What Are Your Impressions of Alameda? (San Francisco, Oakland: renting, credit, homes)

[MantaRay]

I'm just curious. People love SF and are afraid of Oakland. What is your impression of Alameda? When I vacationed in SF I loved it. When I stayed in Alameda during one vist on business, I only saw a little of it and a little of Oakland- Jack London Square. But now that I pull up the maps online I see that Alameda is building a nice new community in the northern section and apparently expanding it to where a former base was, and also appears to have nice pedestrian trails which run from the northern part along the bay all the way to the vicinity of Oakland Airport. I also read that Alameda weather is typically a little warmer and less foggy than SF. All that and quick access to SF seems to make me believe that Alameda is a GREAT place to live.

But only people who live in the area would know the "juicy details" as they say. So what are the juicy details on Alameda, what are your impressions of it?

[bayarea-girl]

Alameda is warmer and less foggier than SF. The beach isn't as nice as SF beaches but they have one. Alameda is a better choice than Oakland for me. The schools are better in Alameda than SF and Oakland. Alameda doesn't have a lot of shopping options nor does it have a BART. Alameda is nice.

[bellalunatic]

I like Alameda. It's a bit of a hidden gem in the bay. It's a man-made island (make that Army Corps. of Engineering) made island....and eventhough we all live around it, we kinda forget it's there. The schools are better there, years ago we used to joke how it was stuck in a Mayberry USA kind of time-warp....i always loved that about it, it's changed a bit over the years but it is a great little place.
The access part is an issue that one must get used to, either drive or take the bus....Since the East Bay is generally BART territory, I wonder if that's why most people forget it's there?
Pretty much everyone that I've known that lives there just happens to work in Berkeley, not SF, but that's just a weird relative coincidence.
Theoretically you could bus to BART or bus to Ferry in order to get to SF without driving....otherwise you drive yourself everywhere.
And for the record, I don't think Oakland is scary, sure there are some more than sketchy parts but most of Oakland is cool...but that's just me.
Alameda is adorable.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by MantaRay

I'm just curious. People love SF and are afraid of Oakland. What is your impression of Alameda? When I vacationed in SF I loved it. When I stayed in Alameda during one vist on business, I only saw a little of it and a little of Oakland- Jack London Square. But now that I pull up the maps online I see that Alameda is building a nice new community in the northern section and apparently expanding it to where a former base was, and also appears to have nice pedestrian trails which run from the northern part along the bay all the way to the vicinity of Oakland Airport. I also read that Alameda weather is typically a little warmer and less foggy than SF. All that and quick access to SF seems to make me believe that Alameda is a GREAT place to live.

But only people who live in the area would know the "juicy details" as they say. So what are the juicy details on Alameda, what are your impressions of it?

I love Alameda. One of my favorite quilt fabric stores is there -- Quilt Fans. She moved her place out onto Harbor Bay Parkway (2205 Harbor Bay Parkway) and at first I thought that was crazy.... but the ride out there is breathtaking. A great view of SF...

[Taboo2]

Alameda-
Used to be a naval town. Has great laws about not building any new apts but it makes renting a little difficult I would guess. Southshore is nice again. It has bad parts as well (like any city) Buena vista Ave used to have a gang. I am sure other places must as well, but they are not super violent from what i can tell. But it is SUPER CUTE and quaint. Good restaurants on Park. Good schools. The beach is the bay but it has no waves and is good for kids. Tattoo parlors left over from the naval station. A local college right there. Ferrys to SF. I love it. Very nice.

Originally Posted by MantaRay

I'm just curious. People love SF and are afraid of Oakland. What is your impression of Alameda? When I vacationed in SF I loved it. When I stayed in Alameda during one vist on business, I only saw a little of it and a little of Oakland- Jack London Square. But now that I pull up the maps online I see that Alameda is building a nice new community in the northern section and apparently expanding it to where a former base was, and also appears to have nice pedestrian trails which run from the northern part along the bay all the way to the vicinity of Oakland Airport. I also read that Alameda weather is typically a little warmer and less foggy than SF. All that and quick access to SF seems to make me believe that Alameda is a GREAT place to live.

But only people who live in the area would know the "juicy details" as they say. So what are the juicy details on Alameda, what are your impressions of it?

[pausekitty]

I love Alameda. The only reason I wouldn't really want to live there is because there are limited public transportation options for me and I'm talking buses, not Bart.

