Fairfax

California has at least three places involving the name Fairfax. There is a relatively well-known Fairfax down in the LA area. There is a Fairfax town up in Marin County. And there is also this Fairfax, a small, little known neighborhood in Oakland, California.

Fairfax, in Oakland, is a small working class neighborhood, a little bit to the east of Mills College. This is yet another of the neighborhoods in Oakland that we might call a bungalow city with the majority of the homes here being of that variety and dating to before the 1950’s.

The main feature of the northern part of the neighborhood is dominated by Home of Peace Cemetery—which I believe is a Jewish cemetery. This section of Fairfax is somewhat elevated and offers some okay views of the Oakland cityscape. Surrounding the cemetery are boxy apartment buildings—weather worn and ugly.

The bungalows that make up most of the rest of the neighborhood are okay but they are also a bit worn.

Crime in the area is also a bit of concern as there is about one murder in the neighborhood per year. Given there are less than three thousand residents here, this is definitely a concern anyone moving here should weigh.

In terms of the businesses in Fairfax, there isn’t much to write home about. There is an auto repair that I have never been to. There is also a cheap pizza place, Mama Rosa’s Pizza which has some pretty cheap though not very good pizza.

One positive of the neighborhood is the elementary school, Horace Mann. Although by nationwide standards it would be considered rather mediocre, it is actually one of the better elementaries in Oakland. I still would not recommend living here if can avoid it, however.