Oakland has been called “Brooklyn by the Bay,” and it’s not hard to see why. This East Bay city has become a haven for trend-setters that’s known for its diverse culinary scene, artistic sensibilities and relatively low housing costs compared to neighboring San Francisco. “Oakland is the most central location in the Bay Area; it has the best weather, some of the best views, a great restaurant scene, and it’s going to be a fraction of the price of being in San Francisco or in the Peninsula,” says Rich Fleming, a local Realtor and Broker with Realty ONE Group Future and Oakland resident of over 20 years. “That’s sort of the draw here.” An influx of young people has steadily transformed the city over the past decade, but it hasn’t lost its working-class roots — its bayside ports are among the busiest in the United States. The city is the fifth busiest port by volume in the nation. The marine cargo transport industry provides the area with around 200,000 employment opportunities, although the cities top employer is the unified school district, which yields over 7,500 local positions.
What defines Oakland is very much rooted in its history and culture. The city saw a population boom following the disastrous San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, which drove many San Franciscans across the Bay. Since then, it’s grown to become the largest East Bay city with about 440,000 residents and is among the most diverse cities in the United States. “It’s probably the most socially economically mixed part of the Bay Area,” Fleming adds. It was the birthplace of the Black Panther Party, which remains well remembered through murals, monuments and local museums throughout the city. Oakland is also home to several literary luminaries, including swashbuckling novelist Jack London, who spent much of his youth living near Oakland’s ports and shipyards.
Oakland has an outstanding art scene in every possible art form attracting a lot of talents.
Oakland is also home to several literary luminaries, including the famous novelist Jack London.
The newly built Black Panther Party Mini Museum opened in January 2024 in West Oakland.
The Port of Oakland is the fifth busiest port by volume in the nation with around 200,000 jobs.
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Michelin-rated dining, central lakes and hiking trails
A diverse selection of restaurants, new and old, have put Oakland on the culinary map in recent years. The city is home to more than 20 Michelin-rated restaurants that are sure to satisfy the palates of those seeking adventurous, ethnic and upscale cuisine. Residents might try Commis, the city’s only two-starred restaurant. Oakland’s street food is just as tempting: its stellar food truck scene and hole-in-the-wall taquerias are an open secret across the Bay Area. Notable neighborhoods like Temescal, Rockridge, Grand Lake and Laurel are the place to be for trendy cafes, boutique shops and nightlife. Broadway Street, which borders Oakland’s booming City Center, is another main hub for local shopping.
From the coastal waters of the Bay to the forested Oakland Hills, outdoor recreation and natural scenery are a major appeal for city residents. Lake Merritt is an inner-city lake, serving as a focal point for the city’s downtown district with walking and biking trails. More hiking opportunities can be found through stands of 150-foot coast redwoods at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park. Climbing opportunities are possible at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve, where peaks were formed from lava and volcanic debris millions of years ago. These nature parks are traversed by the East Bay Skyline National Recreation Trail, a 31-mile pathway that twists and turns through dense stands of oak and redwood trees, punctuated occasionally by vistas with excellent Bay views. The Oakland Estuary, a strait in the San Francisco Bay that separates Oakland from Alameda, is a popular spot for boating and water recreation.
The oldest wildlife refuge on the continent is the beautiful Lakeside Park near Jack London Sq.
Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve has lots of natural trails for hikers in Montclair.
Hiking opportunities can be found at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park with 150-foot redwoods.
Jingletown has a great waterfront path on the Oakland estuary with the views of the Town.
Oakland residents can enjoy Commis, the city’s only two-starred restaurant.
Residents of Harrington in Oakland love Taqueria la Bonita, the local Mexican food truck.
Timeless Coffee & Bakery on Piedmont Avenue is a vegan coffee shop and is 100% plant-based.
Sushi is great quality in Temescal at Koryo Sushi.
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The future of Oakland and redevelopment projects
Oakland officials and developers have plans to construct thousands of additional multi-family units throughout the city in the coming years to help address the Bay Area’s persistent affordable housing issues. In 2022, there were more than 15,000 new units either under construction or approved for construction in the city, as well as a long list of potential development sites that could accommodate many thousands more.
Plans are also underway to redevelop the Oakland Coliseum and Oakland Arena, the former home turf of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, the Oakland Raiders football team and the Golden State Warriors basketball team, all three of which have recently relocated. In 2023, city officials said they were considering a major, $5 billion overhaul of the site that would construct a new convention center, housing, restaurants and entertainment.
Multiple BART stations and public bus options
Oakland is just south of Berkeley and east of Alameda and San Francisco. The city offers plenty of options for commuting and traveling. Both Interstate 580 and Interstate 880 run parallel through the city from east to west. The Caldecott Tunnel takes travelers east underneath the Oakland Hills to the towns of Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda, known locally as “Lamorinda.” The BART train has seven stops in Oakland, primarily in the downtown, Fruitvale and East Oakland neighborhoods. The BART system spans a large portion of the Bay Area, taking passengers to popular destinations like San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Amtrak has three train stations in Oakland, and residents can catch the San Francisco Bay Ferry at the Oakland Ferry Terminal.
The San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport is 9 miles south of downtown, offering nonstop service to dozens of domestic and international destinations. Multiple bus stops are located throughout Oakland, provided by East Bay’s Alameda-Contra Costa Transit bus system. These transit buses go as far north as Richmond and as far south as Palo Alto, while a single bus line takes passengers across the Bay to San Francisco. Several of Oakland’s busiest streets have dedicated bus lanes for faster service.
