what's it like to live in Berkley California?

Question

How expensive is it? Its a college town so is it really that hard to fing an affordable place to live? Hows the job situation? I'm just out of college with a business degree? Really anything you can tell me about berkley would be awsome!

Answer 1

You need a certain mentality to live in that place and you probably already have some sort of clue what it is. As long as you think on the far left and enjoy that hippie, liberal, activist type lifestyle then Berekely will be a good place for you. Lot's of pretentious, pseudo-intellectual types there too. There is plenty of racial diversity but not so much diversity in the way people think their. 97% of the city voted for john Kerry and most democratic/liberal candidates or measures have similar margins. It;s just a very, very liberal town; not that being liberal or democratic is bad but it kind of takes on a whole new meaning there. I personally don't like the place, grew up about 15 minutes from it and grew very tired of the scene there but if that type of scene I described appeals to you then you'll probably love it. Otherwise I would choose a city that is a little more diverse with it's population.

Answer 2

The bay area is a pretty expensive place to live and Berkeley is not different. However Berkeley isn't really a college town like you think. Unlike a college town that exists because of the college, or at least revolves around it, that isn't the case with Berkeley. This is a full size city with all the problems that come with it. It's in a built up area of the east bay that is full of people and businesses. You will be disappointed to show up expecting Berkeley be a "college town".

That being said, Berkeley is a town caught in a time warp. There is a reason it's called the "Peoples Republic of Berkeley". You can still see dirty hippies and almost weekly protests against something. The University on the other hand isn't like that at all, in fact I think it has one if the largest Republican clubs on a school campus. Not sure about the job situation, hopefully someone else can answer that.

Answer 3

I Like Berkeley!! We go to Baseball games at Cal(Evans Field). Spanger's Rest. on 4th and University.. Very diverse place.. Not sure where you live,but the rent, property values are higher than places in the south and midwest.. Maybe you could check out Albany. It's a little north of Berk.. Nice area too. .

Answer 4

If you want to check out housing, I'd recommend craigslist (not to sound like a broken record in Yahoo! Answers hehehe). It's not really that hard to find housing, but be prepared for some quirkiness if you plan to coexist with roommates. They're very particular about whether you smoke or not, sometimes cannabis is okay but mostly tobacco is not, except maybe outside on the porch, which isn't so bad except during the rainy winter season. Some roomie situations in Berkeley are definitely communal & vegan, so be prepared for that.

The job situation ain't so bad - especially since Berkeley is such an easy commute to San Francisco. And since SF is on the cutting edge of business & technology, you might very well find your niche there.

I live in Oakland & work in Berkeley for a non-profit environmentalist organization. It's in a pretty cool neighborhood, and as with any city, it's best to scope things out first before making any major decisions. One block or two might feel safe, then the next might be sketchy. Always carry a cell phone & turn your iPod off & pay attention when walking in unfamiliar territory. Just some street sense, y'know?

I've also been spending more social time in Berkeley than in SF lately because there's so much going on. In addition to my treehugging activism with trying to save the oaks @ UC-Berkeley, I've found a LOT of really awesome local & live music - Ashkenaz, Starry Plough, Rose Street House of Music, just to name a few...

And if you like to eat, oh my goddess, you'll be in culinary heaven! Google "Alice Waters" then come out to Chez Panisse!

Depending on your interests, I'm sure you'll find your niche out here - it's very eclectic - I'm an east coast girl who will never leave Northern California!

P.S. I live in a really cool 2BR apt. on the Grand Lake/Piedmont border (not too far from Berkeley) & our total rent w/2 roomies is $1050/month.

Answer 5

Can be expensive but pretty awesome, considering all the cool random, only in berkely stuff you can do. There are amazing restaurants from all vegan to ethopian to, really ANY kind of food you are feeling like. Great random street fairs, protest rallies, great clubs featuring many types of music, cute boutiques, really close to SF, great theater, etc.