Opinions on area of West Oakland (Triangle between Peralta, Grand, and San Pablo) (Santa Barbara: renting)

[Piff_Diesel]

OK, so I know it's not the best area Oakland has to offer, but I just wanted to try and get some opinions from people that live around here. I've been living in the city for about a year and just found a very nice place in this area with the space I need and within my budget. Also, I'm renting, not buying, so I won't be tied into the area long-term.

Please refrain from posting unless you actually live/work/visit this part of town, or have direct knowledge of the people and surroundings. Since moving here I've not been swayed by the opinion that "you shouldn't ever live anywhere in Oakland". My wife and I really like it here, despite the fact that almost everyone who doesn't live in Oakland won't visit the city (maybe that's one of the reasons why we like it).

Like I said, I know there are "nicer" areas of Oakland but either a) it's been impossible to find a 3bdrm with nice amenities w/in my price range, b) the house has been right on the BART, a freeway, or some other major cause of noise and we prefer quieter surroundings, or c) it's been in a noticeably terrible neighborhood, or d) the neighborhood was nice but the inside of the house was a dump by our standards, and that's really one of the most important things to us...a place to come home to.

I've also already looked into the crime maps and while there have been a few violent crimes nearby (robberies and car-jackings, mostly on San Pablo and 32nd St) they almost all occur during the hours when we would be tucked away inside (we're pretty much homebodies with a baby on the way). I know there's always reason to be heads-up, but I just want to see what some people think.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

[Puddy4LyF]

This is one area I'm pretty familiar with as of late.

1) I have one friend that lives right between San Pablo and Market on 55th street.

2) I have another friend who just moved from W. Grand/San Pablo intersection.

3) The same friend who I mention in #2, used to live between MLK and Market.

Note: The previous 3 areas all dot the landscape of the neighborhood you're talking about, but none are directly inside of it. I have little experience of the exact location you're referring to, but will give my experiences just bordering it.

I should preface this by saying that I enjoy Oakland a lot and I would love to live there. This area, however, isn't exactly my cup of tea. I never really felt at ease or safe at either of my friends' house that I gave you the locations for, but I will try to give both sides of the story.

Last Friday my friends and I (from 55th/San Pablo/Market) rode our bikes at 5pm from there to the McArthur BART. A lot of people were out - mostly black, and latin in the area it seemed. No one gave us a second look and no problems.

On the way home after Critical Mass, we biked back around 11pm and there really wasn't anyone outside. I didn't really feel comfortable though - in fact, I was pretty excited to get back to my car so I could leave. Partially, I was tired and partially, I was unnerved because that area does look a bit run-down and I had heard stories from my friends that live there.

Here are some of the stories I was told:

1) There was a shooting across the street from their house on 55th.

2) Guys harassed both of my friends whom are girls on separate occasions, and one car followed them until they pulled into the back of a neighbors yard.

3) Their roommate who is a lesbian was biking down Market Street somewhere between the 40's and 60's when a car full of thugs, who thought she was a boy, pulled next to her and opened the door on her while she was riding. She fell down and they all got out and started to beat her up. It wasn't until they realized it was a female that they left her alone and drove away.

These kind of things can happen anywhere, and in fact, they do. And maybe it's good that they only had 3 or 4 bad stories to tell me in the year they've been living there, but those are the stories that I've been told by my friends who live there. And I should mention that when they moved into the house, they always said it wasn't in a bad neighborhood and it was fine. So, they definitely went in with an open mind. Recently, I think they've began to think otherwise.

-----

My friend that lived at San Pablo/W. Grand said it wasn't a bad area - just a lot of activity around. I didn't spend much time at their house, but they since moved to the Lake Merritt area near Whole Foods, so it's hard to say.

I'm torn on my feelings about that part of West Oakland. There are many areas in Oakland I really would love to live in, but I just don't think I, myself, would live there. I just never felt comfortable enough. It's silly things, for instance, like the many pedestrians on San Pablo and some of them look crazy and have shot me some nutty looks while I was driving on San Pablo lol

Maybe someone who lives there can give more information. Hope I helped in some way.

[Piff_Diesel]

Originally Posted by Puddy4LyF

This is one area I'm pretty familiar with as of late.

1) I have one friend that lives right between San Pablo and Market on 55th street.

2) I have another friend who just moved from W. Grand/San Pablo intersection.

3) The same friend who I mention in #2, used to live between MLK and Market.

Note: The previous 3 areas all dot the landscape of the neighborhood you're talking about, but none are directly inside of it. I have little experience of the exact location you're referring to, but will give my experiences just bordering it.

I should preface this by saying that I enjoy Oakland a lot and I would love to live there. This area, however, isn't exactly my cup of tea. I never really felt at ease or safe at either of my friends' house that I gave you the locations for, but I will try to give both sides of the story.

Last Friday my friends and I (from 55th/San Pablo/Market) rode our bikes at 5pm from there to the McArthur BART. A lot of people were out - mostly black, and latin in the area it seemed. No one gave us a second look and no problems.

