South Shattuck neighborhood
Our family is new to Berkeley and has been living in Elmwood for the past year. We're considering a move to the South Shattuck area, on Carlton, a few blocks from Shattuck, near downtown.
The area seems to be a mix of student housing, apartment buildings and single family homes. The streets seem nice and it feels safe the handful of times we've walked through. We have young kids in Berkeley public schools nearby. We are wondering how the area is for families? Is it easy to get to know your neighbors? Are there families with young kids in the area or is it mostly students? Not that we mind living near students, we are just wondering. Would love to hear from anyone who knows the area well, and any experiences you've had in regards to raising a family in the neighborhood.
Parent Replies
We've lived in this area for three years. It's not the Elmwood- Shattuck has, uh, a wider slice of life. But I like it: it's easy to get to BART, we go to the library most Saturdays, we walk to do our shopping at Berkeley Bowl, we buy birthday party presents at Pegasus.
Whether it's easy to get to know the neighbors really mostly depends on whether you are the kind of people who find it easy to meet people. Our block has a few elementary aged kids on it and we at least have everyone's phone numbers. I don't like the kids to cross Shattuck itself without an adult, but I would otherwise feel safe letting an older elementary aged child walk to school by themself.