Temescal neighborhood of Oakland

[athleticsfan72737489]

Originally Posted by LRME312

Hello everyone,

Realize that this is a pretty old thread, but didn't want to start a new one. My girlfriend and I, both mid-late twenties, are looking at a property at 51st and Miles in the Shafter neighborhood. The area looks nice from Google Maps, but would love to hear some additional inside information.

For what it's worth, I lived in Wicker Park in Chicago from 2009 to 2014, on Ashland Avenue...so on the chance that anyone reading this is familiar with that and the Oakland area, that should give you a perspective of the area I'm used to / comfortable with.

The Shafter neighborhood is nice and it's pretty much all residential. The neighborhood itself is in between the Rockridge and Temescal districts. Rockridge is upscale, Temescal is more gritty. The location you named is pretty much in the Temescal district.

I have been to Wicker Park - it's similar to Temescal. Both are known for being "hipstery" and are gentrifying fast. Wicker Park is much further along in the gentrification stage and feels denser and "hipper" than Temescal. However, I was also surprised at how gritty Wicker Park is in certain spots (like some stretches of Milwaukee). I only spent half a day in Wicker Park wandering around just to check it out (I went to the Polish restaurant Podhalanka (?) and stumbled into Wormhole Coffee) so I'm not sure I got a good feel for the area.

Anyhow, you'll be comfortable in Temescal.

[artemis78]

The original thread here is four years old; Temescal is not even all that gritty these days, at least at the 51st Street end. The homes that sell there are well north of $1M these days and it's generally considered a Rockridge alternative at a slightly lower price point. Main issues are not so much crime related (though there is definitely property crime--that feels like it's held pretty steady as the area has gotten more affluent, though I don't know the actual numbers) but traffic/noise related; 51st Street is quite busy and there are some major developments going in nearby (big housing developments at 51st and Broadway, 49th and Telegraph, and 51st and Telegraph; new Safeway complex). It's a nice area that's walkable to both Rockridge and Temescal commercial districts, BART, and the farmer's market, though. Not sure if you are looking to rent or buy, but if you're hoping to buy, just be aware that most properties are listed quite a bit below what they will ultimately sell for (e.g., the house currently listed on 50th Street will almost certainly go for well above the list price).

[rah]

Originally Posted by artemis78

Main issues are not so much crime related (though there is definitely property crime--that feels like it's held pretty steady as the area has gotten more affluent, though I don't know the actual numbers) but traffic/noise related; 51st Street is quite busy and there are some major developments going in nearby (big housing developments at 51st and Broadway, 49th and Telegraph, and 51st and Telegraph; new Safeway complex).

Those of us who live right next to a freeway laugh at your noise complaints

Though because of said freeway, my place is cheaper than the average, and I've gotten used to the noise (my mind basically interprets it as "lots of wind" now, when I'm not paying attention to it), so it's alright.