Living in Ivy Hill

March 2011

Hi There, We are considering moving to the Ivy Hill neighborhood of Oakland...basically neighborhood behind old Parkway Theater.

I haven't seen any old postings about this neighborhood.

Do you live there? Like it? Does it feel neighborhoody? Do you feel safe there, are there fun things to do, places to walk to/bike to?

We have a 9 month old baby, but probably won't move until she's around 1 year.

Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! moving from berkeley to oakland

My family and I live just up the street from there, near 7th Ave. and Park Blvd. I love living here but I keep my eyes open, because we do have muggings and car thefts. I'm active on the email mailing list for our police precinct. None of the elementary schools around there are very good except Cleveland Elementary, which you'd have to enter the lottery to get into (that's what we did). There is a sweet preschool near there, which is very affordable, called East Bay Academy. Stay away from 15th to 19th if you can, because there is a lot of crime there. Check this site for crime reports: oakland.crimespotting.org Oakland mama

I lived and had my daughter while living in the Ivy Hill neighborhood. It isnt a terrible neighborhood, but it can be a little sketchy in places and at night. we lived on 8th ave and E19th. We loved being so close to the lake, its definitely walk-able to the farmers market, and woody's coffee shop. If you can stay away from the mega-apartment complexes thats good, I saw some drug dealing while I lived there. And the more easterly you go, the worse it seems to get. dani

I have owned a home in the Ivy Hill neighborhood for 6 years, after renting here for 7 years. I really like it. It is generally safe, although there have been some incidents over the years (e.g. there was a spike in robberies when the economy tanked, but the police caught the guys). The neighborhood is rated medium-density residential, and most of the lots have more than one unit--either a duplex, or a single-family home with a cottage, or a small apartment building (up to 8 units). The high rates of rentals makes the neighborhood a bit less stable than one where most people own their homes, but it also makes it more affordable. The neighborhood is a mix of ethnicities with Chinese, Vietnamese & other Southeast Asian, Hispanic, black and white.

I don't know what you consider walking and biking distance, but there is a Lucky's and a Walgreens on 18th near the lake, along with a number of restaurants. Champa Garden, an increasingly popular Lao/Cambodian/Thai restaurant is on 8th @ E. 21st street. It is pretty easy to bike down to Lakeside Park and its playgrounds and ducks, or to the Oakland main library (14th & Oak Street), which has a very nice children's room. Bella Vista park is also nice. Also reachable by bike (within a couple miles and mostly flat) are Downtown, the Grand and Lakeshore districts, Jack London Square, and at least 4 BART stations.

Neighbors, for the most part, are neighborly, and my 6 year old has friends in the neighborhood that she plays with. Schools, if you are planning to stay that long, are pretty good but not in the 'top tier' of Oakland schools. Depending on where you settled, either Bella Vista or Franklin would be your local elementary school. Both have a lot of kids classed as socioeconomically disadvantaged, but both schools seem to be doing a good job of addressing that challenge. Cleveland elementary is on the other side of Park, and is very good. Carrie