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Old 08-09-2016, 04:49 PM
 
5 posts, read 6,186 times
Reputation: 13

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Hello,

I recently moved to Richmond from Berkeley near the 23rd and Cutting area.

What are some things I should know about living in Richmond.

My female roommate is scared that car will be broken into, or that someone will break into the house.

Will gentrification at some point make Richmond a safer neighborhood?
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Old 08-11-2016, 07:52 PM
 
244 posts, read 179,880 times
Reputation: 488
Quote:
Originally Posted by mmmLA View Post
Hello,

I recently moved to Richmond from Berkeley near the 23rd and Cutting area.

What are some things I should know about living in Richmond.

My female roommate is scared that car will be broken into, or that someone will break into the house.

Will gentrification at some point make Richmond a safer neighborhood?
Not the best area. I used to live nearby and went through it often.

I would not count on quick gentrification, except by the bay. Gentrification affects core urban areas like Oakland or SF. Be ready for it to remain the way it is in the observable future.

In the meanwhile, you need to build up awareness- the skill that lets you gauge the situation around you quickly. Be ready to run at the first hunch that something is off- do not think about it, act from the gut. Improve confidence- not only does that feel good but also makes people less likely to mess with you. Also you need to learn to blend in- observe how people dress, walk and talk and do your best to appear like them. All of these abilities can be developed deliberatly such as through martial arts, study of psychology or some kinds of spiritual discipline.

Above all, remember that those you share the city with are people just like you- they have hopes, fears, things they love, things they hate and also want to be happy. While being aware, careful and decisive, learn to think of you and your neighbors as leaves on the same tree. Even if people act in ways you are uncomfortable with, try to understand their life condition and frankly ask yourself whether you would act differently under these same conditions. Such empathy is very helpful in life in general and especially when the situation is not great (otherwise you would not be in Richmond).

While you can make good of your time in Richmond, don't get stuck there unless you truly develop a connection with the place. Even if you are of limited means there are definitely better places in America you can choose to live your life in. Do whatever you need to do there but have your sights on something better.
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Old 08-11-2016, 08:21 PM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
702 posts, read 950,340 times
Reputation: 1498
Richmond will not gentrify anytime in the foreseeable future. Neighborhoods that gentrify have assets like a central location, historic architecture, or access to parks/transit/retail etc. Richmond is far from jobs (and downwind of a massive oil refinery), has terrible architecture (basically shacks thrown up as quickly as possible after WWII), and aside from BART, has no real physical amenities of note.
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Old 08-12-2016, 09:34 AM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
28,226 posts, read 36,760,295 times
Reputation: 28561
Quote:
Originally Posted by ketch89 View Post
Richmond will not gentrify anytime in the foreseeable future. Neighborhoods that gentrify have assets like a central location, historic architecture, or access to parks/transit/retail etc. Richmond is far from jobs (and downwind of a massive oil refinery), has terrible architecture (basically shacks thrown up as quickly as possible after WWII), and aside from BART, has no real physical amenities of note.
Not exactly. Richmond is a pretty diverse place. There are nice areas. There are less nice areas. It does have the Bay as an amenity. And there are some neighborhoods with nice historic architecture. The new campus of the Livermore Lab is going up in Richmond and that will play a role in development.

The OP didn't pick an area that is on the path to "gentrification" though. That part has a very long way to go and won't see a lot of change.
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Old 08-12-2016, 12:08 PM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
702 posts, read 950,340 times
Reputation: 1498
I shouldn't have to qualify my responses by saying "regarding the area the OP was asking about." I was giving my opinion on 23rd and Cutting, I'm aware Richmond is a diverse place. Sure, the bay is there, but it's separated from the rest of the city by a massive freeway. The neighborhood is also cut off from slightly nicer areas on the other side of the tracks.

Last edited by ketch89; 08-12-2016 at 12:23 PM..
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Old 08-12-2016, 10:18 PM
 
5 posts, read 6,186 times
Reputation: 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by candalf View Post
Not the best area. I used to live nearby and went through it often.

