What is Oakland like? Musician/artist here. (San Francisco, Berkeley: section 8, apartments)

[Nineties Flava]

Originally Posted by ssmaster

the "ridiculously high minimum wage" in sf wil still put you in the working/struggling poor category.
average rent for a studio listed in sf is $1800

temescal area and uptown area of oakland have a lot of young people wearing skinny jeans,large sunglasses,chuck taylors and ironic t-shirts drinking PBR

stay out of west and east oakland and you'll be fine

You realize that there's a pretty large chunk of North Oakland that is not particularly desirable either right? Pretty much anything west of MLK ranges from somewhat to very sketchy, particularly around Market or Gaskill. Bushrod used to be in this category but it has its decent sections... I wouldn't be hanging out in Bushrod Park at midnight either though.


As Oakland (the poster) said, East and West Oakland are not all bad... More so than most other cities, Oakland is a neighborhood city. It pays to ask about specific neighborhoods... two adjacent neighborhoods are often not the same at all.

[mayorhaggar]

In North Oakland basically stay east of Telegraph and you're fine. The areas west of Telegraph aren't super awful but they're kind of seedy especially at night.

[04kL4nD]

It also depends on what living situation you're looking for

I lived in an apartment by the lake for a few years before moving into a 4BR house in West Oakland that's less than a mile away from 19th St BART/Uptown. I'm much happier sharing a house with a few other people than being more cramped in an apartment, but that's just me...

If you're looking for a 1/2BR apartment Temescal, Adams Point, parts of Lake Merritt or near Uptown would be good choices.

But if you'd rather live in a bigger house with a yard, washer/dryer, dishwasher, etc with a couple of roomates, there are tons of options in a lot of neighborhoods that are more residential and not as pricey. Craigslist is usually your best bet. My general advice is to check out specific neighborhoods, walk around them during the day and come back at night. If it feels beyond sketchy or outside your comfort zone, odds are you won't be happy or feel safe.

[abrasivesounds]

My friend wants to live around 30th and mlk drive
Not the best area, right?

[04kL4nD]

Again, it depends on where in West Oakland.

I have a friend that lives near 10th/Wood in a gorgeous BR house, and his block is perfectly safe.

I have another friend that lives in a loft on Adeline St, and it feels a bit sketchier than where I live, but it's still nothing to worry about.

I have other friends who own a condo off of Mandela Parkway near all the big box stores like Target and Best Buy, and you'd never guess you were even in West Oakland if nobody had told you.

Technically, Jack London Square is also a part of West Oakland (same zip code) and it has some of the most expensive real estate in the entire city.

Blanket statements like "Avoid East and West Oakland" are dumb because it's pretty difficult to generalize 3/4 of a city.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

Again, it depends on where in West Oakland.

I have a friend that lives near 10th/Wood in a gorgeous BR house, and his block is perfectly safe.

Awesome Victorians in that part of West Oakland. I have a cousin who lives near there in a great one!

I have another friend that lives in a loft on Adeline St, and it feels a bit sketchier than where I live, but it's still nothing to worry about.

I have other friends who own a condo off of Mandela Parkway near all the big box stores like Target and Best Buy, and you'd never guess you were even in West Oakland if nobody had told you.

Not my favorite part over there. Weird blend of condos and industrial space.

Technically, Jack London Square is also a part of West Oakland (same zip code) and it has some of the most expensive real estate in the entire city.

The west Oakland line is typically 980 or Market. So most of JLS doesn't fit the bill.

Blanket statements like "Avoid East and West Oakland" are dumb because it's pretty difficult to generalize 3/4 of a city.

True. But there is definitely a zone in East Oakland to avoid. Let's say around Bancroft and Macarthur.

[sacramento916]

Oakland is a very cool city. Of course you have to avoid the really rough areas, but there are plenty of nice neighborhoods. It's nothing like Detroit.

My favorite part of Oakland is Piedmont, definitely very nice progressive vibe.

[Shelacious]

Originally Posted by jade408

True. But there is definitely a zone in East Oakland to avoid. Let's say around Bancroft and Macarthur.

You mean Bancroft and Seminary? Or Bancroft and 73rd? I don't think Bancroft and Macarthur intersect

On topic: I just think that in East Oakland, it's such a block by block thing, that I'm loathe to ever say "avoid East Oakland." Bancroft and Sem, by the way, will be undergoing to retail development (Seminary Point). I like Bancroft and Sem a lot better than Bancroft and 73rd, for example. I swore up and down when I first moved to Oakland that I wouldn't live in East O (my first experience of East O was seeing a dead pit bull on a street. ). But yet, here I am. The things I don't like about Central East O are for the most part not about crime.

Oakland is REALLY one of those cities that you can't get a feel for just looking on a map. Every neighborhood has such a different vibe, I think that it's important to visit. If just out the gate I'm moving to Oakland sight unseen, I'd probably move to Adam's Point or west of Lake Merritt.

[Nineties Flava]

Originally Posted by Shelacious

You mean Bancroft and Seminary? Or Bancroft and 73rd? I don't think Bancroft and Macarthur intersect

On topic: I just think that in East Oakland, it's such a block by block thing, that I'm loathe to ever say "avoid East Oakland." Bancroft and Sem, by the way, will be undergoing to retail development (Seminary Point). I like Bancroft and Sem a lot better than Bancroft and 73rd, for example. I swore up and down when I first moved to Oakland that I wouldn't live in East O (my first experience of East O was seeing a dead pit bull on a street. ). But yet, here I am. The things I don't like about Central East O are for the most part not about crime.

Oakland is REALLY one of those cities that you can't get a feel for just looking on a map. Every neighborhood has such a different vibe, I think that it's important to visit. If just out the gate I'm moving to Oakland sight unseen, I'd probably move to Adam's Point or west of Lake Merritt.

I think she meant Foothill & MacArthur where they intersect at 73rd (Eastmont Mall).


But yeah, people who paint the flatlands with a large brush are not familiar with them. They wouldn't know about Bella Vista, Lynn, Reservoir Hills, Maxwell Park, Tuxedo, Highland Park, Frick, Jingletown, Durant Manor, etc. It's hilarious because its often these same people who consider bad neighborhoods in SF "misunderstood" which really just means that they're rapidly gentrifying rofl.

[04kL4nD]

or the Killing Fields

whatever you'd prefer to call them