North Oakland/Temescal safety? (Berkeley, Piedmont: crime, house, neighborhoods)

[dixieagle]

Hi. My daughter and son-in-law will be moving to the Bay area for his post-doc at Berkeley. They are looking for reasonably priced places to live and have liked a couple in the area of North Oakland/Temescal. How safe is the area?

They will likely prefer to use public transportation or bikes, and are both marathoners in training, so will be running frequently. I've heard awful things from Bay area natives about Oakland, though I've heard there are some less scary areas. They tend to think we're overreacting, but the things I've heard make me very nervous. Thanks.

[City Boy]

People who tell you awful things about Oakland are not from Oakland.

[dixieagle]

Originally Posted by City Boy

People who tell you awful things about Oakland are not from Oakland.

Well, then, how about some folks who live in the area or nearby fill me in? What about the Temescal area?

[bayarea-girl]

It depends on ones comfort level. News reports aren't filled with awful things about Oakland just because they aren't from Oakland.

Check out this link as a guide for crime in the area you might be considering moving in:
Oakland Crime Map - Showing Crime in Oakland, CA - Crime Statistics - Crime Alerts - Crime Stops Here

Temescal which is still part of Oakland is an area that has been turning around over the last 5-10 years or so. There are a lot of nice restaurants popping up around that area. Safety mainly around car thefts are still of concern. It still has some sketchy parts but the city and the community are going threw great lengths to improve that area. I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes its own city.

Rockridge is very nice. Anything around Piedmont street or the Trestle Glen area of Oakland is nice as well as the hills (driving down the hill is another story). Jack London Square and places around Lake Merrit would be places you should check out too. Car thefts and burgalaries around the Lake are still of concern but are safer parts of Oakland.

[dixieagle]

Originally Posted by bayarea-girl

It depends on ones comfort level. News reports aren't filled with awful things about Oakland just because they aren't from Oakland.

Check out this link as a guide for crime in the area you might be considering moving in:
Oakland Crime Map - Showing Crime in Oakland, CA - Crime Statistics - Crime Alerts - Crime Stops Here

Temescal which is still part of Oakland is an area that has been turning around over the last 5-10 years or so. There are a lot of nice restaurants popping up around that area. Safety mainly around car thefts are still of concern. It still has some sketchy parts but the city and the community are going threw great lengths to improve that area. I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes its own city.

Rockridge is very nice. Anything around Piedmont street or the Trestle Glen area of Oakland is nice as well as the hills (driving down the hill is another story). Jack London Square and places around Lake Merrit would be places you should check out too. Car thefts and burgalaries around the Lake are still of concern but are safer parts of Oakland.

Thanks - very helpful!

[fizbin]

Lots of places in Oakland are just fine (I live in one). The nicest area convenient to UC Berkeley is Rockridge. Very nice area with excellent residential options and arguably the foodiest area in Oakland. With a BART station for getting around. Also closer to the hills for excellent running and bike riding opportunities than NO/Temescal. The other areas bayarea-girl are also nice, but not as convienent to UCB.

[artemis78]

The heart of Temescal (area between Telegraph and Broadway, 40th and 51st) is a great neighborhood---at the northern edge it's walking distance to Rockridge shops and restaurants but not as expensive, which I imagine is why your daughter and son-in-law are looking there. There is still some crime, especially property crime, but it's a gentrifying neighborhood with lots of young couples and families. It was also recently featured in This Old House magazine as a great bungalow neighborhood, and in Sunset Magazine as an up-and-coming foodie destination (and Gourmet Magazine covered one of the newest restaurants recently, too). Lots and lots of bikers, and pretty good transit access too. I wouldn't be concerned. It does get sketchier if you go west of the freeway, but if they've been researching the area they probably know that. (Also, you'd want to be near Telegraph anyway if you're commuting to UCB---that's where the rapid bus that takes you to campus is, which is the quickest way to get there.)

Also, here's a very good crime map: Oakland Crimespotting
You can sort by various types of crimes as well as by hour of day, etc.

Some recent press:
Best Old House Neighborhoods 2009: Temescal Neighborhood, Oakland, California (This Old House)
Oakland's Temescal District a hip haven (SF Chronicle)
Oakland Day Trip: Temescal (Sunset Magazine)

[dixieagle]

Originally Posted by artemis78

The heart of Temescal (area between Telegraph and Broadway, 40th and 51st) is a great neighborhood---at the northern edge it's walking distance to Rockridge shops and restaurants but not as expensive, which I imagine is why your daughter and son-in-law are looking there. There is still some crime, especially property crime, but it's a gentrifying neighborhood with lots of young couples and families. It was also recently featured in This Old House magazine as a great bungalow neighborhood, and in Sunset Magazine as an up-and-coming foodie destination (and Gourmet Magazine covered one of the newest restaurants recently, too). Lots and lots of bikers, and pretty good transit access too. I wouldn't be concerned. It does get sketchier if you go west of the freeway, but if they've been researching the area they probably know that. (Also, you'd want to be near Telegraph anyway if you're commuting to UCB---that's where the rapid bus that takes you to campus is, which is the quickest way to get there.)

Also, here's a very good crime map: Oakland Crimespotting
You can sort by various types of crimes as well as by hour of day, etc.

Some recent press:
Best Old House Neighborhoods 2009: Temescal Neighborhood, Oakland, California (This Old House)
Oakland's Temescal District a hip haven (SF Chronicle)
Oakland Day Trip: Temescal (Sunset Magazine)

Great info; many thanks!

[dixieagle]

Well, they found a place, in or near Temescal, on Shattuck at 56th Street (5500 block, I believe.) They say the neighborhood seems fine and compared well to many other places they looked at. From what I can tell by looking at the Crime Spotters site, etc., it seems relatively calm. They were fortunate in that they were shown around by a friend's son, who is a long-time Oakland resident and knows the area.

So, can I relax a little about their safety?

[artemis78]

The area is okay, but not great (but is usually priced accordingly rent-wise). It's past the informal "dividing line" of the freeway and does have sketchy activity going on from time to time, but I also know a number of people who live within a few blocks who enjoy the neighborhood in spite of the challenges (and it is walkable to the Temescal and Rockridge shops, which is nice). I actually think it may have less property crime than the wealthier neighborhoods adjacent to it, simply because it's not seen as a prime target. It's also right by Children's Hospital, so there are a lot of people out and about during the day walking to and from the Telegraph shops. (And generally speaking, it seems like the crimes that I do hear about there tend to be internal group conflicts, often among youth---so if you're not involved in the groups or the related illicit activities, it's more a frustration than anything else.) That said, I would still be careful/smart walking around after dark (but then that's a good rule of thumb for most cities).

On another note, I would be a little concerned about that location because it's a) right on Shattuck, which is a busy thoroughfare and has a few businesses that can get loud, and b) right next to the freeway, which is noisy and grimy. Personally I'd rather live farther north on Shattuck (closer to Berkeley) if I had to be on Shattuck, or better, on one of the side streets. But, again, that's probably factored into the price, too....