Oakland features many wonderful residential neighborhoods to fit almost any budget or taste.   They exist in every variety of community scattered throughout the City where the neighbors have cared enough to get together to preserve, maintain and or improve their area.   The big 1991 firestorm brought loss of life and devastation to several communities.  But a drive through the fire area now will be quite impressive to many with the quality and styling of the grand custom homes built since 1993.  This area has become very chic. It encompasses the Claremont Hills area (which have Berkeley addresses, but for the most part, are located in Oakland, with Oakland services), Hiller Highlands, Upper Rockridge, and the Northern tip of Montclair.   Upper Rockridge is located below Highway 13 and Near Broadway Terrace and Moraga Avenue.  It offers stately charm, gracious living, wonderful views and easy access to Montclair Village, Rockridge and Berkeley. It made up of custom built home that are a mixture of lovely older homes home built after the fire of ’91.  Hiller Highlands offers executive style town homes, along with a few single family residences, many with panoramic views, a swim and tennis club and easy access to Montclair Village, Berkeley and as well as the Orinda and Walnut Creek areas. Montclair covers a large portion of the Oakland Hills and offers a variety of homes within a mountain setting.  Parts of Montclair are within walking distance to the Village, and parts allow for walks into the East Bay Regional Parks with their miles of trails.  Many people love Montclair for its abundance of trees and spectacular vistas.  Montclair Village has great shopping, some good restaurants and lots of basic services, offered in a charming setting.  As one travels further east Sequoyah Heights is a relatively undiscovered neighborhood of beautiful, large custom homes and a smaller desirable townhouse community, surrounded by lush trees and vegetation.  The neighborhood is nearby the Sequoyah Golf and Country Club.  The Old Oak Knoll Naval Hospital property has just been sold to a developer, willing to pay a large sum, and how it will be developed is yet to be revealed.  The neighborhood is actively involved in the quality and appropriateness of the project.  Nearby, on the eastern side of Knowland Park is Grass Valley, a neighborhood of nice size family-style homes built in the mid Twentieth Century, many offering some fine vistas. Traveling out to the San Leandro border is Sheffield Village, a sparkling family neighborhood featuring smaller and thus more affordable homes with lovely gardens and parks.  This neighborhood actually has been feeding into the San Leandro School District. 

Traveling up into the hills off of Keller Avenue are several neighborhoods.  There is the quiet single-family home area of Eichler, and Eichler inspired homes, some larger town homes in the Elysian Fields area, is the somewhat newer Skyline Hills apartments.  Some of these are rentals, and some are condos.  They are a gated community offering swimming, tennis, spas and exercise rooms along with lovely landscaping and easy access to hiking trails.  The Skyline district offers large custom built homes on large lots, some parts even allowing horses. Some have amazing views.  There are several small neighborhoods with their own personalities off of Skyline Blvd.  Ridgemont is a neighborhood developed mostly in the 1980’s, and has large homes, many with dramatic vistas.  It goes along the ridge between Keller Avenue and Merritt College. 

Coming down from the hills we find the tiny and exclusive city of Piedmont, entirely surrounded by Oakland.  It features older architecturally exciting homes and gardens. Piedmont is known for having one of the best school districts in California. It is also known for tree-lined streets, exceptionally stately, well maintained and upgraded homes, lovely and usable parks, a good recreation department, an excellent adult education system—with classes ranging from business, to language, to

cooking, fitness to arts and crafts.  Some of the homes are extremely large, with beautiful grounds, and some are small and modest.  It is an exceptionally quiet community.

Just outside of Piedmont is the historic and beautiful Crocker Highlands featuring, traditional, larger Tudor and Mediterranean homes, mostly built in the 1920’s.  It’s a neighborhood filled with trees and old world ambiance.  It offers a strong homeowners association, walk ability to the popular shopping areas of Lakeshore and Grand Avenues, as well as Lake Merritt. Another highly desirable neighborhood is Glenview.   This area offers a great deal of architectural charm with a cozy neighborhood feeling, and its own small retail area of restaurants, shops and even dance and yoga studios.  It is another “easy-access” neighborhood.   Situated above Glenview, is the Oakmore district.  It is relatively unknown to outsiders and even many Oaklanders.  It is a gorgeous, upscale neighborhood of gracious older Tudors and Mediterranean homes, set on handsome winding streets.  The Laurel, which includes Lincoln Heights (just below the landmark Mormon Temple) and Upper High Street Terrace, and the Diamond are well-maintained family neighborhoods offering quiet living within easy access to Oakland’s amenities.   These neighborhoods sit between Highways 580 and 13.  Redwood Heights is another lesser known, and well-established family neighborhood of custom built homes from the 1930's through the 1950's.  It features one of Oakland's many top rated elementary schools and one of the city's newer and largest public recreation centers. The Rec Center offers numerous classes for children and adults.  It is within easy access of Holy Names College, Merritt College, highways 13 and 580.  Millsmont and Maxwell Park feature smaller and more affordable homes in well-established quiet family neighborhoods located just below Highway 580 adjacent to the highly esteemed Mills College.

