Hawthorne

Much of this “L” shaped neighborhood is made up of worn out industrial buildings. In some spots however one sees the trademark gentrified apartment buildings that have become an Oakland staple. The three story pastel facades of these structures are their dead give away. In many cases the complexes also try to give residents a feeling of safety by having parking courtyards and two story high gates at the entrance.

Mostly, however, the residential area is made up of pre-WWII bungalows in various states of repair and those boxy 1970’s style apartment buildings. Occasionally you come across empty lots sprinkled throughout the neighborhood. Many of the lawns are unkept and poorly watered—adding to a general feeling of shabbiness in the neighborhood.

Many businesses call this neighborhood home—from Acme Fire Extinguishers to the Native American Health Center.

If you are an architecture buff and like to visit old houses, you will also find the Cohen Bray House in this neighborhood. Built in the 1870’s it is one of the older buildings still around in Oakland.

The local elementary school in the area, International Community School, is fairly mediocre when it comes to test scores, but given the even lower scores of the surrounding schools, this is probably one of the better school in the area to enroll students. There is also an Oakland Charter school and Hawthorne Middle School at the southern end of the neighborhood—both of which leave a lot to be desired.

Food options here are far from remarkable—mostly it is just fast food like El Pollo Loco and MacDonalds. The best places to eat are probably the taquerias that bring a touch of authenticity to the area. Much of the neighborhood’s establishments announce themselves in Spanish, the dominant language of the area. So, you get places with names like Supermercado Mi Pueblo and Hornitos Café.

As throughout this area surrounding the Fruitvale BART, crime is the problem keeps me from recommending it to anyone.