Quietest Berkeley/Oakland hoods near BART (Alameda, Upland: neighborhoods, college, quality of life)

[Stubaw]

Hello, I'm moving to the east bay from SF (to escape the pretentiousness) and looking for the quietest Berkeley/Oakland spots that are near BART and a good grocery store. I need to commute to the city 3-4 times weekly and want that to be short, but I would love to be in an area with a good neighborhoody feel, and crucially, as quiet as possible. (Grew up in a small town and am sensitive to traffic noise, even the distant buzz of rush hour as heard from N Oakland (Ashby area).

Can't wait to hear the great ideas you come up with!!

-S.

[Ruth4Truth]

Claremont, Rockridge/Upper Rockridge, Elmwood. Those are all adjacent to each other, so the same grocery shopping and other amenities serve all 3. Generally, they're higher-end neighborhoods, mostly very quiet and walkable. Parts of Claremont and Upper Rockridge are farther away from BART than others, but they're very scenic, quiet and charming. Some have beautiful views of the Bay.

[Stubaw]

Thanks so much for your kind reply! Would those spots have noise from the Grove Shafter Fwy? I wonder if that's what I'm hearing even many blocks northerlier by Ashby.

All best,
S.

[Ruth4Truth]

Oh. By "quiet", I thought you meant quiet neighbors, no noisy nightlife spots, etc.

Yes, probably, but not the entire area. If you get a place off of Claremont Ave. above College Ave, for example, you'll be on the other side of the hill from the freeway, so you won't hear anything. Take the bus up Claremont, get off at the Uplands (across from the Star Grocery store), and take a nice walk up in there. I don't know what kind of a place you're looking for, but a residential area like that would have pretty much MIL apts., only, btw. You could walk back to College Ave. by crossing Claremont, and taking one of the side streets off that side of the street, to see more quiet neighborhoods. It's a pleasant area to walk in.

You could also walk north about 6 blocks from downtown Berkeley BART along Shattuck Ave. to Vine St., then walk east a couple of blocks, and explore that neighborhood. There are some nice parks in there, a little cluster of shops, and a nice residential neighborhood. Shattuck is served by buses that go to BART.

[NorCalLover]

North Berkeley BART would probably be the quietest, noise-wise.

[artemis78]

+1 on North Berkeley BART--specifically, I'd go a little further to the Northbrae neighborhood. Walk to BART is a bit longer but it's very quiet (as long as you aren't near the BART tracks--they are above ground there) and you have Monterey Market and a nice little commercial district on Hopkins Street. It's pricey, though. Albany is also a nice option (same caveat--steer clear of the BART tracks, and also the bigger streets, and of course stay well east of the railroad tracks to avoid that noise)--much of it is walkable to El Cerrito Plaza BART station.

Where in the city are you commuting to? If it's accessible by transbay bus, I'd seriously consider opening up your search to those neighborhoods. Gives you far more options, including many much smaller/quieter areas that may be more what you're looking for. Kensington, Montclair, Glenview, Oakmore, many areas of Berkeley and Oakland hills all come to mind (though all are farther from grocery stores--those tend to locate near BART or freeways).

[Stubaw]

Thanks for these additional recs! Unfortunately I'm commuting to many spots around the East Bay and SF since I do freelance work -- a few hours in the city one day, a few hours in Oakland another day, etc. Hours might be during the day or at night. In the city the locations are places like Forest Hill, the Opera House, etc.

North Berkeley BART area seems so quiet and beautiful, and I loved Monterey Market, though I worry that the extra commute time to SF would be frustrating. My total ideal would be to find something that feels like N Berkeley BART that is closer to the city via BART. That may well be impossible!

Thoughts?

-S.

[artemis78]

If it exists, I haven't found it yet. The closest you'll get is probably parts of Rockridge, but it's still busier/more urban than the North Berkeley area (although also closer proximity to freeways if you have to drive for some of your work). And Rockridge isn't all that much closer to SF, either. (A major downside to that area of Berkeley is that you often have to contend with I-80 if you're driving, though.) Claremont, maybe? Again, not really closer--what you save in BART stops you lose in time spent getting to BART. Plus it's even pricier. It probably just comes down to how you want to balance the commute time/quality of life tradeoff.

[Stubaw]

Bummer! Well, perhaps it would make sense to be very close to N Berkeley BART, for the best balance of commute time and quiet.... I will look into Claremont, which might work since I'm often on my bike.

If any other ideas come up, do let me know!

-S.

[Lalato]

This suggestion is going to be a bit out there, but have you considered Alameda? It's got the quiet you're looking for, but it doesn't exactly have the close proximity to BART. You can quickly take a bus to BART in Oakland or take the ferry to SF.