I would not count on quick gentrification, except by the bay. Gentrification affects core urban areas like Oakland or SF. Be ready for it to remain the way it is in the observable future.

In the meanwhile, you need to build up awareness- the skill that lets you gauge the situation around you quickly. Be ready to run at the first hunch that something is off- do not think about it, act from the gut. Improve confidence- not only does that feel good but also makes people less likely to mess with you. Also you need to learn to blend in- observe how people dress, walk and talk and do your best to appear like them. All of these abilities can be developed deliberatly such as through martial arts, study of psychology or some kinds of spiritual discipline.

Above all, remember that those you share the city with are people just like you- they have hopes, fears, things they love, things they hate and also want to be happy. While being aware, careful and decisive, learn to think of you and your neighbors as leaves on the same tree. Even if people act in ways you are uncomfortable with, try to understand their life condition and frankly ask yourself whether you would act differently under these same conditions. Such empathy is very helpful in life in general and especially when the situation is not great (otherwise you would not be in Richmond).

While you can make good of your time in Richmond, don't get stuck there unless you truly develop a connection with the place. Even if you are of limited means there are definitely better places in America you can choose to live your life in. Do whatever you need to do there but have your sights on something better.
I chose to live in Richmond not because I could not afford it, but to save money and the space of the apartment attracted my roommates and I. After a week of living here, we noticed that my female roommate is somewhat scared for her safety, the 2nd night we slept here the neighbors car was broken into at 3am, and my partner does not like that there is no city town center or a GROCERY STORE for miles.

I personally am kind of regretting moving here. I love the apartment, my landlord, the space but the neighborhood is lacking grocerty stores, and the feeling living here is somewhat depressing.

I think I am going to start looking in San Leandro or another area.

Preferably, I would like to live in Concord but the commute is around 50 min each way to work :/
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Old 08-13-2016, 12:40 AM
 
Location: 415->916->602
3,145 posts, read 2,642,030 times
Reputation: 3872
RIP to the OP.
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Old 08-13-2016, 09:43 AM
 
520 posts, read 607,669 times
Reputation: 753
I would not recommend that someone not pretty familiar with the Bay Area live in Central Richmond (I'm not talking about Marina Bay, Point Richmond, Richmond Hills, Richmond Annex, even Hilltop). You need to know what you're getting into, as the OP has seen.

There has been a little bit of gentrification in North and East Richmond, and over the border in El Cerrito, housing prices are up a lot. But any gentrification isn't happening quickly. I do think the ferry and the other development along the waterfront will help. I also think that Richmond has some potential for gentrification given its relatively central location, BART, and waterfront.
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Old 08-14-2016, 04:41 PM
 
Location: where the good looking people are
3,814 posts, read 3,987,482 times
Reputation: 3284
Richmond is just another over priced bay ghetto, where multiple generational families live 10 people deep, in 900 square foot bungalows, built in 1948.

It was once a proud blue collar area filled with Italians and Portuguese. Folks who had dignity, even if they were poor. Obviously, those days have been gone for about 50 years.
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Old 08-14-2016, 04:59 PM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
28,226 posts, read 36,760,295 times
Reputation: 28561
Quote:
Originally Posted by WizardOfRadical View Post
Richmond is just another over priced bay ghetto, where multiple generational families live 10 people deep, in 900 square foot bungalows, built in 1948.

It was once a proud blue collar area filled with Italians and Portuguese. Folks who had dignity, even if they were poor. Obviously, those days have been gone for about 50 years.
This is probably the most racist post I have seen on C-D.

Maybe you are unaware of redlining which made most areas off limits to non-white people?

Things were great until they decided to kill all the blue collar jobs in the region that provides a living wage. Factor in redevelopments and neglect and suddenly thriving middle class blue collar communities were decimated by a lack of jobs.
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