Moving to Oakland questions. (San Francisco, Berkeley: sales, rent, mortgage)

[Floridagirl10]

I'm moving from a tiny town in Florida, never actually left Florida (never even been to Miami) to move in with my brother in Oakland. I'm just curious what I need to expect based on people, the city, I know nothing. How different are the people on the West coast compared to the people on the East coast? Can anyone tell me? I'm a bit nervous.

[SanDiegoTeen]

Do you really have to move to Oakland?

It seems like 3 people get shot every week. It's very dangerous...at least in the bad parts. I had the unfortunate luck of having to get gas in Oakland and getting lost....it just doesn't seem that safe.

4 cops gunned down. Fruitvale BART station, robberies, highest sales tax in the bay area, burglaries and not to mention a homicide rate out of control!

But there are good sections of Oakland. The hills are beautiful (but expensive!).

For your own safety, move somewhere else in the bay area. It can't be that much more expensive and your safety is worth more than saving a couple of bucks.

[iluvcj]

What part of Oakland does your brother live in? Some areas should be avoided at all costs.

[Ultrarunner]

I'm a third generation Oakland resident... well actually fourth generation if you count the Berkeley/Oakland border.

Since you are moving in with your brother, I think he is best qualified to answer your question knowing the city and you.

Over 400,000 people live here and the City of Piedmont is entirely surrounded by the city of Oakland, so the number is even greater for the area.

Oakland is diverse and has people from just about every corner of the earth... so I'm sure you can find what you're looking for.

Can't tell you about the East Coast because I only been a visitor. I do have friends that moved to Florida from CA and hear mixed reports back... all are retired... some like it a lot and others regret their move.

I bought my first home around 90th and B street when I was still in school. People told me I was foolish. Looking back, it was the best thing I did. My mortgage was less then my rent and that included property tax. I learned a lot about home repairs and had my house paid-off by age 25... so Oakland has been good to me.

What does your brother have to say?

[Tallysmom]

As someone who actually LIVES in Oakland, I agree with Ultrarunner. What does your brother say?

There are parts of Oakland that are downright scary. But there are lots more parts that are perfectly fine and to a lot of people those parts look scary, too. It's really block to block in some of the worst parts. I've lived in a marginal area for 22 years and I've had one house break in 10 years ago, that wouldn't have happened if we had checked the windows.

Yeah -- you may have to be a little more street smart around here. I keep my doors locked at all times. That's more a habit because when we first moved here our Pakistani neighbor would just walk in and say hello, can I use your phone -- he had no boundary issues.

My windows have locks on them -- and the kind where you open them so far and you hit a lock, so I can sleep with my window open and no one can force it open...

And I'm aware of people when I'm out on the streets.

But in all honestly, if I was still in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania I would be doing to the same things there. There are nutcases everywhere.

[artemis78]

If you can post the neighborhood where you'll be living, we can tell you a lot more. I also live in Oakland, and love my neighborhood. It really just depends on where you are. It is a city, and it feels like a city in all but the hills. For me, that's a good thing as often as a bad thing---lots to see and do, lots of incredible people around. It will probably be a lot more people and a lot more diversity than you're used to---but that's one thing I really enjoy about it.

And, as others said, ask your brother. I doubt he would be inviting you to live in an area where he felt you would be unsafe; he can probably tell you the ins and outs of your new neighborhood.

The homicide rate *is* high, but the vast, vast majority of murders in Oakland are not just Joe Random walking down the street. Assuming you don't plan to get involved in gangs and drug dealing when you get here, you probably don't have much to worry about, though of course it's always wise to keep your wits about you in a city. If you're brand new to city living you might consider taking a women's self defense course---you probably (hopefully!) won't ever need the skills, but it's a great way to both meet other girls and women in the city and get more confident about your ability to handle any situation that comes up.

And last but not least, Oakland's sales tax is the same as it is in every other city in Alameda County, and only .25% lower than San Francisco's. They're contemplating raising it by half a percent to try to fill the budget gap, but I imagine you'll see a lot of other cities following suit if they do to try to balance their own budgets....that is, after all, how the state tax ended up so high in the first place!)

[Floridagirl10]

I'm moving somewhere near 2nd street? I have no idea where that is. Is that a good area? My brother told me it IS a city and different than what I'm used to, but that's what I'm most hoping for. Change. I also heard people are more laid-back in California. I don't know if that's just a stereotype or what but if so, that's cool too.
I will also be a senior next year. Are the highschools in that area okay or should I be worried? My school is big, but it is still a small town so it's mainly people who live within a certain area.
Can anyone also answer my newest concern. Driving. I'm not going to need to take a whole new test or anything am I? Maybe I should just not drive because I can't parallel park. In all my life I've never even NEEDED to parallel park. Do you have to do that there?
Anyways. As to answer people's questions. I know the area is somewhere near 2nd street if anyone knows where that is.
And Yes, I do have to move to Oakland, thats where my brother is. I can't just ask him to move somewhere else because I'm scared. That's a good way to lose my invitation. lol
Thanks. =)

[artemis78]

Sounds like you might be headed to Jack London Square. That's a fun and pretty safe neighborhood, though you'll probably find that there aren't a lot of people your age around---it's popular with singles and young couples in their 20s/30s/40s, as well as with some retirees. But there are lots of buses (and parking is decent, too, I think) so it's easy to get around.

If it is Jack London Square, you'll be going to Oakland Tech. That's one of Oakland's strongest high schools, but you may still want to see if you can come and visit it this year to meet people and talk with teachers about your transfer. You should also register ASAP since school registration for next year is going on right now. They also have some special programs depending on what types of things you're interested in, so you might want to find out about those too in case you need to do anything special over the summer to be eligible to participate in them. (I have no idea how transferring into Tech works, so counselors or teachers there can also help you a lot with that.) If it isn't Jack London, you can go to OUSD's Map Center and put your brother's address in, and it will tell you your neighborhood high school. (You can ask to be in a different one, but that's the default school.)

Switching your license should be pretty easy; to get to school you'll need to drive or take the bus, since there are no school buses in California. (There is a bus that goes right to Tech from Jack London, though, and LOTS of students ride it!) You will sometimes need to parallel park, though---don't worry, you'll get the hang of it!

Good luck!

[naomisday]

Sounds like you should be okay, especially with your brother...he will direct you on where
to go and where to avoid....you should be fine....

[ssmaster]

i live in oakland .i like where i live.there are lot of really nice neighborhoods in oakland .almost all of the violence occurs between gangs/drug dealers in certain parts of east and west oakland.
if you are in the jack london area you should be very safe.a lot more safer than downtown san francisco(market street)