A string on Reddit is interesting in terms of how people view Oakland as a place to live. The original poster, a young woman, asked which city she should live in if the choice was between Oakland and New York City. Most readers responded with New York City because, well, it’s New York City! As one put it, “I’ve lived in or near Oakland for over 10 years and I love it, but not for a hot minute would I take it over NYC. You’re in your 20’s. Now is the best time to live in New York. There is no place on earth like it.”
As a New Yorker born and bred, I have to agree.
The pro-Oakland crowd (yes, there were a few) recommended Oakland primarily because our weather is near-perfect year-round, especially compared to New York’s vile winters and summers. But everyone pointed out how undesirable Oakland is from a safety point of view.
Here are some examples that shed light on the common perceptions of Oakland. Keep in mind, these comments are from real people who have some experience of Oakland. They had no reason to not tell the truth. (I’ve copied the comments, including grammar and punctuation errors, exactly as they appeared.)
There’s a reason everything is leaving Oakland
I just moved out of Oakland and do not regret it one bit. My experience: I had shootings in front of my residence, torched cars, neighbors cars stolen, illegal dumping, domestic violence. Just driving down the street sometimes was a shit show with the No plate stolen cars blowing red lights left right and center and the cops doing absolutely nothing.
Lots of positives [in Oakland], but the negatives lower the quality of living compared to NYC.
In my 2 years living in Oakland I had a neighbors car torched, a neighbor get into a shootout with robbers, joyriders crash a stolen car into my neighbor's house/truck (totaled the truck) and was threatened by some hoodlums near Coliseum Bart.
The only thing better about Oakland vs. NYC is the weather. I have a regular appointment in Downtown Oakland, and I will tell you some of the things I see: random people trying to take cash from you to park in a paid parking lot (which you still have to pay for digitally), poor quality roads with many potholes, many homeless and drug people wandering the streets, a lot of graffiti and trash and dumped items, many abandoned buildings of business who left years ago but never got filled, glass on the street from where cars were broken into, people doing racing and large groups of bikers or cyclists doing tricks on busy streets with many pedestrians around, etc.
In Oakland, there's a general feeling of lawlessness. It feels like people can pretty much do what they want without consequences. If that appeals to you, then it's a good fit.
Oakland has been depressing lately. It's dirty unless you live in affluent areas, and the homeless and mental health crises are relentlessly front-and-center because our governments don't seem to want to make progress there.
Weather in the Bay Area is great, but I wouldn’t recommend Oakland. The crime stories you’ve heard are not overblown.
Oakland is kinda in a bad way right now with crime. It’s a beautiful city rich in culture, but lacking any real law enforcement.
Weather in Oakland may be great. But, it is dangerous as hell. Especially if people can tell that you are not from the area. Always, be sure to know when to run and hide. Know your escape paths for everywhere you go. Good luck. Trust me. I came out of there. I wouldn't go back even if the city paid me two million dollars a year tax-free. My life, peace of mind, and sanity is worth so much more.
Oakland? It's absolutely appalling. It's fraught with danger, there's a shooting practically every day and no one is safe.
Any place in the Bay Area but Oakland. I have a couple colleagues that lived there and they had their cars broken into multiple times, they got fed up and moved.
I almost car jacked at a gas station with my baby in in the car & i’ve seen the aftermath of people getting shot, laying on International. For those two reason, I refuse to travel to Oakland anymore. People get shot for honking at other people. Shits wild.
Don’t leave anything in your car ever in the city. It will get the window smashed even for seemingly worthless things. Good luck on your choice!
Crime is out of control in Oakland. Armed home invasion robberies. Armed car jackings. Guns being shot in the air at random times. People on the street being randomly beat up. Muggings in broad daylight.
Local realtor here. You can choose just about any adjacent city and it'll be better than Oakland. The crime in Oakland is pretty contained to Oakland mostly.
Oakland is hell on earth.
If you want you car broken into, stolen or if you are ok with getting attacked or robbed then Oakland is your city.
Your car will be broken into, and you might experience gunfire. It's part of its charm, I suppose. Lived in Oaktown for 10 yrs, hadn't had a problem, left in 2016 and every time I visit it gets progressively worse. And I know EVERYBODY. Bar and restaurant owners, subversive culture groups, everybody is fed up. It's a shit hole now. Weather is awesome, but if you have to deal with a broken car window just before a weekend excursion, it'll ruin your plans. The city no longer takes care of parks, especially Lake Merritt (which used to be a bird sanctuary, and great place to walk/exercise, but now it's crap.
Crime is pretty bad, infrastructure is failing. Businesses closing or relocating. Arson. Smash and grabs. The weather is great though, and you can buy pot anywhere.
This is me again—Steve. The above comments are the most eloquent indictment possible of the “leaders” Oakland’s had for the past twenty years, excluding Jerry Brown. I’m making this prediction: If you think things are bad now in Oakland, just wait until the incoming Bas-Fife regime makes its drastic budget cuts to the Oakland Police Department.
Steve Heimoff