Is downtown Oakland safe? (Santa Monica, Marina: tech jobs, schools, to live in)

[DocGoldstein]

The only time I've seen crowds in Downtown after 10PM:

[sliverbox]

Is it just me or are there any others who are sick and tired of seeing non-stop posts about " Is Oakland safe?" and whatnot? I've lived within a few miles of Oakland for years and actually spend a lot of time on the weekend in various parts of Oakland.

To me its similar to a lot of other cities in the country: Live there long enough and you'll know where to and where not to go. Its not super gentrified like SF, which to me is a positive. Its starting to get its fair share of hipsters so I assume that means change is on the way.

Oakland has a lot of very different parts and areas, some of which are so totally different from one another you'd not know you were in the same city. As such the safety, social strata, and everything else is going to vary greatly from place to place. This is true with ANY city, and yes- that also includes SF.

[04kL4nD]

Originally Posted by sliverbox

Is it just me or are there any others who are sick and tired of seeing non-stop posts about " Is Oakland safe?" and whatnot? I've lived within a few miles of Oakland for years and actually spend a lot of time on the weekend in various parts of Oakland.

I'm completely sick of them. I'm even more sick of people who don't even live/hang out in Oakland make stuff up, like Downtown Oakland being either a) a violent hellhole with 240 incidents of violent crime in the last month, or b) that it's a 'literal ghost town' after 10PM.

[sliverbox]

My all-time favorite bars, restaurants, parks, and even grocery stores are all in Oakland. Like I said- I've lived around Oakland for a long time. Anyone who knows the city they're driving around in or visiting will find out what's what and what to do, where to go, and where all the good stuff is.

[llowllevellowll]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

That's a great shot of UPTOWN, which is 8-10 blocks from Downtown.

This exchange instantly reminded me of a previous anti-Oakland poster on this board, who you may remember infamous referred to "East Oakland" as "South Oakland". lol

[ssmaster]

cnn/ money magazine,forbes,the huffingtonpost,new york times,food & wine magazine ,boston globe,la times ,washington post,new york magazine,travel +leisure,sunset magazine,7x7 sf,smartertravel,sacremento bee,tastingtable,diablo magazine,conde nast traveler,businessweek,outside magazine,the city traveler,bon appetit magazine and wall street journal encourage people to check out oakland
oakland has become a dining destination and all these media sources encourage people to visit oakland and praise oaklands revival
watching posters argue it's not happening isn't just tiresome it's kind of creepy

[Senno]

Originally Posted by DocGoldstein

I'll keep posting facts about Oakland, such as Oakland Downtown is empty after 10PM, because it's true.



Look at all the crowds in DT Oakland!

Doc that's one cool theatre. Nice shot.

[KMG00]

OP, I am female, average sized, and I have no problems with walking around downtown Oakland alone during the day. I keep my street smarts with me like always (standard stuff like keeping electronics concealed, not stopping to talk to sketchy characters who call out to you, etc) but I don't feel unsafe. I will go to downtown, uptown, Chinatown, Lake Merritt, etc. no problem.

I wouldn't like walking around downtown by myself at night, but I actually don't like walking around any urban area alone at night.

(By the way, aren't these SF vs. Oakland crime threads banned?)

[DocGoldstein]

Originally Posted by Senno

Doc that's one cool theatre. Nice shot.

thanks

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

I'm completely sick of them. I'm even more sick of people who don't even live/hang out in Oakland make stuff up, like Downtown Oakland being either a) a violent hellhole with 240 incidents of violent crime in the last month, or b) that it's a 'literal ghost town' after 10PM.

Agreed - they are totally tiresome. But analogous to the old "making lemons out of lemonade," perhaps the silver lining is that Oaklanders and others can enjoy their hidden gem away from the hype and glare.