On the way home after Critical Mass, we biked back around 11pm and there really wasn't anyone outside. I didn't really feel comfortable though - in fact, I was pretty excited to get back to my car so I could leave. Partially, I was tired and partially, I was unnerved because that area does look a bit run-down and I had heard stories from my friends that live there.

Here are some of the stories I was told:

1) There was a shooting across the street from their house on 55th.

2) Guys harassed both of my friends whom are girls on separate occasions, and one car followed them until they pulled into the back of a neighbors yard.

3) Their roommate who is a lesbian was biking down Market Street somewhere between the 40's and 60's when a car full of thugs, who thought she was a boy, pulled next to her and opened the door on her while she was riding. She fell down and they all got out and started to beat her up. It wasn't until they realized it was a female that they left her alone and drove away.

These kind of things can happen anywhere, and in fact, they do. And maybe it's good that they only had 3 or 4 bad stories to tell me in the year they've been living there, but those are the stories that I've been told by my friends who live there. And I should mention that when they moved into the house, they always said it wasn't in a bad neighborhood and it was fine. So, they definitely went in with an open mind. Recently, I think they've began to think otherwise.

-----

My friend that lived at San Pablo/W. Grand said it wasn't a bad area - just a lot of activity around. I didn't spend much time at their house, but they since moved to the Lake Merritt area near Whole Foods, so it's hard to say.

I'm torn on my feelings about that part of West Oakland. There are many areas in Oakland I really would love to live in, but I just don't think I, myself, would live there. I just never felt comfortable enough. It's silly things, for instance, like the many pedestrians on San Pablo and some of them look crazy and have shot me some nutty looks while I was driving on San Pablo lol

Maybe someone who lives there can give more information. Hope I helped in some way.

Thanks, that does help a little. I appreciate you taking the time to write that up. I have the same mixed feelings as you do, but I also had the same feelings before moving to my current place in Oakland. After the first couple weeks we were able to relax and enjoy it though.

It's always a little sketchy moving into an area with a less-than-nice reputation. It's true what you said about that type of stuff happening anywhere though. I used to live in Santa Barbara and actually had more negative experiences, such as car break-ins, there than I have in the year I've been in Oakland.

I think that trouble can find you everywhere but if you're heads up, keep to yourself, and generally exhibit caution that you can avoid it most of the time (though definitely not all the time as your female friend knows too well...that was very sad and disturbing).

On the one hand, we're hardly EVER out past 10pm (lame, i know) and we don't bike anywhere, we drive, so I'm not really worried about having to walk to or from any place at night. My wife and I have discussed this over the last couple days and so far we've come to the conclusion that we'd rather sacrifice a little bit of "safety" for a house that we really like, which we definitely found. It does have pretty nice security gate and off-street parking, but it's good to get a variety of opinions, esp. from people who know the area.

[Shelacious]

I'm not a native Oaklandler, but I do recall that area being known as the "upper upper," as opposed to the lower bottoms (West O) (or maybe Upper upper is a bit east of this area, actually). At any rate, it's really a hit or miss area. My best friend's grandmother lives in the upper upper, and her street is very nice--quiet, tight knit group. I looked at the cutest home once on Chestnut--again in the upper upper. That triangle area--it can also be very sketchy, and I think you do have to accept some implied risk by living there (meaning being aware of your surroundings, etc.). I'm sure there are some nice streets to, but I did see a few real hoody looking streets that were straight out of New Jack City.

Honestly, I think there are a bunch of areas of East Oakland are better than this one. In fact, there are better areas of West Oakland than this one too, IMO, like a little further to east. West O advantage is that it's closer to SF, Downtown. It's not an area I can make a blanket statement about--I'd actually have to see the house, then see the block, the street, and the streets adjacent to the home before I'd decide to live there.

[18Montclair]

The influx of artists into that area has really made an impact. Obviously its stil a very gritty part of town, but all things considered, not that bad from an Oaklanders perspective. Outsiders don't understand but we all know that.

If the movie studio complex for the army base that was approved by the city last week becomes a reality, you can expect to see a huge surge in all sorts of developments in that area.

[Bunjee]

I lived there, off San Pablo on Chestnut near the high school. It's not the most select part of town--you already know that--but for a non-permanent situation it's not so bad as far as "living in a bad neighborhood" goes. Daytimes, never a problem. I'd even march to downtown Oakland on a nice day for the heck of it. Evenings are more dicey, but you say you're not going out anyway. Emeryville is a 5-minute drive away and there's a breakfast place near Pixar if you want your local, regular hangout, sidewalk cafe vibe.

There are more artists/loft users in the area, even more now than when I lived there a decade ago. That neutralizes some of the unease but doesn't change the basic crime issues in the neighborhood. Be smart, keep your head down and it'll be fine. One investment I'd recommend: If you don't have a washer/dryer then get one, even a cheap used one. The laundromat on San Pablo isn't a great place to have to hang out.