Oakland, Richmond named among the most dangerous cities (San Francisco, Berkeley: real estate, house)

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by bayarea-girl

City Boy, I am not from Oakland and proud of it.

Well I am from Oakland and very proud of it. Is your opinion more valuable than mine?

Know too much about Oakland and saw it through its changes (some good some bad and some things changed whiles others just stayed the same and will probably not change).

I don't mind some things staying the same. Who wants their city to become entirely gentrified-that's just as much of a death knell to a city as crime is as far as Im concerned. I like many of the areas of Oakland that are considered ghetto and dangerous actually.

Am tired of people closing their eyes to the crime situation in the Bay.

Oh and how is the crime scene in most of the bay area any worse than elsewhere? I mean, Santa Rosa, Fremont, Sunnyvale, San Jose, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Redwood City, Fairfield, Vacaville, Concord, Antioch are all larger suburbs and SJ is actually a city with around 1 Million people and all the above mentioned places are rarely in the news when it comes to crime.

In fact, I dont think anyone is denying that there is a crime problem in the traditionally higher crime areas of the bay area, but for the most part, crime is not much of a real issue for the vast majority of the region's 7 million residents.

Don't be defensive, where is Compton, Westwood, Beverly Hills, all the places that were named in previous posts in terms of criminal activity compared to Oakland/Richmond? Facts are facts.

Facts are indeed facts. There is crime, that is a fact. But another fact is that crime is not all there is in Oakland.

Adults age 25+ with a graduate degree or higher, 2007
Beverly Hills 18.0%
Oakland 15.5%
Compton 1.3%

Number of Households earning $200,000+ annually, 2007
Oakland 8,985(up 80% since 2005)
Beverly Hills 2,857
Compton 71

Number of Households earning $100,000+ annually, 2007
Oakland 36,724
Beverly Hills 10,588
Compton 2,246

Number of homes valued at $1,000,000+, 2007
Oakland 5,878
Beverly Hills 5,410
Compton 56

When was the last time you were there? People talk about LA as if they lived there.

I lived in Westwood as a college student and then another three years in Pacific Palisades.

Why do people like to compare the Oakland Hills to be like Beverly Hills. It is not and will never be.

Absolutely true. The Oakland Hills are far classier and intellectually at another level. Not to mention far more cosmopolitan and sophisticated.

In today's economy tell me if those properties in the Oakland Hills are still worth 1 mill. Don't think so, even MC Hammer wouldn't debate me on this.

He is just as tacky as Paris Hilton. And in today's real estate market no place is what it once was as far as prices-not even BH.

Like all cities every area has its good and bad side. Even Compton, Inglewood, Oakland has a good side. But most of Oakland has bad parts.

Unlike Compton and Inglewood which are comprised of mostly good parts? Those places don't anything even remotely resembling Rockridge or Montclair. Puhleeze.

Don't get me to start naming the sections. Even the people in Oakland are straight ghetto (not all but the majority).

As someone from the hood-I have a question. So what if they are straight ghetto?

There are parts of the Mission area that look great DURING THE DAY. But I wouldn't live there.

The same can be said for most of Los Angeles-let's be honest.

When I was comparing SF to Oakland/Richmond it is true that 80% of SanFran has no problem. Oakland/Richmond overall has a huge problem.

Perhaps but you really don't know as much on the issue of crime in the East Bay as you claim.

Again, Carson is not LA.

It isnt on Oakland's level either.

Westwood and Beverly Hills are rare places that one will find crime.

The Oakland Hills have nearly 4 times as many people as Beverly Hills and has a low crime rate.

Beverly Hills jail doesn't have an overcrowding problem unlike Oakland.

They would if Fashion Police really existed.

Bring up some facts please.

How ironic.

[Ultrarunner]

98th/Edes/Brookfield can't be that bad if people still call it "Quiet Village"

I've had more issues around Havenscourt and Bancroft than Brookfield...

Everyone I meet... from anywhere and everywhere... has an opinion of Oakland... and many have never been here or only traveled through never getting off the Freeway

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

98th/Edes/Brookfield can't be that bad if people still call it "Quiet Village"

I've had more issues around Havenscourt and Bancroft than Brookfield...

Everyone I meet... from anywhere and everywhere... has an opinion of Oakland... and many have never been here or only traveled through never getting off the Freeway

I'll have to disagree with you there, the area around 98th/Edes is quite violent. The other side of the Nimitz seems to be quieter.

[bayarea-girl]

Never said that MC Hammer lived in the Oakland Hills. Maybe people have forgotten how to read. Only mentioned Hammer because #1 he didn't choose to build a home in Oakland (wonder why)?

Although the economy is going down the crapper places such as the Oakland Hills which prices increased during the crazy housing market it has not kept it's value. Not like San Francisco has nor Beverly Hills and or other places in California. That is because it was already at or over millions prior to the Housing boom.

Unlike some of these poster who have never lived any other place than Oakland or Richmond I can comment about other places because I have lived in other places. Why are those who haven't lived in LA commenting about LA County. Again, LA is a city and is part of LA county. When you nuts mention cities in the County it doesn't speak of all of LA. Oakland is a city in Alameda county understand my point?

