo Avenue north of Macdonald at night because it's kind of isolated, but that's within Richmond city limits.