Okay, so where exactly are these so-called "horrible areas" in Oakland? (homes, live)

[Oleg Bach]

Originally Posted by Natural510

Not too much has changed, though many blue-collar jobs which supported Oaklanders back in the 70's are gone and not coming back. Most black Oaklanders have roots in the South, and therefore exhibit Southern hospitality. Oakland can be a very friendly place, especially from the older generation. Of course there are a minority who've given it the reputation for violence and helped coin the term "haters", but they're still a minority.

It was common for a local to invite us over for dinner. Others would arrive at the door knowing we had access to a truck - to haul something and we would split the profits...Our little apartment was behind a beauty Salon - the walls were thin and every Saturday morning we could hear the woman chattering away in joy....Yes there was a hospitality...Not once were we offended...I don't think it was just for the older generation...I was in my early 20s at the time...all people wanted to do was get by...and have some sort of normal life...Yes...I do remember there was a blue collar feel about the place...People were proud to have jobs. Thinking back..I enjoyed my stay - until the work grew less and we ran out of money...and had to hitch hike out of there to Canada. Employment was key back then - You did not need a lot of money...the weather was easy and you could go down to the store and get a case of "lucky" beer...for less than the price of a pack of smokes.

[Tarahthompson]

Hi Scott,

Back in the day, most of Oakland was crime free. But since 2007/2008, crime has jumped dramatically and you see assaults that in the nicer neighbohoods such as Rockridge, Dimond, Oakland Hills/Keller Ave, Sequoyah Hills, Lake Merritt, and Grand Lake. So to sum up, you have to watch your back everywhere you go.

Originally Posted by ScottJP

Like the big bad slums of Oakland people talk about - where are they? Where are the poorest neighborhoods? If I want to get mugged, shot at, or carjacked, where do I go?

I ask because I don't really see anything that bad in Oakland. It's like people talk about it like it's still 1990 or even worse, 1977.

West Oakland - Well there's quite a few new hipsters paying top dollar for some tiny houses with peeling paint - hardly the ghetto. There's a couple of blocks of San Pablo Avenue south of the intersection of Market St which don't look that great, but, I don't know, it doesn't look like a death trap. It looks like your average commercial strip in Fresno, actually.

Everything in the north and central districts looks fine. Downtown doesn't look like a slum, Uptown sure doesn't, Temescal, no way.

I've been along the International Boulevard corridor in the eastern part of the city, and again, I'm just not seeing anything remotely scary or too bad. Is that stretch of International Boulevard between 73rd and 98th considered the slums? It just looks middle class.

Also, I'd like to ask, do people who consider Oakland horrible, have they ever been to the bad parts of Philadelphia or Baltimore? I'm just wondering.

Thanks for the info.

- Scott

[04kL4nD]

Originally Posted by Tarahthompson

Hi Scott,

Back in the day, most of Oakland was crime free. But since 2007/2008, crime has jumped dramatically and you see assaults that in the nicer neighbohoods such as Rockridge, Dimond, Oakland Hills/Keller Ave, Sequoyah Hills, Lake Merritt, and Grand Lake. So to sum up, you have to watch your back everywhere you go.

I don't know what 'day' you are talking about. The 1950s?

Oakland has had serious issues with crime since the 1960s, but I'd wager things were the worst in the 1980s/1990s.

Crime actually ticked down for a few years in the late 2000s, but it has gone back up recently, like many cities across the country- including SF and SJ.

Please stop spreading misinformation.

[04kL4nD]

Originally Posted by AprilHwang

I agree with you, Oakland has alway had high crime even before Felix Mitchell became the kingpin of crime. Oakland wa even voted, "murder capital of America" for many years in a row in the 1980s. I think it has to do with the populace, low education, low income, and a feeling of hopelessness.

I think that's over simplifying things a lot.

Police corruption, racial tensions, economic disparity, and a general "live and let live" attitude don't help matters much.

With that said, Oakland has safe areas and ones to avoid altogether. Knowing which is which takes some time and effort.

