Why Does Oakland have a Bad Reputation? (San Leandro, Plymouth: apartment, lease)

[Chimérique]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_iU_IaVqtY

[john3232]

Well it’s not all bad.

My buddy moved there four years ago and his car has only been stolen once

Granted all the windows were smashed one time as well. However I’m not sure that rates as a crime anymore.

[Hemlock140]

My wife and I lived there for a couple of years, off of 35th Avenue near Mac Arthur, and I worked at West Grand and Adeline, then later on 10th near Webster. The Quick-Stop a block from us on 35th got robbed about once a week, once they got caught
when they came down our street and found it to be a dead end. My car got broken into once while parked in a company lot at West Grand and Adeline. Those were the only times we saw crime ourselves. On the other hand, my grandparents lived on 88th Ave near Plymouth, and they ended up moving to San Leandro in their 80s after being burglarized 4 times in a year.

[citylove101]

Historic high crime rates certainly haven’t helped Oakland’s reputation, even though like most cities, most violent crime is concentrated in the worst and poorest neighborhoods. (Not exclusively, but mostly.) The Oakland public schools have also been problematic for a long time. Shopping options in Oakland, from what friends tell me, are awful, and folks often go to other nearby cities for better retail. And when you have a place where two, maybe all three of the big sports teams move out, it leaves a lot of folks thinking that Oakland isn’t an attractive place at all.

All that said, there are still lovely neighborhoods in the city, the place is culturally vibrant and diverse (both high and popular culture), and has a moderately interesting and lively downtown — though it still AFAIK bears some post-pandemic scars.

[BurntCoffey]

Originally Posted by john3232

Well it’s not all bad.

My buddy moved there four years ago and his car has only been stolen once

Granted all the windows were smashed one time as well. However I’m not sure that rates as a crime anymore.

I lived there briefly back in the 70's and it was bad even then. In less than one year our apartment was broken into and another time my wife's purse was stolen, but the final straw was on one of my morning dog walks encountering a body on the sidewalk down the street. Even then it was dangerous enough that my understanding landlord agreed to allow us to break our lease so that we could move to a safer city.

[Pop Smoke]

People watch too much news. Oakland is not that bad at all. I'm from Brooklyn and when I went to Oakland it was a walk in the park. East New York is way crazier than anywhere in Oakland.

[UniversalTraveler]

Pop Smoke, you are simply comparing 2 $hitholes. Hardly worth it. Oakland is just that as is most of NY.

[tikkasf]

Oakland has had a bad reputation (crime) as long as I can remember. Some periods of time, over the years, have been worse than others. It does have some fairly good neighborhoods and Oakland has moderate weather.

[citizensadvocate]

Sad that the most centralized and supposedly convenient city which is accessible from everywhere in the SF Bay Area had been ruined due to urban sprawl and decay in the 1970s leaving those who cannot afford to move to fend for themselves.

[Chimérique]

Originally Posted by tikkasf

Oakland has had a bad reputation (crime) as long as I can remember. Some periods of time, over the years, have been worse than others. It does have some fairly good neighborhoods and Oakland has moderate weather.

I'll admit Oakland has great weather. Though LA is better, more sun and warmth, much warmer nights especially in the summer. But I like that the Oakland area gets more rain than most of the LA area.