Coming north is the Piedmont Avenue district.  It surrounds very popular Piedmont Avenue between Oakland Avenues and Broadway.  It has become a "gourmet ghetto" for Oakland offering all types of restaurants, a large gourmet grocery, numerous boutiques, antique shops and other stores of interest and practicality.  It is adjacent also to Kaiser Permanente Hospital and Medical Center.  It offers easy access to Rockridge and the Grand Lake area.  Temescal District situated mainly between Broadway and Telegraph (and expanding west of Telegraph) is an old Italian neighborhood offering easy access to BART and Rockridge.  It is very popular with people who love Rockridge and the benefits of College Avenue, but need something more affordable.  The retail area nearby on Telegraph Avenue offers some excellent restaurants and boutiques, as well as businesses providing basic services.  Temescal has a public swimming pool, and Studio One (which offers art classes).  Rockridge is a name given in the later Twentieth Century to a fairly large neighborhood bordered by starts at 51st Street, Telegraph Avenue, up to the city of Berkeley, including College Avenue, crossing upper Broadway, and going up to what is called upper Rockridge which stops at Highway 13.  Central and Lower Rockridge are within walking distance of College Avenue with its wonderful and popular array of cafes, restaurants and other specialty shops.  With BART being in the center, it has easy access to everything and it is close to the University of California.

On the shores of Lake Merritt are the Rose Garden Neighborhood, China Hill, Adams Point and the Grand Lake.  The Rose Garden Neighborhood is named after the Morcom Amphitheatre of Roses, located within its borders.  It is an extremely popular neighborhood, of stately older homes, a few duplexes and four-plexes, even a few condo complexes.  It has a strong neighborly feeling, is within short walking distance of the Lake, and the Grand Avenue and Lakeshore Avenue shopping areas. The neighbors are fiercely proud and loyal of this area, and are diligent to protect the quality of life it offers.  Adam's Point offers a mixture of wonderful and sometimes huge antique homes, numerous condo complexes and apartment buildings.  This is a well-maintained desirable urban residential neighborhood.  It has easy access to downtown, Piedmont Avenue and the Grand Lake areas. The Grand Lake area is located between Grand Avenue and Lakeshore Avenue. It has lovely larger antique homes and duplexes, with a scattering of condos and apartments.  It has a lot of Old World Charm as well as convenience.  China Hill is a lovely, well-established neighborhood on the eastern side of the Lake, offering mostly older, well-maintained homes.  There are again a scattering of apartments and condo complexes—mostly located on the border streets such as Lakeshore Avenue, and close to East 18th Street or Park Blvd.   Coming east of Park Boulevard is the Brooklyn neighborhood.  It is now often referred to by many as New Chinatown, as many Asian immigrants have found it to be highly desirable community, and it has expanded out from Oakland’s large downtown Chinatown. 

Traveling east are the San Antonio, Fruitvale, Melrose, Eastmont and Elmhurst Districts.  Fruitvale and San Antonio have been experiencing wonderful revitalization.  The Fruitvale BART, the planned Fruitvale Transit District, new condo developments, International Blvd’s rejuvenation as a retail district have all been a boon to these areas.  They offer some of Oakland’s best Victorian properties, as well as some charming Arts and Crafts California bungalows, and delightful smaller homes built in the 1920’s and 1930’s.  

West Oakland, often misunderstood, houses some historic and beautiful neighborhoods, many artist warehouses, some state-of-the-art live/work condominiums, some industry, and some low cost housing.  It offers easy access to San Francisco, Emeryville and Downtown.  BART is right there.  It is convenient to Jack London Square, Emeryville and San Francisco, as well as Downtown Oakland.  The planned developments for the old Oakland Army Base will make a huge and impact on the desirability of living in West Oakland. 

Emeryville with a population of only approximately 5000 people has grown into a business, residential and entertainment center.   Many old factories were converted into innovative housing units used by artists as live/work spaces. Many new ones have been built.   It has been known as an artist community.  It offers easy access to San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley.  Emeryville is situated by the Bay, and has excellent shopping from Williams Sonoma and Ann Taylor to Home Depot and Home Expo to Trader Joes and much much more.  It has two large megaplex cinemas.   

The North Oakland neighborhoods bordering Emeryville are becoming increasingly popular because of the older style of homes, convenience and affordability.

Many of our neighborhoods have very active neighborhood associations.  Some are very formally structured such as the Lakeshore Homes Association which has existed for over seventy five years, and the membership of its one thousand plus homes is required with $100 per year dues.  Most associations are less formally structured, but very solid, strong and active.   Many of the Oakland schools have very active Parent-Teacher Associations.  Some are so involved in working for quality education for their children, that some of Oakland's elementary schools compare well to expensive and highly reputable private schools.  Oakland’s Dept. of Parks and Recreation offer classes and sports for our youth.  Learning where all of these different programs and associations exist does take some research, such as visiting schools and talking with neighbors.  Sometimes wonderful schools, neighborhood associations and recreational programs exist inlocations where we may least expect it.

Another thing that I love about Oakland is that it is twenty minutes by car or BART to glorious San Francisco.  It's close to the Pacific Ocean, the Wine Country, the Sierra and Nevada’s and the Monterey Peninsula. If you are considering Oakland as your new home select a caring, trustworthy Realtor professional, and ask to be shown around.  You'll be happily surprised and pleased with what you findyou find