Living in Thousand Oaks (Berkeley, CA)
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Living in Thousand Oaks (Berkeley, CA)
March 2010
I am a single mother moving to Berkeley with my 22 month old
daughter. We are evaluating two different rental homes, one
in Thousand Oaks (2 blocks north of Solano) and one near the
North Berkeley BART station. The T.O. home is more suitable
for us in many ways but I'm concerned that we won't have the
same sense of community up there, compared to the area
around Virgina and Sacramento (where I know from an
acquaintance that there are kids all over and the community
is really tight knit.) Can anyone comment on the Thousand
Oaks sense of community or do a compare and contrast?
Thanks much!
Christine
I can't do a compare and contrast since I haven't lived in
the Virginia street area, but I live 5 blocks north of
Solano in the T.O. neighborhood and love it! There are many
families in this area, along with a fair amount of older
people (not a lot of younger college aged people). I think
it's a great mix. There's Memorial Park and T.O. school
playground, which are both great parks. We have gotten to
know MANY of our neighbors and others from just hanging out
at the parks. I think people are very friendly here and
Solano Avenue has everything! You won't be far from the El
Cerrito Plaza BART either. Lovin' T.O.
This may not answer your question directly, but if I were
choosing between living at Virginia and Sacto, or TO two
blocks above Solano, I'd choose TO in a heartbeat. It's a
very walkable neighborhood, shops and restaurants galore,
whereas that Sacto corridor is quite residential (though
still a pleasant neighborhood and very close to BART which
might be important for you). We used to live about halfway
between those two neighborhoods and walked to Solano
regularly--never walked to Sacto unless we were going to
BART. But if you do end up near Sacto, there is a terrific
preschool on Sacto and Cedar, Cedar Creek Montessori. My
two children thrived there.
Welcome to Berkeley!
Former Berkeleyite, now Oaklander
We love the T.O neighborhood! There's lots of kids, great
walking neighborhood, Solano Stroll right there. The T.O.
tot lot is a very sociable place as well - you're sure to
meet neighbors with little ones there, also Albany Memorial
Park is very close by. Sara
We lived in Thousand Oaks (San Lorenzo Ave.) from 1992 until
about 2002 and owned our home. There are not many rentals
that I know of in the area. I would love to rent there.
There is the Thousand Oaks School and it is walking
distance, more or less, to King Middle School. We were part
of our neighborhood watch group and I was part of a moms'
group. Plenty of socializing. I walked the kids over to
Solano Ave. frequently for coffee and shopping and we played
at the playground next to Thousand Oaks.
The area near the N. Berkeley BART is a step down in home
prices, but perhaps that contributes to more younger
families living there. My ex lives near King and there seem
to be plenty of kids around. kl
I missed the original question but I believe you asked about
living around Virginia @ Sacramento vs in Thousand Oaks.
Other replies indicated that T.O. has more to offer in terms
of shopping/walking, I'd say that's true, but from Virginia
@ Sacto you'd be pretty close to Monterey Market (wonderful
grocery) and its pocket of shopping/entertainment: a good
pizza takeout (Gioia), coffee shop, beauty salon, meat shop,
cheese/chocolate/tea store, a nice little bakery, and a
nursery too if you're into gardening. Nearby parks are
Totland on Virginia @ McGee where toddler moms (and some
dads) hang out, Cedar Rose Park (2 playgrounds for younger
and older toddlers, and big green field where soccer classes
are held), and King Park on Hopkins near the middle school
(has a tot lot and older kids play area, as well as stadium
and tennis courts). Our wonderful preschool, Mustard Seed,
is right there on Hopkins as well. The North branch of
Berkeley public library is on Hopkins @ The Alameda, a
longish walk or a short drive from Virginia @ Sacto. So the
area has lots of attractions to walk to, and there are
people out and about in the Monterey Market pocket of
'life', as well as in the parks, so you should have plenty
of chances to meet people. Also, I know a young couple who
settled around Virginia @ Edith and they say it's a friendly
residential community where all the neighbors know each
other.
this page was last updated: Jul 30, 2010
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