Living next to a walking path in Berkeley

We are considering buying a home that is next to a public walking path in the Berkeley Hills. What is it like to live next to one? We were just curious to hear anyone else's experiences. Pros \ cons. Thank you. Curious

Most people are courteous and respectful, but many are not. Hopefully, those who use the paths and are reading this will remember to be aware of the proximity of private homes to these paths and walk through quickly and quietly. :)

-- My usually sweet dog goes absolutely insane when people walk their dogs on the path. They must think we have Cujo chained up in our yard.

-- It is sometimes weird to be relaxing in our yard and suddenly hear people walking by and talking. Although, I don't think it is THAT different from having a neighbor on the other side of the fence.

-- We occasionally get young trouble-makers hanging out at night drinking and smoking. Once or twice, they have scribbled graffiti on the fence, which irks me. I do have to pick up a little bit of trash from time to time. Fortunately, we live in small town, so I sent an email to all our neighbors, asking if they have seen any kids drinking and smoking on our path (and leaving their empties!!). I did this having a pretty good idea of whose kids it was. It stopped. That's the beauty of living in a small town like Moraga...

-- Then there is the issue of who is responsible for keeping the path clean, non slippery, etc. My neighbor on the other side of the path just hired a gardener who cleans the path regularly, which is awesome. Before, we'd get out there and clean up the leaves and other detritus from time to time.

Those sound like BIG negatives, but in our case it isn't a big deal at all. We love having the cut through, which gives my kids a 2-block walk to school rather than a much longer one. If you're outgoing enough, you could knock on the neighbors' doors that border the path and ask them. Also, walk it and see if there is a ton trash, graffiti, etc.

You will want to know that the city has a 10' on center right-of-way on the path. Measure 5' from the center of the path into your property. It worth checking all of this before you build any fences, etc. within that 5'. Also, the city is responsible for the trees within that 10' right of way. Good luck, Rachel

Moving to Berkeley -- which neighborhood?

Hi all I am relocating to Berkeley from NY, with my 14 month old baby girl. I have friends in different neighborhoods but they don't have kids. So I'm hoping some of you who have or had toddlers in Berkeley can offer advice. Without a young child I'd want to live in the hills but I'm afraid of feeling isolated up there, esp as a single mom (and I don't want to have drive everywhere.) Thoughts on Elmwood and anything on North Berkeley would be helpful. Thanks much! Christine

We moved to North Berkeley when I was pregnant with my first child. I didn't want to be too far into the hills, wanted to be able to walk to a park and to grocery shopping, so I set my eastern limit at Euclid Avenue and my northern limit as Eunice. It was a great decision for us - wonderful having Codornices Park and the Rose Garden to explore with young children and meet other families. However, my northern limit was really out of ignorance - I only knew the campus area from my days in college here, and wasn't aware of other great neighborhoods within walking distance of Solano Avenue, or close to the Monterey Market area. We were equally fortunate in finding a small, neighborly street, and know all of our neighbors! There are many great neighborhoods in north, central, west, south Berkeley - So I'd say, get out a compass and draw walking distance from good parks, grocery shopping (including farmer's markets) and transportation, and for bonus points, find yourself one of the smaller, shorter streets and you'll be as happy as we! Berkeley Mama

I lived in South Berkeley all through my daughter's elementary and middle schools years. For the most part I was very happy there, though there are some rough parts that I would avoid.

Out of necessity we moved to Central Berkeley around high school (there's only one, so it doesn't really matter at that point as far as schools go). I'm really happy in central Berkeley, about 4 blocks west of downtown. Lots of stuff is accessible on foot and the streets are pretty and quiet.

I would visit some of the neighborhoods with a friend when you visit next to see where you feel comfortable and where you can afford (if that's an issue). anon

Due to the economics of buying a house in the Bay Area, one of the parts of Berkeley with a very high concentration of new families is South Berkeley. As recent as 10 years ago it wasn't considered an option for many people but most of it has transformed and there are a lot of benefits.

It's relatively affordable, it shaves off 20 to 30 minutes a day on commutes heading to most of the job centers nearby, kids can bike, plenty of parks, Berkeley Bowl West recently opened and is great, there are walking shops and restaurants (Dwight and San Pablo or Dwight and Sacramento are of note) Two of the nicest shopping areas are close (4th street and Emerybay) There are multiple high quality child care options in the neighborhood and nearby. Alex

Moving from Seattle - favorite neighborhood in Berkeley?

We are trying to figure out everyone's favorite neighborhood in Berkeley so that we can narrow our search. We have a 5 year old daughter so schools are of interest too. Thanks!

