2008 - 2012 Reviews

Re: Moving to Oakland with small children

Temescal (near Telegraph and 51st) is a bit more 'up and coming' but it has some great shops and restaurants. Just a little grittier than Piedmont Ave or Rockridge.

Re: New job in SF - where's a sunny place to live?

Welcome to the bay area! Based upon your background/interests, I think you'll like it here. If you are looking for more sun, the east bay is definitely the place to be. And yes, it is definitely possible to have a commute of less than 45 min each way if you live somewhat close to a BART station. We live in Temescal (6 blocks from MacArthur BART), and my husband commutes to downtown (Powell St. station) in about 30 minutes, door to door. His office is right above the station, so that helps.

My sister is thinking of moving to the Temescal neighborhood in Oakland AND is thinking of beginning the journey to parenthood. The house is on 41st off of Telegraph close to the MacArthur BART station. We went to look at the house and it was VERY charming but not sure what to make of the neighborhood. I went to BPN online and there aren't any recent posts for this area (latest was 2007). Is living in this area a bad idea? Does anyone live there with young children? We would love opinions on raising young children in this neighborhood. Thank you!! Worried Sister & Potential Aunt Anon

Advice: drive around during the day and then at night and see what you think.

Temescal is a mixed bag (like much of Oakland); the general rule is that the farther away/East from Telegraph you get (read: away from West Oakland), the better it is. Things can vary from street to street, so it's hard to say what the 'hood is like without specifics.

Both MacArthur and Telegraph themselves can be pretty ghetto, and west of that is just ew. Remember that West Oakland pretty much runs right into Temescal, and with that comes the trappings and people of West Oakland. Temescal is a fabulous neighborhood in terms of its centrality and the restaurant scene, the 52nd street corridor in particular, and a lot of young hipsters have moved in. But this is Oakland, and you will definitely still find a ghetto-ass element that's going to annoy you if you live there. Diversity is great; assholes hassling you for money/cigarettes/whatever on the street is not, and that is a reality of living in Temescal if you walk around.

Most of these annoyance elements are harmless: loud people in loud cars with a booming bass, homeless people rifling through your recycle bins, difficult parking (especially with all the restaurants in), and the occasional hooker standing around late at night.

The upside though is a really colorful neighborhod that is actually improving, and there are some really cool people it the Temescal.

Basically, it's sort of like living in the Mission. You take the good with the bad. I don't think that violent crime is a huge issue (you can look it up on Oakland Crime Watch), but petty theft is something to worry about and is on the rise in a bad economy.

If your sister is a young hip parent who digs cool restaurants and wants to have a convenient BART station nearby and doesn't mind a little urban grit, she'll like this neighborhood. temescal-ish gal

The neighborhood is diverse, both ethnically and personality-wise. There are young single people, young families, and older people who have lived there their whole lives. While I probably wouldn't let my little kids play outside unsupervised, I always felt safe. It's an urban area, so you will always have the random car break-in, or stolen bike. There are great restaurants, shops and I felt a real sense of community among the residents and shopkeepers. People who live down there love their neighborhood and do their best to protect it. During the summer there were street-fairs, Friday night movie-nights (projected onto the side of buildings), and the farmer's market up the street at the DMV. I think Temescal is great for people who want to live in an urban setting (with close proximity to restaurants, shops, etc.) with a strong 'neighborhoody' vibe.

I could go on and on! Feel free to email me if you have more specific questions, I'd love to help if I can. Alexis alexis

Re: Cheaper but "safe enough" neighborhoods
Not sure on real estate prices but I'm guessing you could get a great deal. Back in 2002 when my partner and I started looking we desperately wanted to live in Berkeley (north) or Temescal. Needless to say, we chose the 3 bedroom place with tons of yardspace in ''Mosswood'' park area which some consider ''lower'' temescal. We mostly do not regret our decision aside from the Berkeley public schools thing. We can literally walk to Piedmont ave. shops and restaurants within 10 min. and Temescal yumminess within 10 min. as well. Even better we can jump on bus to downtown or get to SF within 15 minutes. It's an amazing place with lots of resources and diversity. We relish it. Hope you will join us. Downsides - ''motels'' ie prositution havens and liquor stores, freeway noise.... mostly loving the neighborhood

2004 - 2007 Reviews

I'm thinking of moving to the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland. West of MLK but just off 40th. Is this a bad idea? Does anyone live there with young children? I would love opinions on raising young children in this neighborhood. Thank you!! Worried Mom

There's a Yahoo group, TemescalFamilies, which you may want to join. There's a lot of back and forth about crime and safety and neighborhood improvement, but again, it's focused on issues from Telegraph toward Broadway.

If I can lend any piece of advice it's this: buy the house with your eyes wide open. You don't say exactly what your concerns are, but if you're worried about crime, graffiti and the like, things aren't going to change overnight. And the only way they will change is if neighbors get together and make changes happen. I know full well that 10-12 years ago the very street I live on wasn't so great (a friend of mine lived 3 houses down from where I do now), and yet here I am today shocked at how much it costs to buy a house on our street, and it isn't even one of the nice, tree-lined ones. Go figure.

So things get better. But please don't delude yourself into thinking that just because you have to spend $500,000 for a house around here somehow that guarantees anything: safety, privacy, cleanliness or anything else. You're looking in an urban neighborhood and have to expect to find all of urban life, the good and the bad. Good luck love my 'hood

If your concern is crime, hey, welcome to Oakland. Crime here is no worse than anywhere else. The edges of Temescal definitely have that urban feel because they are on major traffic arteries, but the inner streets are much more bucolic.

Being a few blocks from Piedmont Avenue is very convenient, in addition to the popular commercial strip on Telegraph. Not far from College Ave. either. You can walk to MacArthur or Rockridge Bart. Local parks = two Frog parks up in Rockridge and Mosswood, which, despite its reputation, is lovely.

Temescal is bike-friendly and has a playground, grass, and basketball court at Emerson Elementary, and a new baseball field will open in the spring at Webster between 45th and 48th. We have Temescal Pool and Studio One art center, now being renovated. There is a very active neighborhood Yahoo group. Families carol around the neighborood in December and play pick up soccer on summer evenings. What more could you want? Never moving