[kgbnsf]

Alameda is actually nice. Living in SF for 10 years, I moved here from SF 6 years ago with the idea of getting into the housing market and then move back to the City ASAP. Instead, we just purchased another home here in Alameda. It isn't SF but there are a lot of positive qualities about Alameda and overall its an easier lifestyle. You don't have to keep your guard up all the time. If you leave your car unlocked or your garage door open, there is a good chance your stuff will still be there. It's easy to get to the City and public transit is actually decent. There are three Transbay bus lines (with wifi) that take you to SF, some with 4+ runs/hour during commuter runs. And of course, there are the buses that take you to BART and ferries. I've always found transit to be easy and I was used to Muni's frequency rates.

All that said, it could stand for improvement with stores, restaurants and entertainment. It's certainly improving but still has a ways to go. But then that keeps you going to SF which isn't a bad thing at all.

[tennis368fan]

Originally Posted by bellalunatic

...It's a man-made island (make that Army Corps. of Engineering) made island....and eventhough we all live around it, we kinda forget it's there...

I think I must clearify a point about Alameda being man-made. Most of the mainland of Alameda is natural land, though the "mainland" is actually the island of Alameda. What BL meant was that it was never originally an island, but a peninsula connected to the East Bay via Bay Farm Island. The Army Corp of Engineering dug the Tidal Canal between what is now the "mainland" or main island and Bay Farm Island and Alameda Island was born. Only Alameda Point, which is the former naval base, South Shore, possibly Ballena Bay, and the few feet of land on the banks of Alameda's shore are reclaimed, or landfill. "Landfill" in the case of Alameda involves no garbage what-so-ever, but rather sand, earth, and rocks used to fill marshland to raise the area above the water level. There is a difference between being built on landfill and being built on a landfill.

On the contrary, Bay Farm Island is mostly reclaimed land, but there are parts of it that were natural land such as the older area mostly built in the 1950's and 1960's. My classmates used to joke that this part of Bay Farm Island was "ghetto-Bay Farm" to disguish it from the newer, upper middle class master-planned tract housing built on landfill called Harbor Bay. However, "Ghetto-Bay Farm" is by no means poor, but strictly middle class and desirable for families looking to attend highly rated schools on Bay Farm without paying a premium.

BART is not that out of reach at all. One can ride his or her bike to Fruitvale BART station, take a bus, carpool, or drive and take advantage of abundant parking. Similarly, one can take the Transbay buses O, OX, and the W to San Francisco from Alameda. During rush hour, these lines are usually run using tour-bus coaches, though they can use regular buses as well. The 50, 63, 19, and the 51 also reach BART stations in Oakland.

Good comprehensive schools that do not require interviews or lotteries are located east of Union Street. East of Park Street would put you in the best schools Alameda has to offer. West of Union Street, you can find a few good elementary schools, but for a highly rated middle school or high school, you would have to enroll your children in public charter schools such as Arthur Andersen (Grades 6-12) and the Alameda Science and Technology Institute (9-12), the latter allowing students the opportunity to earn up to two years of college credit.

Bayport, the community that the OP is mostly likely refering to, is zoned to Ruby Bridges Elementary and Chipman Middle School, which are not so good for Alameda standards. I would take the money you will spend on a home there and buy east of Park Street, where you can bike to BART and send your children to highly rated schools. If you really like Bayport, you could attempt a transfer to Paden Elementary, or send you child to private elementary school, then attempt to enroll in Arthur Andersen for middle and high school instruction. If you have no children, then Bayport would be just as good as any part of Alameda and you would be making an investment as the rest of the Naval Base is redeveloped into a vibrant community.

Oh, did I mention that Bayport will eventually be accessible to Jack London via water taxi or aerial gondola when Alameda Landing, which will be similar to Bayport and will be located adjacent to it, is built?

[gmkarr]

Tennis368farn,

Great to hear your insights. As someone interested in possibly living in Alameda as well, it would be great to hear more about Bay Farm Island. While I love old homes, I am also considering Bay Farm island because I'm interested in great schools, and want to have as many options as possible if we decide to buy. Can you shed some light on what differences there might be, culturally, between the Main island (particularly east end and gold coast), and Bay FArm? Does Bay FArm tend to be more families, and the two main island neighborhoods I mentioned tend to be more of a mix? Is Bay Farm generally considered as friendly as the main island? Is Bay Farm considered more mainstream and "yuppie" to give a gross geralization, while the main island is more artsy? I have driven around both parts of the island, but it always helps to learn more before making the final decision to move. Finally, how can one find out which part of Bay FArm are on landfill and while are not? It sounds like Harbor Bay is - what about other areas. Thanks in advance!!!

-gmkarr

[tennis368fan]

I will have to correct myself in saying that Alameda was a peninsula connected to Oakland via the East End and not Bay Farm Island, which was an island all on its own. My apologies! (Note: more below the map)

Originally Posted by gmkarr

...While I love old homes, I am also considering Bay Farm island because I'm interested in great schools, and want to have as many options as possible if we decide to buy...