Elmwood (centered around College and Ashby) is a great Berkeley neighborhood, especially if you want to be close to campus, but it is very expensive. And North Berkeley has two very good neighborhoods - Gourmet Ghetto (centered around Shattuck and Vine) and Thousand Oaks (centered around Solano and The Alameda). All of these are expensive, but are safe and have supermarkets and copious restaurants within walking distance. You didn't really say what your criteria were for a good neighborhood, but I'd assume such things would figure in.

As for schools, once you've settled on a hood, check out the Berkeley Unified School District website to figure out which zone you'd fall into. Each zone encompasses upper- and middle-class neighborhoods, so your kid(s) will likely end up being bused, but I've heard the majority of schools in all zones are good (probably better than the current state of the Seattle public schools). There's good school info on BPN, obviously!

If you give us more info on what you're looking for and what you like in Seattle, that would help. (But if you just loooove Mercer Island, I don't think I can help you!) Good luck with your search and move! The Thing I Miss Most About Seattle Is The Rain!

Any eco-villages close to Berkeley?

Are there any eco-villages close to Berkeley? The nearest we've found is in Davis but I'm thinking there has to be something closer. We want something with houses that are very energy efficient, small plots of private property but far more common property, edible landscaping, etc. We are okay with some elements of co-housing like a weekly shared meal and a family job, but don't want to go full bore with shared finances and all meals in common. I realize we can do things to make our own home energy efficient or live in a condo complex and try to get efficiency projects off the ground, but we'd rather live with a group of people who are really trying to build a community with values we share. We want to live someplace kid-friendly, with good public schools nearby, within 15 miles of U.C. Berkeley, and in a quiet, safe area. Does such a place exist? Looking for a place to call home

http://www.multihousingnews.com/multihousing/content_display/industry-news/e3ic81707e04a7d92173899857b41f606f5

Berkeley, Calif. Ashby Lofts
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Can a single parent teacher afford to live in Berkeley?

I was priced out of Berkeley when I bought my home four years ago. Now I am becoming a single mom and have less money than ever, but I REALLY want to move back. If I sell my house, can I find an affordable Berkeley/Albany 2 bedroom to buy on a schoolteacher's salary (NOT a fixer-upper -- I have enough on my plate right now), or a clean, well-maintained rental in a quiet neighborhood that the landlord is not likely to sell for many years? The only reason I even dare ask is that I have noticed some new condo construction and was hoping some of it might be reserved for ''affordable housing'' or that there might be some kind or program for cops, teachers, nurses, etc. out there. Thanks. Grateful for info

General advice about Berkeley living

Re: Best town in California to live?
My husband and I moved from Chicago 19 years ago, initially to San Francisco, then 6 years later, after we had 2 kids, to Berkeley, where we currently live. Just about anywhere in the Bay Area has a better connection to nature than Chicago. Based on your criteria, you should consider Berkeley--it is close to Tilden and other regional parks, the ocean, is a liberal community and has neighborhoods with walkable amenities.

Re: Kid friendly neighborhoods in the East Bay I noticed that noone from Berkeley responded to your question and wanted to chime in. In Berkeley (also Albany) there are a number of wonderful kid-friendly neighborhoods. Our family (w/ 2 girls) looked for houses within walking distance to parks & shops. We just bought a house in the Thousand Oaks neighborhood (where I grew up) and loved living in Westbrae neighborhood (for 13 years). There are jewel-like parks all over the city - and a bay trail that is great for kite flying, bicycling, walking, biking & dog walking. Left up to me, I would avoid areas near campus just because they tend to be heavily studented and parking is difficult - so the vibe is different.

Another thing that I think should be noted when looking at cities - Berkeley has historically and consistently been a big booster of schools & libraries. Contra Costa voters recently failed to pass bond measures for schools - but Berkeley voters tend to pass library & school measures. I profoundly hope we pass Measure A and continue this trend.

As recent home buyers/ home-sellers, we can attest that the prices seem to be lower than we've seen recently so this might be a good time to get in. Berkeley booster

Living in Berkeley - hard to make friends?

Please give me your opinions (and if you know of good affordable housing, that too!). I grew up in and around Berkeley and went there as an undergrad. Loved it. We moved to a nearby university town, much more suburban (i.e. peaceful and boring). Now I am single and need to move back (school) with my 16 year old daughter. I know this sounds odd, but while I like some of the things and groups Berkeley has to offer, when I am there and read about the crime, it sort of unnerves me. I also have this odd concern that it will be difficult to make friends. I hope others who have moved there, or who are in meditation or music groups can give me some advice.. was it hard to make friends? Do you consider people generally friendly? How do/did you connect with others (in their 30's and 40's?). I guess I want reassurance it will be ok! HELP. And if you know of two rooms in a shared place, or a 2 bedroom apt not too expensive, please let me know :). Thanks. bg