Oakland Real Estate - Oakland City Profile Geography and Climate
With an estimated 2005 population of 412,318, Oakland is both largest city in Alameda
County and the county seat. In terms of real estate, Alameda County's
Community Development Agency estimates that Oakland consists of 78,882 single
family units (attached and detached), 29,152 buildings with 2-4 residential
units (i.e., duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes) 52,532 buildings with five or more
residential units or more, and 456 mobile homes.
Oakland is bordered on the west by Alameda and San Francisco Bay. On the east
lie the hills of the Contra Costa range. One reaches Contra Costa County by
going through, rather than over, via the Caldecott Tunnel (background,
map).
Because of these hills, Oakland's elevation varies between sea level and 1500
feet. Alameda and Hayward lie to the south, Berkeley and Richmond to the north.
Oakland's climate has been ranked as the best in America by Rand McNally. Many
folks have heard Mark Twain's famous remarks about the area to the west: "The
coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." Summer temperatures
are typically about 2-5 degrees warmer in Oakland. Because of its location by
the bay, nights often are foggy, but the fog typically burns off in the morning --
summers especially are typically cloud free and sunny.
Government
OK, I confess. I love Oakland government. What's not to love about the nation's
fifth most liberal city (in 2005),
a city where the mayor is both a distinguished Democrat and an avid
blogger whose blog generates a good deal of intelligent debate?
Of course, as a home buyer you're probably more interested in the departments
dealing with building and land ownership than with my partisan exuberances, so
here is a short list of the ones you're likely to encounter:
Planning
Department
Handles issues such as zoning and residential design review.
Building
Services
For building services, building codes and inspections, and permits.
Oakland Real Estate Market Updates
The links below will take you to our blog articles that discuss the changing market
conditions for Oakland Real Estate.
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