Moving to East Bay from Chicago

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by fishstix3

Dang -- I want to know when you leave from San Leandro to get to the snow that you can SKI on in 3 hours BY CAR ??!! You must be driving in the dead of night!

I used to live in South Lake Tahoe, and could reach San Francisco in 3 hours flat! I'd usually leave around 10pm, so the roads were nice & empty, allowing me to drive 80-90mph most of the way...

[fishstix3]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

I used to live in South Lake Tahoe, and could reach San Francisco in 3 hours flat! I'd usually leave around 10pm, so the roads were nice & empty, allowing me to drive 80-90mph most of the way...

My thoughts exactly -- didn't want to give the impression that this is USUALLY that quick of a drive to Tahoe (unless you leave late at night and are willing to fly ...!). Traffic up and back to Tahoe in the last even 4 years has gotten horrendous -- we don't even go anymore unless we can go midweek.

[bigdave01]

Does anyone have a zip code for the hills of oakland, or any other decent areas in oakland?

Thank you.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by bigdave01

Does anyone have a zip code for the hills of oakland, or any other decent areas in oakland?

Thank you.

Well -- it's a little more complicated than just give you a zip code. The way the zip codes are set up you get good areas and bad areas... 94619 is Skyline blvd and Upper Redwood rd -- nice areas -- to Brookvale St -- below MacArthur -- not a very good area.

94605 -- Golf Links and the end of Skyline, and Sheffield Village -- very nice little area off San Leandro -- all good areas; down to Bancroft -- not a good area.

94602 -- Hills to Brookdale again. 94611 -- Piedmost and Montclair -- nice really nice area... all the way down to Grand -- a business area.

94618 -- Rockridge -- another very nice area, but it goes to 51st Ave -- which *I* think is okay, but others would disagree.

Your best bet is to google the zip code and get a map -- google lets you wind the map around to see where roads are...

[nanannie]

[quote=

I'm a native Californian who lived in Chicago for 4 years and LOVED most every minute (except learning how to walk on that ice!). What a great city -- have to say it is the one place I'd consider moving back TO from here. People were very friendly. Much as I love my N. CA., it is getting WAY too crowded. ..[/QUOTE] Man,I so agree.Chicago blew me away(no pun) It is an awesome city with the nicest people!! Asked directions-They walked me there! I thought the seasons were nice,always a change,and it sits right on Lake Michigan which is like an inland sea.I can not beleive the museums,nite life ,restaraunts,events,-blues fest on the lake was amazing-Not everyone wants to live in California-and they still have a great quality of life

[katkel]

Recently offered a position in Oakland. Lived in San jose for a year so I'm not a totla stranger, but want to get perspectives (esp. from former Chicago people) on good areas. We live in Bucktown (very central in the city if you don't know Chicago), but are just plain tired of:

A) Noise
B) City traffic
C) Filth
D) Homeless
E) Mayor Daley and his record-setting tax increases that fund the worst city services and most corrupt cops anywhere....whew...that felt good

Never thought I'd say this, but at our ages (mid-40's) we're just plain tired of the frenetic pace of city life and yearn for a small backyard and less urban hassle. No, I don't obssess over my lawn and think Panera is a happening place, but somewhere in the middle would be nice. So I welcome anyone and everyone's brutally honest (forget politically correct) feedback on places to live. Yes, we're pretty much your urban educated, minus the attitude. I keep hearing Walnut Creek, Pleasanton, Concord, but what else? Job will be in downtown Oakland. 30 minute commute seems acceptable, given that getting into Chicago from the northern burbs is easily 45 minutes to an hour.

Was considering Berkeley, but it sounds more and more like what we'd gain in intellectual stimulation we'd forfeit in ill-informed hippie wannabe's with BO, dirty nails an dreads serving us coffee...

Oakland proper sound like Detroit with better weather...

Lastly, we'll be looking to buy a home after about a year to really check things out, so where are the best values (given above remarks) given the downturn?

[LetsGoA's]

Originally Posted by katkel

Recently offered a position in Oakland. Lived in San jose for a year so I'm not a totla stranger, but want to get perspectives (esp. from former Chicago people) on good areas. We live in Bucktown (very central in the city if you don't know Chicago), but are just plain tired of:

A) Noise
B) City traffic
C) Filth
D) Homeless
E) Mayor Daley and his record-setting tax increases that fund the worst city services and most corrupt cops anywhere....whew...that felt good

Never thought I'd say this, but at our ages (mid-40's) we're just plain tired of the frenetic pace of city life and yearn for a small backyard and less urban hassle. No, I don't obssess over my lawn and think Panera is a happening place, but somewhere in the middle would be nice. So I welcome anyone and everyone's brutally honest (forget politically correct) feedback on places to live. Yes, we're pretty much your urban educated, minus the attitude. I keep hearing Walnut Creek, Pleasanton, Concord, but what else? Job will be in downtown Oakland. 30 minute commute seems acceptable, given that getting into Chicago from the northern burbs is easily 45 minutes to an hour.

Was considering Berkeley, but it sounds more and more like what we'd gain in intellectual stimulation we'd forfeit in ill-informed hippie wannabe's with BO, dirty nails an dreads serving us coffee...

Oakland proper sound like Detroit with better weather...

