Neighborhood Profiles

“This is the place where I raised my children. I have worked with many local groups and have enjoyed watching the community grow and prosper.”

Piedmont

Next to its exceptional public schools and its own police and fire departments, the great appeal of Piedmont is its small town feel.  Crossing guards help children walk to school.  Parents and other residents volunteer for the city’s many community groups.  And on the Fourth of July everyone turns out for a parade down the town’s main street and a picnic and concert in the park afterward.  There is even a small town market, Mulberry’s, in the center of its very small commercial area.

But despite its small town feel, Piedmont is located in the middle of Oakland and benefits from the larger city’s many urban amenities.  Transportation is good with an active casual carpool system, an extensive bus system and easy access to freeways.  And nearby are the shops, restaurants, theaters and stores of Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue, Grand Lake District, Rockridge’s College Avenue, and Montclair Village.  Its five school are all small and rank among the best in the Bay Area, receiving high schores in the state’s API ratings.  Last fall, U.S. News and World Report ranked the high school 68th in the nation.

Neighborhoods include the hip “Baja Piedmont” near Piedmont Avenue and Beach Elementary School; Lower Piedmont near Grand Avenue and the newly renovated, much-used Dracena playground and dog walking park; Central Piedmont popular for its proximity to the center of town and four of the town’s five schools; the hills, Upper Piedmont Estate and St. James Wood near Montclair Village and Park Boulevard.  With the exception of Upper Piedmont Estate, which was developed mid-century, most of the homes were built in the 1920’s and 30’s, many by well-known architects like   

Oakland

No longer the next new place, Oakland has really come into its own. If you have any doubts, visit the new Whole Foods on any given night.  Just a few blocks from downtown Oakland and its sparkling Lake Merritt, it offer one of the most sophisticated places to shop in the Bay Area.  Or drive around the lake itself.  You’ll find luxury condomiuniums mixed in with charming, older homes that are rapidly being renovated.  Or join in the Art Murmur art walk on the first Friday night of each month.  Artists and galleries around the city open up their studios for showings, special one-night only installations and entertainment.   Or dine in any one of the hip, new restaurants opening up in downtown or along College or Grand Avenues. 

Centrally located near the core of the Bay Area, commutes are good in any direction.  There are eight BART stations within the city limits, a network of AC Transit buses, an active casual carpool system and one of the best car commutes in the Bay Area.  Add to that charming, vintage homes in tree-lined neighborhoods and some excellent public schools and it is easy to understand Oakland’ growing popularity as a place to live.

Long considered second rate, the public schools, particularly in the North Oakland hills, are rated some of the highest in the state’s API system.  With increasing numbers of young families moving into these charming, somewhat more affordable neighborhoods, their popularity is growing so rapidly that several are facing issues of overcrowding. Many lovely neighborhoods including, Rockridge, Montclair, Oakmore and Redwood Heights to name just a few. Nieghborhoods: Piedmont Ave (Caesar’s, Piedmont Theater, Piedmont Avenue Grocers), Rockridge, Upper Rockridge, Montclair, Oakmore, Crocker Highlands, Lake Merritt, Redwood Heights, Temescal.

Emeryville

“With an influx of new families into the area watched tremendous growth from excellent public schools to increasingly wonderful urban amenities like the farmer’s markets, Cal Performance’s and Oakland’s First Fridays Art Walk to the great improvements home owners have made in our charming homes.”

Speaking of convenience, Set at the base of the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge, Emergyville offers closest commute to city. With luxury condos sprouting on every corner, has become really SF East. An appendage of SF. Along with development new condos lovely new shopping areas, including Emery Bay with IKEA, Expo, multiplex movie theather, Pottery Barn, etc. For those who prefer public transportation, Emery go Bart offers regular bus service to the MacArthur BART station a few block away in Oakland. With Pixar a major employer,(as well as bio-tech giant Chiron) city has smart, hip young flavor.

Berkeley

With one restaurant for every 285 residents, Berkeley truly is a gourmet ghetto.  Add to that being home to exceptional markets like the Berkeley Bowl and the Monterey Market and there is not doubt about how the city got its title.  But Berkeley’s exceptional cultural offerings are ot far behind in giving the city its allure.  UC Berkeley’s Cal Performances features top performers from