Mixed housing from colorful craftsman's to modern hillside estates
Throughout the 2010s, Oakland was among the hottest housing markets in the country, driven by an influx of new residents seeking lower home prices than in nearby San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Its housing landscape is distinguished by neighborhoods in the flatlands in the western side of the city, closer to the San Francisco Bay, and more affluent neighborhoods that fan out across the Oakland Hills in the east. Neighborhoods like Rockridge, Crocker Highlands and Claremont Hills are highly sought-after spots, with homes routinely selling for upwards of $2 million. The city offers everything from towering condo and apartment buildings in downtown districts to single-family homes tucked away on narrow streets in the hillsides. Ornate Victorians, eclectic Craftsman homes and midcentury modern mansions are all common styles here. The median single family home price as of October 2024 is $935,000, which is just slightly above the state average of $904,000 and 33 percent lower than San Francisco’s average home price.
In 2023, Oakland saw a slight drop in home and rental prices, a rare occurrence for Bay Area cities. Realtor David Higgins of Cush Real Estate, who has been working in Oakland for more than two decades, attributes the downturn to rising federal interest rates. “People just don’t want to pay a mortgage with a 7% or 8% interest rate,” Higgins says. But he says the housing market is expected to reverse course next year as the Federal Reserve begins lowering interest rates: “I think we’ve gotten through the worst of the storm. We’re already seeing signs of recovery.”
Glen Highlands is a neighborhood with windy, curvy roads connected all to the huge homes.
Glen Highlands is a neighborhood in the Oakland hills and has large million dollar homes.
Some lucky Uptown residents live in beautiful Queen Anne style homes.
Craftsman homes in Temescal have unique colorways compared to the average home.
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City arts, museums and downtown events
Oakland is home to a thriving independent art scene buoyed by more than 50 art galleries, brightly colored murals and public art. Downtown venues like the newly restored Fox Theater, the Paramount Theater and Yoshi’s feature world-famous performers and musicians all year-round, while Woodminster Amphitheater offers outdoor theatre nestled deep in the Oakland Hills. There is also the Oakland Museum of California, a sprawling, mid-century space that offers three stories of galleries, terraced gardens and a massive permanent collection of more than 1.9 million pieces of art. The Chabot Space and Science Center, a scenic observatory and planetarium for stargazing atop an Oakland hillside. The Oakland Asian Cultural Center, in Chinatown, features an array of Asian and Pacific Island art, revolving exhibitions and weekly visual and performing arts classes.
City events typically take place downtown. One of the biggest and most beloved district gatherings is Uptown’s First Fridays series, a monthly art walk that showcases art, new installations and exhibitions from various Bay Area artists.
Oakland's iconic Fox Theater regularly features live music and shows.
Oakland Uptown features many murals, including one of Stephen Curry, a local basketball player.
Juneteenth Festival in Oakland is organized at the Oakland Museum of CA.
Visitors can test their inner painters at the Melrose Street Festival and Artwalk in Oakland.
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Higher than average crime rates and Mediterranean weather
Both violent and property crimes are a reality in Oakland. According to data from the FBI, Oakland’s reported violent and property crime rates are significantly higher than both state and national averages. Like many U.S. cities, Oakland experienced a surge in crime during the COVID-19 pandemic that has been slow to subside. In an open letter to city officials in July 2023, the Oakland branch of the NAACP asked the city to declare a state of emergency to address rising violent crime rates. While crime is an important factor to consider, local residents hope to shine a different light on the city. “Most of what people hear about Oakland is the crime and government issues, and the media would have you think it’s some kind of warzone, but there is a whole other part of Oakland that makes it what I believe to be probably the nicest part of the Bay Area to live in,” Fleming says. “It has its challenges, but if you enjoy the good of Oakland, it dramatically outweighs the bad.”
Oakland’s Mediterranean-style climate makes it one of the highest rated cities for weather in the nation, with the same number of sunny days as Orange County, California. Temperatures range from the 50s and 60s during the winter months to the 70s during the summer. Twelve percent of Oaklands properties have a risk of wildfire damage, which is much lower than other areas in Northern California. The city of Oakland puts significant emphasis on climate change. The city adopted a 2030 Equitable Climate Action Plan (ECAP) in July 2020 to help Oakland adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Above average public schools and local colleges
The Oakland Unified School District earns a B-minus rating from Niche. The school district prides itself on being one of the most diverse in the state, with students coming from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. In addition to its more than 80 public schools, it also offers students a range of alternative options, from public charter schools to private academies. Two of its private schools, The College Preparatory School and the Head-Royce School, are ranked among the best in California, according to Niche. Oakland is also home to two small colleges, including Mills College at Northeastern University and Samuel Merritt University, a private medical school.
On average, homes in Oakland, CA sell after 40 days on the market compared to the national average of 49 days. The median sale price for homes in Oakland, CA over the last 12 months is $816,000, down 6% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
With over 30 years of sales and marketing experience, Katrina Carter is a licensed Real Estate and Mortgage Broker who specializes in the East Bay cities of Oakland, San Leandro, Castro Valley, Hayward, and San Ramon. She's a true Bay Area native, having been born in San Francisco and raised in South San Francisco, giving her vast knowledge of not only the East Bay, but also San Francisco and San Mateo Counties.
As a self-proclaimed Bay Area enthusiast, Katrina loves to "play tourist" in The Bay, taking full advantage of all the region has to offer, from outdoor activities to great restaurants. She's also passionate about health and fitness and believes in the power of natural remedies to support the body's own healing processes. These passions all come together in her real estate brand, where she works with clients to find homes that fit their lifestyles, from location and amenities to space and design.
Katrina prides herself on her strong negotiating skills, in-depth knowledge of the changing market, and experience as a real estate investor. She is a master networker with access to many real estate professionals throughout California and nationwide who can assist with in-depth market knowledge. With the support of her professional team, Katrina provides her clients with the highest level of service and makes each client her number one priority.
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
