Living in Bushrod

Considering a move to North Oakland

Jan 2013

Hello, We are considering a move to North Oakland - not Temescal but the neighborhoods on the other side of 24 toward Emeryville / Berkeley - and I wonder if this group can share any more extensive advice than is in the archives. We are coming from San Francisco and looking for an affordable neighborhood. My main question is around safety. Does it feel safe to people who live there? Walking to and from Macarthur BART, say at dark (8 PM?). Is there a vibrant community and a friendly neighborhood feel? The only family I know who lived there moved away because of crime. Thanks for any guidance and advice! I really appreciate it! Anon

We have lived in North Oakland, just west of Bushrod Park, for the last seven years. The neighborhood has improved dramatically since we moved in, with seemingly less violent crime and much less of a gang presence (our sidewalks and utility poles used to always get tagged with gang signs, but this hasn't happened in a long time). It's a wonderful neighborhood with a strong, diverse community, and have become friends with many long-time residents as well as with people new to the area -- everyone is very welcoming. Oddly, despite the neighborhood reputation, I feel like there has been less crime here lately than in nearby Rockridge. Of couse, the neighborhood is not perfect, and you definitely need to expect and be comfortable living with people from all walks of life. As for coming home late from BART, I think walking from Ashby would be fine as long as one excercises a moderate amount of self awareness (I don't have any experience with late-night travel to the MacArthur station). I'm not sure where you're thinking about moving, but our local elementary school, Peralta, is amazing and well worth moving here for. Good luck! Kim

2010 - 2012 Discussions

Jan 2010

Re: Schools, commutable,urban under $500k?
I just bought a house in the Bushrod neighborhood in North Oakland five months ago. It has almost all the things you are looking for: diversity, affordability, close to FWY and emeryville, and we can walk to rockridge, elmwood, temescal, and berkeley. Some of the schools are a little sketchy, but others like Peralta are great. Its a really great area!