looking for details on the temescal/north oakland region (Vallejo: apartments, houses)

[gusty]

hi there! my boyfriend and i are moving up to the oakland/berkeley area this summer. we are looking in general at these areas: lake merritt, temescal, peidmont, rockridge, north oakland/berkeley boarder round ashby blvd. i'm seeing a lot of great places at good prices in the area of north oakland/temescal that boarder on emeryville...the map lists it as gaskill. does anyone know anything specific to this part? or the lower half of temescal listed as pill hill? i know that all neighborhoods have some sections that aren't so great, guess i'm looking for the fine details. any specific info would be really helpful!! thanks!

[mayorhaggar]

West of Telegraph in North Oakland can be pretty crappy especially near Emeryville and the Berkeley borders. East of Telegraph is better...though there are some areas just west of Telegraph that are pretty nice--I think around Racine?

Pill Hill is a lot of hospital complexes. It's not really bad compared with the area by Emeryville, it's a little dirty and marginally shady though. I think somewhere like Shafter and 42nd would be better than around Macarthur and Webster.

The Temescal is alright, there's some neat places to shop and eat on Telegraph just south of 51st, though there's always weird guys wandering around looking shady--my guess is they're either homeless or drug dealers. Rockridge is nicer and the housing is kept up better but it is more expensive.

[jade408]

mayorhaggar is absolutely right. The e-ville border is pretty crappy. Stay east or Telegraph (generally).

You can look at Adam's Point, Piedmont Ave, Temescal Above 40, east of Telegraph (lots of good stuff on 40th from Piedmont Ave up to Telegraph.

Ashby is a bit sketchy. There are nicer apartments in Oakland at the price in better parks of town.

Good luck.

[gusty]

wow, thanks! i've seen a few great places (online of course) JUST west of telegraph...looks like the highway/ martin luther king.... from 40th-51st st. i guess we would have to be there to get the feel of the area. any parts of lake merritt to stay away from?

[Vallejo2Oakland]

I would say to stay on the Grand Avenue side of Lake Merritt (Adam's Point area), or the Lake Shore side of Grand. The other side of Lake, bordering downtown (when you get into the numbered streets) can get sketchy as well. Downtown just attracts some of the folks that you just don't really want to live around. Chinatown is also on that side, and although a great place to shop, and eat, it's crowded, and noisy, and not condusive to living.

The side of Lake Merritt where International Blvd starts, is hit or miss at best (Cleveland Heights area), I personally wouldn't live there, it just had that vibe of being on the cusp of going one way or the other, which was too much like Vallejo for me.

There are a ton of nice places in Adam's Point, however, not a lot of public trans options, if you have a car, no worries (although parking here can be a drag at times), otherwise, it's a 15 minute walk to BART from most AP addresses. Check Lapham Company, they have a lot of places in AP, and don't gouge you for deposits.

[WesternGulf]

Originally Posted by gusty

wow, thanks! i've seen a few great places (online of course) JUST west of telegraph...looks like the highway/ martin luther king.... from 40th-51st st. i guess we would have to be there to get the feel of the area. any parts of lake merritt to stay away from?

it depends on the person. i personally wouldn't settle west of the shafter freeway. if we are talking directly west of telegraph but east of the shafter freeway, it's not too bad and still pretty close to amenities that temescal's business district offers....plus BART.

[Nineties Flava]

Gaskill is the hood and probably the worst one in all of North Oakland other than Golden Gate. As a rule of thumb, you should stay away from the San Pablo Avenue area, especially by where it meets Stanford Ave (Gaskill being in that area).

If you're trying to save money then I would look between Shattuck and Telegraph in the upper 50s (aka Bushrod). There's some really nice houses in that area. In general I wouldn't go west of shattuck although there are some nice streets like Carberry Ave.


Here's what Carberry Ave looks like:


http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/882/dsc03510xi.jpg (broken link)


Telegraph in that area:


http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/7761/dsc03495z.jpg (broken link)



By Telegraph, I would more strongly recommend looking in the lower 50's, particularly in the Bakesale Betty's area (51st & Telegraph).


the Bakesale Betty's area:


http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/1699/img0368cx.jpg (broken link)

Shattuck in that area:





http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/3034/img0366g.jpg (broken link)


http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/7464/img0367c.jpg (broken link)



The 40th and Telegraph area (by Mosswood) is very iffy and feels more like West Oakland than North Oakland. In general I would stay between 45th and 55th.


The 45th St. & Telegraph area (on Telegraph & Shattuck):


http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/9638/img0356a.jpg (broken link)



http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/5489/img0357go.jpg (broken link)


http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/7037/img0358ue.jpg (broken link)


Hope that helps give you an idea.

[lmk1707]

Originally Posted by Vallejo2Oakland

The side of Lake Merritt where International Blvd starts, is hit or miss at best (Cleveland Heights area), I personally wouldn't live there, it just had that vibe of being on the cusp of going one way or the other, which was too much like Vallejo for me.

Cleveland Heights is bounded by Lakeshore and Park, not International. You're thinking of the Merritt neighborhood. CH is a very nice area (I live here). Can walk to Lakeshore shopping/farmer's market in about five minutes.

In North Oakland, the Temescal district is the best area, Bushrod isn't bad either, as Nineties points out. It used to be dicier, but has gotten a lot safer. There is a very nice park with tennis courts. Right on Telegraph in the 50's can be a bit sketchy, but the side streets are nice.

[athleticsfan72737489]

Originally Posted by lmk1707

Cleveland Heights is bounded by Lakeshore and Park, not International. You're thinking of the Merritt neighborhood. CH is a very nice area (I live here). Can walk to Lakeshore shopping/farmer's market in about five minutes.

In North Oakland, the Temescal district is the best area, Bushrod isn't bad either, as Nineties points out. It used to be dicier, but has gotten a lot safer. There is a very nice park with tennis courts. Right on Telegraph in the 50's can be a bit sketchy, but the side streets are nice.

I agree with what Nineties Flava and lmk1707 have just said. I wouldn't write off the Bushrod area, especially if you think Temescal is too expensive. Bushrod has become a lot nicer in recent years, but can still be kind of sketchy.

[mayorhaggar]

Rockridge is nicer in pretty much every way to Temescal...but it is more expensive. And it has kind of more of a frou-frou edge to it while the Temescal is a bit more hipsterish and gritty. Both are dirt cheap compared to SF though.