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. 

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, including Dopo’s, Caesar’s, El Camino’s among many, many others. 

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 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, Crocker Highlands, Redwood Heights, Oakmore, Piedmont Avenue and Temescal. 

Berkeley 

With approximately one restaurant for every 285 resients, Berkeley truly is a gourmet ghetto.  Add to that exceptional markets like the Berkeley Bowl, Monterey Market and there is no doubt about how the city got its title.  But Berkeley’s exceptional cultural offerings are not far behind in giving the city its allure.  UC Berkeley’s Cal Performances features top performers from around the world.  Theater companies like the nationally recognized Berkeley Repertory and the Aurora Theater offer nationally acclaimed live stage performances.  Add to that one of the country’s top universities and the city’s many charming neighborhoods, its central location and easy access to transportation and no wonder many people choose Berkeley as a place to call home.

South of the campus, the Claremont district features historic homes built by well-known artchitects like Bernard Maybeck, Julia Morgan and John Hudson Thomas.  Nearby, the Elmwood has homes of a similar vintage near the charming shops and restaurants that line College Avenue.  West of the Elmwood, South Berkeley boasts the Ashby BART station and many bungalows that are rapidly being renovated.  North of downtown is the North Berkeley neighborhood, where the actual “Gourmet Ghetto” resides, anchored by Chez Panisse.  Further north are Northbrae, a master-planned subdivision from the early 20th Centurey and Thousand Oaks, an area of charming streets and equally charming homes.  Behind these neighborhoods, rise the Berkeley Hills with neighborhoods like Cragmont and La Loma Park that feature winding, tree-lined strees, public stairways and paths, pocket parks, and many pre- and post-war homes with dramatic views.

“With an influx of new families into the area, there has been tremendous growth from increasingly excellent public schools to an explosion of wonderful urban amenities like the farmer’s markets, great restaurants and shops and Oakland’s First Fridays Art Walk.”