Peralta / Hacienda

Down by Foothill Blvd., in this neighborhood you have an interesting stretch of urban businesses. Besides that usual KFC and taquerias that are fixtures of many Oakland neighborhoods, this area is also home to a jewelry store and the Cyberworld Café, an arcade. And, for those who would rather meditate on something other than Centipede, just next door you find the True Buddha Viyaja Temple. The Buddhist temple is committed to spreading good “dharma” to all and to teaching the “fun-damentals” of Buddhism to all. Oh yes, and they also offer kung fu classes.

From this motley assortment of establishments along Foothill, the rest Peralta Hacienda extends up in a long swath to almost the freeway. Distinctive to this neighborhood, is the column of trees along the creek that bisect it so that many streets end in tree barred cul-de-sacs. Unlike much of Oakland, where the vast majority of the homes are California bungalows built before World War II, the Peralta Hacienda neighborhood is notable in that almost half of its homes were built in the 50s and 60s. This is virtually unnoticeable however near Foothill where the homes are still dominated by older, somewhat rundown looking Bungalows.

Where you do notice the newer structures is on the northeastern end of the neighborhood where rows of 60’s style apartment complexes seem to pop-up out of nowhere. These newer structures are not an improvement on the nearby bungalows, however. They have an uninviting concrete look to them, looking down on a central driveway filled with carports rather than a hospitable fountain or grassy walkway. These are the kind of complexes that make you feel locked in rather than protected from the outside. Garbage also litters much of the area around them adding to the feeling of things being dilapidated. Definitely not the place you want to raise a family.

The neighborhood is home to a few different schools, including Calvin Simmons Middle School. I don’t know much about Calvin Simmons but if it anything like the surrounding elementary schools that feed into it, then you probably don’t want to send your kids to it.

The neighborhood has the same crime problems as much of the surrounding area which is the major drawback of living here. Crime and gang violence make it a less than promising area. I don’t think most people would choose to live here if they weren’t force to by economic circumstances.