N.O.B.E. is North Oakland / Berkeley / Emeryville
View NOBE in a larger map
This wonderful neighborhood is busting out with great cafes, shops,
parks and access to freeways and BART. It is home to people who understand its potential and want
to be part of something special.
North Oakland
People are keenly interested in making sure their neighborhood has a
name. But what about those streets that could be Rockridge or Temescal?
Try calling it Baja Rockridge! And those boundaries between the Golden
Gate and Santa Fe districts can be hard to define. For those who live
between downtown Oakland and Berkeley and just want to avoid the debate,
you can just proudly proclaim that you live in North Oakland.
North Oakland is the macro neighborhood name for the northern portion of
Oakland, and includes such well-known neighborhoods as Rockridge,
Piedmont Avenue, Temescal and Golden Gate. There are some neighborhoods
that are so specific, like Idora Park, that the public at large isn’t
even aware of them.
What is great about using North Oakland is that catches the best of each
of those neighborhoods, and all the good stuff that falls in between.
North Oakland includes such unique places as green sustainable Nomad Café on Shattuck, the wonderfully eclectic Ace Ellis Hardware on Martin Luther King, and the White Horse Inn on Telegraph, which is the second oldest LGBT bar in the country. And there are street fairs and farmers markets galore!
A great way to keep up with everything going on in North Oakland is to bookmark OaklandNorth.net,
a project of the journalism school at UC Berkeley. Their
up-to-the-minute coverage often rivals the major dailies, especially on
stories of great interest to North Oaklanders.
From its Mediterranean climate,
with warm days cooled off by bay breezes, North Oakland is situated
perfectly within the Bay Area. Not only is it close to Berkeley and
Emeryville, but San Francisco is a quick BART ride away. And Highways 580, 80 and 24 point you in the right direction when you need to get out of town. North Oakland is quite flat in most areas, making it very bike-friendly, and there are car-sharing programs when your bike-basket isn’t big enough.
Why not call North Oakland home? Many of us at Lawton Associates do!
Berkeley
From miles away, people can see
Berkeley, thanks to the
Campanile tower
on the UC Berkeley campus, rising 13 stories above the city. But, to
know Berkeley you have to more than look admiringly at the tower. To
know Berkeley, you have walk the streets and meet the people that make
Berkeley one of the most unique and exciting cities on the planet.
The campus came first, when the
University of California
was created in 1868. It soon became one of leading universities in the
world and the flagship of the entire UC system. In addition to the
traditional programs, UC Berkeley is also home to
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories, which sit on the hill above the campus doing research for the US Department of Energy. Just north of the campus is the
Graduate Theological Union, an interfaith consortium of independent seminaries and theology schools.
Despite its reputation as an academic center, Berkeley does have more to
offer than just dormitory housing. In fact, Berkeley has a rich
architectural history, offering many homes from such important names as
Julia Morgan and
Bernard Maybeck. From the Arts & Crafts and Mediterranean bungalows in North Berkeley to the Craftsman homes in
Elmwood, Berkeley probably has the perfect home for almost anyone. And, if you need help, the city’s terrific
website offers easy-to-use guidance on almost everything, including
permit histories,
rent board issues, and even their unique “
golden duplex” rule.
The City of Berkeley really stepped onto the world stage during
the turbulent sixties
and seventies, when revolutions were emanating from the town. Berkeley
was the site of many anti-war, civil rights and free speech events,
establishing a rich political tradition that drew a more liberal and
educated populace. When not engaging in political discourse, Berkeley
citizens needed food and art, so a cultural revolution was ignited.
Chez Panisse changed the world of food, the late
Whole Earth Access changed the way we shop, and there were
bookstores on almost every corner. The cultural dominance continues, as
Berkeley Rep sends show after to show to a national audience and
924 Gilman introduces new bands to the world.
When you want to return to your college days, you can always visit the street vendors on
Telegraph Avenue and the hangouts on Shattuck in
downtown Berkeley, or watch Cal defeat Stanford at the
Big Game. And, there is a lot to do away from the campus, as well. Berkeley is home to many
parks, from big
Tilden Park up in the hills to the gorgeous
marina and waterfront. Shop and eat your way through the day on
Solano Avenue or in the
Gourmet Ghetto. It is easy to get around town, using
BART,
AC Transit, or the city’s many
bicycle pathways.
Whether you want to get an education, start a revolution or just be yourself, Berkeley has a way of life for everyone.
Emeryville
The City of Emeryville
is a master of reinvention, constantly adapting to the future to stay
prosperous, exciting and vital. For centuries, that little stretch of
land on the bay has been one of the most happening regions in the world.
No matter what you think of Emeryville, there is always a
lot more going on than you can imagine. You may think of it as home to
Pixar, but many other major companies are based in Emeryville, like Bayer, Leapfrog, Novartis and Peet’s Coffee. You may think of Emeryville as home to the big Ikea, but there is a lot of exciting shopping in Emeryville, such as the promenade at Bay Street, the Public Market, and many boutiques and studios. Emeryville is also emerging as a center for green technology, with many new eco-oriented companies sprouting up.
You also might think that Emeryville is just full of
condos, and that would not be true either. The city is filled with many
wonderful cottages, bungalows and craftsman homes built in the 1920s and
1930s. Emeryville’s housing department also runs one of the best Below Market Rate programs in the Bay Area, helping low-to-moderate earners afford their first home. Plus, the city has made a significant commitment to supporting artists and spreading public art throughout town. And, if sailing is your thing, Emeryville has one of the most modern marinas in the region.
One reason Emeryville has been so successful as a city
for over 100 years is the fact that it is so convenient for commuters.
It is nested between Oakland and Berkeley,
so Emeryville residents get the best of three worlds. It is right on
Highways 80, 580 and 24, providing easy access to San Francisco and
beyond. Even better, the city runs Emery-Go-Round, a free public transit system connecting neighborhoods with shopping destinations and the nearby MacArthur BART station. Finally, the Amtrak station built in the wake of the Loma Prieta earthquake has become one of the busiest train stations in the nation.
While Emeryville’s history dates back to Native American inhabitants over 2000 years ago,
the City of Emeryville keeps its vision firmly focused on the future.
Who knows what might happen next? Call Emeryville home and you will be
one of the first to find out!
View Emeryville Stroll recommended by Scott Ward, Realtor in a larger map
Want to learn more about buying or selling a home in these neighborhoods, contact Lawton Associates, East Bay Real Estate Brokerage
Scott Ward, Realtor
Email:
Scott@scottward.me
Phone: (415) 225-4593
DRE # 01490471
LawtonAssociates.com
3160 College Ave, Ste 201 | Berkeley, CA 94705
Yes, there are coffee purveyors on College Avenue (NO STARBUCKS
YET! for good or bad). At last count there were probably 8 major coffee
houses on College Ave. And there is great debate over which is best. I
suggest a simple rotation plan, so as to spread the coffee dollars
around evenly and also avoiding getting into a rut.
