Oakland Real Estate Listings, Oakland Homes for Sale, Oakland Condos, California, CA

Oakland Real Estate Overview

Oakland, founded in 1852, is a major city on the east side (also called East Bay) of San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. To its north lies Berkeley, home to the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. To its west stands San Francisco, across the Bay Bridge. To its south lies the island city of Alameda, and San Leandro lies to the southeast. Along the hills which run from north to east, Oakland borders five of the East Bay Regional Parks. In the center of Oakland, and completely surrounded by it (prompting the common analogy to a doughnut hole), is the wealthy independent city of Piedmont. Oakland is home of the Port of Oakland, one of three major shipping ports on the American West coast.

Economic recovery along with Oakland's weather, location, hillside neighborhoods with views of San Francisco and the Bay, aggressive policies to reduce crime, astronomically high rents and home prices in nearby San Francisco, and a substantial offering of shopping districts and restaurants representing cuisines both homegrown and worldwide have led to an increase of population and of real-estate prices in the past decade.

Oakland is the county seat of Alameda County. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city's population was 399,484, making it the third largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area after San Jose and San Francisco.

Oakland Neighborhoods

The city of Oakland stretches from the San Francisco Bay up into the East Bay Hills. The character of these neighborhoods continues to change as waves of emigrants from within the United States and other countries relocate here. Also, the changing economy lures more technically skilled workers to Oakland.

Oakland is commonly divided into broad regions in two different ways:

• "The Hills" and "The Flats" (or "The Flatlands"); with the Flatlands being the historically working-class neighborhoods located in the relatively flat areas closer to San Francisco Bay, and the Hills being the mainly upper-class hillside neighborhoods along the east side of the city. This hills/flats division is found throughout much of the western part of the East Bay, especially in Berkeley and El Cerrito.
• The other common method is to divide the city into "Downtown Oakland," "East Oakland," "North Oakland," and "West Oakland". East Oakland is the largest of these areas, stretching from Lake Merritt southeast to San Leandro. North Oakland encompasses the neighborhoods spread between Downtown and Berkeley. West Oakland is the area between Downtown and the bay, partially surrounded by the Port of Oakland. Both North and East Oakland include neighborhoods in both the Flatlands and hills, while West Oakland and Downtown are entirely within the Flatlands.

There are many neighborhoods which don't fit neatly into one or both of these schemes. The Hills/Flats division ignores the middle-class neighborhoods which run along the base of the hills, as well as the reality that parts of "The Flatlands" can be as hilly as much of "The Hills." The East/North/West division ignores the neighborhoods which are northeast of Lake Merritt, and the areas along Highway 13 in the hills behind Piedmont.

• Downtown Oakland
  • Chinatown
  • City Center
  • Jack London Square/Waterfront
  • Old Oakland
  • Uptown
• East Oakland
  • Brookfield Village
  • Dimond District
  • Crestmont
  • Eastmont
  • Elmhurst
  • Fruitvale
  • Glenview
  • Grass Valley
  • Havenscourt
  • Laurel
  • Lincoln Heights
  • Maxwell Park
  • Melrose
  • Millsmont
  • Oak Knoll
  • Oakmore
  • Redwood Heights
  • Ridgemont
  • San Antonio District
    • Eastlake
  • Seminary
  • Sequoyah Heights
  • Sheffield Village
  • Sobrante Park
• North Oakland
  • Claremont
  • Golden Gate
  • Piedmont Avenue
  • Pill Hill
  • Rockridge
  • Temescal
• West Oakland
  • West Oakland
• Other Neighborhoods
  • Near Lake Merritt
    • Adams Point
    • Grand Lake
    • Trestle Glen
  • In the hills
    • Montclair District
    • Piedmont Pines
    • Hiller Highlands

Oakland neighborhoods listed alphabetically: Adams Point, Brookfield, Chinatown, Claremont, Coliseum Central, Coliseum North, Coliseum South, Columbia, Crocker Highlands, Dimond, Downtown Oakland, East Oakland, Eastmont, Elmwood, Fruitvale, Glenview, Grand Lake, Grand Lakes, Grass Valley, Hillcrest Estates, Hiller Highlands, Lake Merritt, Lakeshore-Trestle Glen, Laurel, Lincoln Heights, Loft District, Macarthur, Maxwell Park, Mills, Millsmont, Monclair, Monclair South, Montclair, North Hills, North Oakland, Northlake, Northwest Oakland, Oakland, Oakland Hills, Oakmore, Old Oakland, Piedmont, Pill Hill, Redwood Heights, Ridgemont, Rockridge, San Antonio, Sequoyah Hills, Sobrante Park, Temescal, Trestle Glen, Upper Rockridge, Uptown, Waterfront, West Oakland.

Oakland Transportation

Oakland is served by these major highways: Interstate 80, Interstate 580, Interstate 880, Interstate 980, California State Route 13 and California State Route 24. The Loma Prieta earthquake caused the Cypress Freeway double-decker segment of I-880 to collapse, killing 42 people. The old freeway segment had passed right through the middle of West Oakland, forming a psychological barrier; following the earthquake, the freeway was rerouted away from West Oakland and rebuilt in 1997. The east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge also suffered damage from the quake when a 50-foot section of the upper deck collapsed onto the lower deck; that span is scheduled for replacement, with a new span to be completed in 2011. Public transportation is provided by bus system AC Transit and metrorail system Bay Area Rapid Transit, of which is headquartered in Oakland near the Lake Merritt Station with a major transfer hub at MacArthur Station. Oakland is served by Oakland International Airport which offers affordable airflight rates out of the three Bay Area airports. The city has train service provided by Amtrak, with a station located blocks from Jack London Square served by the Amtrak Capitol Corridor, Coast Starlight and San Joaquin train routes.

From HomeGain.com

Located just north east of San Francisco, Oakland is one of the largest cities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its hillside neighborhoods with stunning views of San Francisco and the bay are just a few of the reasons residents take so much pride in their city. Oakland is geographically so large that the residential neighborhoods are divided into six different sub categories ranging from Downtown Oakland to West Oakland. People can find a wide assortment of housing options beginning with affordable apartments in the downtown area, to upscale properties in the secluded areas of Piedmont or Claremont. Oakland is a rapidly changing city primarily due to its size and the diversity of its neighborhoods. Jack London Square is a bustling shopping and dining area located at the end of the Broadway avenue. For those who enjoy sports, Oakland is also home to the National Football League team, the Oakland Raiders and the National Basketball Association team, the Golden State Warriors. Oakland is one of the largest and most populated cities in the Bay Area and is also one of the most ethnically and economically diverse populations in Northern California.

The Oakland real estate links at the top of the page will help you find Oakland homes for sale, Oakland real estate agents and Oakland home values. Get access to Oakland real estate listings and Oakland home listings, including the Oakland MLS, Oakland REALTORS, Oakland new homes, Oakland condos, Oakland condominiums, Oakland property, Oakland land, Oakland acreage and Oakland foreclosures. These free real estate services feature all Oakland cities, Oakland towns, Oakland suburbs and Oakland neighborhoods. The websites linked above also contain information on Oakland home selling, Oakland home buying, Oakland mortgages, Oakland insurance, Oakland movers and other Oakland realty services for anyone looking to sell a home or buy a home in Oakland, California, CA.

Also: City of Oakland, California Official Website