Lastly, we'll be looking to buy a home after about a year to really check things out, so where are the best values (given above remarks) given the downturn?

I grew up for a little bit in chicago (arlington heights) until I was about 9 or so, still got family out that way so I am very framiliar with the city. Bucktown -wicker park i know of. all those hipsters out there....its starting to look like SF back when the trend started out here. Definatly can sympathize with wanting to get outta the hustle and bustle. Im not a huge fan either.

If you are looking for a 30 minute commute outta down town pleasanton would be a stretch, youd have to take the orange line south, transfer and than catch the blue line to pleasanton. All though pleasanton is pretty much the ideal suburban kind of place in the east bay, that might be a long commute.

Orinda, Lafayette, are about a 15 mintute ride from downtown oakland. Walnut creek is about 20 minutes pleasant hill is about 35 minutes. Concord is about 30. All these suburbs are very nice for the most part. Walnut Creek is highly desirable because of their bustling downtown, sort of like Naperville but a tad little more chiq and less populated and more senic. Pleasant hill is a bit more middle-upper middle class and concords is more blue-collar to upper middle class. Concord is the least desriable out of all of them. Kind of like Rolling Meadows in the chicago area. Not ghetto but not exactly affluent on a whole,.though there are few affluent parts.

Berkeley has some very nice areas, especially in the hills further away from the University. Its a college town like no other in the country really. Its like Depaul, meats northwestern, meats uic and they all become one. Only way i can think of describing it. Yea you are gonna get your bo hippies, but your also gonna get your high society crowd as well. Your gonna have your kids from New Jersey trying to "slum it" and your gonna have multi million dollar properties with hillside views. Its a small city with 100,000 and it can have a very urban or suburban feel depending on where you are.

Oakland is pretty much the same story minus all the white kids trying to slum it. Oakland has some really nice pockets too, especially in the hills and near lake merritt, but downtown and most of the city have seen better days. Gotta use your city smarts in oakland. Its kind of like the south side of chicago, some parts are really nice and actually quite affluent, and then there are the poverty swaths. Theres even a few buffer zone pockets that seperate the ghetto from the nice areas (i suppose a defacto middle income area?)

Values well I donno the market is soo crazy..id suggest consulting a real estate agent.

[katkel]

Thanks A's! Good info I'll use....

[LetsGoA's]

Any time... let me know if your looking for chicago to bay area comparisons let me know as i am framilar with both areas

[Fata Morgana]

Originally Posted by CiscoKid

Please don't be scared off by Oakland! I am a native Chicagoan who lived in the East Bay in Berkeley for three years. Judging from the suggestions to look at Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Alamo, and Danville, the people posting here did not seem to heed your request for the urban amenities that many people enjoy nowadays (i.e. "coffee shops,book stores or other points of interest"). Those places are typical suburban tract home type areas that could be found anywhere in the U.S. Also, for the Bay Area they are known to be somewhat more conservative. If you are looking for a true Bay Area experience those are exactly the places NOT to move. There are plenty of nice places in Oakland. It's a city of nearly half a million people and to write off the whole place is ridiculous.

Places I would consider in Oakland for what you are looking for include Piedmont, Temescal, North Oakland near College Ave. and the Lake Merritt Area near Grand St. Lake Merritt itself is also very beautiful. All of those places are safe with plenty of restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, etc.

Emeryville is a really small city wedged between Berkeley and North Oakland. There are a lot of big box stores and strip malls there. It's not really some place you walk around. There are some newer condo developments closer to the bay. I would agree with the recommendation not to consider it at all.

I would open your search to include Berkeley and Albany. In Albany there are plenty of nice places to hang out along Solano Ave. In Berkeley, just about the only place that is not that great to live is the Eastern Part of Berkeley near San Pablo Ave. Along Telegraph, College Ave. and Shattuck, as well as downtown Berkeley you will fill up on books, coffee and Yuppie/nouveau Bohemian culture to your heart's content.

All of the neighborhoods I've mentioned are also very family friendly. Similar to Chicago the Bay Area has many street fairs and parks and is very walkable, which are all great with children. You also have the Berkeley Hills, which have some wonderful areas for hiking and picnicking with breathtaking views of the Bay. (Another minus of those aforementioned suburbs is that they are on the other side of the hills so you don't get any view of the bay).

Just a word on the fearmongers that are afraid of Oakland-when I lived in CA I worked as DCFS social worker investigating child abuse. The worst parts of Oakland are rough, but they really pale in comparison to some parts of the south side of Chicago, where men and women should never walk alone, even during the daytime. The specific places to avoid in Oakland are East Oakland, parts of Fruitvale (other parts of Fruitvale have some great Mexican food that should not be avoided!), and the flatlands near the bay.

I hope this helps.

I'm Chicago born and raised who had to relocate out here over a year ago for husband's job and couldn't agree more with CiscoKid.

Another ex-Chicagoan I spoke with recently chose the Rockridge area of Oakland to live in as she found it to be the most comfortably like Chicago, she said. Also, coming from Chicago proper (Bucktown 15 yrs ago and then Edgewater), Walnut Creek, Concord, etc, would be a huge culture shock for me, though maybe not for you. As with anything, your mileage may vary.