tincan's Profile

I moved to Oakland for 2 short years right after college, then had the itch for the city life. I lived in the city for 5 years (north beach, cow hollow, mission, lower haight) and loved every day of it. I back to Oakland recently and have to say the biggest appeal to Oakland (besides the amazing warm weather) is the diversity.

If you think SF is diverse, you need to see Oakland. Walking down any street in Oakland, people actual say hi and yes, you do know your neighbors and the locals and it's MUCH MORE of a community feel in everywhere. SF... uhh sort of. Everyone comes and goes in the city and they don't stay long. The city is a 10 minute BART ride for me which is sweet. Oakland right now has 15 brand new developments/renovations in a 3 block radius in downtown, which is unprecedented. There are new wine bars and restaurants popping up and it's only going to get better.

My heart is in both SF and Oakland.. but I'm always rooting for the underdog. We are a big part of the bay area so it's hard to say one is better than the other.

Sure there is crime in Oakland. If you live in any major city, there will be crime. The crime is in fact concentrated. If crime is something you worry about, you need to look at yourself to see how you will improve your neighborhood, no matter where you live.