Safe neighborhoos in Oakland (Berkeley: real estate, rent, crime)

[Ultrarunner]

I know people renting 3 bedroom/2 bath homes in Laurel for 1500 a month.

Had dinner last week with a recent Mills Grad... she lived on campus all the time except when she and two others decided to rent a home in Dimond...

The neighborhood was fine... her roommates flaked... one legit and the other total flake... ran off with her boyfriend to another State...

Just beware of the potential for drama living off campus if roommates are involved.

I know of a 2 bedrooms in a duplex on Brookdale around a $1000... $1500 sounds high for a studio unless it's one of the ones by the Lake or Downtown with all the amenities.

[lmk1707]

Originally Posted by John F McF

My daughter will be going to Mills College in Oakland. She is not familar with the area but has heard that Lake Merritt and Temescal are close to the school and safe. Are these areas safe? What specific areas in lake Merritt and Temescal are considerd safe? Any problems getting from Mills to these areas? Thanks, john

Grand Lake (Grand Ave. or Lakeshore Ave.), Adam's Point, and Cleveland Heights are all nice areas near the Lake. I'd actually recommend the Piedmont Ave. area for your daughter - not super close to Mills, but easy bus access, and I know a lot of college students that live there (also a lot in Grand Lake). Glenview would be a good option too, it's a little sleepy but also a little closer to Mills, and safe/family-oriented. I think Rockridge might be too far, as well as Temescal.

[lmk1707]

Originally Posted by Nineties Flava

The difference is, I actually live in Oakland right now... Oakland was a very different city even 10 years ago.


And I would advise the OP to say what her budget is... if he's hell bent on her living in the lake meritt area then he should be ready to spend upwards of $2,000 a month.

There are very nice apartments in the Lake area for much less than that.

[ssmaster]

for a college kid with parental support i would advise adams point, haddon hill,upper piedmont avenue/pleasant valley ,grand/lakeshore,lower rockridge,gold coast apartment district
a more hipster college kid may like temescal or uptown

[NorCal77]

Originally Posted by lmk1707

There are very nice apartments in the Lake area for much less than that.

I have to agree...Adams Point is probably the cheapest,but has some crime as a result. Lots of car theft,robberies...there was a murder right across Adams Pt (across 580)on Harrison a few weeks ago. Goes to show it can happen anywhere there is saturation.

I think the typical rule of thumb is once your south of the 580fwy things start to get more low rent and section 8 filters in (excluding the perimeter around Lake Merritt). You get what you pay for so you should list your daughters budget and explain her personality if you want more specific answers.

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by NorCal77

I have to agree...Adams Point is probably the cheapest,but has some crime as a result. Lots of car theft,robberies...there was a murder right across Adams Pt (across 580)on Harrison a few weeks ago. Goes to show it can happen anywhere there is saturation.

I think the typical rule of thumb is once your south of the 580fwy things start to get more low rent and section 8 filters in (excluding the perimeter around Lake Merritt). You get what you pay for so you should list your daughters budget and explain her personality if you want more specific answers.

You will find Section 8 just about anywhere... Section 8 is not geographically restricted.

[NorCal77]

I'd like to see some percentages of section 8 north of 580 vs south of 580. I think there would be a clear distinction. Agree?

[matt345]

I live on the West side of Lake Merritt, near downtown. While I've never had any issues with crime, I do have to say that Adams Point and Grand Lake/Lakeshore are definitely nicer and more active neighborhoods. I've found that I don't particularly care for the area south of 12th, north of Chinatown. I really just picked this side to be within walking distance of a BART station. A lot of the businesses over here cater exclusively to the 9 to 5 crowd, shutting down at 8pm weeknights and not opening at all on the weekend. The one exception is Uptown, but unless there's a show going on at the Paramount or Fox Theaters, even Uptown tends to quiet down at night; I actually find Old Oakland to be much more interesting and active.

If Adams Point or Lakeshore had a BART station, I'd definitely be over there. Of course, then they'd both probably be as expense as Rockridge (which is the crown jewel of Oakland neighborhoods IMO).

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by NorCal77

I'd like to see some percentages of section 8 north of 580 vs south of 580. I think there would be a clear distinction. Agree?

No idea on percentages... I know there are some in Glenview, Lake Shore and Trestle Glen...

Section 8 is nothing more or less then rent assistance for those qualified... our Federal Tax Dollars coming back into the community as the Oakland Housing Authority says...

HUD makes no geographic distinctions... the only relevant factor is there are no pre-set or maximum rents for Section 8 units. Housing pays market rents based on comparable in the neighborhood.

More than 11,000 Oakland families receive rent assistance under Section 8... In addition, Oakland Housing administers Section 8 Path to Home Ownership, Shelter Plus, Family Unification and Conventional Housing...

[ZhugeLiang]

Originally Posted by Mr. Fantastic

Umm you can find one bedroom apartments on Craigslist right now near the Lake for around $1500.

Depends on what kind of place you're looking at. I live in a nice place at Lake Merritt for $1050.