Hi there, and welcome to Oakland!
Rockridge is lovely but it doesn't have many apartment buildings.
For young professionals looking for an apartment, I'd recommend the Adams' Point area. This is just north of Lake Merritt, near Uptown Oakland, and walking distance to the 19h Street BART. The area is mostly apartment buildings and recently has become very popular with young professionals priced out of SF. There are great restaurants on Grand, a Whole Foods, and some excellent nightlife nearby in the Uptown neighborhood (you're walking distance to the Fox Theater, which hosts amazing, world-renowned bands. Prince just played there last week, Lorde is there tonight and Neutral Milk Hotel is there next week.) You're also near the Paramount Theater (also hosts amazing acts), plus bars, cafes, etc. The Uptown Area is also home to the monthly Art Murmur, a first-Friday art gallery crawl and general street party, plus the New Parkway Theater, which shows second-run movies while serving pizza and beer on comfy couches.
Lake Merritt is gorgeous and great to for running or just strolling. There is a lot to see and do here, and it's very accessible to public transportation, as well as to the 580.
I've lived in the neighborhood since 2002 and have watched it change for the better.
The apartment stock is great. We live in a 1966 building that is very mid-century mod, Mad Man style, and our rent is quite reasonable. In fact, there's a unit in our building coming up for rent soon. If you're interested, reply with your email. Prior to this we lived in a gorgeous Art Deco building.
Search on Craigslist under Adams Point.
Good luck!
Kathleen