All of the negative energy and or should I say denial about Oakland and Richmond really should go towards speaking the truth about the place but I guess either people like to live in denial or are use to things they don't know right from wrong. This energy should go towards improving or fixing the problem.

Not sure where some of you are pulling stats from but here you go I'm not afraid of revealing my source (instead of making things up):

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed
Recent Articles about Crime Statistics -- Oakland (CA) - Los Angeles Times
Oakland Crimespotting
Oakland Profile | Oakland CA
Many Eyes: Crime in Oakland, CA (1/1/08 - 6/1/08)
Violent Weekend Pushes Oakland Murder Total To 81 - Topix
Body found next to train tracks in East Oakland - Inside Bay Area

CRIME SECTION in Oakland Newspaper
Crime - Inside Bay Area

[City Boy]

I really don't know why I'm addressing you anymore. It's obvious you're biased and ignorant about the whole situation. Your implications about MC Hammer and the Oakland hills were obvious but you left it open ended enough in order to retort with some BS about that's not what you meant. Sure.

Your assumption about why prices in the Oakland hills have come down is pure BS and non sense. Prices everywhere are down. Yes even in SF and Beverley Hills. What planet do you live on?

Do you really think you're the only person who has lived in other places? Give it a rest, you're not a world traveler because you lived in LA. Woooo LA how worldly of you. I've lived in Atlanta, Queens, Philly and Miami. Big Deal. That has nothing to do with what we are discussing. It's not very hard to search for articles of murder in any city. What do you think that proves? Even San Jose has articles of Murder, a mother of two was shot to death in her home in San Mateo last week. What's your point? That murders happen? Moderator cut: Personal attack

P.S. You've never stepped foot in Oakland.

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

I'll have to disagree with you there, the area around 98th/Edes is quite violent. The other side of the Nimitz seems to be quieter.

I own property there and have since 1985 and it's like night and day better today then it was in the 80's...

Locals still call Brookfield "Quiet Village"

As a side note... I'm fascinated the the city of Peidment... completely surrounded by Oakland and ONLY accessible through Oakland is and has been highly sought after real estate... and no, one doesn't have to pass checkpoints to enter of leave.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by bayarea-girl

Unlike some of these poster who have never lived any other place than Oakland or Richmond I can comment about other places because I have lived in other places.

Where do you get that idea? I don't even currently live in Oakland or Richmond, I just work in these cities... I live in San Francisco, and have also lived in Oregon (Eugene), South Lake Tahoe, Stockton, Maryland, Philadelphia, and many towns around the Bay Area. Haven't lived in L.A. county, but I have family down there, so I'm somewhat familiar with the whole SoCal area. Who do you think is posting from a limited perspective? Or are you just assuming things?

[bayarea-girl]

CityBoy, you don't have to address me. I was only stating my opinion after all this is a free country right? A world traveler I am have lived in other countries as well as other cities across the nation (I've lived in NJ, NY, LA, GA (currently), Berkeley, San Rafael, SF, Oakland, Pinole, countries in So. America, Africa, Europe, and Japan to name a few). It always amazed me how often when I asked people from Oakland where have they been or even if they have been to SF and most likely they haven't been any where more surspringly they never visited SanFran.

You like many people who defend cities of their liking is very biased especially since you delude facts. Never said all of Oakland is bad but the majority of the place needs to be cleaned up.

No need to be tacky about ones position. America is a great place where others are free to have their own opinion. You don't have to agree with mine and I don't have to agree with yours.

[bayarea-girl]

Gizmo980, I rarely assume anything. But it bothers me that people make comments about places they have never lived in before. For instance I moved to GA and many people who never lived there or visited said it is so racist and is similar to slave days. Or the weather is so bad. Not the case. Other people from the Bay Area say that LA is so fake the people are horrible. Not the case. People from GA think the weather in CA is perfect and never rains or that everyone hangs out at the beach all day. Not the case. Can go on and on but hopefully you get my point. Unless you have lived in a place and know the areas why would you even comment about or compare a city to the own you live in? Doesn't make sense doesn't matter how much family you have in a place.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by bayarea-girl

Gizmo980, I rarely assume anything. But it bothers me that people make comments about places they have never lived in before. For instance I moved to GA and many people who never lived there or visited said it is so racist and is similar to slave days. Or the weather is so bad. Not the case. Other people from the Bay Area say that LA is so fake the people are horrible. Not the case. People from GA think the weather in CA is perfect and never rains or that everyone hangs out at the beach all day. Not the case. Can go on and on but hopefully you get my point. Unless you have lived in a place and know the areas why would you even comment about or compare a city to the own you live in? Doesn't make sense doesn't matter how much family you have in a place.

I agree... but you WERE assuming posters were speaking from ignorance, and I wasn't sure why. Of course it's not good to make generalizations, especially if you haven't even visited a place - but I think most people here are speaking from experience, and not just "blowing smoke" or making up facts. Nobody will deny that Richmond and Oakland have crime issues, but they also aren't as bad as you think - I've been working out here for nearly a year, and haven't had anything bad happen. Maybe I'm jaded since I've lived in some REALLY rough neighborhoods, but I have also lived in some really nice areas... so my opinions are just as valid as yours.