Oakland: A Neighborhood With Curb Appeal
One of the nice things about still being a relative newcomer here is that I continue to chance upon good-looking neighborhoods while on my travels.
My latest discovery is a little Oakland enclave sandwiched between Broadway and Piedmont Avenue (shown on the map below):
Gilbert Street in particular caught my attention as there are a couple of homes for sale there. There’s a newly listed Cape Cod/farmhouse style home at 4262 (pictured below) for example, which is going for a reasonable sounding $795,000.
And there’s a FSBO at the corner of Gilbert and Ridgeway about which I have no information — but it’s pretty easy to drive by and see for yourself.
One indication that this might be a pleasant place to live is the effort that has been expended on prettying up some dead space on the corner of Mather Street and Gilbert where someone — or possibly a group of residents — has put in some planters and an inviting bench.
A reason to consider living there is proximity to great shopping. Not only is the Pleasant Valley shopping complex, which includes a Safeway, very close by, but you’re just a stroll away from Piedmont Avenue which has a fabulous array of stores and restaurants and a good movie theater.
As San Francisco Magazine puts it in its fascinating cover story this month on the renaissance of Oakland: “The growing mix of fine eats and boutiques [on Piedmont Avenue] feels trendy without trying”.
If you live in this area and know more about it than me (not difficult), do get in touch to share your insights.