The main island also has some terrific elementary schools that are on par or almost on par with the two elementary schools on Bay Farm Island, such Edison Elementary, Otis Elementary, and Franklin Elementary. Edison Elementary and Otis Elementary feed into the highly rated Lincoln Middle School located at the East End area of the main island of Alameda. Franklin Elementary, which feeds into Wood Middle School, serves most parts of the Gold Coast, while the remaining corner at Central and Eighth Street is served by Washington Elementary School and Chipman Middle (not-so-good).

Use the map at the link below as a guide to school attendance boundaries:
http://www.alameda.k12.ca.us/school_map_08_09.pdf

Use this API Index list from the California Department of Education's 2008 API Growth Report to compare school performance of Alameda's schools. 800 out of 1000 is the proficiency threshold for all schools, but I would go much higher at the elementary school and middle school level, and no lower than the mid API 700's at the high school level. The API Growth Reports are updated yearly to reflect testing from the previous school year and are usually released the same year that the standard testing which it evaluates takes place. So testing in the 2007-2008 year is released in late 2008:
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/AcntRpt2008/2008GrthAPICo.aspx?cYear=2007-08&cSelect=01,ALAMEDA

Use the 07-08 API Base Report below to view statewide ranks under the "2007 Statewide Ranks" column, which are rated out of 10. This is based on the decile system. This means that a high school scoring a "10 out of 10" ranks at the top 10% of all public high schools in the state. This means that a high schools that score in the high 700's on the API can still receive a 8 or 9 out of 10 and be within the top 30% and top 20% of all public high schools in California, even it is not technically "proficient". However, a proficient elementary school or middle school could score in the top 40%, or a 7 out of 10, despite an API of 800 to 810. The API Base Reports are updated yearly to reflect testing from the previous school year and are usually released the following year that the standard testing which it evaluates takes place. So testing in the 2007-2008 year is released in early to mid 2009:
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/AcntRpt2008/2007Base_Co.aspx?cYear=&cSelect=01,ALAMEDA

You can find plenty of Victorian homes at the East End, though there are fewer than the Gold and Bronze Coast, and still send your children to good public schools.

You could also live in a part of Alameda that has good public elementary schools, but so-so secondary schools, and send your children to Arthur Andersen, a public charter school for grades 6-12, although it is harder to get into than comprehensive middle schools. There is also the Alameda Science and Technology Institute, a public charter high school for grades 9-12 that allows concurrent enrollment in college classes for a maximum of two years of college credit. Or, you could send your children to private school.

Originally Posted by gmkarr

...Can you shed some light on what differences there might be, culturally, between the Main island (particularly east end and gold coast), and Bay FArm? Does Bay FArm tend to be more families, and the two main island neighborhoods I mentioned tend to be more of a mix?...

I think most of Alameda and Bay Farm is very family-oriented, though there is a significant older population throughout the city as well, as signaled by the declining student generation rate. All three areas are great for raising families, but living at the East End or on Bay Farm would put your children in a position to attend the better schools in Alameda. Franklin Elementary and the Gold Coast, as I have heard, has families with older parents, some of whom have multiple children and later switch to private schools if they are unable to send their children to Arthur Andersen for secondary education.

Originally Posted by gmkarr

...Is Bay Farm generally considered as friendly as the main island? Is Bay Farm considered more mainstream and "yuppie" to give a gross geralization, while the main island is more artsy?...

I think both areas are family oriented, though most of the culture is located on the main island's Park Street/Civic Center/Downtown area. I am not sure whether younger couples chose Bay Farm more over the rest of the city, but I do know that Bay Farm contains some of Alameda's newer larger homes, sort of like a modern day suburban Gold Coast, at the Headlands and Promontory neighborhoods of Harbor Bay.

I do remember growing up, that if someone would say he or she lived on Bay Farm Island, then there is a perception that he or she came from the "rich" or "wealthy" side of town. This was probably due to the construction of Harbor Bay, which drew thousands of upper middle class, and some upper class, to Alameda. Before that, Bay Farm was purely middle class, and prior to that, farmland.

Originally Posted by gmkarr

...Finally, how can one find out which part of Bay FArm are on landfill and while are not? It sounds like Harbor Bay is - what about other areas...

I am not sure, but I assume that areas with the highest liquefaction probability is landfill. I use the following map to determine areas of Alameda that have higher liquefaction, and thus likely to be reclaimed:
http://gis.abag.ca.gov/website/liq/viewer.htm

Good Luck!