What's it really like living in Oakland? (San Francisco, Berkeley: gated, apartments)

[sergeyn]

I live in a Bay Area suburb and may be moving soon. I've been looking at rental offerings and it looks like there are some affordable rents in the better parts of Oakland, namely Rockridge, Piedmont Ave and Lake Merrit. Living in Oakland would be convenient due to proximity to the job and "culture" but I have three concerns (big surprise to follow ): crime, crime and crime.

I've been through Rockridge, Lake Merrit and Piedmont Ave area quite a few times and it does look "nice" over there, especially during daytime on the weekends. Of course, I do realize that no place in Oakland is far from "the ghetto" so some spill-over is to be anticipated. So if you have some personal experience with living in the above mentioned places, could you please comment how it affected your lifestyle? Please look at this from the point of view of a *young woman*.

Did you feel comfortable walking your guests to their cars parked out on the streets late in the evening? Did you feel OK about jogging or taking walks around your neighborhood before/after work or on the weekends? Did you have any reservations about returning home by car late at night? Did you experience any property crime in the area?

...I really don't want us to feel imprisoned in the apartment building and always have security in the back of our minds. Thanks!

[ctrres]

You can find some really nice apartments in the southeast-of-Lake Merritt, Ivy Hill neighborhood. The vicinity is well served by bus, and the nearest BART stations are about 15 minutes away by foot. There's a somewhat pricey Albertsons, an arty second-run independent cinema and a coffee house or two all within 2 or three blocks of one another near the shore.

On the east side of downtown (between the nabe and the BART stations) there's a Chinatown and a few city admin. buildings. Produce and a few staples are fairly cheap in some of the stores there.

It's quiet, with a 24 hour pedestrian presence, as people are jogging around the lake at almost all hours. Near the small tidal inlet at the end of the south walkway, you can watch the ducks go submersible for clams.

The few blocks of downtown between the west side of the lake and City Center is an area where you want to keep your eyes open at night.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by sergeyn

I live in a Bay Area suburb and may be moving soon. I've been looking at rental offerings and it looks like there are some affordable rents in the better parts of Oakland, namely Rockridge, Piedmont Ave and Lake Merrit. Living in Oakland would be convenient due to proximity to the job and "culture" but I have three concerns (big surprise to follow ): crime, crime and crime.

I've been through Rockridge, Lake Merrit and Piedmont Ave area quite a few times and it does look "nice" over there, especially during daytime on the weekends. Of course, I do realize that no place in Oakland is far from "the ghetto" so some spill-over is to be anticipated. So if you have some personal experience with living in the above mentioned places, could you please comment how it affected your lifestyle? Please look at this from the point of view of a *young woman*.

Did you feel comfortable walking your guests to their cars parked out on the streets late in the evening? Did you feel OK about jogging or taking walks around your neighborhood before/after work or on the weekends? Did you have any reservations about returning home by car late at night? Did you experience any property crime in the area?

...I really don't want us to feel imprisoned in the apartment building and always have security in the back of our minds. Thanks!

Well,
I spent a great many years in the hoods of East Oakland and I never felt any real danger there. In fact, now that I live in Marin, I sorta miss the realness and much more intimate human interaction over there. Dont get me wrong-there is danger, the numbers confirm that. At the same time, I loved it and crime was rarely on my mind-day or night.

The specific areas you refer to are just fine. Normal rules of awareness apply though. In fact, you mentioned ghettos. A once notorious area for illegal activity not far from there is rapidly becoming a trendy Arts district, but not yuppie art like SF, but real artists. Im referring to the intersection of Telegraph and Grand Aves. I was there a few friday nights ago and was amazed at all the hipsters walking up and down the street enjoying the galleries and cafes. The underlying grit was still present to some degree but it was quite pleasant.

Anyway,
Dont believe the hype about crime. Yes its an issue, but there is so much to enjoy in Oakland that it would be a shame to let a stigma about crime hold you back-like so many outsiders do..

[fizbin]

All three areas are fine. I lived about 12 years in the Lake Merritt area with no problems 'cept one stolen car which was returned. Piedmont Ave. and Rockridge are even nicer.

Disclaimer: of course this being America anything can happen, but the chances in these three neighborhoods are about the same as any nice neighborhood.

[Ultrarunner]

My only concern would be finding a rental with off street parking or better yet, a garage.

The urban areas of the Bay Area seem to be experiencing increasing thefts from someone breaking a window and grabbing whatever they find inside... it is the old Smash and Dash...

Two colleagues each had a car side window smashed in broad daylight in SF this past week. The only item in one car was the Disney DVD "Spirit" for her 4 year old...

[krudmonk]

You get shot every day, just like the Chronicle says.

[City Boy]

Originally Posted by krudmonk

You get shot every day, just like the Chronicle says.

LOL indeed.

Oakland is great, I love it here. Real Diversity, real city feel that SF used to have before it turned into a dot com yuppie filled pseudo utopia. Of course the media enjoys hyping Oakland up as a place you'll get shot for no reason. When in reality, most of the hardcore crime is limited to Drug Turfs and Latino Gangs mainly in East and West Oakland.

[NorthernCalifornia]

The first thing to understand about Oakland is that it's a fully different city from San Francisco. It is not a suburb or a borough and not even a Brooklyn to SF. Oakland feels entirely different and exists on its own. Oakland is much more laid back, the weather is far better (Oakland is typically 10 degrees warmer than SF) and the attitude is more like the rest of California. It's a car city, it's green, there are great parks. You'll actually see kids all over town unlike SF. Oakland's charm is less ostentatious, more hidden, the more you get out and the longer you're there the more you discover is going on. Berkeley and Oakland have much in common and a lot of the reputation that Berkeley has really comes from Oakland. The 1960's were centered in Oakland as much as anywhere else.

There are a few areas with pretty high crime rates but they are not areas you'll be spending time in and are quite small. Unless you're out of place in a bad area late at night you're safe from random incident. There are rich and poor in Oakland, the hilly areas tend to be wealthier and the flatlands less so. There are many nice areas that most people don't know about shhhhhh....

Ethnically Oakland is much more diverse than SF. The city is basically 30% black, 30% white, 30% hispanic and 10-15% Asian and the population is typically less segregated.

Much of Oakland's "reputation" in SF is intentional. Nobody wants the barbarian yuppie hordes flooding over the Bay and ruining everything good about Oakland because they couldn't be bothered to notice that Oakland has an existing, vibrant culture with a rich history and a LOT going for it.

If you're interested in living in a urban part of the Bay Area with warmer weather and a more relaxed atmosphere than SF, Oakland is your place.

[fizbin]

Originally Posted by NorthernCalifornia

Much of Oakland's "reputation" in SF is intentional.

The SF Chronicle has a long habit of propping up SF in part by bashing Oakland, in part by hyping Oakland crime and downplaying identical crimes in SF. In both places the vast majority of murders are blacks killing blacks in poor neighborhoods.

[sergeyn]

Thanks, thanks, thanks!

Looks like I inadvertantly stirred some anti-SF sentiment

Anyway, I know the Bay Area pretty well and have been ito Oakland a million times (including every day on my way to work). It's just that visiting a place and living there are two very different things. What I'm really after is to hear what the latter is like, from someone who has done it themselves (or at least knows someone who's done it).

Anyone else who's lived in Oakland in the mentioned neighborhoods? Thank you!