Moving to rockridge - safety for young family
hi there, we are a couple planning on moving to rockridge. We are wondering what young families with infants feel about the neighborhood -- is it safe? crime reports online indicate there are frequent thefts. do you feel safe taking stroller walks in evenings?
Sep 7, 2021
Parent Replies
Lol Rockridge is the most bougie of Oakland neighborhoods. You’ll be fine.
Rockridge is an amazing community, I've lived here for 2 years... Only (major) thing to worry about is do not leave anything exposed in your car. Lot of smashed glass around here, but I've never had a problem myself -- 2 years of street parking, no break-ins for me. It's usually people leaving something on their seats. If it can been seen, it will probably be stolen.
Hi- we recently moved to Rockridge. I feel very safe here! Wouldn’t recommend leaving small things on the porch, as they tend to walk away, but otherwise I haven’t had any negative experiences. We walk at all times of the day, and my husband runs very early AM. Of course, use common sense and be aware of your surroundings but overall I have been really happy.
We live in Rockridge near Chabot Elementary and take our 3 month old on stroller walks around 5 pm every night. There are some parts of Rockridge that feel safer than others and not sure we’d walk on certain streets after dark but for now, have felt totally safe.
It depends on what you mean by evening - I assume you mean 5-8ish pm, in which case, yes I feel safe, but with the usual provisos that come with any urban neighborhood: you’re probably safer on busier streets with more pedestrians than quiet, dark, deserted streets; you should always be aware of your surroundings, don’t wear headphones or otherwise dull your senses; walk with someone if possible; and get to know your neighbors and local businesses so you can look out for each other and get help quickly if you need it. I (a petite female) wouldn’t walk around Rockridge alone at midnight, but I’d say that about any neighborhood in the east bay - it’s just city life.
We live very close to Rockridge and often walk to and around Rockridge. Trader Joes on College is where we shop often and we go to Frog Park in the lower Rockridge often. Our school is in upper Rockridge. Upper Rockridge is so nice -- beautiful grand houses and lovely to take a walk around but not quite walkable to amenities. Lower Rockridge is so fun and walkable but cars do get broken into often. We've never had problems with our cars in or near Rockridge in 15+ years of living here. We did get our car broken into once in West Oakland and twice in SF. Crimes are high everywhere, and my sense is that locations that offer easy get-away with pedestrians draw criminals. I am aware of people being mugged, but I have not personally (thankfully) experienced it. I don't look fancy though and wear a fanny pack close to my body. We drive very modest and dinged up 10+ year old cars and don't keep anything in our car except some trash (empty goldfish bags, half eaten and forgotten crackers and crumbs, and used tissues that my kid left behind -- sorry it's gross) but I often wonder the car seat with kid litter is a deterrent.