What Do You Know About Oakland?

Where are you from?

Oakland!

 “I am never going into Oakland, I am going to get shot.”

A shadow looms over Oakland with talks of crimes and violent. That is true, but is Oakland really the only city with crime rates? No matter where we are or where we go, there are always crimes. West Oakland may be an area of concentrated crimes but this area itself is not an indication of the entire city. Many people, for example, in San Francisco believe that they should steer clear of Oakland but at the same time, there are also many places in San Francisco more fearful than Oakland. It is just that the media is not reporting crimes in San Francisco as often as shootings that occur in Oakland.

Ever since the late 1960’s, Oakland has been plagued with violent crimes. Progress has been made and in 2010, violent crimes in Oakland went down by 21%. Some people continue to question this statistic because people tend to dwell on past statistics. They believe that a city that has been plagued with crimes is forever plagued. Amidst all the negativity, people need to look past this and start believing because Oakland has been renovated and is moving forward.

Flag of Oakland

For those who are wondering, just across the Bay Bridge away from San Francisco lies the City of Oakland. The City of Oakland derived its name from the abundance of oak trees found in the area, which has long been its symbol since the 1850’s. This majestic tree now anchors Oakland’s renewed Civic center plaza, is located in front of city hall, and some still thrive in the Oakland hills. The oak tree symbolizes strength and in a way also mirrors the City today as it tries to break free from all the negativity.

In January 2012, The New York Times’ "The 45 Places to go in 2012" placed Oakland as #5, between #4 London and #6 Tokyo. San Francisco like many other popular cities did not even make the list. As you can see, progress has been made and we now see that Oakland is gaining the publicity and news it deserves.

Lake Merritt

However, this is not news to me because Oakland has always been my #1. Oakland has great climate, art galleries, amazing night views from the 1700 ft. peak called Grizzly Peak, to die for restaurants, nightlife, fabulous music revenues, action packed- pro sports, historical architectures and landmarks, a mesmerizing cemetery, and a beautiful estuary located downtown.

Oakland is a great place to live, a great place to visit and explore. Born and raised in Oakland, I am here to highlight some of Oakland’s greatness. Familiar with the area, I also know some of many amazing places to explore. Forget what you have heard and follow me as I give you insights into this beautiful city I call home.

P.S. Welcome to Oakland!