[MrHoover]

Originally Posted by Nineties Flava

East Oakland used to be a uniformly middle class whites-only area... It looks like that for a reason. Even West Oakland used to be a wealthy white area... It became a working class black area when the black train porters and dock workers needed somewhere to live and the white population fled to East Oakland and surrounding suburbs like San Leandro. There was a very large KKK presence at the time that prevented blacks from moving other parts of Oakland all the way up until the 1950's... even when Oakland became integrated though there was still significant racism in the city administration of Oakland, particularly in the Oakland Police Department. A city administration that was open minded to the interests of black Oaklanders would never have OK'd destroying the economic lifeblood of West Oakland (Seventh Street) to build an above-ground BART route nor would they have tolerated the OPD purposefully recruiting officers from the Old South to quarantine the black population in a rapidly deteriorating West Oakland.

If anything it's hilarious that East Oakland currently has the reputation that it does... The amount of effort that went into making West Oakland a ghetto is only matched by the complete lack of effort on the part of the city government in the 1980's and 90's to prevent joblessness and educational decline from being the catalyst for severe economic depression in East Oakland that is obviously still felt today.

So.... you’re saying the racist white people actually predicted what would happen?
Wonder if the hipsters will ever target east Oakland like they did in the west.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by MrHoover

So.... you’re saying the racist white people actually predicted what would happen?
Wonder if the hipsters will ever target east Oakland like they did in the west.

They already are.

[MrHoover]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

They already are.

Only fruitvale. North stonehurst, coliseum, eastmont, havenscourt, the kennedy tract etc aka most of the flat lands are keeping them at bay.

[Ceece]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

I don't know what 'day' you are talking about. The 1950s?

Oakland has had serious issues with crime since the 1960s, but I'd wager things were the worst in the 1980s/1990s.

Crime actually ticked down for a few years in the late 2000s, but it has gone back up recently, like many cities across the country- including SF and SJ.

Please stop spreading misinformation.

My parents were both raised in Oakland and even though they were poor they didn't hate it. Even then there were occasional problems between various immigrant groups but not anything that would drive them away. My grandma finally sold her house in the 70's, and by then it was just a rental since nobody in the family wanted to live there. My parents are 90 now so yeah....BACK in the day!

When I was young there were definitely parts I didn't go to but I still had some relatives there is nicer areas and I worked near the airport in the 70's for a few years and that was fine too.

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by MrHoover

So.... you’re saying the racist white people actually predicted what would happen?
Wonder if the hipsters will ever target east Oakland like they did in the west.

This thread is almost 8 years old.

[sserna1982]

Originally Posted by ScottJP

Like the big bad slums of Oakland people talk about - where are they? Where are the poorest neighborhoods? If I want to get mugged, shot at, or carjacked, where do I go?

I ask because I don't really see anything that bad in Oakland. It's like people talk about it like it's still 1990 or even worse, 1977.

West Oakland - Well there's quite a few new hipsters paying top dollar for some tiny houses with peeling paint - hardly the ghetto. There's a couple of blocks of San Pablo Avenue south of the intersection of Market St which don't look that great, but, I don't know, it doesn't look like a death trap. It looks like your average commercial strip in Fresno, actually.

Everything in the north and central districts looks fine. Downtown doesn't look like a slum, Uptown sure doesn't, Temescal, no way.

I've been along the International Boulevard corridor in the eastern part of the city, and again, I'm just not seeing anything remotely scary or too bad. Is that stretch of International Boulevard between 73rd and 98th considered the slums? It just looks middle class.

Also, I'd like to ask, do people who consider Oakland horrible, have they ever been to the bad parts of Philadelphia or Baltimore? I'm just wondering.

Thanks for the info.

- Scott

Most folks have said it better already, but if you follow the app Citizen, you can see where the hot spots for crime are. That being said, I live near the alphabet side of International and 88th Ave and while sometimes things get chaotic outside with sideshows, shooting guns into the air, car thefts, etc., it's a neighborhood of largely lower middle class people who just want to be safe and happy with their families. Just gotta keep your head on a swivel in cities.