Maxwell Park/Frick area in Oakland (San Francisco, Concord: apartment, crime, houses)

[Faville]

We're looking at houses in that area and I'd like to hear any info at all regarding neighborhood life from anyone who lives around there. We currently live in San Francisco, and the area looks really suburban to me. Just wondering how it feels to live there.

[Ultrarunner]

Friends that live there like it... homes are old... most date from the 1920's... so the quality of remodels and upgrades are important to check for sub-par work. Off street parking is a must in my book... narrow streets are prone to vehicle damage... not a problem if you have off street or better... a garage.

Laurel has a active shopping district and is nearby... not far from Lincoln Square for Safeway.

[WesternGulf]

the area is not wall to wall apartment buildings but if a single family home neighborhood can be urban, it is neighborhoods like maxwell park along with glenview, dimond, laurel and most neighborhoods that sit in the foothills that canyon interstate 580. these neighborhoods are almost exclusively tight knit bungalows in neighborhoods hovering around 10,000 people per square mile. also, i know diversity is a buzz word when dealing with oakland but these neighborhoods' diversity is overwhelming. i have read sources where the laurel neighborhood is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country. almost a quarter each of asian, blacks and whites and hispanics, mixed races and those that consider themselves other make up the other quarter.

[rbehs]

I've lived in Maxwell Park over a year now. Here are some upsides:

1. Very friendly neighborhood. It was the first place I've ever lived where within a week I knew most of the people on my block. Also, the neighborhood organization is very active--and there are tons of ways to get involved in the community.
2. Lots of interesting people live in the neighborhood. A mixture of artists, teachers, middle class families who've lived here forever.
3. Quiet and peaceful, but still in the city.

Downsides:

1. Closest retail strip is a long walk to Laurel.
2. Not too transit friendly.
3. It's close to some neighborhoods that struggle with crime/poverty issues
4. The elementary school has low ratings.

I walk my dog over to the Frick area quite a bit. The streets west of Seminary are similar in feel to Maxwell Park. East of Seminary feels more similar/attached to the Havenscourt neighborhood. There is a nice park where the Concordia Seminary used to be.

[Nineties Flava]

Maxwell Park, Dimond, and Laurel all range from decent to nice. Crime can happen in these areas but thats true for any city of Oakland's size. In Dimond and Laurel, It's better to be above MacArthur Blvd than below it (and its certainly better to not actually be on MacArthur itself) but even below MacArthur is decent... the only part in that area which is pretty iffy is the other side of 580 by Fruitvale Ave. I'm most familiar with Dimond since I live in it and I would say that it's fairly safe at night... all of Dimond Heights is perfectly safe and even MacArthur Blvd isn't too bad at night (in Dimond... there is a world of difference between MacArthur in Dimond and MacArthur by Mills). I WOULD NOT walk on Fruitvale after dark though, and there's not much reason to... I also wouldn't make a habit of walking down MacArthur but its better than Fruitvale.

Hope that helps

[Faville]

Thanks for the comments so far! It's been helpful. One thing we are wondering about is whether there is any "there" there. If you live in that area (Maxwell Park, not Dimond or Laurel) do you feel isolated? It seems like there is no neighborhood business strip (eg cafes, restaurants, shops) beyond some dingy liquor stores and gas stations.

[Shelacious]

Originally Posted by Faville

Thanks for the comments so far! It's been helpful. One thing we are wondering about is whether there is any "there" there. If you live in that area (Maxwell Park, not Dimond or Laurel) do you feel isolated? It seems like there is no neighborhood business strip (eg cafes, restaurants, shops) beyond some dingy liquor stores and gas stations.

No, there are not a lot of neighborhood businesses in the area. In that way, I'd think of the Maxwell Park area being closer to a traditional suburb. The closest neighborhood shopping is in the Laurel. I live east of Maxwell Park, and outside of the ice cream parlor and a hidden gem of a Thai restaurant, we do all most of our food shopping and restaurant take-out in Lincoln Square, Laurel, Dimond, and occasionally Montclair. The upside is that Oakland is a relatively small city--580/13 is rarely crowded off-peak, so shopping is about 5 minutes to most of these places, and 10 even if going to Montclair. AC Transit will take you to shopping destinations in the Laurel and Dimond very easily, if you don't have a car.