The varied and wonderful Oakland Neighborhoods.

While long term Montclair homeowners know about this unique structure, and are used to seeing it daily as they drive around the Village, newcomers are often truly surprised by this very unique structure on Moraga Road, adjacent to Montclair Park.  It is in fact, the old Montclair Firehouse, and when built, fit very nicely into the unique "Storybook" or "Hansel and Gretel" style of architecture that was developing in the area.  Built in 1927, by the city of Oakland, it was designed to replicate the German forest of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale.  In fact, the style was so popular, the city developed the same basic look for the Montclair Public Library just around the corner on Mountain Boulevard which still operates today, and is especially…

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Not too long ago, urban residents who wanted a selection of fruits and vegetables or flowers had to rely on their local supermarket as their only resource.  Since the rise of local farmers markets, just about every city in the Bay area has developed their own site for shoppers who appreciate the unique and direct from-the-farm products that are now available. 

Two of the most popular are the Grand Lake Farmers Market in the Lakeshore district, and the Montclair Farmers Market in the Montclair district of Oakland.  The Grand Lake Market is the larger of the two, and is located at the intersection of Grand Lake and Lake Park.  It is held every Saturday morning of the year from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m..  From food trucks to tiny stalls, just about every food…

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High in the hills above Oakland, CA is the quiet and beautiful Joaquin Miller Park.  Many of the park's 500 acres have sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay and adjacent cities.  Located just above one of the largest cities in Northern California, it is home to the only urban second-growth redwood groves in existence, and it offers many picnic areas and trails for families to enjoy.  Adjacent to both the Montclair and Redwood Heights neighborhoods, it is a pleasant respite for bike riding, hiking, or just a quiet time viewing the Bay.  As a result, Oakland homes for sale in this area are always in demand.    

The park is named after eccentric writer and poet Joaquin Miller, who once owned the land.  His home, called "The Abbey" is a California…

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Many new visitors arrive in Oakland daily, and many long term Oakland homeowners have never toured their city, nor discovered it's history.  If you are new to Oakland, or are considering purchasing a home here, the Oakland Walking Tours are a perfect opportunity to get to know the city's past and present downtown area. 

From May to October, these tours offer a free 90 minute walking tour through some of the historic and scenic areas of the Oakland downtown district from Jack London Square out to Lake Merritt.  History is everywhere, as are new and vital businesses awaiting your attention.

An example of the variety of the experience is the "Uptown to the Lake" tour. With the stress on classic Art Deco designs, it encompasses area…

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If you are considering buying or selling an Oakland home or other Alameda county home soon, you might want to consider the conclusions arrived at by an analysis of MLS data done by the research division of Better Homes and Gardens Mason-McDuffie Real Estate. They concluded "a continued shortage of homes for sale combined with a strong demand to drive the median price of a home sharply higher in all 15 Alameda County communities in the second quarter of 2013." 

By way of illustration, with regard to individual homes, or "unit sales", in Alameda County, In 2013, the 2nd quarter median sales price of an existing single family detached home was $593,586 which was up 23 % from $480,812 in the 1st quarter, but more impressively, up 36% from the 2nd…

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Oakland's Trestle Glen area was built around transportation.  Before it was as you see it today, it was the heart of  railroad line which ran along Trestle Glen Creek (mostly underground, now), and was originally named Indian Gulch after the Huchiun Indians who lived in the area. That railroad ran through nearby Montclair, and back through the Oakland hills, carrying freight, passengers and tourists from 1893 to 1906 when it was rerouted and torn down. The next transportation influence to encourage growth and development was the expansion of streetcar lines which allowed homeowners in the neighborhood to travel the short distance from their newly built homes above Lakeshore Avenue to their jobs in downtown Oakland, or across the bay to San Francisco. 

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If there was ever a small town neighborhood within a larger town, it would be the Glenview District, in Oakland.  Located adjacent to the the Trestle Glen and Oakmore neighborhoods, it, like all small towns, has it's "main street" --in this case, Park Boulevard--which is filled with local shops and small merchants that serve the needs of its residents.  For most of these residents, these amenities are within walking or biking distance.  Many of the restaurant in the small complex are highly rated, the market is handy and well stocked, and an excellent coffee shop attracts Saturday and Sunday morning get togethers among friends.

Developed the 1920's and 1930's along the trolley lines running up and down Park Boulevard, it grew, as the areas around it…

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In Oakland, California, there is a neighborhood tucked into the hills called Montclair.  It is one of the most heavily forested neighborhoods in the city.  It reminds a visitor of Tahoe with its winding tree lined streets.  Views of San Francisco are available peaking through the trees at many locations, especially  among those Montclair view homes that are perched high atop the many canyons that are found descending from the high hills above. 

Immediately adjacent to the city of Piedmont on one side, and Oakland's Woodminster and Oakmore neighborhoods, it is the location of Montclair Village-an  enclave of small shops, and excellent restaurants which are visited by Oakland residents from throughout the city.  To add to the food flavor, the Village…

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Redwood Heights is an established Oakland neighborhood known for tree-lined residential streets, early 20th-century homes, hillside character, and a strong sense of community. Its history is closely connected to the old-growth redwood forests that once covered much of the Oakland hills and to the transportation routes that later helped shape the neighborhoods of East Oakland.

Originally published as a neighborhood history article, this guide has been updated to explain how Redwood Heights developed, what types of homes buyers will find today, and how the neighborhood compares with nearby Laurel, Oakmore, and other Oakland communities.

From Redwood Forests to an Oakland Neighborhood

The hills above Oakland were once covered by extensive forests of…

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The recent Bay Area Market Report for the first quarter of 2013 has just been released, and the results are very exciting for Oakland homeowners, and Piedmont home sellers who have been considering putting their home on the market.  Right now, there is a drastic shortage of homes for sale on the market.  As of March 31, 2013, there are only 4098 existing single-family detached homes were listed for sale in the entire nine-county Bay area.  While this is an improvement from the 3.370 homes available as of 12/2012, it is still down 55 % from the 10,282 homes available a year ago to date. 

While home sales have fallen to their lowest level in five years in the Bay Area, once homes are placed on the market, all nine Bay Area counties reported…

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