Living in Oakland
by admin - October 1st, 2009.Filed under: Real Estate. Tagged as: living in oakland, oakland ca, oakland homes.
Oakland is an ethnically diverse city with many languages spoken. It was founded in 1852, but has a history that goes back much further than its 150 years. The area was inhabited by native Americans for over 5,000 years. The Spanish visited the area in the 1770s, and came to settle about 50 years later. Asians, African Americans, and those of Northern European origin came with the Gold Rush, and put down their own roots.
Oaklanders most broadly refer to their city’s terrain as “the flatlands” and “the hills’’, and there is a a deep economic divide, with “the hills” being more affluent communities. About two-third of the city lies within the flat plain of the San Francisco Bay and the rest rising into the foothills and hills of the East Bay range.
The initial economic growth of Oakland was from its hillside oak and redwood and the fertile flatland soils helped it to become an agricultural region later. As a major West Coast port, now Oakland is home to several major corporations like Kaiser Permanente and Clorox. National retailers like Dreyer’s and Cost Plus World Markets have their corporate headquarters in Oakland. The first Longs Drugs store opened in Oakland.
The city experienced an increase in population and land values in the early to mid 2000s. The 10k Plan, which began during former mayor Jerry Brown’s administration resulted in several thousand units of new multi-family housing and development. Oakland provides an attractive alternative to the high rents and home prices in nearby San Francisco.Because of its size, Oakland offers a substantial number of shopping districts and restaurants representing many American and international cuisines. Mild weather, central geographic location, and hillside neighborhoods with views of San Francisco and the Bay are the other factors that attracts people to the region.
The Oakland Unified School District (2006–2007) includes 59 elementary schools, 23 middle schools, 19 high schools, with 9 alternative education schools and programs, 4 adult education schools and early childhood education centers at most of the elementary schools. There are several private high schools. Notables include the secular The College Preparatory School and Head-Royce School, and the Catholic Bishop O’Dowd High School, Holy Names High School and St. Elizabeth High School. Catholic schools in Oakland are operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland.
Bus transit service in Oakland and the inner East Bay is provided by the Alameda and Contra Costa Transit District. The metropolitan area is served by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) from eight stations in Oakland. The system has headquarters in Oakland, with major transfer hubs at MacArthur and Oakland City Center/12th Street stations. Oakland International Airport, located within the city limits of Oakland, is 4 miles (6 km) south of downtown Oakland and serves domestic and international destinations. Interstate 80 (Eastshore Freeway), Interstate 580 (MacArthur Freeway), Interstate 880 (Nimitz Freeway), Interstate 980 (Williams Freeway), State Route 13 (Warren Freeway) and State Route 24 (Grove Shafter Freeway) are the major highways serving the city. The census data compiled in 2007 before gasoline price spikes in 2008, show 24.3 percent of Oaklanders used public transportation.
Oaklanders enjoy great health care facilities, too. Alameda County Medical Center is operated by the county and provides medical services to county residents, including the medically indigent who do not have health insurance. The main campus, Highland Hospital in East Oakland, is the trauma center for the northern area of the East Bay.
Statistics say the median household income (per year) is $47,898. Median home price is $450,781, with an estimated gain of 22.88% in 2-5 years. There are 58 Colleges, universities and professional schools within 58 miles.
There are 68 Movie theaters, 8,807 Restaurants and 795 Bars within 15 miles. The number of libraries is 132, within 15 miles. 14 Museums and 80 Public golf courses are within 30 miles.
The annual precipitation is 24.47 inches and high temperature is 73.20 (degrees F) in July and low temperature in January is 43.50 (degree F).
All these together make Oakland a perfect choice for home buyers. You can’t be making a better choice.